Courses at Bachelor's level
The language of instruction in all courses at bachelor's level, presented here, is English.
Courses given both semesters
Course is given: study period 1, both autumn and spring semester.
The course in short
This course will give you fundamental knowledge of the structure of atoms and molecules and their interactions with electromagnetic radiation. The course illustrates the role of quantum mechanics as the fundamental theory for the description of the microscopic world.
In the experimental part you will work with modern spectroscopic techniques. We also want to show atomic physics as a very large, active and wide research area in Lund.
The course will also train your problem-solving skill and your ability to write scientific reports.
Read more about the course Atomic and Molecular Physics on Canvas.
How to apply
You find the application details, course description and prerequisites for the course at Lund University's central web pages. Please note that you might need to click the link leading to the Swedish website to see if the course is open for application.
- Atomic and molecular physics, FYSB24, at lu.se (in Swedish)
- Atomic and molecular physics, FYSB24, at lunduniversity.lu.se (in English)
Course syllabus
Link to course syllabus for Atomic and Molecular Physics, FYSB24.
Schedule
Course coordinators
Tomas Brage, spring
Professor
Mathieu Gisselbrecht, autumn
Senior lecturer
Course is given: period 2, both autumn and spring semesters.
From 2024 the course will be given only during autumn semesters.
The course in short
This is an introductory course in quantum mechanics. You will start with a brief historical background and discuss the basic ideas and postulates of quantum theory. Schrödingers wave equation will then be introduced and you will learn how to solve it for potentials in one dimension, such as wells and barriers. This is followed by concepts and formalism of operators, observables and measurements in quantum mechanics. The course ends by discussing the quantum model for an harmonic oscillator and introducing the hydrogen atom as a basic example of "round", three dimensional quantum mechanics.
Read more about the course Basic Quantum Mechanics on Canvas.
How to apply
You find the application details, course description and prerequisites for the course at Lund University's central web pages. Please note that you might need to click the link leading to the Swedish website to see if the course is open for application.
- Basic quantum mechanics, FYSB22, at lu.se (in Swedish)
- Basic quantum mechanics, FYSB22, at lunduniversity.lu.se (in English)
Course coordinator
Peter Samuelsson
Professor
Course is given: study period 2, both autumn and spring semester.
The course in brief
The aim of this course is that you should learn electromagnetism based on Maxwell's equations and the Lorentz force. In the course you will learn how to apply and solve Maxwell's equations, the potential formulation, how to treat polarisation and magnetisation phenomena, energy transport, boundary conditions, and electromagnetic waves. You will also learn some basic vector analysis and related integral theorems needed to solve electromagnetic problems.
The course is mandatory for students at the bachelor's programme in physics.
How to apply
Course website in Canvas
Course coordinator
Johan Rathsman
Senior lecturer
Three courses are included in the introductory module of the bachelor's programme in physics. You must be admitted to a bachelor's programme in science to be admitted to the courses. The courses are presented in this block.
The courses are given in English during the spring semester. During the autumn semester, the courses are given in Swedish.
Course is given: study period 1, spring.
The Course in Short
The course is compulsory at the undergraduate level for a Bachelor of Science in Physics. The course is only available within the Bachelor's programme. It provides an introduction to university physics, as a basis for further studies in physics. Special emphasis is placed on basic mechanics and electrical engineering as a foundation for other physics.
Schedule
Course Syllabus
Course Coordinators
Magnus Borgström (autumn)
Professor
Johan Zetterberg (autumn)
Senior lecturer
Jan Knudsen (autumn)
Senior lecturer
Elizabeth Blackburn (spring)
Professor
Christian Brackmann (spring)
Researcher
Course is given: study period 2, spring.
The Course in Short
The course is compulsory at the undergraduate level for a Bachelor of Science in Physics. The course is only available within the Bachelor's programme. It provides an introduction to university physics, as a basis for further studies in physics. The course aims to provide basic knowledge in optics, wave science and quantum physics, as well as their applications in research and society.
Schedule
Course Syllabus
Course Coordinators
Elna Heimdal Nilsson (autumn semester)
Senior Lecturer
Vincent Hedberg (spring semester)
Senior Lecturer
Course is given: study period 2, spring.
The Course in Short
The course is compulsory at the undergraduate level for a Bachelor of Science in Physics. The course is only available within the Bachelor's programme. It provides an introduction to university physics, as a basis for further studies in physics.
The course aims to provide basic knowledge in thermodynamics and the Earth's climate as well as practice in performing, interpreting and describing the results of physical experiments (experimental methodology).
Schedule
Course Syllabus
Course Coordinators
Anna-Lena Sahlberg (autumn semester)
Associate Senior Lecturer
Thi Kim Cuong Le (spring semester)
Associate Senior Lecturer
Course is given: study period 2, both autumn and spring semesters.
