M2 - Nuclei, particles, astroparticles and cosmology (NPAC) course

The topics covered by the program are at the cutting edge of current scientific research. In particle physics, one of the most significant breakthroughs in recent years has been the discovery of the Higgs boson (2013 Nobel Prize) at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. Beyond this, the LHC continues to explore physics beyond the Standard Model, with searches for new particles and phenomena such as supersymmetry and dark matter candidates. In cosmology and astroparticle physics, the 2011 Nobel Prize honoured the physicists whose measurements of the expansion of the Universe provided evidence for dark energy. Since then, new cosmological surveys, such as the Euclid mission and observations of the cosmic microwave background, have provided crucial insights into the large-scale structure and evolution of the Universe. The field of nuclear physics is also very active, with the commissioning of SPIRAL2, an accelerator that aims to deepen our understanding of the origin of the elements and their abundance on Earth. Additionally, major advances in multi-messenger astrophysics, including gravitational wave detections by LIGO and Virgo, have opened new avenues for studying neutron star mergers and their role in nucleosynthesis.

The NPAC program thus trains the researchers of tomorrow in these fields. One of the program’s main assets is its strong connection to research: all lecturers are leading researchers in the areas they teach. Students also have the opportunity to work in a laboratory during their three-month internship at the end of the academic year.

The NPAC fields of research require increasingly powerful and sophisticated instruments, whose performance will determine future advances in the discipline. The program therefore includes mandatory lectures on detector physics.

Students have several opportunities during the year to gain hands-on research experience:

•  In the first semester, they work in pairs on a one-month project during the month of September, in which they conduct a small experiment from the design phase to the analysis of results. This project allows them to acquire knowledge in instrumentation, data analysis, and detection techniques.
•  The “Detector Physics” course contains hands-on sessions in which the students discuss experiment conception and design.
•  The last three months of the program consist of an internship in a laboratory, which is undertaken with a view to pursuing a PhD the following year.

The academic rigour and quality of the NPAC program are recognised by institutions in France and abroad. It is particularly valued by laboratories of the CNRS particle and nuclear physics division (IN2P3) in the Paris region and throughout France, as well as by theoretical and astrophysics laboratories across the country.

After the NPAC one-year training, about 90% of students obtain a full fellowship to pursue a PhD thesis. The hosting laboratories are mostly in the Paris area, but there are also opportunities elsewhere in France or abroad.

The year is divided into two semesters:

• The first semester begins in September with a month-long experimental laboratory project. From October to January, students take two core courses (90 hours each), chosen from three options—Nuclear Physics, Particle Physics, and Astroparticles & Cosmology—alongside two mandatory courses: Detector Physics and Data Science (30 hours each).
• In the second semester, generally after selecting a PhD project, students take two courses over four weeks in February and March: an 'Additional Topics' course (30 hours) and an advanced-level course (30 hours) in their future PhD research field. From late March to June, they complete a laboratory internship, typically within the team they will join for their PhD. 

Candidates must have successfully completed a first-year Master’s degree (Master 1 in France) in fundamental physics or have an engineering diploma with a strong physics component. In either case, candidates should have a solid background in modern physics subjects such as quantum mechanics and statistical physics. It is strongly recommended to have studied at least one of NPAC's main fields.

Selection is based on the application form and an interview with the program directors. Each year, about 30 students enrol in NPAC, coming from both French and foreign universities and engineering schools. Foreign students represent between 25% and 30% of the total student body.