Physics (3650)
Physics (3650)
| 130 | DESCRIPTIVE ASTRONOMY | 4 credits |
| Qualitative introduction to astronomy, intended primarily as a first science course for non-science majors. Includes laboratory and observational activities. | ||
| 133 | MUSIC, SOUND & PHYSICS | 4 credits |
| Qualitative introduction to the physics of sound, its properties, perception and reproduction, including acoustical principles of musical instruments. Laboratory and observational activities included. | ||
| 137 | LIGHT | 4 credits |
| Introductory, qualitative course dealing with the nature of light and the interaction of light with various materials to produce common visual effects. Laboratory activities provide experience in scientific investigation. | ||
| 261 | PHYSICS FOR LIFE SCIENCES I | 4 credits |
| Prerequisites: high school algebra, trigonometry or 3450:149 as corequisite or permission. Introductory course for professional work in biology and health professions and services. Emphasizes life science applications. Mechanics: laws of motion, force, torque, work, energy, power; properties of matter: gases, liquids, solids, fluid mechanics. Includes laboratory activities. | ||
| 262 | PHYSICS FOR LIFE SCIENCES II | 4 credits |
| Prerequisite: 261. Laws of thermodynamics, kinetic theory. Wave phenomena: sound, light, optics; electricity and magnetism; atomic and nuclear physics; radioactivity. Includes laboratory activities. | ||
| 267 | LIFE SCIENCE PHYSICS COMP I | 1 credits |
| Corequisites: 261 (with 267); 262 (with 268). Optional companion courses to 261,2 provides additional computational experience in applications of physics to life sciences, emphasizing use of algebra and trigonometry. Particularly recommended for student with modest mathematical preparation. | ||
| 268 | LIFE SCIENCE PHYSICS COMP II | 1 credits |
| Corequisites: 261 (with 267); 262 (with 268). Optional companion courses to 261,2 provides additional computational experience in applications of physics to life sciences, emphasizing use of algebra and trigonometry. Particularly recommended for student with modest mathematical preparation. | ||
| 291 | ELEMENTARY CLASSICAL PHYSICS I | 4 credits |
| Prerequisite: Completion of 3450:221 with a passing grade. Introductory physics for students of science and engineering. Classical kinematics and dynamics as related to contemporary physics. Oscillations, thermodynamics. Vectors and some calculus introduced as needed. Includes laboratory activities. | ||
| 292 | ELEMENTARY CLASSICAL PHYS II | 4 credits |
| Prerequisite: Completion of 291 with a passing grade. Fluid mechanics, mechanical and electromagnetic waves and wave phenomena, basic laws of electromagnetism, interference and diffraction, coherence, geometrical and physical optics. Includes laboratory activities. | ||
| 293 | PHYSICS COMPUTATIONS I | 1 credits |
| Corequisite: 291 (with 293); 292 (with 294). Optional companion courses to 291,2 provides experience in problem solving, and elaborates application of calculus to simple physical phenomena. Particularly recommended for a freshman and for student with modest preparation in mathematics or physical sciences. | ||
| 294 | PHYSICS COMPUTATIONS II | 1 credits |
| Corequisite: 291 (with 293); 292 (with 294). Optional companion courses to 291,2 provides experience in problem solving, and elaborates application of calculus to simple physical phenomena. Particularly recommended for a freshman and for student with modest preparation in mathematics or physical sciences. | ||
| 301 | ELEMENTARY MODERN PHYSICS | 3 credits |
| Prerequisite: 292 or permission of instructor. Special relativity, introduction to quantum physics, hydrogen atom and complex atoms, atomic spectra, topics in nuclear and solid-state physics. | ||
| 322 | INTERMEDIATE LABORATORY I | 3 credits |
| Prerequisite: 262 or 292. Laboratory course stressing measurement techniques with contemporary laboratory apparatus. Experiment design, instrument calibration and reporting emphasized. Modern physics experiments and measurement of fundamental natural constants. | ||