The Course in Short
The course provides you with an opportunity to practice the use of mathematical and numerical methods, and to study problems in classical physics. Special focus is placed on the complex Fourier transform and on differential equations, with applications to different systems.
Read more about the course Mathematical Methods for Vibrations, Waves and Diffusion on Canvas.
How to apply
You find the application details, course description and prerequisites for the course at Lund University's central web pages. Please note that you might need to click the link leading to the Swedish website to see if the course is open for application.
- Mathematical Methods for Vibrations, Waves and Diffusion, FYSB21 at lu.se (in Swedish)
- Mathematical Methods for Vibrations, Waves and Diffusion, FYSB21 at lunduniversity.lu.se (in English)
Course Responsible
Andreas Wacker
Professor
Course is given: study period 2, both autumn and spring semester.
The course in short
In the course you will develop an understanding of the atomic nucleus based on macroscopic and microscopic models. Assessing success and limitations of various models used to describe the many facets of atomic nuclei as well as their excitations and decays is a key learning outcome of the course. Generic quantum mechanical concepts are being exemplified on behalf of atomic nuclei.
Supported by the experimental part, you will understand the origin and relevance of nuclear radiation and detection in science and society. This part is supported by lectures on ongoing research topics in basic or applied nuclear physics in Lund.
Read more about the course Nuclear physics on Canvas.
How to apply
Course coordinators
Dirk Rudolph, spring
Professor
Luis Gerardo Sarmiento, autumn
Senior lecturer
Course is given: study period 2, both autumn and spring semester.
The course in short
The overall goal of the course is to give you a broad perspective of the field and to highlight some surprising and intriguing aspects of particle physics such as anti-matter, neutrino oscillations, quark confinement, and the Higgs mechanism. At the end of the course, there is the chance to visit the international particle physics laboratory DESY in Hamburg. The visit will be guided by scientists working at the laboratory and will show some real-life examples of particle physics research.
How to apply
Course coordinator
Alice Ohlson
Associate senior lecturer
Course is given: study period 1, both autumn and spring semester.
The course in short
The student will learn how central concepts in solid-state physics can be applied to model physical effects. Examples of the course content are:
- Chemical bonding in solids
- Crystal Structure and diffraction
- Lattice vibrations and phonons
- Band structure, metals, semiconductors, and insulators with applications
- Magnetism
- A brief survey of superconductivity.
Read more about the course Solid State Physics on Canvas.
Course syllabus
Link to course syllabus for Solid State Physics, FYSC23.
Schedule
Course responsible
Claudio Verdozzi
Senior lecturer
Basic courses – autumn semester
Course is given: study period 2, autumn semester.
The course in brief
This multi-diciplinary course treats the question of life in the universe. Where can life have developed? Must it be on a planet similar to Earth? How does life on a planet develop and evolve? Under what extreme circumstances can life persist? We discuss these and similar questions from physical, biological and social perspectives.
In the course we treat methods to find and explore planets around other stars (exoplanets) and the search for intelligent life in the universe. We also discuss any consequences, philosophical and other, in the event of discovering intelligent life in the universe.
How to apply
Course website in Canvas
Course responsible
Jens Hoeijmakers
Associate senior lecturer
Course is given: study period 1, autumn.
The course in brief
The aim of this course is that you should learn classical mechanics starting from the principal least action with emphasis on symmetries and conservation laws as well as and special relativity with emphasis on relativistic kinematics. In the course you will learn how to use the Lagrange formalism, get an introduction to the Hamilton formalism, the use of constraints and Lagrange multipliers, a general treatment of the two-body problem and Kepler's laws, Lorentztransformations, four vectors and relativistic kinematics.
This course is mandatory only for bachelor students with the specialisation Theoretical physics.
Course website in Canvas
Course coordinator
Rikkert Frederix
Course is given: study period 2, autumn.
The course in brief
In this course, you will learn about the properties of the Milky Way and galaxies of different kinds regarding structure, chemical evolution and the interplay between stars and the interstellar medium. You will learn methods for determining distances and masses. The course also includes subjects such as: dark matter, the Hubble law and the expansion of the Universe, observations and model descriptions of active galectic nuclei in particular quasars, the mass density and geometry of the Universe, nuclear synthesis in the early Universe, cosmological background radiation, and dark energy.
How to apply
Course website in Canvas
Course coordinator
Thomas Bensby
Course is given: study period 1, autumn.
The course in brief
The course is aimed at students in the master's program in astrophysics, who lack previous astrophysics studies.
The course provides an overview of modern astronomy, its research methods and results, where physical laws are placed in their context to provide an overall picture of our contemporary perception of the universe, its origin and development.
