Master of Physics (MPhys)

MPhys Physics

Join a physics Department of international renown that offers great choice and flexibility, leading to master's qualification.

  • Duration: 4 years
  • Year of entry: 2025
  • UCAS course code: F305 / Institution code: M20
  • Key features:
  • Scholarships available
  • Accredited course

Full entry requirementsHow to apply

Fees and funding

Fees

Tuition fees for home students commencing their studies in September 2025 will be £9,535 per annum (subject to Parliamentary approval). Tuition fees for international students will be £36,500 per annum. For general information please see the undergraduate finance pages.

Policy on additional costs

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).

Scholarships/sponsorships

The University of Manchester is committed to attracting and supporting the very best students. We have a focus on nurturing talent and ability and we want to make sure that you have the opportunity to study here, regardless of your financial circumstances.

For information about scholarships and bursaries please visit our undergraduate student finance pages and our Department funding pages .

Course unit details:
Frontiers of Photon Science

Course unit fact file
Unit code PHYS40611
Credit rating 10
Unit level Level 4
Teaching period(s) Semester 1
Available as a free choice unit? No

Overview

Frontiers of Photon Science

Aims

1. To gain an appreciation of the techniques of photon science.
In particular, to understand how:
• ultrafast laser pulses are produced, characterised and used
• nonlinear frequency conversion techniques can be used to change the wavelength of laser beams
• terahertz-frequency light is produced and detected
 
2. To illustrate the application of these techniques in scientific research
 
3. To provide a suitable introduction to students wishing to pursue postgraduate research in
photon science.

Learning outcomes

On completion successful students will be able to:

1. Describe the equipment and techniques used by photon scientists to produce and measure ultrafast laser pulses in the UV, visible, infra-red and terahertz spectral regions.

2. Analyse the optical response of nonlinear materials and explain how it can be optimised to enable the significant wavelength conversion of laser beams.

3. Describe terahertz radiation and its effect on materials

4. Explain quantitatively how these techniques can be used in scientific research to gain an understanding of electronic processes occurring on a sub-nanosecond time-scale.

Syllabus

1. Producing ultrafast laser pulses (2 lectures)
Mode-locking; dependence of pulse length and peak power on mode number; active and passive techniques. Oscillator-amplifier systems.
 
2. Nonlinear frequency conversion (8 lectures)
Nonlinear optical materials; modification of the wave-equation; three-wave coupling; phase-matching; second harmonic and sum-frequency generation; optical parametric amplifiers and oscillators
 
3. Advanced ultrafast laser diagnostics (2 lectures)
Single- and multiple-shot autocorrelators. Frequency-Resolved Optical Gating (FROG). Spectral Phase Interferometry for Direct Electric-field Reconstruction (SPIDER).
 
4. Terahertz spectroscopy (8 lectures)
Pump-probe detection techniques. Methods of generating terahertz radiation (photoconductive antennas and optical rectification). Electro-optic sampling. Time-domain and frequency-domain techniques. Asynchronous optical sampling methods. Applications of terahertz spectroscopy (conductivity processes in semiconductors and biomolecules).
 
5. Ultrafast Transient Absorption Spectroscopy (2 lectures).
White light continuum generation. Application to carrier dynamics in quantum dots: state-filling effects; carrier cooling and recombination; carrier trapping; multiexciton effects including Auger recombination and biexciton binding energy. Mulitple exciton generation as means of exceeding the Shockley-Queisser limit to solar cell efficiency.

Assessment methods

Method Weight
Written exam 100%

Feedback methods

Feedback will be available on students’ solutions to problem sheets.

Recommended reading

Dexheimer, S. L., Terahertz Spectroscopy, (CRC Press)
Hannaford P., Femtosecond Laser Spectroscopy, (Springer Science)

Study hours

Scheduled activity hours
Assessment written exam 1.5
Lectures 22
Independent study hours
Independent study 76.5

Teaching staff

Staff member Role
Darren Graham Unit coordinator
David Binks Unit coordinator

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