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.