101 Light and Sound in Our World (3:3:0) Nature of light, color, sound, electromagnetic spectrum, optical instruments, mechanisms of vision and hearing, color addition and subtraction, synthesis of musical sounds, interference of waves, polarization, Doppler effect, lasers, holography.
102 Sports Physics (3:3:0) Introduction to laws of physics in context of sports. Physics topics to be studied include two-dimensional motion, forces, conservation of energy, and momentum in the application to sports. Sports include football, basketball, baseball, swimming, and tennis.
103 Physics and Everyday Phenomena 1 (4:3:3) For nonscience majors. The course uses basic physics concepts from the areas of mechanics and thermodynamics to explain a wide range of everyday phenomena, such as how we walk and drive, how a ship floats, how clothing keeps us warm, and why it rains when we have a low pressure system.
104 Physics and Everyday Phenomena 2 (4:3:3) Prerequisite: either PHYS 103 or permission of instructor. For nonscience majors. The course uses basic physics concepts from the areas of light, sound, electricity, magnetism, and modern physics to explain a wide range of everyday phenomena. Topics include how we speak, hear, and see, what to do if the circuit breaker keeps tripping, how your computer stores and displays data, how rainbows and northern lights form, and the basic nature of matter.
121 Uses of Physics (1:1:0) Introductory course intended for both majors and nonmajors. Describes the uses of physics to a number of disciplines and professions, including medicine, information technology, energy, and environmental technology.
122 Inside Relativity (1:1:0) Introductory course describing Einstein’s theories of special and general relativity intended for majors and nonmajors.
123 Inside the Quantum World (1:1:0) Introductory course describing quantum theory intended for majors and nonmajors.
124 Experimental Explorations in Physics (1:0:2) Introductory nonmathematical course intended primarily for physics majors. Experimental studies of phenomena in mechanics, electricity and magnetism, and optics. Stresses development of familiarity with methods and techniques of measurement and with data evaluation.
160 University Physics I (3:3:0) Corequisite: MATH 114. First semester of three-semester, calculus-based introductory physics sequence, designed primarily for science and engineering majors. Mechanics.
161 University Physics I Laboratory (1:0:3) Corequisites: PHYS 160 and MATH 114. Experiments in mechanics.
225 Problems in Physics I (1–3:0:0) Prerequisite: 24 credits, and 2.50 GPA in physics and mathematics. Individual study of physics problems of current interest. May be taken three times for credit.
243, 245 College Physics (3:3:0), (3:3:0) PHYS 243 is prerequisite to PHYS 245. Two-semester basic physics course with emphasis on topics of classical and modern physics of particular importance to science majors. Principles of mechanics, heat, electricity, magnetism, optics, and atomic and nuclear physics are discussed.
244, 246 College Physics Lab (1:0:3), (1:0:3) Corequisites: PHYS 243 for 244, and 245 for 246. Laboratory portion of two-semester basic physics course.
251 Introduction to Computer Techniques in Physics (3:3:0) Prerequisite: PHYS 160. Introduction to using computers in physics based on examples from mechanics and astronomy.
260 University Physics II (3:3:0) Prerequisite: PHYS 160 with grade of C or better (2.00); corequisite: Math 213. Waves, electricity, and magnetism.
261 University Physics II Laboratory (1:0:3) Corequisites: MATH 213 and PHYS 260. Experiments in mechanics, electricity, and magnetism.
262 University Physics III (3:3:0) Prerequisite: PHYS 260 with grade of C or better (2.00); corequisite: MATH 214. Thermodynamics, optics, and modern physics.
263 University Physics III Laboratory (1:0:3) Prerequisite: PHYS 261; corequisite: PHYS 262. Experiments in optics and modern physics.
265 Advanced University Physics II Laboratory (2:0:3) Corequisites: MATH 213 and PHYS 260. Credit may be received for PHYS 261 or 265. Experiments in mechanics, electricity, and magnetism with emphasis on data analysis using spreadsheets and Matlab.
266 Introduction to Thermodynamics (1:1:0) Prerequisite: PHYS 260. Students may not receive credit for both PHYS 262 and 266. Laws of thermodynamics, kinetic theory of gases, heat engines, and entropy.
