Proseminars and semester projects
In their sixth semester, Bachelor students can choose between the Physics Lab 4 and different research projects.
Students who wish to deepen their knowledge in theoretical physics can choose a proseminar. In exceptional cases, a theoretical semester project - a small theoretical research project of one's own - can be conducted instead.
Students who would like to deepen their knowledge in experimental physics can do either 1) a semester project, 2) a project at a research institute, or 3) the Physics Lab 4. The possibilities and registration procedures are described in detail below.
External projects are possible, but require an internal supervisor. Supervisors may be any person who can be selected in myStudies when registering a project. Projects within the framework of an exchange programme must be agreed with the D-PHYS exchange coordinators.
All projects require a written report, whereby the report must contain a declaration of originality. Registration must be made under "EN: projects/paper/theses, DE: Arbeiten" in myStudies (except for the Physics Lab 4). The time of registration and the choice of supervisor depend on the type of project. The registration must be made before the start of the work.
The different options are described in further detail below.
The aim of this work is to learn experimenting in a research environment, and to analyse and interpret the data obtained. The results are presented in a written report and a presentation.
Students can find a project by contacting the research groups with whom they would like to work directly. Some groups have published projects on their websites. Students can find the groups' websites Department of Physics (D-PHYS) Homepage under Research. All professors of the Departments of Physics and Mathematics, associate professors and selected other persons may act as supervisors. Students will find a complete list of approved supervisors during registration.
Registration: Select "Research Project" in myStudies under Projects/papers/theses and choose a supervisor. Projects may be started at any time in consultation with the supervisor.
Proseminars involve guided self-study of scientific articles and advanced textbooks in theoretical physics. The results are presented in a written report and a presentation. In the spring semester, usually three proseminars are offered with a limited number of places (a maximum of 30 students per topic). For the proseminars in the spring semester, an information event is held at the end of the preceding autumn semester. The topics offered and the respective supervisors are introduced at this event. As a rule, one of the topics is also suitable for Bachelor students. Students will be informed about the event by email. Students who would like to attend a proseminar, are strongly advised to attend the information event as places usually booked up quickly. Information about the proseminars may be found on the website of the Institute for Theoretical Physics. The proseminar in the autumn semester is usually offered primarily to Master's students.
Registration: Please register for the proseminar as a research project only after you have been assigned at the information event. Then select the 402-0218-BSL Research Project under "Projects/papers/theses" in myStudies and choose the agreed supervisor.
This practical course provides basic training for independent experimentation. This includes planning, setting up, carrying out, evaluating and interpreting physical experiments including measurement accuracies, as well as a written report of the entire experiment in scientific form. Students learn to conduct more demanding experiments independently and to document them in a scientifically correct manner.
The following points are emphasised:
- Understanding of more complex physical phenomena
- Structured approach to experiments with sophisticated instruments
- Practical aspects of experimentation and measurement methods
- Learning and applying relevant statistical methods of data evaluation
- Interpretation of measurements and measurement inaccuracies
- Describing the experiment and the results in scientific form, in analogy to scientific publications
- Ethical aspects of experimental research and scientific communication
Experiments from the following areas are available for selection:
Fundamental topics from mechanics, optics, thermodynamics, electromagnetism and electronics; as well as central topics from particle and nuclear physics, quantum electronics, quantum mechanics, solid state physics and astrophysics.
Prerequisite: Physics Lab 3 must have been completed successfully.
Registration: Registration is done by enrolling 402-0000-10 Physics Lab 4 in myStudies. Further information can be found at: https://vp.phys.ethz.ch/
Students will participate in our ongoing research and development activities for the electromagnetic calorimeter (ECAL) of the CMS experiment at CERN, performing a task or small project. This will allow students to develop an in-depth understanding of the complexity of large-scale particle physics experiments, including the detector concept, readout electronics, data acquisition and analysis aspects, depending on the task at hand. Typical tasks involve measurement setup preparation, measurements, tests, data taking, data analysis and interpretation or a part of it. Students will acquire programming skills in python and/or C++ and CERNs ROOT analysis framework for data analysis and representation. Eventually, students will present their results orally and prepare a written report of publication quality.
Prerequisites: Students will have successfully followed the introductory course to particle physics and particle detectors. Basic knowledge in programming, notably python and/or C++ as well as basic knowledge in electronics are desirable.
Place and time: Projects are organised twice a year, in January/February and in June. The work is carried out at CERN Prevessin site. There are maximum two places per term. They are assigned on a first-come-first-serve basis.
Registration: Please make contact with prior to registration. Only register once you have received the explicit approval of Dr. Lustermann. To register, choose 402-0218-BSL Research Project in Projects/papers/theses in myStudies and select Dr. W. Lustermann as supervisor.
During semester breaks, six students have the opportunity stay in Heidelberg and at the PSI for three weeks and participate in a hands-on course on experimental particle physics. A small, real experiment is developed and conducted by the group, including apparatus design, construction, running and data analysis. The course includes some lectures, but the focus lies on the practical aspects of experimenting. Students learn all the different steps it takes to perform a complete particle physics experiment in a small team. They acquire skills to do this themselves in the team, including design, construction, data gathering and analysis.
Place and date: The project is carried out at Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Villingen AG and Heidelberg in Germany, usually three weeks during summer semester break, depending on available PSI beam times. The exact dates are being fixed during the semester.
Registration: Please register early as there is a limited number of places! Contact for information and registration. Please only register in myStudies once you have the approval of Prof. Sóter. Choose 402-0218-BSL Research Project in Projects/papers/theses in myStudies and select Prof. A. Sóter as supervisor.
As a rule, only one project is undertaken at Bachelor level. Once a justified request for a second research project has been submitted to the Director of Studies (to the attention of the Study Administration Office D-PHYS) and approved, students can register for the second research project via myStudies.