|
|
Curriculum |
|
|
ASTRON 421 Observational Astrophysics (1): Geometric optics applied to telescope design; radio and optical interferometry; adaptive optics; quantum and thermal noise in astronomy. Includes independent research using the Dearborn 18-inch refractor.
ASTRON 425 Stellar Astrophysics (1): Physics of stellar interiors, stellar atmospheres, and star formation. Energy generation, evolutionary phases, white dwarfs, neutron stars, radiative transfer, interstellar gas and dust, gravitational collapse, and protostars.
ASTRON 429 Extragalactic Astrophysics and Cosmology (1): Big bang cosmology, Friedman model, thermal history of the Universe, primordial nucleosynthesis, microwave background, dark matter, inflation, arge-scale structure, galaxy formation, spiral and elliptical galaxies, and groups and clusters of galaxies.
ASTRON 441 Advanced Topics in Astrophysics (1): Specialized lectures on current research topics.
ASTRON 443 Stellar Structure and Evolution (1): Stellar interiors, structure, and atmospheres; thermonuclear reactions, stellar stability, and evolution of binaries. Special topics such as supernovae or brown dwarfs may be included. Prerequisites: ASTRON 425 or permission of instructor.
ASTRON 445-1,2 General Relativity and Applications (1)(1): 1. Review of physics in flat spacetime; gravity as curved spacetime; geodesics and conservation laws; Schwarzschild and Kerr geometries; gravitational collapse and black holes; Penrose diagrams. 2. Riemann curvature and the field equation in vacuum; Energy-momentum tensor, the Einstein equation; Relativistic stars; Perturbation theory, gauge transformations, gravitational radiation; Cosmology.
ASTRON 448 Interstellar Gas and RadiationProcesses (1): Overview of interstellar gas, absorption and emission lines, synchrotron radiation, excitation of atoms and molecules, shocks, supernova remnants, gravitational collapse, and protostars. Prerequisites: ASTRON 425 or permission of instructor.
ASTRON 449 Stellar Dynamics (1): Gravitational potential theory, regular and chaotic orbits, galactic nuclei and supermassive black holes, galactic disk dynamics and spiral structure, evolution of galaxies and star clusters, and dark matter.
ASTRON 499 Independent Study (1-3) : May be repeated for credit. Permission of instructor and department required.
ASTRON 590 Research (1-3) : Independent investigation of selected problems pertaining to thesis or dissertation. May be repeated for credit.
PHYSICS 330-1,2 Advanced Mechanics (1)(1): Static equilibrium, relative motion, systems of particles, central forces, rigid bodies, oscillations, waves on a string, generalized coordinates, Lagrange's equations, and Hamilton's equations.
PHYSICS 331 Thermodynamics (1): Equations of state, first and second laws of thermodynamics, entropy, phase changes, third law of thermodynamics, and applications.
PHYSICS 332 Kinetic Theory and Statistical Mechanics (1): Ideal gas, Boltzmann distribution, transport phenomena of classical systems, Bose-Einstein and Fermi-Dirac statistics, applications, and fluctuation theory.
PHYSICS 333-1,2 Advanced Electricity and Magnetism (1)(1): 1: Vector calculus, electrostatics and magnetostatics, solutions to boundary value problems by images, inversion, and Green's functions. 2: Maxwell's equations, wave equations, waves in cavities and matter, and diffraction.
PHYSICS 337 Introduction to Solid-State Physics (1): Electrons in periodic lattices; phonons; electrical, optical, and magnetic properties of metals and semiconductors. Superconductivity.
PHYSICS 339-1,2 Quantum Mechanics, Nuclear and Particle Physics (1)(1): Introductory quantum theory. Emphasis placed on applications to atomic and molecular systems. Discussion of the experimental foundation of quantum theory. Mathematical solutions of several simple systems. Prerequisites: Permission of instructor.
PHYSICS 339-3 Nuclear and Particle Physics (1): Nuclei and their constituents; nuclear models; alpha and beta decay; nuclear reactions; nuclear fission and fusion; the strong, electromagnetic, and weak interactions; fundamental particles. Prerequisites: PHYSICS 339-1,2.
