Master's Track Soft and Active Matter

Active matter physics is a rapidly growing field at the intersection of physics, biology, and materials science, focusing on systems composed of entities that consume energy to move and interact. Unlike traditional matter, which is typically in or near equilibrium, active matter systems are inherently out of equilibrium. This leads to unique and often complex behaviours uncovering new principles of organisation. Among many other perspectives, active matter physics has the potential to transform the development of functional materials by introducing dynamic, adaptable, and programmable behaviours by leveraging the self-organising and energy-consuming characteristics of active matter.

Structure of the Course of Study

The master's course of study Physics is divided into two one-year phases: the expansion and advanced phase and the research phase.

	Modules
1st Sem.	Elective Area 1: 12-PHY-MWPE2 Soft Matter Physics (10 CP)	Elective Area 2: 12-PHY-MWPT2 Advanced Statistical Physics (10 CP)	Elective Area 3: Advanced Seminar (5 CP)	Elective Area 4: Physics-Related Electives (35 CP)
2nd Sem.
3rd Sem.	12-PHY-MFS1 Research Project 1 (15 CP)		12-PHY-MFS2 Research Project 2 (15 CP)
4th Sem.	Master’s Thesis (30 CP)

 

For the elective area 3 (advanced seminar), you choose one module from the following two modules:

Sem.	Module No.	Module Title	CP
1/2	12-PHY-MWPSWM	Specialised Topics of Soft Matter Physics*	5
1/2	12-PHY-MWPSTP	Specialised Topics of Theoretical Physics**	5

* with the topics Biological Physics or Molecular Nanotechnology
** with the topic Complex Systems

For the elective area 4 (physics-related electives), you choose modules with a total of 35 CP from the following elective modules for the master's course of study. You can also choose the module from elective area 1 that you have not yet taken and the second recommended advanced seminar from elective area 3.

In this master's course of study, you can also take the bachelor's modules mentioned below if the knowledge imparted there is necessary for taking the master's modules.

Master Modules

Sem.	Module No.	Module Title	CP
2	12-PHY-MWPASM	Soft Matter and Biological Physics	10
2	12-PHY-MWPMON3	Active Matter Physics I	5
1	12-PHY-…	Active Matter Physics II	5
1/2	12-PHY-MWPEMSP	Single-Molecule Spectroscopy	5
1/2	12-PHY-MWPTKS1	Stochastic Processes in Physics, Biology and Earth Sciences	10
1/2	12-PHY-MWPTKS2	Non-linear Dynamics and Pattern Formation	10
1/2	12-PHY-MWPTKS3	Practical Course: Complex Systems	5
1/2	12-PHY-MWPTKM3	Theory of Soft and Bio Matter	10
1/2	12-PHY-MWPTKM4	Practical Course: Condensed Matter Theory	5
1/2	12-PHY-MWPSTP2	Statistical Mechanics of Deep Learning	10

Bachelor Modules

Sem.	Module No.	Module Title	CP
2	12-PHY-BW3MO1	Introduction to Photonics I	5
1/2	12-PHY-BMWEMB	Introduction to Biophysical Methods	5

Working Groups

The following working goups at our faculty are working in the area of soft matter and active matter:

• Biological Physics
  Prof. Dr. Claudia Mierke
• Biotechnology and Biomedicine
  Prof. Dr. Mareike Zink
• Molecular Biophysics
  Prof. Dr. Ralf Seidel
• Molecular Nanophotonics
  Prof. Dr. Frank Cichos
• Soft Matter Physics
  Prof. Dr. Josef A. Käs
• Statistical Physics of Evolution
  Prof. Dr. Ralf Steuer
• Systems Biophysics of Microbial Dynamics
  Prof. Dr. Katja Taute