Outline and Aims:

The course will provide the students with insights in the physical concepts of some of the most fascinating processes that have been...

Outline and Aims:

The course will provide the students with insights in the physical concepts of some of the most fascinating processes that have been discovered in the last decades: those underpinning the molecular machinery of the biological cell. These concepts will be introduced and illustrated by a wide range of phenomena and processes in the cell, including bio-molecular structure, DNA packing in the genome, mechanics of the cytoskeleton, molecular motors and neural signaling.

The aim of the course is therefore to provide students with:

Knowledge and understanding of physical concepts which are relevant for understanding biology at the micro- to nano-scale.
	Knowledge and understanding of how these concepts are applied to describe various processes in the biological cell.
Teaching and Learning Methodology:

This course is delivered via weekly lectures supplemented by a series of workshops and additional discussion.

In addition to timetabled lecture hours, it is expected that students engage in self-study in order to master the material. This can take the form, for example, of practicing example questions and further reading in textbooks and online.

Outline:

In this module, students will conduct a single extended physics practical assignment over the course of around seven weeks. The practical assignment...

Outline and Aims:

The aims of this course are to:


	teach the basic physics of the interstellar gas in its diffuse, ionised and molecular phases, together...

Outline and Aims:

The aims of this course are to:

teach the basic physics of the interstellar gas in its diffuse, ionised and molecular phases, together with the properties of interstellar dust
	develop a qualitative and quantitative understanding of the microscopic processes that are occurring within and controlling the macroscopic processes of the interstellar medium
	apply this to describe quantitatively the physical processes involved in the process of star formation and in the impact of stars on their environments.
Teaching and Learning Methodology:

This course is delivered via weekly lectures supplemented by a series of workshops and additional discussion.

In addition to timetabled lecture hours, it is expected that students engage in self-study in order to master the material. This can take the form, for example, of practicing example questions and further reading in textbooks and online.

Indicative Topics:

Introduction [2]: History; Components of the ISM; Interstellar magnetic fields

Gas Dynamics [5]: Heating and cooling: hydrodynamics, sound waves; Shocks: cooling processes in shocked gases/isothermal shocks

HII Regions, Stellar Winds and Supernovae [8]: Ionised nebulae/HII regions & photoionised gas; the evolution of ionised regions; Stellar winds, supernovae, and their effects on the ISM

Star Formation [5]: Hydrostatic equilibrium, free-fall & induced star formation; Observational signatures of star formation; Gas flows from star-forming regions; Circumstellar and protoplanetary disks: the interstellar magnetic field

Dust [5]: Review of interstellar extinction & reddening; Cosmic dust & depletions; Formation & destruction of dust; Overview of grain components in the ISM: gas ratios, grain temperatures & size distribution; Scattering, absorption & grain charge

Molecules [5]: Brief revision of molecular spectra; Molecule formation (dark clouds); The chemistry of H2: chemistry in diffuse clouds; Molecular gas in the intergalactic medium