PHYSICS 357 Bio-Photonics Laboratory (1): Laboratory on optical techniques used in biological studies, including optical microscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, tumor detection with optical scattering, laser-tissue interaction as applied to laser surgery, and optical fibers in endoscopes.
PHYSICS 358 Nanolithography (1): This is an advanced laboratory course involving the fabrication of metallic nanometer-scale structures by electron-beam lithography. Characterization of these structures is by atomic force microscopy.
PHYSICS 359-1,2,3 Modern Physics Laboratory (1)(1)(1): 1: Modern electronics; construction of elementary analogue and digital circuits. 2: Microprocessors, hardware construction, interfacing to external devices, and assembly language programming. 3: Experiments in atomic, nuclear, and condensed-matter physics; modern electronics and microcomputers. Emphasis on independent work.
PHYSICS 411 Classical Mechanics (1): Newtonian mechanics, conservation laws, and rigid-body dynamics; variational principle; Lagrangians, constraints, symmetry, conservation laws, non-potential forces, scattering, and linear oscillations; Hamiltonians, Poisson brackets, perturbation theory; and continuum dynamics.
PHYSICS 412-1,2,3 Quantum Mechanics (1)(1)(1): 1.Vector spaces, linear operators, Hermitian operators, stationary states, bound states, harmonic oscillator, symmetry and conservation laws, intrinsic spin, Stern-Gerlach experiment, and spherically symmetric potentials. 2. Schrödinger ’s equation, electromagnetic potentials, approximation methods, variational principles, Dirac ’s theory of the electron, electron spin, magnetic moment of the electron, and fine structure of hydrogen. 3. Identical particles, exchange symmetry, atomic and molecular structure, coherent states, time-dependent perturbations, transition amplitudes, spontaneous emission, photoelectric effect, scattering theory, and light scattering.
PHYSICS 414-1,2 Electrodynamics (1)(1): 1.Electrostatics, boundary-value problems, multipoles, electrostatics of macroscopic media, conductors and dielectrics, magnetostatics, Maxwell ’s equations, electromagnetic waves and gauge transformations, and conservation laws. 2. Special theory of relativity, Lorentz transformations, covariant formulation of electrodynamics, electrodynamics of charged particles, radiation by moving charges, retarded potentials, Cerenkov radiation, synchrotron radiation, and bremsstrahlung.
PHYSICS 416 Introduction to Statistical Mechanics (1): Statistical mechanics and probability. Microstates, macrostates, and thermodynamic limit. Ensembles: microcanonical, canonical, and grand canonical. Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution. Fermi-Dirac and Bose-Einstein distributions. Thermodynamic potentials. Phase diagrams and phase transitions.
PHYSICS 420 Statistical Physics (1): Correlation functions, response theory, spontaneous symmetry breaking, phase transitions, fluctuations, and critical phenomena. Optionally: topics from condensed-matter physics, or nonequilibrium processes relevant to biophysics and economics.
PHYSICS 422-1,2,3 Condensed-Matter Physics (1)(1)(1): 1. Periodic potentials, x-ray diffraction; electrons in metals: semiclassical approximation, Fermi surface, and band structure; electronic, electrical, and thermal transport; Boltzmann equation; electron-electron interactions. 2. Phonons: classical and quantum theory; electron-phonon interaction and scattering; optical properties of solids; intrinsic and extrinsic semiconductors; heterostructures and quantum Hall effect. 3. In-depth treatment of selected topics, such as diamagnetism, paramagnetism, ferromagnetism, and formation of local moments. Phenomenological theory of superconductivity, transport and magnetic properties of superconductors, and superconducting devices.
PHYSICS 423 Nuclear Physics (1): Overview of nuclei, nucleons, quarks, and nuclear properties; shell model; nuclear reactions; nuclear astrophysics; heavy-ion physics. Prerequisites: Concurrent registration in PHYSICS 428-1 or permission of instructor.
PHYSICS 424-1,2 Particle Physics (1)(1): 1.Overview of particle physics, the quark model, particle production, quantum chromodynamics, quark density functions, weak interactions, CP violations, neutrinos, and heavy quarks. 2. CKM mixing parameters, determination of the current quark masses, standard model of electroweak interactions, and selected advanced topics. Prerequisites: PHYSICS 428-1 or permission of instructor.
