PHYS 7733 — Topics: Elementary Particle Physics and Cosmology
4 semester hoursGraduateLectureusually offered: springtypical days: T/FBostonTraditionalrepeatable for credit
Covers unified theories including evidence for supersymmetric SU(5) unification of couplings, and the grand unified scale and proton decay. Discusses particle physics and cosmology including a brief introduction to Einstein’s theory of general relativity, candidates for dark matter, inflation and the primordial fluctuations, and the problem of the cosmological constant. Examines developments leading to string theory including normal mode expansion; open and closed strings; deduction of D-26 for bosonic and D-10 for superstrings; scattering amplitudes in strings; heterotic string; compactifications on the torus, orbifolds, and Calabi-Yau manifolds; 4-D strings; and superstring phenomenology. Explores physics with extra dimensions including gravity at small distances, branes, and new approaches to the hierarch problem. May be repeated without limit.
Offering history
| Term | Sections | Enrolled | Capacity | Full | Open seats/section |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2024 | 1 | 10 | 42 | 24% | 32.0 |
| Spring 2025 | 1 | 13 | 42 | 31% | 29.0 |
| Spring 2026 | 1 | 4 | 36 | 11% | 32.0 |
Snapshots from scheduled scrapes — not live seat availability. "Full" can exceed 100% when sections over-enroll.
Meeting times
Share of recent sections by weekday: M 0% · T 63% · W 37% · Th 0% · F 100%
Common patterns: TF (63% of sections), WF (37% of sections) — in patterns, R means Thursday
Professors
Spring
- Fabian Ruehle (63% of students) · reviews
- Tomasz Taylor (37% of students) · reviews
Percentages are each professor's average share of the season's enrolled students in recent terms.
Links
Official catalog (PHYS course descriptions) · Student reviews on RateMyHusky · All PHYS courses · Plan it at numap.app