The course deals with different sub-areas of astronomy, such as astronomical instruments and observation methods, the properties of stars, motion, star formation and development, the planetary system and its origin, the Milky Way and other galaxies, theories of universe evolution.
How to apply
Course website in Canvas
Course coordinator
Thomas Bensby
Course is given: study period 1, autumn.
The course in brief
This course covers broad programming aspects essential for scientists. The following will be addressed:
- Use of UNIX-based operating systems, such as Linux
- Overview of the use of programming in various scientific fields (Data analysis, simulation, etc.)
- Overview of common programming languages such as C ++ and Java
- Basic concepts of object-oriented software design
- Basic Software Engineering with a language (C ++), use of Standard software construction tools in a UNIX-based environment, such as Linux (Gmake, gcc)
- Practical exercises in data analysis and simulation
- Basic methods for software development in cooperation with others
- Redistributed data processing
How to apply
Course website in Canvas
Course coordinator
Oxana Smirnova
Senior lecturer
Course is given: study period 2, autumn.
The course in short
The aim of this course is to develop an understanding of the most important materials analysis tools for nanostructures - to understand how each technique works, what information it can give an how to interpret the information. The focus is on techniques that give morphological, structural and composition information. At present the course is divided into two parts: the first and larger cover electron microscopy analysis, including both SEM and TEM and associated methods. Topics include fundamental principles in electron microscopy; imaging and how to understand and interpret images; electron diffraction principles, interpretation and acquisition; and compositional analysis in electron microscopy using X-ray and electron energy-loss spectroscopy. The second part of the course introduces surface analysis techniques, with emphasis on the benefits and uses of different types of techniques, and how to interpret the results.
Read more about the course Materials Analysis at the Nanoscale on the online learning tool Canvas.
How to apply
Course syllabus
Link to course syllabus for Materials Analysis at the Nanoscale, FYSD21 (in Swedish).
Course coordinator
Reine Wallenberg
Professor
Course is given: study period 1, autumn semester.
The course in short
In the course the students will learn about different types of accelerators for the production of photons and neutrons for research.
The students will learn about methods of producing photons with highly relativistic electron beams in combination with special magnets called undulators and the method of producing neutrons by letting a relativistic proton beam hit a target.
The students will also learn about the experimental stations, the experimental methods, and the different kinds of research that can be carried out with neutrons and photons.
How to apply
Course syllabus
Link to course syllabus for Photon and Neutron Production for Science, MAXC11.
Course coordinator
Francesca Curbis
Senior lecturer
Course is given: study period 1, autumn.
The course in short
The purpose of this course is to provide fundamental knowledge about fabrication and characterization of semiconductor devices on the nanometer scale. The focus is set on modern materials and processing techniques with nanotechnology as a main theme. Most of the processes are general and are applied in traditional Si based IC technology as well as in advanced III-V technology and MEMS/NEMS fabrication.
How to apply
Course coordinator
Claes Thelander
Senior lecturer
Other courses
Course is given: study period 1, autumn.
The course in short
In this course you will study and discuss various types of texts in English, both facts and fiction. You will also learn more about academic writing in English and practise giving oral presentations in English.The knowledge and the skills you get by taking this course will be useful to you both in your studies in the faculty of science and in your future careers, for instance when you compete for the best jobs.
How to apply
Syllabus, schedule and more:
Course coordinator
The course is given by the faculties of Humanities and Theology.
Basic courses – spring semester
Course is given: study period 1, spring semester.
The course in short
This course will introduce you to the essence of statistical mechanics, starting from a microscopic description of matter. The central concept of entropy is introduced, a connection with thermodynamical quantities is established, and paradigmatic systems such as the ideal (quantum and classical) gases are studied.
The overall topic is truly fascinating, since it shows in a beautiful way how what we experience in everyday life naturally emerges from the behaviour of matter down at the fundamental space, time, and energy scales.
How to apply
You find the application details, course description and prerequisites for the course at Lund University's central web pages. Please note that you might need to click the link leading to the Swedish website to see if the course is open for application.
- Basic Statistical Physics and Quantum Statistics, FYSB23 at lu.se (in Swedish)
- Basic Statistical Physics and Quantum Statistics, FYSB23 at lunduniversity.lu.se (in English)
Course coordinator
Erik van Loon
Associate senior lecturer
Course is given: study period 2, spring.
The course in brief
The course covers basic questions about what constitutes science and the scientific method; what are the differences between true science and pseudoscience, from charlatanism and fraud; the relationship between faith and reason, religion and science; anthropocentricity and gender perspectives in science; and the connection between natural science and other creative activities such as painting, sculpture and composition.
Course website in Canvas
Course coordinator
Leif Lönnblad
Course is given: study period 2, spring.
