Course Descriptions
MEDP 6400 Medical Imaging Physics (Part I)
CREDIT HOURS: 3
This course is the first of a two-part Medical Imaging Physics course. In this course students become familiar with the fundamental science of medical imaging systems. Topics covered include X-ray radiography imaging, linear systems, signal and noise transfer theories, and the physics and applications of computed tomography (CT).
FORMAT: Lecture
COREQUISITES:
PHYC 6421.03 or
MEDP 6421.03
CROSS-LISTING:
PHYC 6400.03
MEDP 6410 Medical Imaging Physics (Part II)
CREDIT HOURS: 3
This course is the second of a two-part Medical Imaging Physics course that introduces a variety of medical imaging methodologies such as Nuclear Medicine Imaging, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), and Ultrasound (US). Various topics such as the fundamental physics, hardware, specialized techniques, image quality, and safety will be covered. Additional topics include advanced applications such as vascular and cardiac imaging techniques.
FORMAT: Lecture
PREREQUISITES:
PHYC 6400.03 or
MEDP 6400.03
CROSS-LISTING:
PHYC 6410.03
RESTRICTIONS: Graduate students
MEDP 6416 Seminars in Medical Physics
CREDIT HOURS: 0
A seminar in various topics of medical physics. Students will be required to present journal articles from the field of medical physics and participate in the subsequent discussion. This course will allow the students to develop their presentation, discussion and critical appraisal skills.
FORMAT: Seminar
LECTURE HOURS PER WEEK: 1
PREREQUISITES:
MEDP 6424.03
CROSS-LISTING:
PHYC 6416.00
MEDP 6421 Radiological Physics
CREDIT HOURS: 3
The material in this course is designed to teach a graduate in physics (or engineering, with strong physics and math) the basics of radiological physics and dosimetry. Quantities and units are introduced early so that radioactive decay and radiation interactions can then be discussed, with emphasis on energy transfer and dose deposition. Exponential attenuation under both narrow and broad-beam conditions must be understood before a student can go on a shielding design in a health physics course.
FORMAT: Lecture
LECTURE HOURS PER WEEK: 3
CROSS-LISTING:
PHYC 6421.03
MEDP 6423 Radiation Therapy Physics
CREDIT HOURS: 4
The course covers ionizing radiation generation and use in radiation therapy to cause controlled biological effects in cancer patients. Topics include external beam radiation therapy, brachytherapy, treatment planning, radiation therapy devices, special techniques in radiotherapy, radiation therapy with neutrons, protons, and heavy ions.
FORMAT: Lecture
PREREQUISITES:
PHYC 6421.03 or
MEDP 6421.03
CROSS-LISTING:
PHYC 6423.04
MEDP 6424 Special Topics in Medical Physics
CREDIT HOURS: 3
This course covers topics in Medical Physics that are not covered in other courses, including: safety; introduction to medical linear accelerations; bioethics; professional ethics; conflict of interest; scientific misconduct; clinical research; anatomy and physiology; grant writing; intellectual property; statistics; and scientific communications.
FORMAT:
FORMAT COMMENTS: Combination of lectures and seminars
CROSS-LISTING:
PHYC 6424.03
MEDP 6430 Radiation Biology
CREDIT HOURS: 3
Radiobiology topics include: basic physical and chemical mechanisms, cellular radiation biology, mechanisms of cancer induction, the effects of radiation on normal tissues and malignant cells, and competing treatment modalities. Radiation protection and health physics topics include: risk versus benefit, radiation shielding properties and design, and radiation monitoring of personnel.
FORMAT: Lecture
PREREQUISITES: Permission of instructor
CROSS-LISTING:
PHYC 6430.03
MEDP 6431 Radiation Safety and Protection in Medicine
CREDIT HOURS: 3
This course is concerned with the hazards of ionizing and non-ionizing radiations and with safe handling and use of radiation sources. Covered are: basic principles; safety codes; laws and regulations; organization; shielding design; and practical safety measures and procedures.
FORMAT: Lecture
PREREQUISITES: (
PHYC 6421.03 or
MEDP 6421.03) and (
PHYC 6430.03 or
MEDP 6430.03)
CROSS-LISTING:
PHYC 6431.03
MEDP 6450 Computational Methods in Medical Physics
CREDIT HOURS: 3
This course offers an introduction to established and emerging computational methods in radiation therapy physics, with emphasis on modeling of radiation dose deposition. Topics include empirical, analytic and Monte Carlo methods for dose calculation, as well as image co-registration and treatment planning. Weekly lecture are followed by practical laboratory assignments.