| 323 | INTERMEDIATE LABORATORY II | 3 credits |
| Prerequisite: 262 or 292. Laboratory course stressing measurement techniques with contemporary laboratory apparatus. Experiment design, instrument calibration and reporting emphasized. Modern physics experiments and measurement of fundamental natural constants. | ||
| 340 | THERMAL PHYSICS | 3 credits |
| Prerequisite: 262 or 292. Basic principles of thermal and statistical physics. Ensembles, laws of thermodynamics, equilibrium, irreversibility, equipartition theorem, canonical distribution, Maxwell distribution, phase changes, cyclic processes, transport processes. | ||
| 350 | MODELING & SIMULATION | 4 credits |
| Prerequisites: 292, or 262; one elementary course in Computer Science such as 3460:208 or 209 or permission of instructor. Interdisciplinary course stressing modeling of natural phenomena using fundamental principles and their simulation. Topics may include growth phenomena, fault propagation, kinetics, chemical reactions, wave phenomena. | ||
| 399 | UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH | 1-6 credits |
| (May be repeated) Prerequisite: permission of instructor. Participation in current research project in department under supervision of faculty member. | ||
| 401 | EVERYDAY PHYSICS | 4 credits |
| Prerequisite: permission of instructor. College-level physics content for future teachers. Inquiry, discovery, activities, discussion, and experiential learning take place in a laboratory/embedded-lecture environment. | ||
| 406 | OPTICS | 3 credits |
| Prerequisites: 291, 350 and 3450:335. Propagation, reflection and refraction of electromagnetic waves, superposition, polarization, interference and interferometry, Fresnel and Fraunhofer diffraction, Fourier optics, coherence theory and quantum optics. | ||
| 431 | MECHANICS I | 3 credits |
| Prerequisites: 291, 350 and 3450:335. Mechanics at intermediate level. Newtonian mechanics, motion of a particle in one dimension, central field problem, system of particles, conservation laws, rigid bodies, and gravitation. | ||
| 432 | MECHANICS II | 3 credits |
| Prerequisite: 431. Advanced mechanics at the senior or beginning graduate level, moving coordinate systems, mechanics of continuous media, Lagrange's equations, tensor algebra and stress analysis, rotation of rigid bodies, vibration theory. | ||
| 436 | ELECTROMAGNETISM I | 3 credits |
| Prerequisites: 291, 350, 3450:335 or permission of instructor. Electricity and magnetism at intermediate level. Electrostatics and magnetostatics, electric field, scalar potential, dielectrics, Laplace's and Poisson's equations, currents, magnetic field, vector potential, magnetic materials, inductance. | ||
| 437 | ELECTROMAGNETISM II | 3 credits |
| Prerequisite: 436. Special relativity, four vectors, Maxwell's equations in covariant form; propagation, reflection and refraction of electromagnetic waves; multipole radiation. | ||
| 441 | QUANTUM PHYSICS I | 3 credits |
| Prerequisites: 301, 350 and 3450:335. Introduction to quantum theory, Schrödinger equation, observables, angular momentum, perturbation theory, variational principle, bound states, scattering theory, radiative interactions, spin and the Pauli Principle. | ||
| 442 | QUANTUM PHYSICS II | 3 credits |
| Prerequisite: 441. Applications of quantum mechanics to atomic, nuclear and solid state physics. Tunneling and alpha decay, periodic potential, hydrogen and helium atoms, interatomic forces, quantum statistics. | ||
| 451 | ADVANCED LABORATORY I | 3 credits |
| Prerequisite: 323 or permission of instructor. Experimental techniques, applicable to research-type projects in contemporary physics. FT-IR spectroscopy, optical spectroscopy, lasers and thin-film growth and characterization. | ||
| 452 | ADVANCED LABORATORY II | 3 credits |
| Prerequisite: 323 or permission of instructor. Experimental projects applicable to contemporary physics. Diode and dye lasers, NMR, SPM, chaos, electron tunneling and fiber optics. | ||
| 470 | INTRO TO SOLID-STATE PHYSICS | 3 credits |
