- Courses dedicated to students of the School on Physics and Nanosciences
The courses involve learning and practicing in advanced physics and nanoscience including:- quantum sciences and technologies;
- nano-systems for energy conversion;
- functional surfaces and nanostructured systems;
- nanofabrication, microscopies and spectroscopies;
- physics of bio (nano) systems;
- functional molecules;
- graphene; nano-tribology;
- advanced computational theory and methods for nano-systems.
Title: “Structure and electronic properties of surface-supported functional monolayers by X-ray Standing Waves and Resonant Auger Electron Spectroscopy”
Dates: 27/09/2022, time 10-13h
Title: “X-ray photoemission under bulk-sensitive and in-operando conditions: a short survey on HAXPES and NAP-XPS techniques
Dates: 27/10/2022, time 10-13h
Lecturer: Francesco Allegretti Technical University of Munich (Germany).
Title: “Basics of Synchrotron Radiation” (3CFU)
Topics: Discovery of radiation emitted by accelerating ultra-relativistic electrons in a synchrotron. Characteristics of Synchrotron Radiation: Intensity, Spectrum, Polarization characteristics. Essentials of synchrotrons: storage rings, bending magnet, insertion devices.
Lecturer: Prof. Sergio D’Addato (Unimore)
Dates: Starting date: 28/9/2022; in October each Wednesday h 9-11 & Thursday h 9-11
Location: Physics building – Room L1.5
Title: “Atomic Force Microscopy: basics and applications to nanomechanics” (3CFU)
Topics: Principle of Scanning Probe Microscopy. Friction Force Microscopy. Force distance curve: the spring model interpretation. Nanofriction: tribological properties of nano-patterned surfaces, AFM nano-indentation.
Lecturer: Prof. Alberto Rota (Unimore)
Dates: All weeks in October, each Tue 9-11h; Wed.11-13h
Location: Physics building – Room L1.5
Title: “Intermolecular & Surface Forces” (3CFU)
Topics: Intermolecular forces: Lennard-Jones Potential, Coulombic and Dipole-Dipole Forces, Polarization of Molecules, Dipole-Induced Dipole, London Dispersion Forces, Steric Repulsion and Hydrogen Bonding; Surface Forces; Van der Waals Forces between surfaces, Derjaguin Approximation, Hamaker Approach; Introduction to Protein-surface interactions.
Lecturer: Dr. Giorgia Brancolini (CNR-Nano S3)
Dates & location:- 3rd November 2022, time 11:00-13:00, Physics building – Room L1.5
- 4th November 2022, time 11:00-13:00, Physics building – Room L1.4
- 10th November 2022, time 11:00-13:00, Physics building – Room L1.5
Title: “Mechanobiology of living cells”
Topics: Mechanical properties of polymers in 1D, 2D and 3D; Living cells and their mechanical properties; physical interactions of living cells with their environment; mechanobiology: the transduction of mechanical stimuli to biochemical signals; analytical models to describe mechanobiology (10 ore).
Lecturer: Prof. Andrea Alessandrini
Dates & location:- 3rd November 2022, time 16:00-18:00, Physics building – Room L1.4
- 7th November 2022, time 16:00-18:00, Physics building – Room L1.5
- 10th November 2022, time 16:00-18:00, Physics building – Room L1.4
- 14rd November 2022, time 16:00-18:00, Physics building – Room L1.5
- 17th November 2022, time 16:00-18:00, Physics building – Room L1.4
Title: “Spectroscopic techniques with the transmission electron microscope-basics” (3CFU)
Topics: Hands-on course. Introduction to electron microscopy. Practical sessions on Electron Energy Loss spectroscopy and X-ray microanalysis. Data acquisition and first order interpretation.
Lecturer: Dr. Giovanni Bertoni (CNR-Nano S3)
Dates & location:- Tue. 6/12/22 (2 ore) (10-12) (Seminar Room S3, 3rd floor) “Basics of Electron Energy-Loss Spectroscopy in the TEM (EELS)”
- Wedn. 7/12/22 (3 ore) (9:30-12:30) (CIGS) “Hands-on in EELS at the TEM”
- Tue. 13/12/22 (2 ore) (10-12) (Seminar Room S3, 3rd floor) “Basics of Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy in the TEM (EDS)”
- Thu. 15/12/22 (3 ore) (9:30-12:30) (CIGS) “Hands-on in EDS at the TEM”
Title: “Physical and chemical properties of surfaces and interfaces” (3CFU)
Lecturer: Prof. Arrigo Calzolari (CNR-Nano-S3)
Abstract: Atomic and electronic structure of surfaces. Chemistry at surface: surface reactivity, catalysis, hybrid molecule/surfaces interfaces. Physics at surface: band alignment at M/SC and SC/SC interfaces, spinterface. Experimental techniques and simulations of surfaces and interfaces.
