Undergraduate Courses Upper Level Undergraduate Courses Graduate Courses

 

Undergraduate Courses

PHYS 1050 The Solar System   Planetary Astronomy;  Techniques of astronomical measurement; developments related to evolution and systematics of the solar system.  History of astronomy and the physical properties of the earth, moon, planets and minor bodies.

PHYS 1051 Solar Systems Observations Laboratory Outdoor laboratory emphasizes use of the astronomical telescope to observe the moon, planets, comets, etc.  Indoor laboratories focus on the use of the planetarium and photographic studies of the moon and planets. Accompanies PHYS 1050

PHYS 1060 Stars and the Universe Stellar Astronomy, Techniques of astronomical measurement; developments related to evolution and systematics of the stars.  Properties of stars and stellar systems and a study of the origin, evolution and future of the universe.

PHYS 1061 Stellar Systems Observations Laboratory Outdoor laboratory emphasizes the use of the astonomical telescope to observe the analysis of stellar spectra, globular clusters and their galactic distributions, and classification of galaxies.  Accompanies PHYS 1060.

PHYS 1210 Conceptual Physics Physical science for elementary education majors.  Principles and applications of mechanics, heat, sound, light, electricity and atomic physics.  Four hour course, includes a laboratory.

PHYS 1251 Science & Technology of Musical Sound Sound production; nature of vibrations in percussion, string, and wind instruments.  Sound propagation; sound speed; echoes.  Sound intensity and pitch, physical and perceived.  Intervals, Complex sounds; harmonic series.  Room acoustics; reverberation time; ideal listening rooms.  Wave phenomena; interference and diffraction.  Digital sound recording; musical scales; the human voice.

PHYS 1271 Science & Technology of Musical Sound Laboratory Companion laboratory to PHYS 1251

PHYS 1311 Introduction to the World of Physics Basic principles and concepts of physics for the liberal-arts major necessary to the understanding of our increasingly technological environment and the science on which it is based; and current ideas concerning the micro-world and the universe at large.  Topics include: mechanics; properties of matter, heat; sound,; electricity and magnetism; light and atomic, nuclear and fundamental particle physics.

PHYS 1312 Essential Physics Principles and concepts of physics essential to the understanding of modern technological society by the liberal arts major are examined in their cultural context.  topics include Newtonian mechanics, relativity, light,electromagnetic theory, atomic physics, quantum mechanics and nuclear physics.  Honors Program

PHYS 1331 Introduction to the World of Physics Laboratory Companion laboratory to PHYS 1311

PHYS 1332 Essential Physics Laboratory Companion laboratory to PHYS 1312.  Honors Program

PHYS 1410 General Physics I Non-calculus based physics suitable for life sciences majors and pre-professional students.  Principles and applications of mechanics, sound and heat.

PHYS 1420 General Physics II Non-calculus based physics suitable for life sciences majors and pre-professional students.  Principles and applications of electricity, magnetism, light and atomic physics.

PHYS 1430 General Physics Laboratory I Companion laboratory to PHYS 1410.

PHYS 1440 General Physics Laboratory II Companion laboratory to PHYS 1420

PHYS 1710 Mechanics Calculus-based physics suitable for physics, engineering physics, engineering technology, mathematics, computer science and chemistry majors. Laws of motion; inertia, acceleration, force, energy, momentum and angular momentum.  Rotational and oscillatory motion.  Gravitation.

PHYS 1730 Laboratory in Mechanics Companion laboratory to PHYS 1710

PHYS 2220 Electricity and Magnetism Electric fields, dc and ac circuits, magnetic fields and magnetic induction.  Electric and magnetic properties of matter. 

PHYS 2240 Laboratory in Electricity and Magnetism Companion laboratory to PHYS 2220.  Laboratory in Wave Motion, Electricity, Magnetism and Optics.

PHYS 2900/2910 Special Problems Variable credit 1-3 hours each, Individualized instruction in theoretical or experimental problems for elective credit at the freshman/sophomore level.

 

Undergraduate Courses Upper Level Undergraduate Courses Graduate Courses

Upper Level Physics Undergraduate Courses
PHYS 3010 Modern Physics Relativity, quantum physics, atomic structure, properties of matter and nuclear physics.