| Prerequisite: 441 or permission of instructor. Account of basic physical processes occurring in solids, with emphasis on fundamental relation between these processes and periodicity of crystalline lattice. | ||
| 481 | METHODS OF MATH PHYSICS I | 3 credits |
| Prerequisites: 292, 350, 3450:335 and senior or graduate standing in a physical science or engineering. Vectors, generalized coordinates, tensors, calculus of variations, vector spaces, linear transformations, matrices, eigenvalues, Hilbert space, boundary value problems, transcendental functions, complex variables, analytic functions, Green's functions, integral equations. | ||
| 482 | METHODS OF MATH PHYSICS II | 3 credits |
| Prerequisites: 292, 3450:335 and senior or graduate standing in a physical science or engineering. Vectors, generalized coordinates, tensors, calculus of variations, vector spaces, linear transformations, matrices, eigenvalues, Hilbert space, boundary value problems, transcendental functions, complex variables, analytic functions, Green's functions, integral equations. | ||
| 488 | SEL T: PHYSICS | 1-4 credits |
| (May be repeated) Prerequisite: permission. Consideration of selected topics, procedures, techniques, materials or apparatus of current interest in physics. | ||
| 490 | W: PHYSICS | 1-4 credits |
| (May be repeated) Group studies of special topics in physics. May not be used to meet undergraduate or graduate major requirements in physics. May be used for elective credit only. | ||
| 497 | INDP STUDY: PHYSICS | 1-4 credits |
| (May be repeated) Prerequisite: permission. Further investigations of various selected topics in physics, under guidance of faculty member. | ||
| 498 | PHYSICS COLLOQUIUM | 1 credits |
| Lectures on current research topics in physics by invited speakers. May be repeated but only one credit counts toward the M.S. Degree. Offered on a credit/noncredit basis only. | ||
| 501 | EVERYDAY PHYSICS | 4 credits |
| Prerequisite: permission of instructor. College-level physics content for future teachers. Inquiry, discovery, activities, discussion, and experiential learning take place in a laboratory/embedded-lecture environment. | ||
| 506 | PHYSICAL OPTICS | 3 credits |
| Prerequisite: admission to Physics Master's program or permission. Propagation, reflection, and refraction of electromagnetic waves, superposition, polarization, interference and interferometry, Fresnel and Fraunhofer diffraction, Fourier optics, coherence theory, and quantum optics. | ||
| 531 | MECHANICS I | 3 credits |
| Prerequisite: admission to Physics Master's program or permission. Mechanics at intermediate level. Newtonian mechanics, motion of a particle in one dimension, central field problem, system of particles, conservation laws, rigid bodies, gravitation. | ||
| 532 | MECHANICS II | 3 credits |
| Prerequisite: admission to Physics Master's program or permission. Advanced mechanics at the senior or beginning graduate level, moving coordinate systems, mechanics of continuous media. Lagrange's equations, tensor algebra and stress analysis, rotation or rigid bodies, vibration theory. | ||
| 536 | ELECTROMAGNETISM I | 3 credits |
| Prerequisite: admission to Physics Master's program or permission. Electricity and magnetism at intermediate level. Electrostatics and magnetostatics, electric field, scalar potential, dielectrics, Laplace's and Poisson's equations, current, magnetic field, vector potential, magnetic materials, inductance. | ||
| 537 | ELECTROMAGNETISM II | 3 credits |
| Prerequisite: admission to Physics Master's program or permission. Special relativity, four vectors, Maxwell's equations in covariant form; propagation, reflection and refraction of electromagnetic waves; multipole radiation. | ||
| 541 | QUANTUM PHYSICS I | 3 credits |
| Prerequisite: admission to Physics Master's program or permission. Introduction to quantum theory, Schrodinger equation, observables, angular momentum, perturbation theory, variational principle, bound states, scattering theory, radiative interactions, spin and the Pauli Principle. | ||
| 542 | QUANTUM PHYSICS II | 3 credits |
