Theoretical physics Definition and 543 Threads

According to Michio Kaku, Nobel laureates have taken both sides towards string theory since some of them accept it and some of them reject it, as he says here (https://www.snowboundbooks.com/book/9780385542746): “Kaku also explains the intense controversy swirling around this theory, with...

An interesting essay:

Hello, I have several questions around the application process as well as the organization. 1. Are you aware of any reference website centralizing PhD offers by countries? 2.When it comes to the organization/management/ supervision of a PhD program, I wonder if there are differences by...

A year ago, I asked a question about two journals, both of which were predatory ( https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/are-open-access-journals-legit-for-my-cv.990744/ ). Thanks to the overwhelming advice I have received, I did NOT publish in either of those journals. Right now I am asking a...

I am currently learning to code by auditing Harvard's CS50 course on edx. I am mainly interested in pursuing a theoretical physics major in the future. What I would like to know which scientific computing software/language (as in OCTAVE, SCILAB, FORTRAN, JULIA, etc ) can I learn alongside which...

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I am recreationally self studying physics and math with the ultimate goal of understanding theoretical/mathematical framework of classical mechanics, general relativity, and quantum mechanics (in addition to the actual physics). The question I have is how deep in the realm of pure math does one...

After graduating with 2-years Masters in TP, I wish to return to academia by undertaking a PhD in theoretical physics and I have A LOT of questions since I am aware that it is a, extremely competitive area especially when you were out of the game for a while, about 5 years for me… What are the...

I have a B.S in Mathematics, but wish to pursue Theoretical Physics. I still have a great deal of undergraduate Physics coursework to take before I can apply to graduate programs. My question has to do with the Mathematics that is crucial in order to do Theoretical Physics. Is the mathematics...

Hello everybody, I am an undergraduate student studying computer science and I love it, especially Artificial Intelligence. I'm a curious person, so there are a lot of things that I find intriguing. But I sometimes wonder if a physics career would be more interesting, not because I don't like...

There are a few different textbooks out there on differential geometry geared towards physics applications and also theoretical physics books which use a geometric approach. Yet they use different approaches sometimes. For example kip thrones book “modern classical physics” uses a tensor...

Long times have been that I've decided changing my job from engineering to theoretical physics. Because I don't want to learn the rules that have been discovered by any scientists and make a situation about getting it real :]. I want to learn how the rules of nature is being discovered and what...

Hi there, Last June 2019 I graduated with a First class honors in Theoretical physics from one of the Top Unis in the UK. Then I started working for a company (of good prestige) as a software engineer full time. However, a few months in, I decided to apply for Masters and start a side project...

On Page 406 of Nolting Theoretical Physics 1 he has the following notation for the Jacobian determinant $$\frac{\partial( x_{1}, x_{2})}{\partial (y_{1}, y_{2})} = \begin{vmatrix} \left (\frac{\partial x_{1}}{\partial y_{1}} \right )_{y_{2}}& \left ( \frac{\partial x_{1}}{\partial y_{2}}...

Hello, this is my first post. So sorry for the long read in advance. I will graduate from Part II mathematical tripos this year, and I'm currently having a hard time deciding where to go for my Master: For now, I'm definite that I want to do theoretical physics PhD (gravity, cosmology, or...

Hi all, I'm going to graduate this May with a degree in Electrical Engineering. While I've done pretty well, my passion was never in EE and I'd like to aim for graduate school in Computational Neuroscience. When I look at the background and methodology employed by many favorite (current)...

If I haven't heard back as of yet, does that mean that I haven't been shortlisted? When are interviews usually held and when do people usually find out? My feeling is that if I haven't heard back from the universities as of yet, I haven't been shortlisted but I'm hoping someone more...

When I was studying the bachelor in physics, I was happy and got good marks (not the best, but good). I always liked the more theoretical and mathematical subjects. Then I did a masters in Theoretical Physics in Spain. At the beginning I was happy: all subjects were hard but interesting. I spent...

I just finished my sophomore year of a 4-year undergrad in Physics, what relevant courses should I take to pursue my career in theoretical physics research? Advanced grad courses are to be recommended too, thanks.

In respect to the above question, I also have a follow up question. Is progress in Theoretical Physics somewhat slow currently as compared to Experimental Physics?

NOTE: Was not sure where to post this as it is a math question, but a part of my "Theoretical Physics" course. I have no idea where to start this and am probably doing this mathematically incorrect. given the function f(z) = cos(z+1/z) there should exist a singular point at z=0 as at z = 0...

I'd like to start by saying I don't know if this is the right place to post this, but I feel this community will be able to help me more than any other regarding my issue. I'm an Irish student currently studying undergrad theoretical physics in Trinity College Dublin. Growing up, I was somewhat...

Hello! All of my undergraduate research so far was in experimental fields, mainly because most of my professors are doing that at the university. The few ones who are doing something more theoretical are mainly working on numerical simulations. I have always been fascinated about theoretical...

Hi all, I am currently involved in a theoretical physics project and would like some advice. One of the main takeaways I hope to (well,) take away is the capacity to make simple physical/mathematical statements that are valid, which seems to be an important part of theoretical physics. How do...

Hello everyone! Apologies if this question has been asked and answered before, please feel free to direct me to that post and delete this one, if needed and if it has been asked before and this post is, hence, redundant. I looked up some of the earlier posts such as...

I'm starting at Durham on the 29th of September and I need to get my module choices sorted. I have the choice between 40 credits of maths modules designed for scientists, and 40 credits of maths modules done by regular maths students. They say that you should only do the regular maths modules if...

