Fellow Master students, what's the topic of your thesis?

[Kalimaa23]

Greetings,

I'll probably be choosing a topic for my master's thesis next week (maybe something involving the symmetries of the Born-Infeld action...), and I was curious about the work of the current/former master students here.

So, what did you all do for a master's thesis?

 

[dextercioby]

Hmmmmmmmmmmm,Born-Infeld,that stringy stuff...?Sounds deadly interesting.Well,i'm not doing my master yet,and hopefully,same time next year,will do it.I don't know what's going to be,but i hope it will be something interesting.In our system of higher education,technically,i'm still an undergraduate,at least till September when i hope to pass all my exams and do well with the paper i should be working on.

Daniel.

 

[marlon]

Greetings,

I'll probably be choosing a topic for my master's thesis next week (maybe something involving the symmetries of the Born-Infeld action...), and I was curious about the work of the current/former master students here.

So, what did you all do for a master's thesis?

Greets from Gent to Dimitri

I did my master thesis on the dual abelian higgs model (also called dual Landua Ginzberg model) which is a possible way out to explain quarkconfinement. This model is based on the implementation of magnetic monopoles (done by Dirac in 1948 or somewhere in that period) in QCD. It's a theoretical application of quantum field theory. Very interesting !

Just so you'd know, i started my phd at IMEC (in Leuven) on high k dielectrics. So , though, i was trained as a theoretical physicist, i am now working in the developments of nanotechnology. Please read my journal if you want to know more. I must say, i don't really know what your possible topic is about. Can you explain more ? Isn't Prof Sevrin the string theory guy from Leuven ? Here in Gent, it's Prof Verschelde... He also teaches QFT, QM, GR and quantum information technology

regards
marlon

 

[Kalimaa23]

Greets from Gent to Dimitri

I did my master thesis on the dual abelian higgs model (also called dual Landua Ginzberg model) which is a possible way out to explain quarkconfinement. This model is based on the implementation of magnetic monopoles (done by Dirac in 1948 or somewhere in that period) in QCD. It's a theoretical application of quantum field theory. Very interesting !

Sounds cool. I think someone at the VUB did also work on the Landau-Ginzberg model in the past. Is your thesis avaible online, or could you send it to me? I'm rather interested.

Isn't Prof Sevrin the string theory guy from Leuven ?

Heresy! Prof. Sevrin is the string (or brane if you will) guy from the VUB. I'm taking his QED course this semester, and if he'll have me, I'd like him to be my promotor next year.

As I understand it, the current research program he is involved in consists of modifying the Born-Infeld action (only valid for abelian gauge theories) to non-abelian gauge theories, in order to find the effective D-brane action. This will hopefully lead to a way of calculating the S-matrix for string interactions.

 

[dextercioby]

The "string theory guy from Leuven" is Mr.Antoine van Proeyen.("Toine" for the ones familiar to him).And also Mr.Walter Troost had the same range of interest.More u can read here:http://itf.fys.kuleuven.ac.be/index.php?lang=en

Daniel.

EDIT:U both speak Dutch... There it is http://itf.fys.kuleuven.ac.be/index.php?lang=nl

 

[marlon]

Sounds cool. I think someone at the VUB did also work on the Landau-Ginzberg model in the past. Is your thesis avaible online, or could you send it to me? I'm rather interested.

Yeah, i can send you a zip-file...what's your email address ?

marlon

 

[Kalimaa23]

You can send it to dimitri_terryn@yahoo.com

Thanks alot, I look forward to reading it!

 

[dextercioby]

I hope u both realize that one of the physics Nobel laureats in 2003 was Vitaly Ginzburg...

http://nobelprize.org/physics/laureates/2003/ginzburg-autobio.html

Daniel.

P.S.BTW,i've always thought "Dimitri Terryn" has a Russian name trademark...

 

[marlon]

You can send it to dimitri_terryn@yahoo.com

Thanks alot, I look forward to reading it!

Message has been sent. let me know if you got it. I gave you two email adresses where you can reach me because the one that i used will be terminated shortly because i am no longer a member of the university of Ghent

regards
marlon

 

[Kalimaa23]

Thanks Marlon.
Rather strange that it is a .doc Over here LaTeX is the norm, almost everyone I know writes their thesis in that format. Wasn't Word extremely tedious to type it?

I skimmed over it, and I remember reading about the dualities you worked on in Zee's QFT textbook. Interesting stuff indeed...

 

[marlon]

Thanks Marlon.
Rather strange that it is a .doc Over here LaTeX is the norm, almost everyone I know writes their thesis in that format. Wasn't Word extremely tedious to type it?

