CSIR NET Physical Science Exam Syllabus and Exam Pattern 2023

CSIR NET Physical Science Syllabus and Exam Pattern 2023: CSIR NET Physical Science exam is considered one of the toughest government exams in India. Physical Science is one of the five branches of science and technology which requires rigorous preparation on the part of the students in order to clear the exam. Students who wish to take up Physics as their career for the future mainly begin with the NET exam. It surely provides one big opportunity to achieve the dream goal of becoming a Physics expert. 

CSIR NET Physical Science Syllabus and Exam Pattern 2023

Every year, lakhs of students sit for the CSIR NET exam in the hope of getting closer to their dreams. New innovations are made in the field of Science and Technologies through such geniuses. 

CSIR NET Physical Science Syllabus: Core

1) Mathematical Methods of Physics

• Dimensional analysis

• Vector algebra and vector calculus.

• Linear algebra

• Matrices Cayley-Hamilton Theorem

• Eigenvalues and eigenvectors

• Linear ordinary differential equations of first & second order

• Special functions (Hermite, Bessel, Laguerre, and Legendre functions)

• Fourier series, Fourier and Laplace transforms

• Elements of complex analysis, analytic functions

• Taylor & Laurent series; residues, poles, and evaluation of integrals.

• Elementary probability theory, random variables, binomial

• Poisson and normal distributions.

• Central limit theorem.

2) Classical Mechanics

• Newton’s laws

• Dynamical systems

• Phase space dynamics, stability analysis.

• Central force motions.

• Two body Collisions – scattering in laboratory and Centre of mass frames.

• Rigid body dynamics moment of inertia tensor.

• Non-inertial frames and pseudo forces.

• Variational principle.

• Generalized coordinates.

• Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formalism and equations of motion.

• Conservation laws and cyclic coordinates.

• Periodic motion: small oscillations, normal modes.

• The special theory of relativity

• Lorentz transformations, relativistic kinematics and mass-energy equivalence

3) Electromagnetic Theory

• Electrostatics: Gauss’s law and its applications

• Laplace and Poisson equations, boundary value problems.

• Magnetostatics: Biot-Savart law, Ampere’s theorem.

• Electromagnetic induction.

• Maxwell’s equations in free space and linear isotropic media; boundary conditions on the fields at interfaces.

• Scalar and vector potentials, gauge invariance.

• Electromagnetic waves in free space.

• Dielectrics and conductors.

• Reflection and refraction, polarization, Fresnel’s law, interference, coherence, and diffraction. Dynamics of charged particles in static and uniform electromagnetic fields.

4) Quantum Mechanics

• Wave-particle duality.

• Schrödinger equation (time-dependent and time-independent).

• Eigenvalue problems (harmonic oscillator, particle in a box, etc.).

• Tunneling through a barrier.

• The wave function in coordinate and momentum representations.

• Commutators and Heisenberg uncertainty principle.

• Dirac notation for state vectors.

• Motion in a central potential: orbital angular momentum, angular momentum algebra, spin, the addition of angular momenta; Hydrogen atom.

• Stern-Gerlach experiment.

• Time Independent perturbation theory and applications.

• Variational method.

• Time-dependent perturbation theory and Fermi’s golden rule, selection rules

• Identical particles

• Pauli exclusion principle, spin-statistics connection.

5) Thermodynamic and Statistical Physics

• Laws of thermodynamics and their consequences.

• Thermodynamic potentials

• Maxwell relations, chemical potential, phase equilibria.

• Phase space, micro-, and macro-states.

• Micro-canonical, canonical, and grand-canonical ensembles and partition functions.

• Free energy and its connection with thermodynamic quantities.

• Classical and quantum statistics.

• Ideal Bose and Fermi gases.

• Principle of detailed balance.

• Blackbody radiation and Planck’s distribution law.

6) Electronics and Experimental Methods

• Semiconductor devices (transistors, diodes, junctions, field effect devices, homo- and hetero-junction devices), device characteristics, device structure, frequency dependence, and applications.

• Opto-electronic devices (solar cells, photo-detectors, LEDs).

• Operational amplifiers and their applications.

• Digital techniques and applications (counters, registers, comparators, and similar circuits).

• A/D and D/A converters.

• Microprocessor and microcontroller basics.

• Data interpretation and analysis.

• Precision and accuracy.

• Error analysis, propagation of errors.

• Least Squares fitting,

CSIR NET Physical Science Syllabus: Advanced

1) Mathematical Methods of Physics

• Green’s function.

• Partial differential equations (Wave, Laplace, and heat equations in two and three dimensions).

• Elements of computational techniques: the root of functions, interpolation, extrapolation, integration by trapezoidal and Simpson’s rule

• The solution of the first-order differential equations using the Runge-Kutta method.

• Finite difference methods.

• Tensors

• Introductory group theory: SU(2), O(3).

2) Classical Mechanics

• Dynamical systems,

• Phase space dynamics, stability analysis.

• Poisson brackets and canonical transformations.

• Symmetry, invariance, and Noether’s theorem.

• Hamilton-Jacobi theory.

3) Electromagnetic Theory

• Dispersion relations in plasma.

• Lorentz invariance of Maxwell’s equation.

• Transmission lines and waveguides.

• Radiation- from moving charges and dipoles and retarded potentials.

4) Quantum Mechanics

• Spin-orbit coupling, fine structure.

• WKB approximation.