303 Classical Mechanics (3:3:0) Prerequisites: PHYS 262; MATH 214 or permission of instructor. Motion of a particle in one, two, and three dimensions; systems of particles; noninertial coordinate systems; and equations of Lagrange and Hamilton.
305/ECE 305 Electromagnetic Theory (3:3:0) Prerequisite: PHYS 260; corequisite: MATH 214. Interaction of static charges, interaction of stationary currents, electromagnetic induction, and Maxwell’s equations.
306 Wave Motion and Electromagnetic Radiation (3:3:0) Prerequisite: PHYS 262; corequisite: MATH 214. Vibrating string, plane waves, interference, diffraction, polarization, electromagnetic waves, dispersion, and relativity.
307 Thermal Physics (3:3:0) Prerequisite: PHYS 262. Classical concepts of energy and temperature, basic definitions, first and second laws of thermodynamics, properties of pure substances, and equations of state. Introduction to classical and quantum statistics and their application to physical systems.
308 Modern Physics with Applications (3:3:0) Prerequisite: PHYS 262; corequisite: MATH 214. Study of modern physics with emphasis on applications. Topics include introductory quantum physics; modern optics; lasers; binding and energy bands in solids; electrical, thermal, and magnetic properties of solids; semiconductors; radioactivity; nuclear reactions; radiation detectors; and applications of nuclear physics to other sciences.
310 Physics of Semiconductor Materials and Processing (3:3:0) Prerequisites: PHYS 160, 260, and 262; or permission of instructor. Survey of the electronic and structural properties of semiconductors and the physics of semiconductor processing. Topics to be discussed include crystal growth, crystal defects, thin films, thermal properties, lithography, and characterization.
326 Problems in Physics II (1–3:0:0) Individual study of physics problems of current interest. May be taken three times for credit.
328/ASTR 328 Introduction to Astrophysics (3:3:0) Prerequisites: PHYS 262 and MATH 214. Topics include physical concepts; magnitudes of stars; Hertzsprung-Russell diagram; stellar radiation; stellar structure and stellar evolution; white dwarfs, red giants, supernovas, neutron stars, black holes; interstellar matter, dust, and molecules; cosmic rays and magnetic fields; galactic structure, galaxies, quasars, and intergalactic matter; high energy astrophysics, cosmology, and general relativity; and models of the universe.
390 Topics in Physics (1–4:0:0) Selected topics in physics not covered in fixed content courses.
402/PHYS 502 Introduction to Quantum Mechanics and Atomic Physics (3:3:0) Prerequisite: PHYS 308, or permission of instructor. Experimental basis of quantum mechanics; the wave function; systems in one, two, and three dimensions.
405, 406 Honors Thesis in Physics (3:0:0) Prerequisites: 21 credits of physics courses including PHYS 262, 305, and 308; and admission to Physics Department Honors Program. PHYS 405 is a prerequisite for PHYS 406. Project chosen and completed under the guidance of a faculty member, which results in a thesis. An oral progress report is required for PHYS 405. Oral and written presentations are required for PHYS 406. Students may receive no more than 6 credits of PHYS 405, 406, 408, and 409.
407 Senior Laboratory in Modern Physics (3:0:9) Prerequisite: 21 credits of physics courses, and PHYS 305 and 308. Experiments in modern physics involving advanced techniques in electronics, optics, nuclear physics, and solid state. Typical experiments include the Frank Hertz Experiment, Hall Effect, electron paramagnetic resonance, and Mossbauer Effect. This course meets the writing-intensive requirement.
408 Senior Research (2–3:0:0) Prerequisite: 21 credits of physics courses. Work under guidance of faculty member on research project in experimental or theoretical physics. May be taken twice with permission of the Physics Department. Students may receive no more than 6 credits of PHYS 405, 406, 408, and 409.
409 Physics Internship (3:0:0) Prerequisites: 75 credits, 21 credits of physics courses, and permission of department. See department for other requirements and application procedures prior to enrollment. On-the-job experience for physics majors in industry or government laboratories including summer programs. Students may receive no more than 6 credits of PHYS 405, 406, 408, and 409.