That was not too bad, though the copy i printed out was written in Latex. this is just a converted file.

I skimmed over it, and I remember reading about the dualities you worked on in Zee's QFT textbook. Interesting stuff indeed...

yes, Zee briefly mentions how magnetic monopoles can arise in QFT at gauge-breakdown points.

Enjoy the reading and feel free to ask more question

regards
marlon

 

[inha]

I'm in dexter's situation. By our standards I'm an undergrad but by US standards a graduate student.

I'll probably know the specific area by the end of this year but it'll be somewhere in the field of studying the electrical properities of solids (new materials and high Tc superconductors are studied at my uni) using different x-ray techniques or structure of solids/phase transitions in high/low temperatures. One more possibility is that it'll be a computational project on those fields too.

 

[Kalimaa23]

That's all? No more people doing/having done their master's here? I find that difficult to believe.

 

[Kalimaa23]

Hmm, had meeting to discuss master's thesisses, here's what they have at my university :

Astrophysics :

Fast rotating algol binaries
Formation of super-heavy stars
Synchronous rotation in close binaries
Chemical evolution of the Milky Way

Medical Physics:

Perfusion effects in NMR imaging
Designing a new prototype of PET scanner

Elementary Particles :

Top quark interactions at the LHC
Optimising measurement of cross sections in semi-leptonic top-topbar interactions
Influence of SUSY parameters on top-topbar mass-distribution
Possible detection of Kaluza-Klein particles in the AMANDA or ICECUBE experiments.

String Theory:

Supersymmetry & geometry : NSNS fluxes
Supersymmetry & geometry : Wilson lines in D=2 boundary superspace.
Stringy corrections on Einstein action
BPS configurations and fluxes


I'll probably be doing one of the SUSY & geometry ones. I have a meeting next week about. Looks like it'll be String-theory for me

 

[marlon]

Hmm, had meeting to discuss master's thesisses, here's what they have at my university :

Astrophysics :

Fast rotating algol binaries
Formation of super-heavy stars
Synchronous rotation in close binaries
Chemical evolution of the Milky Way

Medical Physics:

Perfusion effects in NMR imaging
Designing a new prototype of PET scanner

Elementary Particles :

Top quark interactions at the LHC
Optimising measurement of cross sections in semi-leptonic top-topbar interactions
Influence of SUSY parameters on top-topbar mass-distribution
Possible detection of Kaluza-Klein particles in the AMANDA or ICECUBE experiments.

String Theory:

Supersymmetry & geometry : NSNS fluxes
Supersymmetry & geometry : Wilson lines in D=2 boundary superspace.
Stringy corrections on Einstein action
BPS configurations and fluxes


I'll probably be doing one of the SUSY & geometry ones. I have a meeting next week about. Looks like it'll be String-theory for me

If i were you, i'd go for the medical physics or elemetary particles. Just take something heavy on QM because it will leave your options open for a phd if you want to do one. Also, if you want, you will be able to convert yourself towards the industry more easily. For example, in electronics and nanotechnology, a profound knowledge of QM is required and much asked for.

regards

marlon

 

[dextercioby]

In translation,don't go for theory...

Daniel.

 

[marlon]

In translation,don't go for theory...

Daniel.

Not at all. GO FOR USEFUL THEORY

marlon

 

[dextercioby]

And what's useless about string theory...?

Daniel.

 

[marlon]

And what's useless about string theory...?

Daniel.

Well, up till now, one can ask about the use...only the future will point that out. However, my point is that many theoretical physicists think they don not have a chance in the industry. That is untrue for those who are heavily trained in QM and QFT, so instead of majoring in string theory, one will be better of majoring in stuff like photonics, quantum transport, nano-electronics, many particle physics, nuclear physics. String Theory does not fit will in this picture, though i never said that a string theory major will have no chances in persuing a career outside the string theory environment

marlon

 

[dextercioby]

Alright,you might know better.I won't go for string theory,either,i'll probably read Zwiebach in my spare time just to satisfy my curiosity.

Daniel.

 

[marlon]

Alright,you might know better.I won't go for string theory,either,i'll probably read Zwiebach in my spare time just to satisfy my curiosity.

Daniel.

what exactly are your plans for the future ? I gues you will be graduated in june 2005 ?

marlon

 

[dextercioby]

Not really,i'll have to graduate at my hometown university in September,regardless of what my exams in Leuven will go.I'll have to work a lot both for the paper & the exams which i cannot equivalate.

