Lab course B (Atomic Physics / Solid State Physics / Nuclear & Particle Physics)
The most important facts in brief
News for the winter term 2026/27
- Registration for the 2026 summer semester is open via the Practical course database until October 15th.
- To conduct experiments, you must have completed a safety briefing that took place no more than one year ago. An online safety briefing is offered at the start of each semester.The next online session will take place on Monday, October 19, 2026, at 2:00 PM, and the corresponding Zoom link will be available here in early April.
- The former Practical course B has been divided into the three Practical courses in Atomic Physics / Solid-State Physics / Nuclear & Particle Physics and explicitly assigned to the respective courses.
- Students should please register in the lab database under the Atomic Physics / Solid-State Physics / Nuclear & Particle Physics lab, which will automatically register them for all three Practice courses in the database.
- The experiments in atomic, solid-state, and nuclear physics require comprehensive knowledge from the introductory labs AP1 & AP2; therefore, independent registration is only possible if completion of the AP1 & AP2 experiments has been verified in the database. If this is not the case, you should generally focus on completing the APs first.However, if there are reasons to participate in the atomic, solid-state, or nuclear physics lab despite this, please contact us by email at praktikumb(at)ikp.uni-koeln.de.
- The order of the individual lab sessions depends on your individual course of study. As a general rule, it makes sense to begin the corresponding lab session, for example, toward the end of the respective lecture series and then complete all three experiments by the start of the following semester. Please also note the recommended course of study, which varies significantly depending on whether you began your studies in the summer or winter semester.
- Students who have successfully completed individual experiments or sections of the former Practicum B generally do not need to register in the database again. Students who only need to make up individual experiments or sections should send an email to praktikumb(at)ikp.uni-koeln.de.
- For each experiment, please schedule an (online) meeting with your advisors about a week before the scheduled experiment date. For this preliminary meeting, please prepare the experimental setup to the extent that it is clear you can carry out the experiment properly. The exact logistics of the experiment may vary slightly depending on the experiment and should be clarified during these preliminary meetings.
Lab course database & registration
Here you will find information about the lab course database and how to register.
Experiments & advisors
Contacts
- Astrophysics: Dr. Thomas Salomon (salomon(at)ph1.uni-koeln.de)
- II. Physics: Prof. Dr. Thomas Lorenz (lorenz@ph2.uni-koeln.de; Lead Coordinator)
- Nuclear Physics: kern-praktikum(at)ikp.uni-koeln.de
Lab course description
In the practical courses in Atomic Physics / Solid State Physics / Nuclear & Particle Physics, advanced methods of physical experimentation are taught using complex experiments from the three fields of Atomic Physics, Solid State Physics and Nuclear and Particle Physics. The experiments are thus based on the fields of work of the corresponding Cologne experimental physics institutes and are partly carried out on setups that are also used for current research.
In contrast to the A practical course, the focus is now less on understanding the general development of physics using classical experiments and at the same time learning how to deal with measurement data and measurement errors. Compared to the A practical course, significantly fewer experiments are carried out in these practical courses, but they are much more complex. The individual experiments are supervised by scientists who themselves conduct research in these areas and also provide further insights into the respective research areas during the internship.
The experiments are comparable to a Bachelor's thesis in terms of subject matter, methodology and complexity, and the presentation and evaluation of the measurement data should also reach a comparable standard. The main difference, however, is that the experiments already exist and extensive literature is available on both the research question and the experimental method. Various experiments have been newly developed, e.g. in the context of improving measuring instruments or in the field of interdisciplinary research, for example on the greenhouse effect or medical imaging. Short descriptions of the experiments offered can be found here:
In addition to developing technical skills, the aim is also to test on a small scale how cooperation can be successfully organized in research. For this reason, the experiments are carried out in groups and the associated evaluations are also worked out together.
Organizational questions & answers
What is the general structure of the lab course?
Under the new curriculum for first-year students starting in the Winter/Spring 2023–2024 semester, the previous Lab course B will be divided into three lab courses - Atomic Physics, Solid-State Physics, and Nuclear & Particle Physics - each corresponding to the respective lectures. As a result, the examination procedures for students will vary depending on the examination regulations or the specific practical course. However, the regulations for conducting experiments in the respective labs remain consistent, so that experiments can also be carried out in mixed groups (new and old study regulations) of 2–3 students. After successfully completing and evaluating the experiment, you will receive an ungraded final certificate for the corresponding experiment. For the individual experiments, please schedule an (online) appointment with the instructors approximately one week before the respective scheduled experiment date. For this preliminary meeting, please prepare the experimental materials to the extent that it is evident you can conduct the experiment effectively. The exact organization of the experiment may vary slightly depending on the experiment and will be explained during the respective preliminary meeting.
How do I register (in groups)?
Registration is handled through the lab course database.
If you do not yet have a user account for this database, you can create one on the specified page under “Sign up.”
Once you have logged into the database, you will be able to register for the lab course B event within the database. Students subject to the new examination regulations should also register for lab course B in the lab course database and will thereby be automatically registered for all three lab courses: Atomic Physics, Solid-State Physics, and Nuclear & Particle Physics. Further information, particularly regarding the transitional provisions, will be provided during the preliminary meeting. The internship is conducted in groups of 2–3 students. To form a lab group, the first group member receives a group code upon registration, which must be entered when the other group members register in order to be assigned to that group. When forming groups, you should generally consider whether conducting the lab experiments together is possible and sensible for your individual study plans. Students under both the old and new study regulations may form a joint group.
If you encounter any problems, please contact the course coordination team.
How does the planning of oral exams and the transition to the Master's program work?
Exam dates for the practicum are offered on an ongoing basis. You can view the currently available dates in the lab course database; however, you must submit a binding registration for the exam through the Registrar’s Office. To do so, you must have successfully completed at least three attempts in a sub-area. Please note that registration with the Registrar’s Office should be completed no later than two weeks before the exam date.
If you wish to take courses from the Master’s program while still in your Bachelor’s program, you must have passed at least one (sub)exam for the lab course in order to register for the corresponding sub-area in lab course M (part of the Master’s program).
How is the lab course performance evaluated?
The experiments for the individual lab courses are assigned to the three lecture series-Atomic Physics, Solid-State Physics, and Nuclear & Particle Physics-and a single grade is calculated for each module:
The grade for the Atomic Physics module is calculated in a 3:1 ratio based on the grades from a written exam and an oral exam covering the three experiments. The Solid-State Physics module concludes with an oral exam covering the material from the lecture, exercises, and lab. The Nuclear & Particle Physics module concludes with a written exam covering the material from the lecture, exercises, and lab. A prerequisite for taking the exams in Solid-State Physics and Nuclear & Particle Physics is the successful completion of the exercises as well as the successful completion of the three lab experiments. You will be admitted to the Atomic Physics written exam upon successful completion of the exercises, and to the oral exam upon successful completion of the three lab experiments. Registration for the oral exams takes place through the Examination Office and should be completed no later than 2 weeks before the exam date.