Physics

Faculty
Introduction
Major in Physics—B.A.
Major in Physics—B.S.
Minor in Physics
Departmental Honors Program
Course Descriptions

Faculty

Chairperson

Professor Richard Van Kooten

Professors

David Baxter, Mike Berger, Rob de Ruyter, Herbert Fertig, James Glazier, Steve Gottlieb, Charles Horowitz, Larry Kesmodel, Alan Kostelecky, S. Y. Lee, J. Timothy Londergan, James Musser, Harold Ogren, Catherine Olmer, Gerardo Ortiz, Roger Pynn, William Schaich, Brian Serot, William Snow, Paul Sokol, Adam Szczepaniak, Richard Van Kooten, Scott Wissink

Associate Professors

John Carini, Harold Evans, Mark Messier, Jon Urheim

Assistant Professors

John Beggs, Dobrin Bossev, Mark Hess, Chen-Yu Liu, Sima Setayeshgar, Matthew Shepherd, Rex Tayloe

Academic Advising

Valerie C. Aquila, Physics, Swain Hall West 244, (812) 855-2931; Student Services, Swain Hall West 129, (812) 855-3973

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Introduction

The Department of Physics (PHYS) offers programs leading to the B.A. degree and the B.S. degree and a wide variety of courses for non-physics majors. Courses offered by the department are listed in three categories: courses for non-science majors, courses for science majors, and courses for physics majors.

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Major in Physics—B.A.

Requirements

To complete the concentration requirements, students must complete the following:

At least 25 credit hours in physics (graded C– or higher) and a minimum GPA in the major of 2.000. These credit hours must include P201-P202 or P221-P222, and P301.
Mathematics M211 (or S211 or M215), M212 (or S212 or M216), and M343.

Students must also complete the general requirements for the B.A. degree in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Recommendations

Physics P309, P331, P332 or P460, and P340 are recommended.

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Major in Physics—B.S.

Requirements

Students must complete the following fundamental skills and distribution requirements:

Writing, same as B.A. degree.
Mathematics, major fulfills requirement.
Foreign language, 3 credit hours at or above the second-year level (or equivalent proficiency) in one language. French, German, or Russian is recommended for students who wish to pursue a graduate degree.
Arts and humanities, two courses for 6 credit hours minimum.
Social and historical studies, two courses for 6 credit hours minimum.
Natural and mathematical sciences: major fulfills requirement.

Culture courses are not required, but two courses are recommended as electives or to satisfy the distribution requirement.

Students must also complete the major requirements for Program I or Program II listed below.

Program I: Physics

Requirements

Students must complete the following course work with a minimum grade of C– in each course and a minimum grade point average of C (2.000) in the courses overall:

At least 35 credit hours of physics, including P221, P222, and P301; upper-level lecture courses P331, P441, and P453; and laboratory courses P309 and P451. P201-P202 may be substituted for P221-P222 with permission from the physics advisor.
At least 20 credit hours in mathematics and computer science, including M211 (or S211 or M215), M212 (or S212 or M216), M311, and M343 (or honors equivalents).
9 credit hours in biological and physical sciences, outside of the Departments of Physics, Mathematics, and Computer Science. At least 6 of the 9 credit hours must be in the same department.

Students must also complete the requirements and procedures listed under "General Requirements for Bachelor's Degrees" in this bulletin.

Recommendations

The following courses are recommended:

Physics P332, P340, P442, and P454 for students planning to pursue a graduate degree in physics; alternative programs (such as those with more emphasis on electronics, optics, biophysics, or environmental physics) should be discussed with the physics advisor.
Mathematics M344. Physics P321 covers the material of M312. P321 is recommended although M312 can be substituted with permission. Students should also consider M301 (or M303), M415, M441, and M442.
Chemistry C117 and one of C118, R340, or C341 (or honors equivalents), preferably taken in the freshman or sophomore year. Alternative courses from the natural and physical sciences should be discussed with the physics advisor.

It is also recommended that students be fluent in at least one scientific programming language. Computer Science A201 and A202 may be appropriate for students with no prior programming experience.