PHYS 3030 Laboratory in Modern Physics Companion laboratory to PHYS 3010

PHYS 3210 Mechanics I Vector treatment of the motion of a particle in one, two and three dimensions; motion of a system of particles; conservation laws; the statics of fluids and solids, the motion of rigid bodies.

PHYS 3220 Mechanics II Gravitation; moving coordinate systems; mechanics of continuous media; generalized coordinates and the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formulations of mechanics; applications of tensors to rotation of rigid bodies; theory of small vibrations.

PHYS 3310 Mathematical Methods in the Physical Sciences Application of advanced mathematical techniques to the solution of problems in physics.  Vector spaces, complex analysis, matrices, linear transformations, vector calculus,  Fourier series and integrals, the Laplace transformation, and special functions.

PHYS 3420 Electronics Analog and digital electronics, application and diagnostic techniques.  Selections from direct and alternating current circuits, and measurements; uses of diodes, transistors, etc., as switches; application of Boolean algebra; memory and storage devices; counters and shift registers; computer structures and bussing; servo systems and operations amplifiers; digital and analog-digital instrumentation and interfacing with computers.

PHYS 4050 Nuclear Reactor Theory A study of neutron transport theory and neutron diffusion mechanics as applied to nuclear fission and reactor core criticality analysis and behavior.  Multi-region core configurations and group diffusion theory included.

PHYS 4110 Statistical and Thermal Physics Basic probability concepts; statistical description of systems of particles; statistical thermodynamics and thermodynamic laws; macroscopic and microscopic descriptions of systems; phase transformation.

PHYS 4150 Experimental Physics I Laboratory experience via use of research-quality instruments.  Modern experiments in solid state, atomic and molecular physics.  topics, which may vary, include nonlinear dynamics and chaos in circuits and lasers; SQUIDS and high temperature superconductivity; holography; X-ray diffraction; and electron scanning microscopy.

PHYS 4160 Experimental Physics II Experimental techniques of precision measurements in nuclear and atomic physics.  Topics, which may vary, cover recent developments in modern physics suitable for advanced undergraduates and graduate students.  Rutherford scattering, low energy nuclear reactions; ion-induced inner-shell ionization at MeV energies; nuclear magnetic resonance to obtain local electronic structure; magnetic transport and magneto-optics; and modern techniques in surface analysis (ion sputtering).

PHYS 4210 Electricity & Magnetism Vector treatment of static electric and magnetic fields in free space, multipole field distributions, boundary value problems, fields in material media, and electromagnetic waves.

PHYS 4220 Electromagnetic Waves Maxwell's equations; plane and spherical waves; reflection, refraction, guided waves, radiation and scattering.

PHYS 4310 Quantum Mechanics Origins of the modern theory of atomic structure; Schroedinger's formulation of non-relativistic, single-particle quantum mechanics and application to simple systems; the one-electron atom.

PHYS 4350 Advanced Modern Physics I - Atomic & Molecular Physics Introduction to various quantum mechanical models of atomic and molecular structure and spectra.  Hydrogen atom and simple spectra; external fields, line splitting; line broadening; addition of angular momentum and spin; effective fields, variational method; Hartree and Hartree-Fock theory; structure and spectra of multi-electron atoms; Rydberg atoms; molecular binding; rotational, vibrational and electronic states and spectra of diatomic molecules.
PHYS 4360 Advanced Modern Physics II - Nuclear & Particle Physics Comprehensive study of nuclear structure and dynamics; survey of particle physics; properties of the nuclear force; interpretation of experimental data via specific many-body models; interaction of radiation with matter; classification of particles and nuclei; scattering theory; conservation laws and symmetry; and contemporary results.
PHYS 4420 Physical Optics Huygens' principle and application to geometrical optics; interference phenomena; Fraunhofer and Fresnel diffraction; polarization; electromagnetic theory of light and interaction with matter.  Part of the instruction will be in a laboratory setting.
PHYS 4500 Introduction to Solid-State Physics An introduction to the major areas of solid-state physics, including crystal structure and symmetry, lattice vibrations and phonons, thermal properties, energy bands, semiconductors, superconductivity, and magnetic properties.

PHYS 4550 Modern Classical Dynamics Introduction to nonlinear dynamical systems; onset of chaos, phase space portraits, universality of chaos, strange attractors, experimental verification, fluid dynamics and the KAM theorem.