416 Special Topics in Modern Physics (1:2:0) Prerequisite: 21 credits of physics courses. Topics of current interest in modern physics with emphasis on the breadth of physical understanding needed to approach many of today’s problems. The course will also review all of undergraduate physics through assigned problems from the GRE test.
417/GEOL 417 Geophysics (3:3:0) Prerequisites: GEOL 101, 102, 201, 301; MATH 113, 114; and PHYS 160. Corequisites: MATH 213 and PHYS 260, 261. Seismological and gravitational theory and application to an understanding of the Earth’s interior. Geology requirement may be waived for physics and engineering students with sufficient background.
428/ASTR 428 Relativity and Cosmology (3:3:0) Prerequisite: MATH 214; and PHYS 303, 305, and 262; or permission of instructor. Special relativity; four-dimensional space-time; general relativity; non-Euclidean geometries, geodesics, and field equations; tests of general theory of relativity; black holes; cosmology; models of the universe; remnant blackbody radiation; big bang cosmology; thermodynamics; and the universe.
502/PHYS 402 Introduction to Quantum Mechanics and Atomic Physics (3:3:0) Prerequisite: PHYS 308, or permission of instructor. Experimental basis of quantum mechanics, the wave function, and systems in one, two, and three dimensions.
510 Computational Physics I (3:3:0) Prerequisites: PHYS 303 and 305. Study and development leading to computer simulations of various physical systems. Requires the study and development of computational techniques and numerical algorithms to obtain both numerical results and visualization of these results. Application to individual physical processes taking place in a variety of physical systems. In computational physics research, individual physical processes are only components of a larger simulation.
512/CSI 687 Solid State Physics and Applications (3:3:0) Prerequisite: PHYS 402 or 502. Crystal structures, binding, lattice vibrations, the free electron model, metals, semiconductors and semiconductor devices, superconductivity, and magnetism.
513 Applied Electromagnetic Theory (3:3:0) Prerequisites: PHYS 305, 306; and MATH 313, 314 or equivalent. Classical electromagnetic theory with applications. Topics include electrostatics, magnetic fields and materials, electromagnetic wave propagation, waveguides, transmission lines, radiation, and antennas.
533/CHEM 620 Modern Instrumentation (3:3:0) Prerequisites: PHYS 513 and an electronics course. Topics include sensors for radiation, particles, electric and magnetic fields, pressure, and motion; electronic instruments, computer data collection, instrumentation noise and noise reduction methods, and specialized instrumentation systems for various areas of applied physics.
540 Nuclear and Particle Physics (3:3:0) Prerequisite: PHYS 402 or 502. Accelerators, detectors and related electronics; nuclear and elementary particle structure; symmetries and conservation laws; the electromagnetic, weak, and hadronic interactions; nuclear models; the quark model; and nuclear science and technology.
575/CSI 655 Atmospheric Physics I (3:3:0) Prerequisites: PHYS 305, 262, and 260 or equivalent. Introduction to basic physical and chemical processes that operate in the Earth’s atmosphere. Emphasis on those concepts that provide a global description of the current atmospheric state and those processes that relate to global change and atmospheric evolution. Topics include equilibrium structure, radiative transfer models, thermodynamics of various atmospheric layers, and the various processes defining these layers.
590 Selected Topics in Physics (1–6:0–6:0) Prerequisite: graduate standing, or permission of instructor. Selected topics from recent theoretical or experimental developments and applications. Satisfies needs of professional community to keep abreast of current developments.
600 Special Topics in Physics (1–6:0:0) In-service course to strengthen and update teachers’ knowledge of physics and astronomy.
611 Electro-optics (3:3:0) Prerequisites: PHYS 502 and 513. Optical modulators, display devices, types and operation of lasers, mode locking, Q-switching, photodetectors, optical fibers.
