Paper: ground rules and a partial list of topics

This is a written assignment, contributing 10% toward the final grade. It is due before the end of the week of the 5th of June. I very strongly suggest you do try to submit it before or by Monday (the 5th), as initially required. On this page you will find the description of the expected format of the paper, as well as a list of ideas and suggestions for your consideration. You will notice that you have a lot of freedom to choose; this is the idea, that you wind up writing about something that is of interest to you. In this sense the ideas expressed below are mostly a guide, and a motivation for you to come up with your own. (But you may well pick something directly from the list, exactly as stated, with a working title.)

Format and requirements

Your write-up will be typeset, double-spaced; it will be not less than 2 pages, and does not have to be more than 5 pages long. It need be a coherent, well-written presentation of your opinion (backed by research), a review, or ideally both, of a topic of your choosing. It must be your own work, and you must clearly quote references used. (Failing any of this brings the danger of plagiarism.) While you are certainly not expected to present a comprehensive, cutting-edge treatment, the paper should be well thought-out and rounded. For example, a typical layout could define the problem, give some examples of physical phenomena related to it or of its uses or aspects, offer explanations or descriptions of physics of the problem, state the status of it in its field, possibly with your comment on it. You should also provide your opinion on the whole matter, as well as your understanding of the significance, or points of interest, of the problem. Clearly, given the freedom of choice you have, your layout need not follow the above example; just make sure that it is a meaningful and serious enough paper. You are more than welcome (advised) to discuss your topic, research and layout with me (and whatever else needed), and receive feedback on a draft. Please remember: the main point of this work is that you get a chance to delve into an issue you find interesting, and hopefully carry something worthy away from the experience. Approaching the assignment this way should result in an interesting (and satisfactory) outcome, and the one that you may remember fondly.

Physics

Since you are choosing the subject from the whole of physics, clearly the range of topics is nearly unlimited. It may be helpful to first think of two main options.

• It is very easy to identify your topic from the material directly presented in the class; we have barely skimmed over many rather interesting phenomena, but the idea was that a lot of interesting physics lies just beneath the lecture material; with a little more research, one can build an interesting discussion out of nearly any part of the course.
• Much like the Science-in-the-News summaries, you may find an interesting problem in the literature or on the Internet; compared to the summaries, this will require a bit more research (additional reading), but the responsibility of choice can be dealt with in a similar manner.

The list below just touches on a number of fields of physics, names a few ideas and leaves out far more. The way topics are formulated is rather arbitrary, meant to stimulate yours articulating an idea. Most of the entries can be used, as they stand, for more than one project. Many of them have a little something in their formulation that is intended to tickle curiosity, or pose a quest; these little ‘riddles’ lie close to the heart of the matter and you will most likely encounter them upon the first reading. (It is not critical that you figure them out.) If you still have a problem with the list below, while some part of the course has triggered your interest, let me know about what you liked and I will suggest a few topics related to it. Finally, in case of any doubt, above all, talk to me.

Gravity

• Solar system   motions – what is up with Pluto? What when we all line up? Eclipse ...?
• Space travel   : a gravitational look at it – how is it done, with the intricacies involved.

Mechanics

• Limits   : validity of Newtonian mechanics ... and black boxes: development and meaning of scientific theories.
• Chaos   : what does it really mean – and where are our laws of motion?

Energy

• The Second law of thermodynamics   : what if it wasn't so – imagine that it was invalid: identify and analyze what would be 3-5 most important consequences. (Now these would be wonders!)
• The Third law of thermodynamics   ... and implications.
• Entropy   : where does all this come from, and where does it go – evolution of the Universe, the arrow of time.

It is our environment!

• Global warming   : how long would (will?) it take – and would could happen? What are we doing about it?
• Energy resources   : how long will ours last ... but then, how long (can we expect that) we will last?
• Better and better ‘machines’   may well be one of the things we need : are we going where we want to go?

Cosmology etc.

• The Sun   : structure and processes inside, solar corona, magnetic activity; what do we know about our star?
• Dark matter and energy   : where is everybody? What does it mean not seeing 90-99% of what may be out there?
• Supernovae, neutron stars, black holes   : now this is hot, and dense, and irresistible.
• Early universe   : just how can we tell !   (Also see “CMBR” : greetings from billions of years ago.)
• General relativity and curved spaces   : ‘straight’ ... depends on where one sits; much turns into geometry.
• Black holes   : the bounds of possible. Never mind the space and time ... is information being lost?
• Time travel   : current research and prospects. (Seriously!)

Lasers and their uses: inter-disciplinary, and fundamental.

• What are lasers   : quantum physics meets electrodynamics; wonders of coherence.
• Bio-technology   with lasers : how close are we to science fiction – and of what kind? (We are there, actually.)
• Novel materials   : things as we (don't) know them, how are they thought up and developed, and used?
• Data storage   : miracles for every day; look up “spintronics,” for example.

Modern technology

• Novel materials   : what are they capable of? (We've got the fabric of legends. Literally.)
• Telecommunications   : the EM signal goes around the earth many times – and is right on time, all the time?
• Space travel   : what is the big deal? (For example ... those rovers on Mars are still rollin'.)
• Imaging   : what may ‘seeing’ mean – as in MRI? What are the ways to image living creatures?
• Nano-sciences   : small and smaller, fast and faster – but useful ... how low can we go? Future uses: pure SciFi.
• Quantum computers   : how soon, and why can we have this toy? And what will the technological impact be?

Quantum world it is

• Distant correlations and entanglement   : can I really know what they think ... and how do we live then?
• Heisenberg's relations   : being here and being still -- is not possible ... while the energy is not exactly behaving, either.
• Nothingness is loaded   : what is vacuum – is there energy in it? To boil the oceans, with just a little bit?
•   ... and loaded is void   : is the expansion of the Universe accelerating and how could this be?
• Bose-Einstein condensation   : a many years old (fantastic) theory, and a recent Nobel prize for having achieved it.
• Quantum field theory   : Energy conservation may be OK, but can one ... borrow energy, from the vacuum?
• A tour of fundamental interactions   : one of our classes may give you the layout and a number of ideas.
• String theory   : now we're talking small ... or is it too small? Or too strange? The ‘status’ of string theory?
• Strong force   : it is a weird world, where everybody talks to everybody ... clearly, this turns out complex. (“QCD.”)
• What is mass   : “Standard Model” and the mass of things; the (electro-)weak one gives it all. (Other mechanisms?)
• Gravitational vs quantum universe   : quantum gravity – when does it matter, what does it mean, and how could it look like.