It's a complicated matter.

Daniel.

 

[marlon]

Not really,i'll have to graduate at my hometown university in September,regardless of what my exams in Leuven will go.I'll have to work a lot both for the paper & the exams which i cannot equivalate.

It's a complicated matter.

Daniel.

so how many years are there left before graduation ? Why can't you take over the results from Leuven ? Is Romania that much more difficult then Belgium ?

Will you be doing phd

marlon

 

[dextercioby]

This is the last.4-th & last.It's just that i did it at Leuven.The results at Leuven are not that great.They aren't great at all,actually,so i can't use them to equivalate the exams with the ones i should have passed back home.So i'll have to hopefully pass everyone of them.My paper is called "lucrare de licenta" and is compulsory for graduation.

No,it's not.Just this Socrates-Erasmus grant-part is kinda complicated & demanding.

Maybe i'll do a PhD,but that should be at the back of my mind,i got bigger worries now.

Daniel.

 

[marlon]

This is the last.4-th & last.It's just that i did it at Leuven.The results at Leuven are not that great.They aren't great at all,actually,so i can't use them to equivalate the exams with the ones i should have passed back home.So i'll have to hopefully pass everyone of them.My paper is called "lucrare de licenta" and is compulsory for graduation.

No,it's not.Just this Socrates-Erasmus grant-part is kinda complicated & demanding.

Maybe i'll do a PhD,but that should be at the back of my mind,i got bigger worries now.

Daniel.

but then why did you do your final year in Leuven ? Wouldn't it be better if you did it at your university, then graduate and start a phd somewhere else if you want to

marlon

 

[dextercioby]

I guess it was a lousy choice.Anyway,it's not only lost time,i got something useful outta this.I hope it would prove itself even more useful as time will pass.

I still think my carrier isn't screwed...Sides,i wouldn't have liked to learn Dutch,no offense.

Daniel.

 

[marlon]

I still think my carrier isn't screwed...Sides,i wouldn't have liked to learn Dutch,no offense.

Daniel.

i understand, it appears to be a very difficult language to learn

marlon

 

[Clausius2]

That's all? No more people doing/having done their master's here? I find that difficult to believe.

The Bolonia convention makes the studies of Mechanical Engineering at Spain be equivalent to a common european Master grade (here there isn't a Master grade). Our studies last 5 years. An usual engineering european grade lasts less time. I don't know how is this stuff right now, but it seems it is going to be some kind of matching between the master grade and our engineering grades, which are characterized for being extremely difficult (there are lot of people who leave these studies before graduating). Therefore I could tell you something about my senior year project, but I am not too sure it is equivalent to an european master thesis yet.

 

[marlon]

The Bolonia convention makes the studies of Mechanical Engineering at Spain be equivalent to a common european Master grade (here there isn't a Master grade). Our studies last 5 years. An usual engineering european grade lasts less time. I don't know how is this stuff right now, but it seems it is going to be some kind of matching between the master grade and our engineering grades, which are characterized for being extremely difficult (there are lot of people who leave these studies before graduating). Therefore I could tell you something about my senior year project, but I am not too sure it is equivalent to an european master thesis yet.

in belgium, at college, engineering takes 5 years also. Physics, chemistry take 4 but next academic year, they will also become 5 years

marlon

 

[dextercioby]

What do you know,the same with Romania.Apparently they will adopt the American undergraduate + graduate system of 3+2 years.

Daniel.

 

[Clausius2]

in belgium, at college, engineering takes 5 years also. Physics, chemistry take 4 but next academic year, they will also become 5 years

marlon

I cannot believe engineering is such a hard grade here than in Belgium or Romania. Sure and probably we know the same things when finishing engineering, but it is sure too that the number of withdrawals here is very much higher than there. The cause is a poor high school education which is far away from technical university requirements. I found such a high wall almost impossible to scale when I crashed into the first engineering courses. And I have attended how a 90% of freshmen have leave this grade before finishing it, for both moral and administrative issues.

Here engineering=the jungle. But a survivor is awarded.

 

[Kalimaa23]

Physics, chemistry take 4 but next academic year, they will also become 5 years

In part thanks to yours truly ;-)

Anyway, the idea is to do a Strings masters thesis with a PhD in mind. The main reason is that I am what you could call mathematically inclined (I got my candidate degree in math as well as physics), and string theory offers the possibility to learn so much wonderful mathematics! If that doesn't work out, well, the idea is to get an additional master in space and aviation engineering. So I wouldn't worry to much about not being industry-minded.