doyle | (no subject)

I'm looking at my university's website trying to pick my modules for next year, and I think they're designed to make me cry. If they'd just let me do the astrophysics I'd be shiny and golden (Stromgren spheres! Accretion disks! Comets! So looking forward to those classes next year. And my research project is on nebulae emission line spectra in galaxies outside the Milky Way and that should be fun, fun, fun) But the other subjects - guh. Here's the description for Lasers and Plasma Physics:

Steady state and transient pumping of 3- and 4-level lasers; mode structures; gain narrowing and saturation effects; gases, liquids, solids and plasmas as lasants; ASE devices; relaxation; Q-switched and mode-locked oscillators; wavelength tunability and conversion; ultra-short pulse generators. Introduction and basic plasma physics concepts; plasma orbit theory; two-fluid model; plasma waves; propagation of e.m. waves in plasmas; collisions and resistivity; single fluid model and magnetohydrodynamic approximation; thermonuclear fusion and other applications of plasmas.

Or how about Condensed Matter and Materials Science?

Growth and applications of thin film systems. Theory and practice of surface analysis techniques. Preparation and properties (electrical, thermal, optical, magnetic and mechanical) of materials. Methods of characterisation. Novel devices and materials.

It's shorter, that means it must be easier, right? At this point I'm hoping my advisor of studies loves me and will let me away with doing mostly third-year modules. Although I will try to work magnetohydrodynamic into a fic at some point.

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Although I will try to work magnetohydrodynamic into a fic at some point.
Sounds like it's screaming something X Men-ish in the plot bunny line to me;)

Knowing my geek-heavy class, that's bound to come up...

I recall the magnetohydrodynamics equations as screamingly horrible but the materials science course sounds a bit dull. Lasers! Plasma! That has to be more entertaining.

I'm utterly awful at optics which has always put me off going anywhere near lasers... is my optics-clumsiness liable to be a problem?

is my optics-clumsiness liable to be a problem?

Could be. My dad's a laser engineer -- I could see what he thinks. I suppose it boils down to how they'd like you to understand the material.

I was naff at optics too but our lecturer was appalling. Are you able to find out what the courses are like from other students?

You think those modules are bad? you should see some of the ones i've done......

:::wipes tear:::

Fred, I love you.

It seems so weird that we won't be in classes together next year...fingers crossed I'll be doing a horrifically hard PhD!!! Doyle, are we sane?

We're really, really not.

*blink*

I can't wait to be in college and actually know what most of that stuff is.

*blinks*
I'm just impressed that you know what any of that stuff is.
Me? I take physics classes called "Faith, Science and Religion" taught out of books called "Physics for Poets."
*nods* Yes, I'm very impressed.

Oh, I have one of those books!

*brain boggles*

Okay, I will just be over here in my corner with classes like Generative Phonology, Second Language Acquisition and Theories of Grammar.

Your classes frighten me. But I would have loved the chance to have taken something to do with English language - the way our A-Levels worked out I had to drop English at 16. Stupid me did Chemistry, which, while it was helpful in the long run, was two years of pure hell.