PHYS 4600 Computer Based Physics Symbolic and numerical evaluations of single-variable and multi-variable integrals with a single line of programming.  Symbolic evaluation of derivatives.  Symbolic manipulation of lists including vectors and matrices.  Data analysis.  Multidimensional plots.  Symbolic derivations, Symbolic  and numerical solutions to single and multiple, linear and nonlinear, differential and partial differential equations.  Probability densities and Monte Carlo methods.  Random walk and classical trajectory simulations.

PHYS 4710 Foundations of Theoretical Physics Overview of topics in theoretical physics.  Symmetry; mechanics; Newton's laws, celestial mechanics, Hamiltonian formalism; electromagnetism: Maxwell's equations, nonlinear optics and classical field theory, quantum optics, lasers, chaotic diffraction; quantum mechanics; measurements and scattering theory; statistical physics; entropy, equilibrium statistical mechanics; and contemporary areas; fractals, chaos and nonlinear dynamics.  Topics may vary.

PHYS 4900/4910 Special Problems Variable credit 1-3 hours each, Individualized instruction in theoretical or experimental problems for elective credit at the junior/senior level.

PHYS 4950 Senior Thesis Individual research on a problem chosen in consultation with a faculty member.  Research may be conducted on campus, during an internship off-campus, or as an exchange student in a study abroad program.

PHYS 4960/4970 Science Institute (Physics) For students accepted by the university as participants in special institute programs.  May be repeated for credit but not to exceed a total of 6 hours in each course.

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Graduate Courses
PHYS 5450 Survey of Solid State Physics A course designed to acquaint the student with the major areas of solid state physics.  Simple models and physical insight to solid state phenomena are stressed.  Intended for physics students of all specializations.  Topics include crystal structure, crystal symmetry,  reciprocal lattice, X-ray diffraction, crystal binding, phonons and lattice vibrations, thermal properties, free electron theory, semiconductors, superconductivity and magnetic properties.

PHYS 5500 Quantum Mechanics I Fundamentals of quantum theory.  Foundations of wave mechanics, wave packets and the uncertainty principles.  Schroedinger equation, one-dimensional problems, operators and eigenfunctions, three-dimensional problems, angular momentum and spin.

PHYS 5510 Quantum Mechanics II Scattering theory; spin, angular momentum; WKB and variation method; time-independent and time-dependent perturbation theory; identical particles; applications; relativistic waves equations.

PHYS 5610 Selected Topics in Modern Physics Selected topics of contemporary interest in physics.  May be repeated for credit as topics vary with consent of department chair.

PHYS 5700 Computational Physics Symbolic and numerical evaluation of single-variable and multi-variable integrals with a single line of programming; symbolic evaluation of derivatives; symbolic manipulation of lists including vectors and matrices; data analysis; multidimensional plots; symbolic derivations; symbolic and numerical solutions to single and multiple, linear and nonlinear, differential and partial differential equations; probability densities and Monte Carlo methods; and random walk and classical trajectory simulations.

PHYS 5710 Advanced Classical Mechanics I Variational principles and Lagrange's equations.  Central force problem.  Rigid body motion.  Hamilton's equations; canonical variables and transformations; action-angle variables; Hamilton-Jacobi theory.

PHYS 5720 Electromagnetic Theory I Maxwell's equations, vector, scalar potentials; gauge transformations; wave equation; conservation theorems; boundary conditions; statics.  Non-dissipative media and dispersion; dissipative media; reflection and refraction; guided waves.

PHYS 5750 Selected Topics in Materials Physics Topics from specialized areas of materials science, physics, chemistry.  Integrated circuit fabrication and materials.  Transmission electron microscopy.  May be repeated for credit as topics vary.

PHYS 5900/5910 Special Problems Special problems in advanced physics for graduate students.  Problem chosen by the student with the approval of the supervising professor and the department chair.

PHYS 5920/5930 Research Problems in Lieu of Thesis An introduction to research; may consist of an experimental, theoretical or review topic.

PHYS 5940 Seminar in Current Literature of Physics Reports and discussion one hour a week.  Required each semester of all graduate students in physics.

PHYS 5941 Colloquium Weekly lectures by faculty and invited guests on topics of current interest in contemporary physics.

PHYS 5950 Master's Thesis To be scheduled only with consent of department.  6 hours credit required.  No credit assigned until thesis has been completed and filed with the graduate dean.  Continuous enrollment required once work on thesis has begun.  May be repeated for credit.

