6.16
DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY
(PH)
Chairperson: Professor Raymond
E. White III, Office: 206
Gallalee Hall
The Department
of Physics and Astronomy offers programs leading to the master of science and the
doctor of philosophy degrees. Research toward a degree may be conducted in either
experimental or theoretical areas.
Experimental
programs include magnetic materials, high-energy physics, materials science, and
observational extragalactic astronomy. Theoretical programs include condensed matter,
elementary particles, atomic and molecular physics, extragalactic astronomy, and
astrophysics.
Admission Requirements
A student who
wishes to take graduate work leading to the M.S. or Ph.D. degree should have the
equivalent of an undergraduate major in physics, and mathematics through differential
equations. Any undergraduate courses required to complete a student's preparation
should be taken as soon as possible. A comprehensive background in general physics
is considered as important as mastery of a specialized field. To be considered for
regular admission, an applicant must have a verbal and quantitative score of at
least 1000 on the general test of the Graduate Record Examination. A score of 650
or higher on the GRE subject exam in physics may be substituted for the general
GRE score.
General requirements
are stated in the
"Academic Policies" section of this catalog. Specific requirements in physics
follow. Note that requirements for students specializing in astronomy differ from
those for students in other physics areas.
Requirements for the M.S. Degree
Plan I
(with thesis). A total of 24 hours of coursework is required, 18 of
which must be in physics and astronomy. Physics students must take
PH 501, PH 531, PH 532,
PH 541, PH 542, and 6 hours of PH 599.
Students specializing in astronomy must take PH 501,
PH 531, PH 541,
6 hours of PH 599, and three graduate astronomy courses other than
AY 650. All full-time students must take one hour of seminar (PH 597
or AY 597) appropriate to their area of specialization each
semester. PH 597 and AY 597 do not count toward the 24-hour course
requirement. An oral examination covering coursework and the thesis
is required for completion of the degree.
Plan II (without thesis). A total of 30 hours of coursework is
required, 18 of which must be in physics and astronomy. Physics
students must take PH 501, PH 531,
PH 532, PH 541,
PH 542, and two
of the following: PH 551, PH 561,
PH 571, and PH 581. Students
specializing in astronomy must take PH 501, PH 531,
PH 532, PH 541,
and PH 542, and three graduate astronomy courses other than AY 650.
All full-time students must take one hour of seminar (PH 597 or
AY
597) appropriate to their area of specialization each semester.
PH
597 and AY 597 do not count toward the 30-hour course requirement.
An oral examination covering coursework is required for completion
of the degree.
Requirements for the Ph.D. Degree
The student's program of study for the Ph.D. degree must be approved by the
department and the Graduate School by the time the student completes 30
graduate semester hours of UA and/or transfer course work.
Courses. A total of 48 hours of coursework is required, 36 of which
must be in physics and astronomy. All students are required to take PH 501,
PH 531, PH 532,
PH 541, PH 542, and
PH 571. An additional 18 hours of
required graduate work will be determined by the student's advisor in
consultation with the student. For students specializing in astronomy, 15 of
those 18 hours must include astronomy courses with at least one course at
the 600 level. All full-time students must take one hour of seminar (PH 597
or AY 597) appropriate to their area of specialization each semester. Of the
48-hour requirement, a maximum of 6 hours may be a combination of
PH 597 (or
AY 597), PH 598, and
PH 698.
Examinations. There are two separate examinations each prospective
Ph.D. candidate must pass: the qualifying exam and the preliminary exam. The
qualifying exam consists of a written exam on advanced undergraduate
physics. Financial support may be withdrawn if a student does not pass the
exam by the end of his or her second year at the University. Passing the
qualifying exam is a requirement for acceptance into the Ph.D. program.
The preliminary exam is an oral exam on the student's research plan and on
courses in the student's area of specialization. Passing the preliminary
exam is a requirement for admission to candidacy for the Ph.D. and allows
the student to commence dissertation research. More detailed information
regarding physics Ph.D. examination policies is available in the office of
the Department of Physics and Astronomy.
Course Descriptions
Graduate credit will not be granted to physics students for 400-level
physics or astronomy courses. Graduate students enrolled in 500-level
courses that are also offered at the 400 level are expected to perform extra
work of an appropriate nature.
Physics (PH)
PH 501 Classical Dynamics. Three hours.
