Mathematical modeling in particle physics

[Tom83B]

So my university offers two programs focused on particle physics. One is simply masters in nuclear/particle physics, the other is masters in mathematical modelling with focus on particle physics.

I want to go into mathematical modelling and I'm choosing what I will focus on. I'm not really interested in the former program, but I'd like to know what will I be more qualified for if I do the modelling thing.

The courses I would have to take are from two groups. The first group are mathematical courses, that every modelling student has to take:

• Introduction to functional analysis
• Partial differential equations 1, 2
• Analysis of matrix calculations
• Finite elements method
• Numerical methods for ODE
• Simulations in many-particle physics
• Matrix iterative methods

The second group is focus-specific. For particle physics it's:

• Physics of elementary particles
• Introduction to electroweak interactions
• Quarks, partons and quantum chromodynamics
• Particles and fields
• Selected topics on quantum field theory
• Software and data processing in particle physics 1, 2
• Neural networks in particle physics

So I like the sound of all those courses - I believe particle physics is interesting, recently I've been really interested in machine learning so the neural networks course sounds cool as well and what I am hoping for is, that when I finish this course I will know how to work with big data. So I'm also looking for practical application, as I think that data scientist might be a suitable alternative to academia job for me.

My question is: will all the mathematics be of any use for me? Where will I use all the numerical mathematics? I asked the referee of the modelling masters program how does this program compare to regular particle physics masters and he told me, that it's expected, that we will do some data processing. I'd like to hear some examples of work, for which I will be more qualified, than regular particle physicist who processed data.

I can't ask any students or see what kind of thesis they had, because this program is completely new.

Thank you for all your answers.

 

[Adrmay]

The mathematical courses you have listed will be very useful to you, regardless of whether you go into academia or data science. The mathematics courses will prepare you for doing any kind of modelling analysis or simulation work, whether it is in particle physics or any other field. You will be able to use the mathematical tools and techniques to solve complex problems and analyze data sets. Additionally, the numerical methods course will provide you with the skills to write efficient and accurate programs to perform data analysis.The focus-specific courses are also important, as they will give you a deep understanding of particle physics and the electroweak interactions. This knowledge will come in handy when working on data analysis projects that involve particle physics. For example, you will be able to use machine learning techniques to analyze particle physics data sets and make predictions about particle behavior. Overall, this program will give you a great foundation in both mathematics and particle physics, which will serve you well in either an academic or data science career.