Program II: Applied Physics

Requirements

Students must complete the following course work with a minimum grade of C– in each course and a minimum grade point average of C (2.000) in the courses overall:

At least 35 credit hours of physics, including P221, P222, and P301; upper-level lecture courses P331, P441; laboratory courses P309, P350, and one of P400, P451, or P460. It is recommended that students take both P400 and P451.
Students are strongly encouraged to take the honors sections of P221-P222. General Physics P201-P202 may be substituted for P221-P222 only with permission of the physics advisor.
At least 20 credit hours of mathematics, including M211-M212, M311-M312 (Physics P321 may be substituted for Mathematics M312), and M343 or honors equivalents.
At least 4 credit hours in computer science, including A201 or both A304 and A306. C211 or H211 may be substituted only with permission of the physics advisor.
9 credit hours in biological and physical sciences, outside of the Departments of Physics, Mathematics, and Computer Science. At least 6 of the 9 credit hours must be in the same department.
2 credit hours of internships with industry or at a national laboratory, S407. These internships would normally take place during the summers between the sophomore and junior year (1 credit) and between the junior and senior year (1 credit). Placement will be organized through the department in cooperation with the student and the student's faculty mentor.
1 credit hour of Applied Physics Thesis S409.

Recommendations

The following courses are recommended:

Physics P314, P321, P332, P340, P410-P411, P442, P453, P454 for students planning to pursue a graduate degree in applied physics; alternative programs (such as those with more emphasis on electronics, optics, medical physics, biophysics, accelerator physics, or environmental physics) should be discussed with the physics advisor.
Mathematics M301 (or M303), M344, M415, M441-M442.
Business courses chosen with the advice of the physics advisor for those students interested in entrepreneurial and management skills in scientific environments.
Alternative courses from the natural and physical sciences should be discussed with the physics advisor.

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Minor in Physics

Requirements

Students must complete:

One of the two 10 credit introductory course sequences, P201-P202 or P221-P222.
A modern physics course, to be chosen from P300, P301, P453, and P454.
A laboratory course, to be chosen from P309, P451, P452, and P460.
Another 3 credit course above the level of P301.

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Departmental Honors Program

The honors program provides well-qualified students with an exceptionally strong foundation in physics, both by encouraging excellence in course work and recognizing the importance of early participation in research. It is strongly recommended that students intending to enroll in graduate school pursue this option.

The key component of the honors program is involvement of the student in an independent research project, typically carried out under the supervision of a faculty member. This work must culminate in the writing of an honors thesis (S409) before the end of the senior year. An oral presentation describing the work would also be expected. For more detailed guidelines, see the "Honors" section of the departmental Web pages.

In addition to fulfilling the requirements associated with the B.S. degree (see above), students in the honors program would also be expected to complete most of the course work listed under "Recommendations" for this degree; in particular, at least two of the three courses P332, P442, and P454 must be completed. To graduate with honors, students should maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.500 in all physics course work. Further information regarding this program may be obtained from the department.

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Course Descriptions

Courses for Non-Science Majors

These courses are intended for students majoring in the humanities, social sciences, business, music, and education. Little or no background in science is assumed. Mathematics at the level of one year of high school algebra is used. These courses are not open to physics majors. No credit is given in these courses for students who have previously passed P201-P202 or P221-P222.

P101 Physics in the Modern World (4 cr.) N & M Three lectures and one two-hour laboratory period each week. Includes elements of classical physics and the ideas, language, and impact of physics today. No credit in this course for students who have already passed P201-P202 or P221-P222.

P105 Basic Physics of Sound (3 cr.) N & M The physical principles involved in the description, generation, and reproduction of sound. Topics discussed include physics of vibrations and waves, Fourier decomposition of complex wave forms, harmonic spectra, propagation of sound waves in air, standing waves and resonance, sound loudness and decibels, room acoustics, and sound recording and reproduction, including digital sound.