FORMAT:
PREREQUISITES: Permission of instructor
CROSS-LISTING:
PHYC 6450.03
MEDP 9000 Master's Thesis
CREDIT HOURS: 0
MEDP 9520 Preliminary Doctoral Exam
CREDIT HOURS: 0
MEDP 9530 Doctoral Thesis
CREDIT HOURS: 0
PHYC 5100 Electromagnetism
CREDIT HOURS: 3
Topics will normally include electrostatics and magnetostatics, boundary value problems, fields in matter, time-dependent phenomena. Maxwell’s equations, electromagnetic waves, radiation.
FORMAT: Lecture
LECTURE HOURS PER WEEK: 3
PREREQUISITES:
PHYC 2510.03, 4160.03; MATH 3110.03/3120.03; or the permission of the instructor
PHYC 5151 Quantum Physics II
CREDIT HOURS: 3
This course is a continuation of
PHYC 3640.03. Topics include: time-independent perturbation theory, the variational principle, the WKB approximation, time-dependent perturbation theory, scattering, Born approximation.
PREREQUISITES:
PHYC 3640.03
PHYC 5160 Mathematical Methods of Physics
CREDIT HOURS: 3
Topics discussed include: complex variable theory, Fourier and Laplace transform techniques, special functions, partial differential equations.
FORMAT: Lecture
LECTURE HOURS PER WEEK: 3
PREREQUISITES:
PHYC 2140.03,
MATH 3120.03 or permission of the instructor
PHYC 5170 Topics in Mathematical Physics
CREDIT HOURS: 3
This course is a continuation of
PHYC 5160.03 and deals with special topics in mathematical physics selected from areas such as the Green’s function technique for solving ordinary and partial differential equations, scattering theory and phase shift analysis, diffraction theory, group theory, tensor analysis, and general relativity.
FORMAT: Lecture
LECTURE HOURS PER WEEK: 3
PREREQUISITES:
PHYC 5160.03, or permission of the instructor
PHYC 5180 Nuclear and Particle Physics
CREDIT HOURS: 3
This is an introductory course in nuclear physics. Topics discussed include: nucleon-nucleon interactions, nuclear structure, gamma transitions, alpha decay, beta decay, nuclear reactions and elementary particle physics.
FORMAT: Lecture
LECTURE HOURS PER WEEK: 3
PREREQUISITES:
PHYC 3640.03 or permission of the instructor
PHYC 5230 Introduction to Solid State Physics
CREDIT HOURS: 3
An introduction to the basic concepts of solid state physics which are related to the periodic nature of the crystalline lattice. Topics include crystal structure, X-ray diffraction, phonons and lattice vibrations, the free electron theory of metals, and energy bands.
FORMAT: Lecture
LECTURE HOURS PER WEEK: 3
PREREQUISITES:
PHYC 3640.03,
PHYC 3210.03, or permission of the instructor
PHYC 5250X/Y Topics in Numerical Computing
CREDIT HOURS: 3
This class focuses on discrete and stochastic techniques of computational physics. Topics may include stochastic methods, global optimization techniques, spectral methods, linear algebra, correlations, and computational modelling.
FORMAT: Lecture
LECTURE HOURS PER WEEK: 3
LAB HOURS PER WEEK: 0
TUTORIAL HOURS PER WEEK: 0
PREREQUISITES: PHYC 1280.03/1290.03 or equivalent,
MATH 1010.03 or equivalent,
PHYC 3210.03 (Statistical Physics) or equivalent. A laptop and some familiarity with the command line is helpful.
EXCLUSIONS:
PHYC 4250
PHYC 5311 Fluid Dynamics
CREDIT HOURS: 3
An introduction to the theory of fluid dynamics with some emphasis on geophysically important aspects. Topics include kinematics, equations of motion, viscous flow, potential flow and basic aerodynamics.
FORMAT: Lecture
LECTURE HOURS PER WEEK: 3
PREREQUISITES: Permission of the instructor
CROSS-LISTING:
OCEA 5311.03