Courses
Physics
Unless otherwise noted, all prerequisite courses must be passed with a grade of C- or higher.
5101. 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.
5301. 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.
5302. Electromagnetic Theory (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: PHYSICS 5301.
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.
5501. 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.
5502. 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.
5701. Quantum Mechanics (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: PHYSICS 5101 and PHYSICS 5501.
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.
5702. Quantum Mechanics (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: PHYSICS 5701.
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.
8001. 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.
8004. Problems in Experimental Physics (3-9 s.h.)
Prerequisite: Permission of faculty member who will direct research.
Special problems in the field of experimental physics. The course is designed to acquaint the student with the research techniques employed in experimental physics.
8005. Problems in Theoretical Physics (3-9 s.h.)
Prerequisite: Permission of faculty member who will direct 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.
8102. Statistical Mechanics (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: PHYSICS 5501 and PHYSICS 5701.
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.
8701. Advanced Quantum Mechanics (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: PHYSICS 5702.
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.
8702. Solid State Physics (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: PHYSICS 5701 and PHYSICS 5702, which 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.
8703. Introduction to Elementary Particles Physics (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: PHYSICS 5702 and PHYSICS 8701, which 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.
9994. Preliminary Examination Preparation (1-9 s.h.)
Comprehensive systematic study in preparation for the Ph.D. preliminary examination.
9998. Pre-Dissertation Research (1-9 s.h.)
Prerequisite: Permission of faculty member who will supervise research.
Preliminary research in a sub-field of physics designed to enable the student to identify a topic suitable for Ph.D. dissertation.
9999. Ph.D. Dissertation (1-12 s.h.)
Prerequisite: Admission to candidacy.
Research for the Ph.D. dissertation.
Updated 9.21.09