Hi How outdated is "Theoretical Physics" by Georg Joos? I know the quantum mechanics and the nuclear physics sections are obsolete. But what about the statistical physics and the electromagnetism in matter? They look old, but are they obsolete? Cheers 4ER

Are there any ways particle physics can impact biology? Specifically, being able to use methods from theoretical physics to study biological systems (possible physiology related).

What I’m looking for is some new avenue of physics for a scientist in the Star Wars galaxy to be studying. They probably know what dark matter and dark energy are since Starkiller Base is powered by it. I’m sure they know about how the universe began, why it’s expanding and what it’s fate is...

I'm a student from the UK, completing a degree in theoretical physics. I'm interested in pursuing graduate opportunities in both the UK and the US. Of course, I am much more familiar with the 'UK standard' for graduate studies, in that the areas I want to pursue can fall into either the maths...

Dear All, I am a second year Natural Sciences (the course incorporating the Physics courses) student at the University of Cambridge. I definitely want to specialize in Theoretical Physics next year, but the years spent at University, and the time in the vacations between terms, seems so long...

Hi. The #1 complaint about the Greiner series are the typos. It's a shame how it undermines the potential of this series which is, otherwise, highly acclaimed. Do you know where errata for any of these volumes can be found? Or perhaps those who have read some of the books could share their own...

My university offers two different two-semester sequences for learning abstract algebra, and I can't decide which one would be better for me, a physics major. Here are the two sequences and their course descriptions, copied and pasted from the university website: Algebra 1: Theory of groups...

I would like to ask if anyone has been admitted to a graduate school(US) straight to 2nd year after a theoretical masters MSc degree in the UK. I am asking because I would really like to study in the US, preferably on top universities but I don't want to waste another year taking essentially...

I'm a 4th year MPhys student currently finishing my undergrad. I will be attending a theoretical masters course next year at Kings. I have been declined by Imperial and Cambridge so I have started to get a little worried about my future. Even though I have been declined this year, is there any...

Hey Everyone. So basically I'm having tonnes of anxiety about my future and would like a bit of a reality check on where I stand and what I will be able to achieve. I go to one of the best universities in the US for undergrad Physics, yet my GPA is on the lower side (3.1). This university was...

I am worried that I am passionate about physics and yearn for a career in physics(through theoretical physics), and by a career I mean a placement in a prestigious institute and then be part of leading physics, but would that require sacrificing my entire 20s and even 30s or can I can get all...

Hi guys, I find it hard to decide what to work on. To give some background, I am a bachelor student and I want to work in theoretical research. I talked with a professor (he is the chief of the theory department) at my uni about this and he expects me to find a topic or an area of research for...

Is medical physics as informative as normal physics in terms of the courses I'll do in the University and can it be used as a pathway into medicine and surgery?

According to the Big rip theory if Black holes tear apart after a very long time, then according to the theory of relativity an object that reaches the event horizon should see time passing infinitelty and by the time the object was swallowed wouldn't the black hole not exist anymore because of...

Hello Being a professional physicist(Quantum field theory and HS theory) I'd like to learn chemistry for some reasons. I've already tried to find a nice Chemistry textbook but failed to find physicist friendly one. My last class on chemistry was in high school like 11 years ago already, so my...

I took great comfort reading a New Scientist article on the Perimeter Institute, Canada where top theoretical physicists pass the day. They asked four how they get through the day. Two replies gave me great comfort: Asimina Arvanitaki I spend most of my time being confused about things and...

The Standard Model Lagrangian contains terms like these: ##-\partial_\mu \phi^+ \partial_\mu\phi^-## ##-\frac{1}{2}\partial_\nu Z^0_\mu\partial_\nu Z^0_\mu## ##-igc_w\partial_\nu Z^0(W^+_\mu W^-_\nu-W^+_\nu W^-_\mu)## How should one interpret the "derivative particle fields" like...

Hi! I'm currently in my second year of a five year integrated masters degree in physics. When applying, I chose to study just plain physics as I didn't really know what I wanted to do and I didn't want to limit my options. However, for the past year and a half, and honestly before that too, I've...

Hi all, I am interested in advancing my education in theoretical physics, specifically topics concerning quantum field theories and quantum gravity. However, I have a somewhat rocky background as an early undergrad and while my Master's degree was achieved with great success in the classroom...

I was watching a video about physics that said people who want to study theoretical physics but do not want to study things like electromagnetism, thermodynamics, experimental physics, etc, should study math, then take some classes in theoretical physics. This way, you could study your favorite...

I am a 12th grader and I am having trouble choosing what I want to major in. My biggest interest is string theory/ quantum field theory/ theory of everything/ particle physics (math intensive theoretical physics). But the problems with getting a physics degree are 1) getting a phd takes a long...

It goes without saying that theoretical physics has over the years become overrun with countless distinct - yet sometimes curiously very similar - theories, in some cases even dozens of directly competing theories. Within the foundations things can get far worse once we start to run into...

If someone wanted to pursue a career in gravitational wave physics, and work at places like LIGO, studying astrophysical objects such as black holes and neutron stars, etc. What are some key courses/skills that person should take/learn as an undergraduate, and graduate student?

Is there really much of a difference between an astronomy PhD and an astrophysics PhD? There seems to be a lot of overlap in the fields, and it seems that both can qualify you for many of the same careers, it just depends on the PhD focus. For an example, I'm very interested in almost all areas...