The course in brief
The course covers basic vector analysis and fluid dynamics, with focus on large systems and fluids in rotating systems. Examples and applications are mainly picked from meteorology and astronomy.
Course website in Canvas
Course coordinator
Oscar Agertz
Course is given: study period 2, spring.
The course in short
This course aims at providing the basics for understanding combustion phenomena. This includes thermodynamics, chemical kinetics, ignition, fluid dynamics and the formation of pollutants. From the knowledge in these areas it is possible to reach an understanding for energy related and environmental problems connected to real life combustion.
Read more about the course Fundamental Combustion on the online learning tool Canvas.
Course syllabus
Link to course syllabus for Fundamental Combustion, FYSD11.
Schedule
Course coordinator
Alexander Konnov
Professor
Course is given: the entire spring semester, 25% study pace.
The course code was previously, up until autumn 2022, MNXA02.
The course in brief
The course includes theory (3 credits) and a project (4.5 credits). The purpose of the theory part is to give course participants the opportunity to become acquainted with the terminology of gender studies, its subject and research. During the project, the goal is to give the student the opportunity to examine some part of their own education or teaching from a gender perspective.
The course is a result of a collaboration between Department of Physics, Science Faculty, Engineering Faculty and Center for Gender Studies.
Apply to the course
You will find the application details, course description and prerequisites for the course at Lund University's central web pages. Please note that you might need to visit Antagning.se to find information about the course.
- Gender in Science and Technology, MNXB02, at lu.se (in Swedish)
- Gender in Science and Technology, MNXB02, at lunduniversity.lu.se (in English)
Course coordinator
Tomas Brage
Professor
Course is given in 25% study pace during the entire spring semester.
The Course in Short
The aim of the course is that the student, on completion of the course, should have acquired an introduction to a gender perspective on physics with a focus on the research and education of the university level.
Apply to the Course
You will find the application details, course description and prerequisites for the course at Lund University's central web pages. Please note that you might need to visit the Swedish website to see if the course is open for application.
- Physics and gender, MNXB03, at lu.se (in Swedish)
- Physics and gender, MNXB03, at lunduniversity.lu.se (in English)
Course Responsible
Tomas Brage
Professor
Course is given: study period 1, spring.
The course in short
This internship, which is located at the Danish Meteorological Institute, DMI, is reserved for students in our meteorological program.
Course is given: study period 1, spring.
The course in brief
The course deals with fundamental areas in radiation and plasma physics necessary for the understanding of the radiation emanating from the outer parts (atmospheres) of stars. Astronomical observations cover the electromagnetic spectrum from X-rays to microwaves.
Course website in Canvas
Course coordinator
Nils Ryde
Degree Projects and Applied Work
Course is given: both autumn and spring semester.
The course in brief
Within the course, a 7-8 weeks internship at a workplace with tasks related to the student's education is planned, implemented and evaluated. The supervisor is appointed at the workplace. The intern keeps a workbook during the internship.
How to apply
Course syllabus
Link to course syllabus for Applied Work, FYSB06 (in Swedish)
Coordinator
Our diploma work coordinator answers all questions about applied work and degree projects in physics.
Email: diploma_office [at] fysik [dot] lu [dot] se
Course is given: both autumn and spring semester.
The course in brief
In the course you will choose a problem in astrophysics, together with your supervisor, which you will study and solve independently. The task can be of an observational, technical or theoretical nature. Preferably, it should be linked to a current research project at the department.
In the course you will get the opportunity to apply your previously acquired knowledge on a specific problem and to interpret and rate the results. You will also get training in reporting the problem, methods of investigation and results, both in written and oral form.
Course web site on Canvas
Course is given: both autumn and spring semester.
From 2023, the course code has changed to FYSK03.
The course in short
The diploma work is one of the final steps in your academic education. The diploma work is part of a process. An education in physical science is typically rather broad and you should therefore consider early during your studies what you would like to do in your professional life and eagerly try to develop the necessary background. For a physics student, this typically includes scientific understanding, ability to analyse and interpret results, and your effectiveness in communicating knowledge and results to others.
The bachelor’s degree course has a fixed start date and a number of compulsory elements and deadlines. At the end of the course, there is an oral presentation.
Course website in Canvas
Coordinator
Our diploma work coordinator Oxana Smirnova answers all questions about bachelor’s degree projects in physics.
Email: diploma_office [at] fysik [dot] lu [dot] se
Course is given: both autumn and spring semester.
The course in brief
In the course, you choose an independent degree project in theoretical physics corresponding to 15 credits, in consultation with your supervisor and the course responsible. The project should preferably be linked to a current research project at the department.
As part of the course, you will also get training in scientific writing, academic writing in English, popular science writing, academic conduct and the use of library resources.