PHYS 5960/5970 Science Institute For students accepted by the university as participants in special institute programs.  May be repeated for credit, not to exceed a total of 6 hours in each course.

PHYS 5980/5990 Special Problems Special problems in advanced physics for graduate students.  Problem chosen by the student with the approval of the supervising professor.

PHYS 6000 Mathematical Methods of Physics I Complex variables, Laurent series, contour integration, integral transformations, dispersion relations, approximations methods; ordinary differential equations.  Legendre, Bessel functions, Sturm-Liouville theory; eigenvalue problem; Green's functions.

PHYS 6001 Mathematical Methods of Physics II Floquet theory, Mathieu and Hill equations, elliptic functions, vector spaces and Hilbert spaces, linear operators and elements of spectral theory.  Green's functions; integral equations; non-linear wave equations and approximation techniques.

PHYS 6010 Advanced Classical Mechanics II Non-linear dynamics; chaos; fractals; classical field theory; hydro-dynamics and non-linear waves.

PHYS 6030 Electromagnetic Theory II Waves in plasma; waves in inhomogeneous, anisotropic and non-linear media.  Radiation and diffraction; particle radiation and energy loss in matter.  Scattering.  Multipole fields.  Covariant formulation and classical field theory.

PHYS 6110 Statistical Mechanics I Equilibrium classical and quantum statistical mechanics and thermodynamics with applications to real gases, liquids, solids, spin systems and phase transitions.

PHYS 6120 Statistical Physics Non-equilibrium classical and quantum statistical mechanics, including Boltzmann equations, BBGKY hierarchy, transport theory and dielectric properties of systems; fluctuations and irreversible processes.

PHYS 6155 Communication in Scientific Teaching and Research Basics of technical writing; techniques for seeking and obtaining research funding; research proposal writing; research presentations; research publications; job applications and interviewing; the workings and organization or academic institution, government agencies, and private industry.

PHYS 6160 Introduction to Scattering Theory I Partial waves; effective range theory; integral equation approach; resonances; bound states; Variational and R-Matrix methods.  Emphasis on applications.

PHYS 6161 Introduction to Scattering Theory II Time-dependent potential scattering, the general theory of collisions, electron-ion collisions, resonances, ion-ion collisions, ion-aton collisions, density matrix formulation and atoms in intense fields.  Emphasis on applications.

PHYS 6330 Atomic and Molecular Physics I Atomic, molecular structure, construction of periodic table.  Experimental basis.  One-, few- and many-electron systems; Hartree-Fock, Thomas Fermi methods; inner and outer shell phenomena.

PHYS 6340 Atomic and Molecular Physics II Applications of scattering theory.  Born approximation, phase shifts, effective range theory; density operator; scattering and transition matrices.  Interaction of large and weak EM fields with matter.  Laser spectroscopy.

PHYS 6450/6460 Advanced Solid State Physics A two-course sequence designed to prepare graduate students for research in several areas of current interest in solid state physics.  Topics include lattice vibration and phonon spectra; band theory, including calculational schemes, symmetry considerations and application to metals and semiconductors; optical and magnetic properties of solids.

PHYS 6500 Advanced Quantum Theory I Dirac and Heisenberg formalisms, second quantization and quantum theory of radiation.  Dirac equation and its applications.

PHYS 6510 Advanced Quantum Theory II Quantization of Dirac, Klein-Gordon fields, interactions, S-matrix theory, perturbation theory and applications.

PHYS 6750 Selected Topics in Theoretical Physics Advanced topics selected from areas of theoretical and mathematical physics, including relativity, field theory, elementary particles and the many-body problem.  May be repeated for credit as topics vary.

PHYS 6800 Selected Topics in Solid State Physics Advanced topics selected from specialized areas of solid state physics.  May be repeated for credit as topics vary.

PHYS 6900/6910 Special Problems Special problems in experimental or theoretical physics for advanced graduate students.  Problem chosen by the student with the approval of the supervising professor.

PHYS 6940 Individual Research To be scheduled by the doctoral candidate engaged in research.  May be repeated for credit.

PHYS 6950 Doctoral Dissertation To be scheduled only with consent of department.  12 hours credit required.  No credit assigned until dissertation has been completed and filed with the graduate dean.  Doctoral students must maintain continuous enrollment in this course subsequent to passing qualifying examination for admission to candidacy.  May be repeated for credit.


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last updated: 12-18-2006