Complex Physics
Course content
The topics that will be covered are: Equilibrium physics with Phase transitions and Ising model, Monte Carlo simulations, critical phenomena, Scale free systems, Percolation, Self organization, Networks, Stochastic simulations, Agent based models, Econophysics.
MSc Programme in Nanoscience
MSc Programme in Physics
MSc Programme in Physics with a minor subject
Skills
The aim is to learn how to rephrase a complex phenomenon into a
mathematical equation or computer algorithm.
At the conclusion of the course students should be able to develop
computer programs that implement and analyse simple quantitative
models of stochastic systems with many parts.
The student will learn to implement agent based models, and learn
about the advantages of this type of approach to a range of
phenomena.
Students will learn to appreciate that the joint dynamics of a many
body system often is both quantitatively and qualitatively
different from the simple sum of its parts.
Knowledge
The student is expected to gain basic knowledge on contemporary
research in complex systems.
In particular the course emphasize the concept of universality and
that the behaviour in many large dynamical systems share common
features.
This includes the ability to use fundamental concepts from
statistical mechanics, non-linear dynamics, time series analysis,
stochastic dynamics and self-organizing systems. These topics give
understanding of scaling and scale-invariant phenomena, including
fractals and scale-free networks.
The course show many examples on non-equilibrium systems that
self-organize to a steady state dynamics that is characterized by
fractals and power laws.
Competences
How to model and analyse systems with many components in terms of
equations and computer programs.
Write computer models of systems with many interacting parts,
including the Ising model, Monte-Carlo simulations, percolation,
networks, stochastic dynamical systems, and models of disease
spreading.
Implement models to describe self-organized dynamics of structures,
for example within network theory and for systems that behave
similar across a wide range of scales.
The course will provide the students with tools from physics that
have application in a range of fields within and beyond
physics.
lectures and exercises
lecture notes
As a minimum the students are expected to have Python on their
laptop and furthermore to be able to write a program that perform
simple matrix manipulations (multiplications or addition).
They should also to be able to program the dynamics of a first
order differential equation. The students should know how to
represent simulation results visually. Students should also
know Taylor expansions and know the concept of eigenvalues of a
matrix.
Students would gain by having taken a course on Dynamical Systems
and Chaos,
and having basic knowledge of statistical mechanics.
These course requirements are non-mandatory, and with additional
effort the course can
also be followed by students with background in mathematics,
bio-informatics,
nano-science, computational chemistry, economics or computer
sciences.
The course is also suited for physics students who plan to write
their thesis within complex systems, biological physics or
quantitative models of biological systems.
Students from mathematics, bio-informatics, economics, computer
science, chemistry and nano-science are welcome.
The course is identical to the discontinued course NFYK15018U
Topics in Complex Systems. Therefore you cannot register for
NFYK18005U Complex Physics, if you have already passed NFYK15018U
Topics in Complex Systems.
If you are registered with examination attempts in NFYK15018U
Topics in Complex Systems without having passed the course, you
have to use your last examination attempts to pass the exam in
NFYK18005U Complex Physics. You have a total of three examination
attempts.
- ECTS
- 7,5 ECTS
- Type of assessment
-
Continuous assessmentOral examination, 20 minutes
- Type of assessment details
- The exam evaluation consists of two parts;
Two mandatory assignments during the course (each counting 10% of the final grade)
Oral exam without preparation time (counting 80% of the final grade)
The parts of the exam do not need to be passed separately. - Aid
- Without aids
- Marking scale
- 7-point grading scale
- Censorship form
- No external censorship
Several internal examiners
- Re-exam
-
Oral exam 30 minutes (covering also the topics of the home assignments)
Criteria for exam assessment
see learning outcome
Single subject courses (day)
- Category
- Hours
- Lectures
- 24
- Preparation
- 131
- Theory exercises
- 28
- E-Learning
- 2,5
- Exam
- 20,5
- English
- 206,0
Kursusinformation
- Language
- English
- Course number
- NFYK18005U
- ECTS
- 7,5 ECTS
- Programme level
- Full Degree Master
- Duration
-
1 block
- Placement
- Block 1
- Schedulegroup
-
A
- Capacity
- 999
The number of places might be reduced if you register in the late-registration period (BSc and MSc) or as a credit or single subject student. - Studyboard
- Study Board of Physics, Chemistry and Nanoscience
Contracting department
- The Niels Bohr Institute
Contracting faculty
- Faculty of Science
Course Coordinator
- Kim Sneppen (7-78736a75756a734573676e33707a336970)
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Courseinformation of students