612 Physics of Modern Imaging (3:3:0) Prerequisite: PHYS 513. Study of imaging methods using acoustic and electromagnetic waves to probe extended objects, and mathematical transformations to produce images from scattered waves. Topics include classical imaging, physical optics, Fourier transform, holography, tomography, seismic mapping, underwater acoustic imaging and mapping, side-looking radar, antenna arrays, applicable computer methods.
613/CSI 780 Computational Physics II (3:3:0) Prerequisites: PHYS 303, 305, and 510; PHYS 502 or equivalent recommended. Study of diverse physical systems with emphasis on modeling and simulation. Study and development of numerical algorithms and techniques to obtain both numerical results and visualization of these results. Projects undertaken will draw from such areas as many-body orbital dynamics, molecular interactions, quantum systems, radiative transfer in high-temperature plasmas, stellar interiors, hydrodynamics, and cosmology.
614 Thermodynamics and Kinetics of Materials (3:3:0) Prerequisites: MATH 113, 114, 213, 307; PHYS 262 or 266, or permission of instructor. Advanced thermodynamics and physical kinetics with applications to materials science. The course covers an axiomatic formulation of thermodynamics, theory of phase transformations, kinetic theory of reactions and diffusion processes in solids, and interface phenomena. Possible applications considered in the course include processing and fabrication of semiconductor materials, metal oxidation, and corrosion, diffusion-controlled phase growth in solid solutions, shape memory alloys, and small-size effects in physical properties of materials.
620 Continuum Mechanics (3:3:0) Prerequisite: PHYS 510. Study of continuum mechanics; topics include physical concepts, mathematical formulation and solution, elastic materials, ideal fluids, viscous fluids, waves in continuous media, turbulence, thermal convection, stability considerations, high-temperature gas flows, radiative processes for momentum and energy transport, shocks, and computational fluid dynamics.
630/BINF 740: Introduction to Biophysics (3:3:0) Prerequisite: undergraduate degree in physics or permission of instructor. Introduces biophysics, focusing on physical and chemical concepts and their relation to rapidly expanding interdisciplinary interfaces among biology, chemistry, and physics. Reveals multiscale nature of biophysics, and includes exploration of macroscopic and microscopic applications.
660/ASTR 660 Space Weather (3:3:0). Prerequisite: graduate standing, or permission of instructor. Overview of space weather including sun, heliosphere, magnetosphere, and ionosphere.
676 Atmospheric Physics (3:3:0) Prerequisites: PHYS 303, 305, and 308; and MATH 314. Covers the basic conservation laws of mass, momentum, and energy, and a scaling analysis of the equations of motion and thermodynamics. Balanced flows in the atmosphere are discussed. Concepts of circulation and vorticity; the role of the atmospheric boundary layer in mass, momentum, and energy transfer; synoptic scale motions; and the role of gravity and Rossby waves in controlling the general circulation of the atmosphere are covered.
684 Quantum Mechanics I (3:3:0) Prerequisites: PHYS 305, 308; MATH 313 and 314, or equivalent. Fundamental concepts, including one-dimensional solutions of Schrodinger’s equations, operators in Hilbert space, observables, propagators, and harmonic oscillators.
685 Classical Electrodynamics I (3:3:0) Prerequisites: PHYS 305, 308; MATH 313 and 314, or equivalent. Deals with static and dynamic properties of electromagnetic fields as described by Maxwell’s equations. Covers electrostatics, magnetostatics, boundary value problems, multipoles, time dependent fields, propagating wave solutions, and resonant structures.
701 Theoretical Physics (3:3:0) Prerequisites: PHYS 502, 510, and 513; or permission of instructor. Study of the physical basis for selection of particular mathematical tools in physics; topics include curvilinear coordinates, tensors, matrices, differential equations, special functions, complex variables, and group theory.
703 Seminar in Physics (1:1:0) Prerequisite: permission of instructor. A general seminar course that combines invited seminars from faculty (both internal and external) with graduate student seminars.
705 Classical Mechanics (3:3:0) Prerequisites: PHYS 502, 510, and 513; or permission of instructor. Study of classical mechanics; topics include variational principles, constrained motion, Lagrangian and Hamiltonian mechanics, canonical transformations, and applications (central forces, rigid-body motion, oscillations).