• Elementary theory of scattering: phase shifts, partial waves,

• Born in approximation.

• Relativistic quantum mechanics: Klein-Gordon and Dirac equations.

• Semi-classical theory of radiation.

5) Thermodynamic and Statistical Physics

• First- and second-order phase transitions.

• Diamagnetism, paramagnetism, and ferromagnetism.

• Ising model.

• Bose-Einstein condensation.

• Diffusion equation.

• Random walk and Brownian motion.

• Introduction to nonequilibrium processes.

6) Electronics and Experimental Methods

• Linear and nonlinear curve fitting, chi-square test.

• Transducers (magnetic fields, temperature, optical, pressure/vacuum, vibration, and particle detectors).

• Measurement and control.

• Signal conditioning and recovery.

• Impedance matching, amplification (Op-amp based, instrumentation amp, feedback), shielding, filtering and noise reduction, and grounding.

• Fourier transforms lock-in detectors, box-car integrators, and modulation techniques.

• High-frequency devices (including generators and detectors).

7) Atomic & Molecular Physics

• Quantum states of an electron in an atom.

• Electron spin.

• The spectrum of helium and alkali atoms.

• Relativistic corrections for energy levels of the hydrogen atom, hyperfine structure and isotopic shift, width of spectral lines, LS & JJ couplings.

• Zeeman, Paschen-Bach & Stark effects.

• Electron spin resonance.

• Nuclear magnetic resonance, chemical shift.

• Frank-Condon principle.

• Born-Oppenheimer approximation.

• Electronic, vibrational, rotational, selection rules, and Raman spectra of diatomic molecules. Lasers: spontaneous and stimulated emission,

• Einstein A & B coefficients.

• Optical pumping, population inversion, rate equation.

• Modes of resonators and coherence length.

8) Condensed Matter Physics

• Bravais lattices.

• Reciprocal lattice.

• Diffraction and the structure factor.

• Bonding of solids.

• Elastic properties, phonons, lattice-specific heat.

• Free electron theory and electronic specific heat.

• Response and relaxation phenomena.

• Drude model of electrical and thermal conductivity.

• Hall effect and thermoelectric power.

• Electron motion in a periodic potential, band theory of solids: metals, insulators, and semiconductors.

• Superconductivity: type-I and type-II superconductors.

• Josephson junctions.

• Superfluidity.

• Defects and dislocations.

• Ordered phases of matter: translational and orientational order, kinds of liquid crystalline order. Quasicrystals.

9) Nuclear and Particle Physics

• Basic nuclear properties: shape, size, charge distribution, spin, and parity.

• Binding energy, semi-empirical mass formula, liquid drop model.

• Nature of the nuclear force, the form of nucleon-nucleon potential, charge-independence, and charge-symmetry of nuclear forces.

• Deuteron problem.

• Evidence of shell structure, single-particle shell model, its validity, and limitations.

• Rotational spectra.

• Elementary ideas of alpha, beta, and gamma decay and their selection rules.

• Fission and fusion.

• Nuclear reactions, reaction mechanisms, compound nuclei, and direct reactions.

• Classification of fundamental forces.

• Elementary particles and their quantum numbers (parity, charge, spin, isospin, strangeness, etc.).

• Gellmann-Nishijima formula.

• Quark model, baryons, and mesons.

• C, P, and T invariance.

• Application of symmetry arguments to particle reactions.

• Parity non-conservation in the weak interaction.

• Relativistic kinematics.

CSIR NET Physical Science Exam Pattern 2023

There are three parts in the CSIR NET Physical science syllabus paper pattern which is further divided into subsections of the topics included in each part. Given below is the detailed list of each section of the Physical Science subject for CSIR NET 2023. 

CSIR NET Exam Pattern 2023

Physical Sciences	Part A	Part B	Part C	Total
Total Questions	20	25	30	75
Max No of Questions to attempt	15	20	20	55
Marks for each correct answer	2	3.5	5	200
Negative marking	0.5	0.875	1.25

Part A 

This part shall carry 20 questions pertaining to General Science, Quantitative Reasoning & Analysis, and Research Aptitude. The candidates are required to answer any 15 questions for 30 marks and each question will carry 2 marks. 

Part B

This part shall contain 25 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) generally covering the topics given in the Part ‘A’ (CORE) of the syllabus. Candidates are required to answer any 20 questions for 70 marks of which Each question will carry 3.5 Marks.

Part C

This part shall contain 30 questions from Part B (Advanced) and Part ‘A’ that are designed to test a candidate’s knowledge of scientific concepts and/or application of the scientific concepts. A candidate has to answer any 20 questions for 100 marks Each question shall be of 5 Marks.

Candidates must note that there will be a negative marking of 25% of the total score for each wrong answer. 

Important Tips For CSIR NET Physical Science Exam 

• Part I questions will be common for all the subjects included under Science and Technology. Questions are mostly asked from logical reasoning, scientific quizzes, puzzles, etc. 
• The second part of the CSIR UGC NET exam comprises subject-related multiple-choice questions. 
• There are only a limited number of questions to be answered in every set. If a candidate exceeds the number, only the first set of the asked questions will be verified. 

We have covered the detailed guide on the CSIR NET Physical Science Syllabus and Exam Pattern 2022. Feel free to ask us any questions in the comment section below.

FAQ: CSIR NET Physical Science Syllabus and Exam Pattern 2023