Courses

Physics

Note:Students should check the course descriptions below or consult their adviser to find which of the sequences C083 - C084, C085 - C086, C087 - C088, or 0121 - 0122 satisfies the Physics requirements for their undergraduate major or graduate degree program. Main campus sections of all four sequences require students to register for a recitation section except during summer. Students who are interested only in satisfying a Core requirement may combine any initial with any final course to complete the sequence, provided that the mathematics requirements are met. Students who have taken a higher number cannot retake a lower number for credit, or take C053 - C054 for credit.

Unless otherwise noted, all prerequisite courses must be passed with a grade of C- or higher.

0400. Practicum in Teaching of Physics   (1 s.h.)

Required of all graduate teaching assistants in their first semester. Consists of supervised instruction in undergraduate laboratories and a weekly two-hour class.

0401. Mathematical Physics I   (3 s.h.)

Prerequisite: Math 251.

Tensor analysis; group theory; complex variable theory; partial differential equations; Sturm-Liouville systems; integral transforms; integral equations and Green's function methods.

0402. Mathematical Physics II   (3 s.h.)

Preliminaries; numerical applicability, survey of algorithms, computer modeling, programming considerations; basic numerical methods; numerical linear algebra; numerical solution to ordinary and partial differential equations; molecular dynamics; Monte Carlo simulations; nonlinear methods.

0411. Analytical Mechanics I.   (3 s.h.)

Variational principles, Lagrange's and Hamilton's equations; canonical transformations; small oscillations; dynamics of particles, rigid bodies, strings and membranes; hydrodynamics; chaos in deterministic systems.

0421. Electromagnetic Theory   (3 s.h.)

Boundary value problems of the electrostatic and magnetostatic fields; Maxwell's equations; plane waves at boundaries in dielectric and conducting media; potentials in the Lorentz gauge; Green's functions for wave and Helmholtz equations; multipole radiation; material dispersion; diffraction.

0422. Electromagnetic Theory   (3 s.h.)

Prerequisite: Physics 421..

Maxwell stress tensor; relativistic dynamics; Lagrangian formulation of electrodynamics; Noether's theorem; laser resonant cavities and optics of Gaussian beams; Eikonal and geometrical optics limit; synchrotron radiation.

0431. Quantum Mechanics   (3 s.h.)

Prerequisite: Prerequisites: Physics 401 and 411..

Fundamental principles of quantum mechanics; relation to classical mechanics; Schroedinger and operator formulations; path integrals; Aharonov-Bohm effect; examples of exact solutions; central forces and angular momentum; scattering theory; Bell's theorem.

0432. Quantum Mechanics   (3 s.h.)

Prerequisite: Physics 431..

Matrix mechanics; theory of electron spin; Hilbert space formulation of quantum mechanics; transformation theory; theory of rotations; spin and statistics; stationary approximation methods with application to atomic systems; time-dependent perturbation theory; exponential decay.

0501. Statistical Mechanics   (3 s.h.)

Prerequisite: Prerequisites: Physics 401 and 431.

Review of thermodynamics; kinetic theory; statistical definition of entropy; microcanonical, canonical, and grand canonical ensembles; applications to gases, diatomic molecules, magnetic systems, phase transitions; quantum statistics; ideal boson and fermion systems; Bose-Einstein condensation; black body radiation; models of solids; properties of liquid helium.

0511. Solid State Physics   (3 s.h.)

Prerequisite: Prerequisites: Physics 431-432. Physics 432 may be taken concurrently..

Crystal and x-ray diffraction; lattice vibrations and thermal properties; energy bands and electronic properties; semiconductors; optical and dielectric properties; para-, ferro-, and antiferromagnetism; introduction to superconductivity and superfluidity.

0531. Advanced Quantum Mechanics   (3 s.h.)

Prerequisite: Physics 432.

Properties of quantized radiation field; emission, absorption and scattering of photons by atoms; nonrelativistic Lamb shift; Dirac equation: nonrelativistic limit, Lorentz covariance, exact solutions; hole theory; Lagrangian field theory; field quantization; S-matrix; covariant perturbation theory; Feynman rules for QED with application to various processes.

0537. Introduction to Elementary Particles Physics   (3 s.h.)

Prerequisite: Physics 432 and 531. Physics 531 may be taken concurrently..

The Standard Model (SM); gauge invariance, non-Abelian gauge theories, SM Lagrangian, electroweak theory and QCD, Higgs mechanism, confinement; experimental considerations: accelerators and detectors, elastic scattering and form factors, deep inelastic scattering and structure functions; advanced topics in the SM: grand unification, neutrino mass, big bang cosmology, dark matter.

0799. Preliminary Examination Preparation   (1-9 s.h.)

Comprehensive systematic study in preparation for the Ph.D. preliminary examination.

0899. Pre-Dissertation Research   (1-9 s.h.)

Prerequisite: permission of the faculty member who will supervise the research.

Preliminary research in a sub-field of physics designed to enable the student to identify a topic suitable for Ph.D. dissertation.

0950. Problems in Experimental Physics   (3-9 s.h.)

Prerequisite: permission of the faculty member who will direct the research.

Special problems in the field of experimental physics. Research techniques employed in experimental physics.

0951. Problems in Theoretical Physics   (3-9 s.h.)

Prerequisite: permission of the faculty member who will direct the research.

Special problems in the field of theoretical physics. The course is designed to acquaint the student with the research techniques employed in theoretical physics.

0999. Ph.D. Dissertation   (1-12 s.h.)

Prerequisite: Admission to candidacy.

Research for the Ph.D. dissertation.