Prerequisite: PH 301.
Variational principles and Lagrange's equations; two-body central-force
problems; kinematics of rigid-body motion; rigid-body equations of motion;
special relativity; Hamilton's equations of motion; and canonical
transformations.
PH 505 Physics for Science Teachers. Three hours.
Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.
Selected topics in contemporary physics for high school and post-secondary
science teachers.
PH 511 Biophysics. Three hours.
Physics of biological systems: proteins, lipids, nucleic acids,
supramolecular structures, and molecular motors; structure, function,
energetics, thermodynamics, bionanotechnology. Emphasis on systems that are
best understood in physical and molecular detail.
PH 523 Relativity. Three hours.
Special relativity, equivalence principle, tensor analysis, gravitational
effects, curvature, Einstein's field equations, action principle, classic
tests of Einstein's theory.
PH 531 Electromagnetic Theory. Three hours.
Prerequisite: PH 332.
Electric and magnetic fields, Green's functions, and Maxwell's equations.
PH 532 Electromagnetic Theory. Three hours.
Prerequisite: PH 531.
Electromagnetic waves, relativity, and selected topics.
PH 534 Digital Electronics and Computer Interfacing. Three hours. Two
three-hour laboratories.
Prerequisite: PH 334 or permission of the instructor.
Theory and practical application of digital integrated circuits, including
gates, flip flops, counters, latches, and displays. Computer data
acquisition and control using LabView, A/D and D/A fundamentals. Digital
communications.
PH 541 Quantum Mechanics. Three hours.
Prerequisite: PH 442.
Solution of the Schroedinger equation, matrix methods, angular momentum, and
approximation methods.
PH 542 Quantum Mechanics. Three hours.
Prerequisite: PH 541.
Time-dependent perturbation theory, scattering theory, radiation, identical
particles, and spin.
PH 551 Atomic and Molecular Physics. Three hours.
Prerequisite: PH 441.
A detailed study of the structure of simple atomic and molecular systems,
perturbation theory, the hydrogen and helium atoms, the hydrogen molecular
ion, the hydrogen molecule, and introduction to mathematical methods of
molecular physics.
PH 561 Nuclear and Elementary Particle Physics. Three hours.
Prerequisite: PH 441.
Structure and properties of nuclear and subnuclear matter; conservation
laws; scattering and decay processes; and fundamental interactions.
PH 571 Statistical Physics. Three hours.
Prerequisites: PH 441 and PH 471.
Ensembles, partition function, quantum statistics, Bose and Fermi systems,
phase transitions and critical phenomena, and applications.
PH 581 Solid-State Physics. Three hours.
Prerequisite: PH 441.
Structure of simple crystals; thermal, electrical, and magnetic properties
of solids; the free-electron model and the band approximation; and
semiconductors.
PH 582 Selected Topics in Physics and Astronomy. One to three hours.
Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.
May deal with any physics or astronomy topic not covered by existing
courses. The course title is added at the time the course is taught. Repeat
credit is allowed for different course titles.
PH 583 Magnetic Resonance. Three hours.
Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.
Classical and quantum mechanical descriptions of nuclear magnetic resonance
and electron spin resonance; experimental techniques; and applications to
physical, chemical, and biological problems. Offered according to demand.
PH 585 Physical Principles of Magnetism. Three hours.
Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.
Phenomenological properties of magnetic materials including anisotropies,
magnetostriction, domain walls, coercivity, reversal mechanisms,
superparamagnetism, and dynamics.
PH 586 Magnetic Materials and Devices. Three hours.
Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.
The relationships between the properties of magnetic materials and their
applications; an understanding of the wide range of properties in
paramagnetic, ferromagnetic, ferrimagnetic, and antiferromagnetic materials
is developed and discussed in relation to a variety of devices from
transformers to spin valve heads.
PH 587 The Physics and Materials of Magnetic Recording. Three hours.
Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.
Principles of magnetic recording, write and read processes, particulate and
thin film recording media, write and read heads, including magnetoresistive
(AMR and GMR) heads. Emphasis will be placed on the key technologies
critical to high-density recording.
PH 591 Advanced Laboratory. Three hours. Two three-hour laboratories weekly.
Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.
Experimental work in modern physics at an advanced level.
PH 597 Physics Seminar. One hour.
Prerequisite: Admission into physics graduate program.
