Physics

PHYS 501 Mathematical Physics I 3.0 Credits

Covers various topics in mathematical physics and their numerical implementations, including calculus of residues and further applications of complex variables; vector spaces, Fourier series, and generalized functions; integral transforms; theory and application of ordinary and partial differential equations; special functions; boundary value and initial value problems; Green's function theory and applications; and integral equations.

PHYS 502 Mathematical Physics II 3.0 Credits

Continues PHYS 501.

PHYS 503 Mathematical Physics III 3.0 Credits

Calculus of residues and further applications of complex variables; vector spaces, Fourier series and generalized functions; integral transforms; theory and application of ordinary and partial differential equations; special functions; boundary value and initial value problems; Green's function theory and applications; integral equations; group theory; nonlinear dynamics.

PHYS 506 Dynamics I 3.0 Credits

Covers Lagrangian-Hamiltonian formulations, variational principles, particle kinematics and dynamics, and small oscillations and normal modes.

PHYS 507 Dynamics II 3.0 Credits

Lagrangian-Hamiltonian formulations; variational principles; particle kinematics and dynamics; small oscillations and normal modes; Navier-Stokes equations; statistical description of turbulent flows; thermodynamics and energetics of ideal gases; computational fluid dynamics; viscous and compressible flows; boundary-layer flows; hydrodynamic perturbation and stability theory; nonlinear dynamics.

PHYS 508 Dynamics III 3.0 Credits

Lagrangian-Hamiltonian formulations; variational principles; particle kinematics and dynamics; small oscillations and normal modes; Navier-Stokes equations; statistical description of turbulent flows; thermodynamics and energetics of ideal gases; computational fluid dynamics; viscous and compressible flows; boundary-layer flows; hydrodynamic perturbation and stability theory; nonlinear dynamics.

PHYS 511 Electromagnetic Theory I 3.0 Credits

Covers electrostatics, magnetostatics, electromagnetic waves, boundary value problems of electromagnetic theory, theory of Fresnel and Fraunhofer diffraction, classical electrodynamics, special relativity, waveguides, and radiation theory.

PHYS 512 Electromagnetic Theory II 3.0 Credits

Continues PHYS 511.

PHYS 513 Electromagnetic Theory III 3.0 Credits

Electrostatics; magnetostatics; electromagnetic waves; boundary value problems of electromagnetic theory; theory of Fresnel and Fraunhofer diffraction; classical electrodynamics; special relativity; waveguides; radiation theory; plasmas.

PHYS 516 Quantum Mechanics I 3.0 Credits

Covers axioms of quantum mechanics and the basic mathematical tools, one-dimensional Schrodinger equation, spin and general two-level systems, harmonic oscillator, general theory of angular momentum, hydrogen atom, elements of atomic spectroscopy, quantum theory of scattering, electron spin, addition of angular momenta, stationary and time-dependent perturbation theory, fine and hyperfine structure of the hydrogen atom, interaction of light and matter, and Dirac Equation.

PHYS 517 Quantum Mechanics II 3.0 Credits

Continues PHYS 516.

PHYS 518 Quantum Mechanics III 3.0 Credits

Continues PHYS 517.

PHYS 521 Statistical Mechanics I 3.0 Credits

Covers thermodynamics; probability theory; Gibbs-Boltzmann formulation; relation between density of states and entropy; partition functions; ensembles; Maxwell-Boltzmann, Bose-Einstein, Fermi-Dirac, phonon, photon, and electron systems; and phase transitions.

PHYS 522 Statistical Mechanics II 3.0 Credits

Continues PHYS 521.

PHYS 523 Statistical Mechanics III 3.0 Credits

Thermodynamics; probability theory; Gibbs-Boltzmann formulation; relation between density of states and entropy; partition functions; ensembles; Maxwell-Boltzmann, Bose-Einstein, Fermi-Dirac, phonon, photon, and electron systems; phase transitions.

PHYS 531 Galactic Dynamics 3.0 Credits

Covers dynamical problems in astrophysics, including the two-body problem, galactic stability, globular clusters, spiral arms, and galactic collisions. Computational methods such as calculation of grid-based and particle-based potentials will also be discussed and applied.

PHYS 532 Cosmology 3.0 Credits

Covers cosmological models, age and distance scales in the universe, the hot big bang, primordial nucleosynthesis, inflation, baryonic and non-baryonic matter, galaxy formation and evolution, dynamics of structure formation, statistics of cosmological density fields, and cosmic background fluctuations.