| Prerequisite: admission to Physics Master's program or permission. Applications of quantum mechanics to atomic, nuclear and solid state physics. Tunneling and alpha decay, periodic potential, Hydrogen and Helium atoms, interatomic forces, quantum statistics. | ||
| 551 | ADVANCED LABORATORY I | 3 credits |
| Prerequisite: admission to Physics Master's program or permission. Experimental techniques applicable to research-type projects in contemporary physics. FT-IR spectroscopy, optical spectroscopy, lasers, SPM, and thin-film growth and characterization. | ||
| 552 | ADVANCED LABORATORY II | 3 credits |
| Prerequisite: admission to Physics Master's program or permission. Experimental projects applicable to contemporary physics. Diode and dye lasers, laser feedback, chaos, NMR, electron tunneling, and fiber optics. | ||
| 556 | TECHNIQUES OF PHYSICS INSTRUCT | 1 credits |
| Teaching assistants are introduced to current research in learning physics, shown applications for their labroom, and trained in skills needed as a laboratory teaching assistant. | ||
| 570 | INTRO TO SOLID-STATE PHYSICS | 3 credits |
| Prerequisite: admission to Physics Master's program or permission. Account of basic physical processes occurring in solids, with emphasis on fundamental relation between these processes and periodicity of crystalline lattice. | ||
| 581 | METHODS OF MATH PHYSICS I | 3 credits |
| Prerequisite: admission to Physics Master's program or permission. Vectors, generalized coordinates, tensors, calculus of variations, vector spaces, linear transformations, matrices, eigenvalues, Hilbert space, boundary value problems, transcendental functions, complex variables, analytic functions, Green's functions, integral equations. | ||
| 582 | METHODS OF MATH PHYSICS II | 3 credits |
| Prerequisite: admission to Physics Master's program or permission. Vectors, generalized coordinates, tensors, calculus of variations, vector spaces, linear transformations, matrices, eigenvalues, Hilbert space, boundary value problems, transcendental functions, complex variables, analytic functions, Green's functions, integral equations. | ||
| 588 | SEL T: PHYSICS | 1-4 credits |
| (May be repeated) Prerequisite: permission. Consideration of selected topics, procedures, techniques, materials or apparatus of current interest in physics. | ||
| 590 | W: PHYSICS | 1-4 credits |
| (May be repeated.) Prerequisite: permission. Further investigations of various selected topics in physics, under guidance of faculty member. | ||
| 597 | INDP STUDY: PHYSICS | 1-4 credits |
| (May be repeated.) Prerequisite: permission. Further investigations of various selected topics in physics, under guidance of faculty member. | ||
| 598 | PHYSICS COLLOQUIUM | 1 credits |
| Lectures on current research topics in physics by invited speakers. May be repeated, but only one credit counts toward M.S. degree. Credit/Noncredit. | ||
| 605 | COMP PHY NUM SOLUTN PHY PR I | 3 credits |
| Prerequisite: permission. Review of FORTRAN and basic topics in computer science. Numerical solutions to physics problems, including Newton's and Schrodinger's equations. Treatment and reduction of experimental data, plotting, simulation. | ||
| 606 | COMP PHY NUM SOLUTN PHY PR II | 3 credits |
| Prerequisite: admission to Physics Master's program or permission. Data reduction, Calcomp plotting, comparison of theoretical models with data, linear and non-linear least squares curve-fitting. May accommodate scientific problems of individual interest. | ||
| 615 | ELECTROMAGNETIC THEORY I | 3 credits |
| Prerequisite: admission to Physics Master's program or permission. Electrostatics and magnetostatics at advanced level for graduate students, boundary value problems, dielectrics, multipole expansions, time-varying fields, Maxwell's equations and electromagnetic waves, reflection, refraction, wave guides and cavities. | ||
| 616 | ELECTROMAGNETIC THEORY II | 3 credits |