Required of all full-time physics graduate students each semester in
residence. (Students specializing in astronomy must take AY 597.) Students
are required to attend at least 10 department colloquia and/or specialty
research seminars. Students in their second year and beyond are required to
give one oral research presentation.
PH 598 Nonthesis Research. Variable credit.
PH 599 Thesis Research. Variable credit.
PH 641 Relativistic Quantum Mechanics. Three hours.
Prerequisite: PH 542.
The Dirac equation, Lorentz covariance, free-particle solutions of the Dirac
equation, Foldy-Wouthuysen transformation, propagator theory, and
applications to quantum electrodynamics.
PH 642 Quantum Field Theory. Three hours.
Prerequisite: PH 641.
Classical field theory, quantization of free fields, interacting fields, the
scattering matrix, Feynman rules and diagrams, evaluation of integrals and
divergences, and electroweak and strong
interactions. Offered according to demand.
PH 651 Advanced Atomic and Molecular Physics. Three hours.
Prerequisite: PH 551.
Special topics course in atomic and molecular physics for advanced graduate
students. Detailed coverage of topics that are arranged with the instructor.
Offered according to demand.
PH 661 High-Energy Physics. Three hours.
Prerequisite: PH 642.
Gauge invariance, non-Abelian gauge theories, hidden symmetries, electroweak
interactions of leptons and quarks, strong interactions among quarks, string
theories, and phenomenology of high-energy interactions. Offered according
to demand.
PH 681 Advanced Solid-State Physics. Three hours.
Prerequisite: PH 581.
Computational methods in solid-state physics are explored in more detail
than in PH 581. Band structure calculations, Green's functions,
density-functional methods, superconductivity, and disordered materials.
Offered according to demand.
PH 682 Selected Topics in Physics. One to three hours.
Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.
May deal with any physics topic not covered by existing courses. The course
title is added at the time each course is taught. Repeat credit is allowed
for different course titles.
PH 698 Nondissertation Research. Variable credit.
PH 699 Dissertation Research. Variable credit. Three-hour minimum.
Astronomy (AY)*
*All courses are offered according
to demand.
AY 501 Celestial Mechanics and Astrodynamics. Three hours.
Prerequisite: PH 301.
Dynamics of space probes; solar system objects; stars and clusters; and
galaxies and galaxy clusters.
AY 521 Theoretical Astrophysics. Three hours.
Prerequisite: PH 332.
Introduction to astrophysical processes in stars and the interstellar
medium.
AY 533 Observational Techniques. Three hours.
Prerequisite: PH 333.
Theoretical and practical aspects of modern astronomical observational
techniques. Photometry, spectroscopy, interferometry, and optical and radio
data reduction and image processing.
AY 550 Stars and Stellar Evolution. Three hours.
Prerequisite: PH 442.
Photospheric structure, radiative processes, spectral lines, and
interpretation of stellar spectra; and internal structure, evolution,
nucleosynthesis, and the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram.
AY 570 Galaxy and Interstellar Medium. Three hours.
Prerequisite: PH 441.
Dynamics and evolution, stellar populations, star formation, physical
processes in the interstellar medium, and spectral lines.
AY 597 Astrophysics Seminar. One hour.
Prerequisite: Admission into physics graduate program.
Required of all full-time physics graduate students specializing in
astronomy each semester in residence. Students must attend weekly seminars
and make one oral presentation.
AY 620 Extragalactic Astronomy. Three hours.
Prerequisite: PH 441.
Galaxies, clusters, active galaxies, quasars, distance scale, and physical
processes.
AY 640 Radiation Processes in Astrophysics. Three hours.
Prerequisite: AY 521 or equivalent.
Radiation processes of importance in high-energy radio, UV-optical-IR
astronomy. Emphasis is on continuum processes.
AY 650 Special Topics in Astronomy and Astrophysics. One to three hours.
Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.
May deal with any topic in astronomy or astrophysics not covered by existing
courses. The course title is added at the time each course is taught. Repeat
credit is allowed for different course titles.
AY 660 Astrophysical Plasmas and Magnetodynamics. Three hours.
Prerequisites: PH 301 and PH 332.
Includes particle orbit theory, hydromagnetics, shock waves in plasmas,
waves in plasmas, and macroscopic and microscopic stability of astrophysical
plasmas.
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