Nuclear and Particle Physics

This is where you move from the quantum mechanics of single atoms down into the nucleus itself and out to the particles that make everything up, learning to think about matter in terms of binding energies, decay channels, symmetries, and the Standard Model interactions that govern them. Expect a problem-driven semester out of Griffiths and Martin: working through Feynman calculus exercises, nuclear model calculations, scattering and decay computations on homework, and two written exams plus a final that test whether you can actually push the formalism around. It's a capstone-style elective that ties together your QM, E&M, and special relativity background, and it's the natural prerequisite mindset for anything you'd do later in high-energy, nuclear, or astroparticle research.