Undergraduate Course: Geometry and Physics of Soft Condensed Matter (PHYS11055)
Course Outline
| School | School of Physics and Astronomy |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Year 5 Undergraduate) |
Credits | 10 |
| Home subject area | Undergraduate (School of Physics and Astronomy) |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | In this course, we explore how to build theories for the complex fluids introduced in the Soft Matter Physics course, often taking examples from the world of biology. Once again, generic features will be emphasised in order to build up a repertoire of theoretical tours that a widely applicable to analysing a diversity of soft materials. Topics covered may vary from year to year depending on the specialisms of the staff involved. |
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | No |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course it is intended that a student will be able to:
1) demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the phases of elastic solids and liquid crystals;
2) write down continuum (hydrodynamic) equations for complex fluids starting from a suitable free energy;
3) be able to identify and describe topological defects in liquid crystals and elastic solids, and explain their consequences on the physics of these materials;
4) demonstrate an understanding of the rheology of complex fluids;
5) discuss the properties of DNA knots and of supercoiled DNA, and their basic con- sequences for DNA physics and enzymology;
6) demonstrate an understanding of the elastic and physical properties of membranes, including examples which are biologically relevant;
7) demonstrate a grasp of the order of magnitude of central quantities and develop confidence with ¿intuitive¿ estimates or ¿back-of-the-envelope¿ calculations based on the concepts of the course.
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Assessment Information
| 80% exam 20% coursework |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Symmetries and phases of liquid crystals Phases of copolymers
Hydrodynamic theories of complex fluids
Topological defects in liquid crystals and elastic solids Topological properties of DNA: knots and supercoiling
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| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Not entered |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | |
Course secretary | |
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