PHYS 541 Atmospheric Physics I 3.0 Credits

Chemical composition, transformation and evolution; radiation spectra, absorption, scattering and heat transfer; thermodynamics and cloud and precipitation microphysics; surface fluxes, thermal structure and energy balance; optics and acoustics: observational methods and remote-sensing techniques.

PHYS 542 Atmospheric Physics II 3.0 Credits

Chemical composition, transformation and evolution; radiation spectra, absorption, scattering and heat transfer; thermodynamics and cloud and precipitation microphysics; surface fluxes, thermal structure and energy balance; optics and acoustics: observational methods and remote-sensing techniques.

PHYS 543 Atmospheric Physics III 3.0 Credits

Chemical composition, transformation and evolution; radiation spectra, absorption, scattering and heat transfer; thermodynamics and cloud and precipitation microphysics; surface fluxes, thermal structure and energy balance; optics and acoustics: observational methods and remote-sensing techniques.

PHYS 544 Large Scale Atmospheric Dynamics I 3.0 Credits

Theoretical thermodynamics and atmospheric energetics; flow on a rotating sphere; general circulation; barotropic and baroclinic instability; cyclonic circulations.

PHYS 545 Large Scale Atmospheric Dynamics II 3.0 Credits

Theoretical thermodynamics and atmospheric energetics; flow on a rotating sphere; general circulation; barotropic and baroclinic instability; cyclonic circulations.

PHYS 546 Large Scale Atmospheric Dynamics III 3.0 Credits

Theoretical thermodynamics and atmospheric energetics; flow on a rotating sphere; general circulation; barotropic and baroclinic instability; cyclonic circulations.

PHYS 547 Small Scale Atmospheric Dynamics I 3.0 Credits

Theory of turbulent flows and perturbation analysis of waves; boundary-layer processes, including diffusion; storm microphysics and dynamics.

PHYS 548 Small Scale Atmospheric Dynamics II 3.0 Credits

Theory of turbulent flows and perturbation analysis of waves; boundary-layer processes, including diffusion; storm microphysics and dynamics.

PHYS 549 Small Scale Atmospheric Dynamics III 3.0 Credits

Theory of turbulent flows and perturbation analysis of waves; boundary-layer processes, including diffusion; storm microphysics and dynamics.

PHYS 553 Nanoscience 3.0 Credits

Physical basis of nanoscale materials and systems including discussion of low-dimensional structures and their physical properties, the self-assembly of nanostructures, applications in various fields of science and technology, and techniques for fabrication and characterization on the nanoscale.

PHYS 561 Biophysics 3.0 Credits

A one-course introduction to Biophysics. Topics may include structure of biomolecules, protein stability, electron transfer, protein folding, protein substrates, allostery, and self-assembly. No biological background is assumed.

PHYS 562 Computational Biophysics 3.0 Credits

Covers mathematical applications of biological simulations. Using classical and statistical mechanics, we will cover topics including atomic scale simulations, statistical sampling, and models of molecular cellular systems and living processes.

PHYS 563 Single Molecule Methods 3.0 Credits

Covers the principles, operations and applications of the most commonly used single molecule methods in biophysics, including scanning probe microscopy and spectroscopy, optical trapping and fluorescence resonance energy transfer techniques.

PHYS 571 Nonlinear Dynamics 3.0 Credits

This course introduces the basic ideas of the new science of nonlinear dynamics and develops methods to carry out fundamental computations of fractal dimension, Lyapunov exponents, and topological invariants.

PHYS 576 Nuclear and Particle Physics 3.0 Credits

Covers the nucleus as a neutron-proton system, including stable and unstable nuclei, nuclear spectra and radioactive decay, fission and fusion, experimental methods, fundamental forces, the quark model of hadrons, electroweak unification, and unifying theories.

PHYS 601 Advanced Quantum Mechanics I 3.0 Credits

Relativistic one-particle quantum mechanics; Dirac theory radiation theory; free fields; interactions; quantum electrodynamics; introduction to elementary particle theory; quantum chromodynamics.

PHYS 602 Advanced Quantum Mechanics II 3.0 Credits

Relativistic one-particle quantum mechanics; Dirac theory radiation theory; free fields; interactions; quantum electrodynamics; introduction to elementary particle theory; quantum chromodynamics.

PHYS 603 Advanced Quantum Mechanics III 3.0 Credits

Relativistic one-particle quantum mechanics; Dirac theory radiation theory; free fields; interactions; quantum electrodynamics; introduction to elementary particle theory; quantum chromodynamics.