Dates: to be defined Autumn 2022
Title: “Quantum chemistry on quantum computers” (3CFU)
Lecturer: Dr. Rosa Di Felice (CNR NANO)
Topics: A fundamental goal of quantum chemistry is to solve the time-independent, non-relativistic Schroedinger equation for molecular systems. This problem has been recognized, in recent years, as a breakthrough application of quantum computing. In this course, I will briefly summarize single-particle and many-particle theories for quantum chemistry and then focus on finding the ground state and excited states of the second-quantized molecular Hamiltonian with quantum algorithms. I will present the variational quantum eigensolver for the ground state and active space reduction methods for the ground and excited states. I will introduce the quantum software QISKIT and the students will have the opportunity to run programs on IBM cloud quantum hardware and simulators.
Dates:- Tuesday 12 July time 11-13h,
- Thursday 14 July time 11-13h,
- Tuesday 19 July time 11-13h,
- Thursday 21 July time 11-13h.
Title: “Fundamentals of Spintronics” (3CFU)
Lecturer: Prof. Marco Affronte (Unimore)
Topics: Free electrons, spin split of electronic bands in metals; Ferromagnetic/normal metal interfaces; Spin Injection and Accumulation at interfaces; Scattering & spin relaxation mechanisms; two-resistors model; FM/N multilayers; Giant Magneto Resistance. Spin valve; Magnetic Random Access Memory.Spin transfer torque. Spin transfer Oscillators. Spin-orbit effects at interfaces. Rashba effects.spin transistors. Spin Hall effect. Molecular Spintronics: from graphene to single molecule transistors.
Dates: May 2022:- Tue 3th, time 9h-11h
- Fri 6th, time 11h-13h
- Tue 10th, time 9h-11h
- Fri 13th, time 11h-13h
Title: “Elements of Quantum Technologies” (3CFU)
Lecturer: Prof. Marco Affronte (Unimore)
Topics: Introduction to Quantum Technologies. Jaynes Cumming model Spin (NV centers in diamond) for quantum sensing. Josephsons Junctions. SQUIDs magnetometers. Superconducting qubits: charge-, flux- and transmon- qubits. Superconducting devices for quantum computation and detection.
Dates: May 2022:- Tue 17th, time 9h-11h
- Fri 20th, time 11h-13h
- Tue 24th, time 9h-11h
- Fri 27th, time 11h-13h
Title: “Introduction to on shell scattering amplitude”
Lecturer: Prof. Enrico Bertuzzo University of Sao Paolo (Brazil)
Abstract: the course focuses on recent “on-shell scattering amplitudes techniques”. Such techniques have been developed as an efficient tool to compute scattering amplitudes in relativistic quantum theories bypassing completely the need for quantum fields. The mini course will be organized in four parts of 4 hours each: 1- preliminaries, 2-amplitudes with massless states, 3- amplitudes with massive states, 4-applications. The last part will be devoted to a discussion of on-shell scattering amplitudes in the context of Effective Field Theories, subject in which such techniques prove to be particularly powerful.
Introduction to on-shell scattering amplitude [pdf]
Dates & location:- 9 May, 16h-18h Room L1.7
- 10 May, 11h-13h Room L1.4
- 16 May, 16h-18h Room L1.7
- 17 May, 11h-13h Room L1.4
- 23 May, 16h-18h Room L1.7
- 24 May, 11h-13h Room L1.4
- 30 May, 16h-18h Room L1.7
- 31 May, 11h-13h Room L1.4
- Courses on Research Management
Specific Courses on Opportunities and pathways to national and international reserach and innovation, Project Design, Mobitlity of researchers, Full Bright and Euraxesses Portal, Budgeting, Business Planning are organised by the University for PhD students.
Dates: November 2021
Location: Dipartimento di Giurisprudenza Via San Geminiano 3, Modena
Title: Corsi di formazione complementare per dottorandi [6CFU, in Italian]
Speakers: Ufficio Ricerca e Trasferimento Tecnologico - Courses on Scientific communication in English
Dates:- 2 May: 11.30-13.30 e 14.45-17.45
- 3 May: 09.00-12.00 e 13.15-15.15
- 10 May: 11.30-13.30 e 14.45-17.45
- 11 May: 09.00-12.00 e 13.15-15.15
Title: Scientific Communication in English [5CFU] Lecturer: Adrian Wallwork - Courses on Informatics, Computer Science
- Specific courses organized yearly by CINECA
- DataCamp [10 CFU]
- University of Modena and Reggio Emilia on Coursera
- Courses on Intellectual property rights/ How to publish in high IF journals
Specific courses organised by the University
Dates: Spring 2022
Title: “Good practices in research” (3CFU)
Format: on-line sessions and discussions with active student participation
Program: a selection of the following topics, to be agreed with the attending students- How the research world works in practice
- Communication in the scientific process
- Communication and engaging a broader public
- Funding of research
- Developing ‘soft skills’
- writing –and especially building- a good CV (“I wish someone had told me…”)
- giving a scientific talk and communicating at scientific meetings
- writing a scientific paper
- communicating to the general public
- protecting your ideas: patents
- writing a proposal for funding of a scientific project / fellowship
- How the research world works in practice
All courses of the MSc degree in Physics (see the full list “Curriculum and study plan” at Master Degree in Physics) can be attended by PhD students to complete their training in physics.