University Of Cambridge-Maths

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University Of Cambridge-Maths

General information:

The Certificate of Advanced Study in Mathematics requires the study of six or seven lecture courses chosen from a wide range of subjects and (optionally) the preparation of a substantial essay. A sufficient number of courses (and essay topics) for the Certificate is available in topics related to astronomy; about half the number needed is available in topics within geophysics.

A wide range of research topics is available for PhD students. Current topics in astronomy for PhD students are physics of accretion discs and planetary formation, solar and stellar magnetic fields, magnetohydrodynamics and dynamo action in stars, discs and planets, stellar convection, solar and stellar oscillations, helioseismology, physics of the solar corona and atomic and radiative processes in astrophysics (Prof D O Gough, Dr H E Mason, Dr G I Ogilvie, Prof M R E Proctor, Dr A Schekochihin, Prof N O Weiss); general relativity theory, quantum gravity, cosmology, black holes and space-time singularities (Dr P D D'Eath, Prof G W Gibbons, Prof S W Hawking, Dr J M Stewart, Prof P K Townsend); and cosmological implications of high energy physics (Dr A C Davis, Dr E P S Shellard, Prof N G Turok).

In geophysics the topics available include-scale motions in the atmosphere and ocean (analytical, numerical and laboratory modelling), turbulent boundary layers, surface, internal and acoustic waves, dynamics of estuaries, double-diffusive phenomena in the ocean, in volcanoes and in magma chambers; the physics of volcanic eruptions and the flow of molten rock within and on the surface of the Earth (Dr S B Dalziel, Prof P H Haynes, Prof H E Huppert, Dr J R Lister, Prof M E McIntyre, Dr M G Worster).

Interdepartmental collaborations in these areas have been promoted through the establishment of an Institute for Theoretical Geophysics (jointly with the Department of Earth Sciences) and of a Centre for Atmospheric Science (jointly with the Department of Chemistry); there are also close links with the Institute of Astronomy. There is a regular programme of advanced lectures and research seminars, and the Department is host each year to large numbers of visitors from research centres all over the world.

Candidates for PhD entry in astronomy, relativity and astrophysics are very strongly advised to take the Certificate of Advanced Study in Mathematics as preparation. In a few cases a sufficiently good performance in another very high level course in the mathematical sciences may be acceptable as an alternative. In the geophysics areas the preparation offered by the Certificate is highly desirable, but DAMTP also welcomes applications for PhD places from candidates with excellent qualification from their first degree or Masters degree courses.

Extensive computing facilities are available on local workstations, with access to the SunFire supercomputer at the Cambridge-Cranfield High Performance Computing Facility, with a peak speed of over 2 Teraflops and 2880 GBytes RAM. The UK Cosmology Computing Centre has been established in DAMTP, with an SGI Origin 2000 supercomputer. Current projects on this machine involve Dr Shellard and Prof Turok in work on the origin of the matter-antimatter asymmetry at the electroweak phase transition, and on the cosmic microwave anisotrophy predicted by the theories of structure formation.

The entire Department is sited in the Centre for Mathematical Sciences, alongside the Department of Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics, the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences and the main library for mathematics, physical sciences and technology.

For further information write to:

Miranda Canty (Group Secretary and Administrator)
Centre for Mathematical Sciences
Wilberforce Road
Cambridge CB3 0WA
Tel: +44 (0)1223 760394
Fax: +44 (0)1223 760493
Email: mlc59@cam.ac.uk

DAMTP home page: http://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk.
Astrophysical fluid dynamics research group: http://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/research/astro
Atomic astrophysics: http://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/user/astro