Curriculum

Muon tomography (or muography) is an imaging technique that uses cosmic ray muons to create images of the internal structure of objects by analyzing how these muons interact with matter through absorption or scattering. Since muons are highly penetrating, muography can image through significantly thicker materials than traditional methods like X-rays. This technique opens up a non-destructive way to investigate the density and composition of large structures, ranging from volcanoes over pyramids to nuclear waste.

Courses available

Sample project list:

Students can choose 1 of the following options, each with 16 credit hours over two semesters. Alternatively, students can assemble their own curriculum, following the credit-hour guidelines above.

• Muon origin and signal (nuclear, plasma and radiological engineering emphasis)
• Muon detection (materials science and engineering emphasis)
• Data acquisition and analysis (electrical and computer engineering emphasis)

Radiation monitoring for extreme environments includes monitoring post nuclear accidents, during nuclear fuel processing, or in high intensity accelerator facilities. Radiation monitoring provides critical information to emergency assessment and response, optimizing personnel safety and equipment maintenance. In extreme cases, for example in the aftermath of the Fukushima accident, radiation monitors will be damaged and rendered nonoperational by the radiation. The project will develop highly resilient radiation monitors based on the experience of the Illinois Nuclear Physics Laboratory (NPL) with the development of radiation hard detectors for the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. Students will closely collaborate with the ATLAS research group at NPL.

Courses available

Sample project list:

• Understanding of the radiation environment and detection (nuclear, plasma and radiological engineering emphasis)
• Detector design and simulation (physics emphasis)
• Data acquisition and analysis (electronics and data emphasis)

Quantum technologies are transitioning from lab to commercial applications, creating demand for specialized cryogenic infrastructure expertise. Scalable quantum computing, networking and sensing depend on efficient, modular cryogenic platforms that maintain the millikelvin temperatures required for superconducting qubits and quantum sensors. As this emerging industry grows, professionals skilled in dilution refrigerators, cryocoolers and thermal management systems are increasingly needed to support quantum device deployment.

The centerpiece of this track is a year-long project to construct a dilution refrigerator from scratch. Students will learn practical skills to design, construct and solve problems as needed to create a sub-Kelvin environment needed to operate quantum sensors.

Courses available