PHYSICS 426 Nonlinear Optics (1): Nonlinear optical susceptibilities; wave propagation and coupling in nonlinear media; harmonic, sum, and difference frequency generation; parametric amplification and oscillation; phase-conjugation via four-wave mixing; self-phase modulation and solitons.
PHYSICS 427 Quantum Optics (1): Review of quantum fields; quantization of the electromagnetic field; photodetection theory; direct, homodyne, and heterodyne detection; squeezed and photon-number state generation; application to optical communication and interferometers.
PHYSICS 428-1,2,3 Quantum Field Theory (1)(1)(1): 1. Lagrangian field theory, relativistic Lagrangians and wave equations, symmetries and conservation laws, canonical quantization, covariant perturbation theory, the S-Matrix, cross sections and lifetimes, and quantum electrodynamics .2,3. Topics selected from: Path integral formulation of field theory, renormalization, Non-Abelian symmetries, the standard model of particle physics, C, P, and CP violation, the parton model and deep inelastic scattering, physics beyond the standard model, and nonperturbative methods. Prerequisites: PHYSICS 412-1,2,3 or permission of instructor.
PHYSICS 430 Optical Properties of Materials (1): Interaction of light with solids.Interband and intra-band absorption, luminescence, free electrons, excitons, phonons, polaritons, semiconductor quantum wells, quantum wires, quantum dots, molecular materials, and luminescent centers.
PHYSICS 431 Physics of Continuous Media (1): Fluids: Navier-Stokes equations, diffusion. Solids: kinematics, stress and strain tensors, and finite elasticity. Complex fluids: colloids, gels, and liquid crystals. Prerequisites: PHYSICS 411 or permission of instructor.
PHYSICS 432-1,2 Many-Body Theory (1)(1): Correlation, response, and Green's functions for many- particle systems; Feynman perturbation theory, Dyson's equation, symmetry and conservation laws, Fermi liquids, quasiparticles, Landau's transport equation, electron-ion plasma, electron-phonon interaction, Kondo effect, BSC theory, Gorkov's equations; thermodynamic and magnetic properties of superconductors; transport equations and electromagnetic response of superconductors.
PHYSICS 434 Quantum Fluids, Solids, and Gases (1): Bose-Einstein condensation, hydrodynamic and collisionless sound, superfluidity in Bose systems, broken symmetry and BCS pairing, excitations and particle-hole coherence, and superfluid 4He and 3He in films and channels.
PHYSICS 435 Soft Matter Physics (1): Physical principles and techniques used in the studyof molecular materials. Liquid crystals; polymers; floating monolayers; membranes; structured interfaces; self-assembly; complex and structured fluids; gels, colloids, and emulsions; DNA.
PHYSICS 436 Mesoscopic and Nanometer Scale Physics (1): Selected topics related to quantum effects in mesoscopic systems. For example: quantum interference in disordered conductors, transport in semiconductor quantum dots, mesoscopic superconductors, and spin-polarized transport.
PHYSICS 438-1,2,3 Interdisciplinary Nonlinear Dynamics (1 (1)(1): 1. Example-oriented survey of nonlinear dynamical systems including chaos; combining numerical, analytical and geometrical approaches to differential equations. 2, 3. Interdisciplinary theoretical, computational and experimental projects involving complex systems in science and engineering, directed by cross-disciplinary faculty team.
PHYSICS 440 Advanced Topics in Nuclear Physics (1): Specialized lectures on current research topics.
PHYSICS 442 Advanced Topics in Particle Physics (1): Specialized lectures on current research topics in high-energy particle physics.
PHYSICS 450 Advanced Topics in Condensed-Matter Physics (1): Specialized lectures on current research topics.
PHYSICS 460 Advanced Topics in Statistical Physics (1): Specialized lectures on current research topics.
PHYSICS 465 Advanced Topics in Nonlinear Dynamics (1): Specialized lectures on current research topics in nonlinear dynamics.
PHYSICS 499 Independent Study (1-3) : May be repeated for credit. Permission of instructor and department required.
PHYSICS 590 Research (1-3) : Independent investigation of selected problems pertaining to thesis or dissertation. May be repeated for credit.
|
|
|
|