| Prerequisite: admission to Physics Master's program or permission. Scattering and diffraction, plasma physics, special theory of relativity, dynamics of relativistic particles in fields, collisions of charged particles, radiation from moving charges, bremsstrahlung, multipole fields. | ||
| 625 | QUANTUM MECHANICS I | 3 credits |
| Prerequisite: admission to Physics Master's program or permission. Basic concepts of quantum mechanics, representation theory, particle in a central field, addition of angular momenta and spins, Clebsch-Gordon coefficients, perturbation theory, scattering, transition probabilities. | ||
| 626 | QUANTUM MECHANICS II | 3 credits |
| Prerequisite: 625. Foundations of relativistic quantum mechanics. Klein-Gordon and Dirac equations, spin-zero and spin-1/2 particles in electromagnetic field, second quantization of bosons and fermions, superfluidity and super conductivity. | ||
| 641 | LAGRANGIAN MECHANICS | 3 credits |
| Prerequisite: admission to Physics Master's program or permission. Principle of least action and Lagrangian equation of motion, conservation laws, integration of equation of motion, collisions, small oscillations, Hamilton's equations, canonical transformations. | ||
| 661 | STATISTICAL MECHANICS | 3 credits |
| Prerequisite: admission to Physics Master's program or permission. Fundamental principles of statistical mechanics, Gibbs, Fermi and Bose Statistics, solids, liquids, gases, phase equilibrium, chemical reactions. | ||
| 662 | THERMO&STATISTICL MECHANICS II | 3 credits |
| See department for course description. | ||
| 685 | SOLID-STATE PHYSICS I | 3 credits |
| Prerequisite: admission to Physics Master's program or permission. Theory of physics of crystalline solids. Properties of reciprocal lattice and Bloch's theorem. Lattice dynamics and specific heat. Electron states; cellular method, tight-binding method, Green's function method. | ||
| 686 | SOLID-STATE PHYSICS II | 3 credits |
| Prerequisite: admission to Physics Master's program or permission. Orthogonalized plane and pseudo potentials. Electron-electron interaction; screening by impurities. Friedel sum rule and plasma oscillations. Dynamics of electrons, transport properties and Fermi surface. | ||
| 689 | SP: THEORETICAL PHYSICS | 1-4 credits |
| (May be repeated.) Prerequisite: permission. Intended to facilitate expansion of particular areas of interest in theoretical physics, by consultation with faculty member and independent study beyond available course work. | ||
| 691 | SEM: THEORETICAL PHYSICS | 1-3 credits |
| (May be repeated.) Prerequisite: permission. | ||
| 697 | GRADUATE RESEARCH IN PHYSICS | 1-5 credits |
| Prerequisite: permission. Candidates for M.S. degree may obtain up to five credits for faculty supervised research projects. Grades and credit received at completion of such projects. | ||
| 698 | ST: PHYSICS | 1-4 credits |
| Prerequisite: permission. Enables student who needs information in special areas, in which no formal course is offered, to acquire knowledge in these areas. | ||
| 699 | MASTERS THESIS | 1 credits |
| Prerequisite: permission. With approval of department, one credit may be earned by candidate for M.S. degree upon satisfactory completion of a master's thesis. | ||
| 710 | SURFACE PHYSICS | 3 credits |
| Prerequisite: 470. An interdisciplinary course stressing the fundamentals and applications of physics at surfaces, including corrosion, catalysis, adhesion, and tribology. | ||
| 769 | CRIT PHENOMENA & PHASE TRANSTN | 3 credits |
| Prerequisites: 625, 641, 661; or permission of instructor. Modern theory of critical phenomena. Landau theory. Spin systems, binary mixtures, polymers and liquid crystals. Multicomponent systems. Multicritical points. Renormalization. Epsilon-expansions of critical exponents. | ||
| 879 | DOCTORAL RESEARCH | 1-15 credits |
| (May be repeated.) Prerequisite: approval of the Student Advisory Committee for Ph.D. research in physics, physical chemistry, polymer science, applied mathematics or electrical engineering. Original research by a Ph.D. candidate in various disciplines under the guidance of physics faculty. | ||
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