Thapar University carries admission to M.Sc (Physics) course on the basis of an entrance exam and interview. Mechanics and Waves, Geometrical and Physical Optics, Heat and Thermodynamics, Electricity and Magnetism, Atomic and Nuclear Physics, Solid State Physics, and Electronics are the main topics covered under the syllabus of the entrance test.

Syllabus for M.Sc (Physics) Entrance Exam in Thapar University

Mechanics and Waves

• Angular momentum
• Bernoulli’s equation and Stokes’ law — Applications
• Beats, Phase and group velocities
• Central forces
• Conservative forces
• Damped oscillation
• Doppler Effect
• Escape velocity and artificial satellites
• Forced oscillation and resonance
• Frictional forces
• Gravitational potential and intensity due to spherical objects
• Kepler’s problem
• Kinetic energy
• Lissajous figures
• Longitudinal waves in solids
• Mass-energy relation
• Moment of intertia
• Newton’s laws of motion and applications
• Rotational dynamics
• Simple harmonic motion
• Special relativity
• Streamline motion
• Ultrasonic and their applications
• Variable mass systems
• Viscosity

Geometrical and Physical Optics

• Characteristics of laser light-spatial and temporal coherence
• Chromatic and spherical aberrations
• Diffraction grating
• Double refraction
• Elements of fibre optic
• Attenuation
• Fraunhofer diffraction-single slit
• Half-wave plates
• Huygens’ principle-reflection and refraction of waves
• Interference by thin films
• Interference of light
• Lasers
• Laws of reflection and refraction from Fermat’s principle
• Material dispersion
• Matrix method in paraxial optics
• Michelson interferometer
• Newton’s rings
• Nodal planes
• Optical activity and applications
• Production and detection of polarized light
• Pulse dispersion in step index and parabolic index fibre
• Quarter-waves plates
• Resolving power
• System of two thin lenses
• Thin lens formula
• Young’s experiment

Heat and Thermodynamics

• Andrew’s experiments
• Black-body radiation
• Brownian motion
• Cosmic microwave background radiation
• Distribution of molecular speeds and energies
• Efficiency of Carnot engines
• Entropy
• First law of thermodynamics
• Heat
• Joule-Kelvin effect and applications
• Kinetic theory
• Kirchhoff’s laws
• Maxwell relations
• Mean free path
• Phase transitions
• Planck radiation law
• Second law of thermodynamics
• Spectral radiancy
• State of an ideal gas
• Stefan-Boltzmann law
• The zeroth law of thermodynamics
• Thermal equilibrium and temperature
• Thermodynamic potentials
• Transport phenomena
• Wien displacement law

Electricity and Magnetism

• Alternating current circuits
• Ampere’s law
• Applications to two-loop circuits
• Atomic and nuclear magnetism
• Biot-Savart law
• Capacitors
• Classification of magnetic materials
• Coulomb’s law
• Dielectrics and polarization
• Displacement current
• Electric charge
• Electric field
• Electric potential
• Faraday’s law of induction
• Gauss’ law
• Gauss’ law for magnetism
• Hall Effect
• Impedance
• Inductance
• Kirchhoff’s first and second rules
• Lenz’s law
• Magnetic field
• Magnetic susceptibility
• Maxwell’s equations
• Ohm’s law
• Power in AC circuits
• Resistors in series and parallel
• Resonance
• Single-loop LRC circuits

Atomic and Nuclear Physics

• Binding energy of nuclei
• Bohr’s theory of hydrogen atom
• Classification of elementary particles
• Compton wavelength
• De Broglie wavelength
• Eigenvalues and eigenfunctions
• Einstein’s photon theory
• Electron spin
• Heisenberg’s uncertainty relationships
• Natural and artificial radioactivity
• Nuclear fission and fusion
• Pauli exclusion
• Photoelectric effect
• Quantization of angular momentum
• Schroedinger’s equation
• SternGerlach experiment
• Wave nature of matter
• Wave-particle duality
• X-ray spectrum. Compton Effect
• Zeeman Effect

Solid State Physics

• Band structure
• Bragg’s law
• Covalent, ionic, and metallic Bonding
• Crystal structure
• Debye model
• Dia, Para and Ferromagnetism
• Energy band
• Energy gap
• Hysteresis
• Insulators
• Lattice
• Magnetism
• Metals
• Semiconductors
• Thermal properties
• Vibrations
• X-ray diffraction

Electronics

• Binary numbers
• Diodes in half-waves and full-wave rectification
• Field Effect transistor
• Junction diode
• Logic gates and truth table
• P type and n type semiconductors
• Qualitative ideas of semiconductors
• Transistors
• Zener diode

Syllabus for M.Sc (Physics) is based on the topics covered under B.Sc (Physics). Books prescribed under the course and e-books can be used for preparing the exam.