Electronics for Physicists

The course is a must-have for PhD students and post-docs interested in experimental physics. We will study electronics with astrong focus on practical applications. After reviewing the basics of passive and active components and their practical limitations, we will focus on circuit simulation, systematic troubleshooting and opamp circuits. Signals, noise and interference problems (and solutions!) will also be an important topic. We finish with an overview of microwaves and various measurement techniques, and a day on advanced use of electronic measurement equipment. Several case studies from the physics lab will be used throughout the course to make the theory come alive.

Book: The Art of Electronics, Horrowitz and Hill, 2nd edition, Cambridge University Press, New York, 1989. Extra material is handed out during the course. Students should be in possession of the book when the course starts.

Teachers: This is a Casimir course given by Val Zwiller and Raymond Schouten (Delft University of Technology) for TU Delft and Leiden students. The course is mainly intended for Ph.D. students and postdocs (experimentalists as well as theorists) associated to the Casimir Research School, motivated master students are welcome.