About
Professor Hollowood is a member of the Physics Department at Swansea University.
Professor Hollowood is a member of the Physics Department at Swansea University.
Students will deepen their study of Quantum Mechanics by learning the general formalism. Students will be challenged by the strange and puzzling aspects of the theory. Students will learn various approximation techniques for solving complicated systems.
The objective of this module is to educate students in the General Theory of Relativity in a way that introduces just enough of the mathematical tools required, namely pseudo Riemannian geometry, so that many applications of the theory can be considered. Students will learn about curved geometries mainly through simple examples and by taking the point of view of a freely falling observer. Applications will include: a discussion of the classic test of general relativity involving planetary motion and bending of light; the strange geometry of black-holes, wormholes and warp drive space-times. Finally students will learn how general relativity determines the dynamics of the whole universe.
The major challenge for theoretical physics in the last 50 years has been the search for a unified theory of gravity and quantum mechanics. This module will aim to show why such an understanding is needed to explain how singularities inside black holes can be resolved. The first results in the theory of quantum gravity involve the thermodynamics of black holes and the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy. These led to Hawking's prediction that black hole radiate and in the process brought quantum mechanics in direct conflict with general relativity. The module will aim to explain the physics behind these predictions and go on to consider the information loss paradox. Some ideas of the theory of quantum information will be needed to properly understand the issues involved.