PHYS 626 Solid State Physics I 3.0 Credits

Crystal lattices; Bloch theorem; classical and quantum theory of lattice vibrations; phonons, electron states in solids; calculation of energy bands and Fermi surfaces; dynamics of electrons in metals; electron-electron interactions; plasmons; electron-phonon interactions; polarons; semiconductor and insulator crystals; transport properties of solids; thermal properties; optical properties; magnetism; magnons; superconductivity.

PHYS 627 Solid State Physics II 3.0 Credits

Crystal lattices; Bloch theorem; classical and quantum theory of lattice vibrations; phonons, electron states in solids; calculation of energy bands and Fermi surfaces; dynamics of electrons in metals; electron-electron interactions; plasmons; electron-phonon interactions; polarons; semiconductor and insulator crystals; transport properties of solids; thermal properties; optical properties; magnetism; magnons; superconductivity.

PHYS 628 Solid State Physics III 3.0 Credits

Crystal lattices; Bloch theorem; classical and quantum theory of lattice vibrations; phonons, electron states in solids; calculation of energy bands and Fermi surfaces; dynamics of electrons in metals; electron-electron interactions; plasmons; electron-phonon interactions; polarons; semiconductor and insulator crystals; transport properties of solids; thermal properties; optical properties; magnetism; magnons; superconductivity.

PHYS 631 Relativity Theory I 3.0 Credits

Covers particle and field dynamics in special relativity, tensor calculus for Riemannian space-time manifolds, Einstein's gravitational field equations and their principal solutions in general relativity, black holes, general relativistic variational principles, big bang cosmology, and quantization of general relativity.

PHYS 632 Relativity Theory II 3.0 Credits

Continues PHYS 631.

PHYS 633 Relativity Theory III 3.0 Credits

Continues PHYS 632.

PHYS 643 Physics of the Upper Atmosphere 3.0 Credits

Structure of the methods of probing the upper atmosphere; solar radiation; aurorae; cosmic rays, the ionosphere; geomagnetism, meteors.

PHYS 644 Atmospheric Numerical Prediction Techniques 3.0 Credits

Application of modern numerical methods to the prediction of atmospheric motions; initialization and assimilation methods; filtering, verification, and testing.

PHYS 645 Atmospheric Analysis Techniques 3.0 Credits

Covers analysis and interpretation of meteorological data, including statistical and objective techniques. Uses data sources including satellites, radars, and special observational networks. Includes evaluation of analysis techniques, and initialization and assimilation in numerical models.

PHYS 646 Atmospheric Turbulence and Diffusion 3.0 Credits

Introduction to mechanics of turbulence, structure of atmospheric turbulence and its role in diffusion of contaminants.

PHYS 676 Nuclear Physics I 3.0 Credits

Review of systematics of experimental phenomena; nuclear structure theory, including shell model, interacting-boson model, Hartree-Fock approaches, and collective models; intermediate energy theory and experiment, including electron, nucleon, and pion scattering and reactions; group theoretical approaches; interfaces of quark-meson-nucleon coexistence.

PHYS 677 Nuclear Physics II 3.0 Credits

Review of systematics of experimental phenomena; nuclear structure theory, including shell model, interacting-boson model, Hartree-Fock approaches, and collective models; intermediate energy theory and experiment, including electron, nucleon, and pion scattering and reactions; group theoretical approaches; interfaces of quark-meson-nucleon coexistence.

PHYS 678 Nuclear Physics III 3.0 Credits

Review of systematics of experimental phenomena; nuclear structure theory, including shell model, interacting-boson model, Hartree-Fock approaches, and collective models; intermediate energy theory and experiment, including electron, nucleon, and pion scattering and reactions; group theoretical approaches; interfaces of quark-meson-nucleon coexistence.

PHYS 699 Independent Study 1.0-6.0 Credit

Independent study in Physics under direction of a faculty member.

PHYS 750 Special Topics 0.5-9.0 Credits

Assignment of readings and study in current topics of experimental and theoretical interest.

PHYS 865 Overview of Gradute Physics I 3.0 Credits

Methodology for efficient solution of Ph.D. candidacy exam-type problems; main quantitative theoretical relations and selected problems reviewed in mathematical physics, classical mechanics, electromagnetism, optics, quantum mechanics, thermodynamics, statistical physics, and atomic physics.

PHYS 898 Master's Thesis 0.5-20.0 Credits

Master's thesis.

PHYS 997 Research 1.0-12.0 Credit

Research.

PHYS 998 Ph.D. Dissertation 1.0-12.0 Credit

Ph.D. dissertation.