711/CHEM 730/CSI 782 Statistical Mechanics (3:3:0) Prerequisites: PHYS 502 and 510, or permission of instructor. Topics include thermodynamics, kinetic theory, ensemble theory, quantum statistics, and applications.
728/CSI 788 Simulation of Large-Scale Physical Systems (3:3:0) Prerequisites: PHYS 613 or equivalent, and FORTRAN or other high-level language programming. Study of diverse large-scale physical systems with emphasis on the modeling and simulation of these multifaceted systems. Study and development of numerical algorithms and techniques to obtain both numerical results and visualization of these results. Projects will be drawn from such areas as many-body dynamics, molecular dynamics and interactions, atmospheric structure and dynamics, high-temperature plasmas, stellar structure, hydrodynamics systems, galactic structure and interactions, and cosmology.
736/CHEM 736/CSI 783 Computational Quantum Mechanics (3:3:0) Prerequisite: PHYS 502 and 510, or permission of instructor. Study of the fundamental concepts of quantum mechanics from a computational point of view, review of systems with spherically symmetric potentials, many-electron-atom solutions to Schrodinger’s equation, electron spin in many-electron systems, atomic structure calculations, algebra of many-electron calculations, Hartree-Fock self-consistent field method, molecular structure calculations, scattering theory computations, and solid-state computations.
760/ASTR 760 Space Plasma Physics (3:3:0) Prerequisite: PHYS 622 or 513, or permission of instructor. Covers plasma processes involved in today’s space physics research, including different regimes of plasma; basic concepts in kinetic, fluid, and MHD plasmas; and existent waves in these media. Also covers basics of shocks, discontinuities, transport and acceleration of particles such as cosmic rays, reconnection, and MHD instabilities.
780/CSI 789 Advanced Selected Topics in Physics (3:3:0) Prerequisite: permission of instructor. Selected topics in physics not covered in fixed-content physics courses. May be repeated for credit as needed.
784 Quantum Mechanics II (3:3:0) Prerequisites: PHYS 684, or permission of instructor. Advanced topics in quantum mechanics. Covers rotations, angular momentum, 3D solutions to Schrodinger’s equations, symmetries, conservation laws, approximate methods, and spin mechanics.
785 Classical Electrodynamics II (3:3:0) Prerequisite: PHYS 685, or permission of instructor. Advanced topics in electrodynamics. Covers radiation, scattering and diffraction, special relativity, relativistic particle dynamics, Lorentz transformation, 4-vectors, transformation of fields, charges and currents, Thomas precession, retarded potentials, and radiation from moving charges.
796 Directed Reading and Research (1–6:0:0) Prerequisites: admission to master’s program, and permission of instructor. Reading and research on a specific topic in physics or related field under the direction of a faculty member. May be repeated as needed.
798 Research Project (3:0:0) Prerequisites: 9 graduate credits, and permission of instructor. Project chosen and completed under the guidance of a graduate faculty member, which results in an acceptable technical report. Graded S/NC.
799 Master’s Thesis (1–6:0:0) Prerequisites: 9 graduate credits, and permission of instructor. Project chosen and completed under the guidance of a graduate faculty member, which results in an acceptable technical report and oral defense. Graded S/NC.
998 Doctoral Dissertation Proposal (1–12:0:0) Prerequisites: admission to physics doctoral program and permission of advisor. Covers development of a research proposal under the guidance of a dissertation director and the doctoral committee. The proposal forms the basis for the doctoral dissertation. May be repeated as needed; however, no more than 24 credits in ASTR/PHYS 998 and ASTR/PHYS 999 may be applied toward satisfying doctoral degree requirements in the physics PhD program. Out of the 24, no more than 12 credits of ASTR/PHYS 998 may be applied.
999 Doctoral Dissertation (1–12:0:0) Prerequisites: admission to doctoral candidacy in physics doctoral program and permission of advisor. Doctoral research performed under direction of dissertation director. May be repeated as needed; however, no more than 24 credits in ASTR/PHYS 998 and ASTR/PHYS 999 may be applied toward satisfying doctoral degree requirements in the physics PhD program.