P108 Intermediate Acoustics Laboratory (2 cr.) P or C: P105 or consent of instructor. For audio technology and telecommunications majors. Provides in-depth investigation of vibrating systems, wave phenomena, interference, complex wave synthesis, analysis, resonance, transducers. Study of analogue, digital electronic circuits, amplifiers, oscillators, band pass filters, and digital sound. Provides instrumentation experience, oscilloscopes, function generators, spectrum analyses. Credit not given for both P106 and P108.

P109 Speech and Hearing Acoustics Laboratory (2 cr.) P or C: P105 or SPHS S302 or consent of instructor. Laboratory experiments investigating properties of vibrating systems and waves, standing waves and resonances, filtering, analysis and synthesis of complex sounds, formants and speech recognition, and transducers for sound. Topics are meant to complement SPHS S302, offered in Speech and Hearing Sciences. Credit given for only one of P106, P108, or P109.

P110 Energy (2 cr.) A scientific approach is used to examine various aspects of energy consumption, including demand, fuel supplies, environmental impact, and alternative fuel sources. Credit given for only one of the following: P110 or P120.

P111 Physics of Extraterrestrial Life and Death (3 cr.) N & M, TFR Physical basis of search for extraterrestrial life. Origin of Universe, solar system, life, and man. Comets, asteroids, and impact of Shoemaker Levy-9 with Jupiter. Probable death of dinosaurs, exploration of Mars and Europa. Discovery of extrasolar planets. Radio searches for extraterrestrial intelligence.

P114 Understanding the Invisible Universe (3 cr.) N & M An exploration of some of the biggest ideas in physics with an emphasis on their historical development, experimental verification, and impact on society as a whole. Concentrates on the development of our picture of the most fundamental building blocks of the universe and the forces that govern them.

P120 Energy and Technology (3 cr.) N & M, TFR Provides physical basis for understanding interaction of technology and society, and for solution of problems, such as energy use and the direction of technological change. Credit given for only one of the following: P120 or P110.

P125 Energy in the Twenty-first Century (3 cr.) N & M, TFR Examination of how physical science applies to our present sources and uses of energy, our alternatives to fossil fuels, and how to plan for long-term future energy needs.

P150 How Things Work (3 cr.) N & M, TFR An exploration of the physics involved in our technology; the course introduces ideas from physics needed to understand the function of a selection of modern devices and systems.

P151 Twenty-first-century Physics (3 cr.) N & M, TFR An introductory class to the concepts of modern physics, especially relativity and the quantum world, and their use in much of our new technology. Medical, electronic, and energy applications will be discussed. Will not fulfill science requirement for education majors.

Q202 Physical Science: Elementary Teachers (3 cr.) P: Q200 Fulfills the physical science requirement for elementary education majors. Introduction to topics such as motion, forces, energy, states of matter, electricity, magnetism, and light. Two lectures and one laboratory each week. Enrollment is limited to majors in the School of Education.

P211 Global Energy Problems: Technological Options and Policy Choices (3 cr.) N & M The science of energy; energy resources and uses; conservation; the health and environmental effects of energy conversion. Existing energy policy and its consequences; a comparative look at energy policy; the principles and practice of sound energy management and policy.

Courses for Science Majors

These courses are primarily intended for students majoring in the biological, mathematical, and physical sciences; however, students are urged to also consider the courses listed under "Courses for Physics Majors." With the exception of P309 and P310, the courses listed here are not recommended for physics majors.

P201 General Physics I (5 cr.) N & M P: MATH MO26 or high school equivalent. Newtonian mechanics, oscillations, and waves. Bulk properties of matter and thermodynamics at the discretion of the instructor. Applications of physical principles to related scientific disciplines, including life sciences. Three lectures, one discussion, and one two-hour laboratory period each week. Credit may be obtained only for either P201 or P221. I Sem., II Sem., SS.

P202 General Physics II (5 cr.) N & M P: P201 or high school equivalent. Electricity and magnetism, physical optics. Geometrical optics and modern physics at the discretion of the instructor. Applications of physical principles to related scientific disciplines, including the life sciences. Three lectures, one discussion section, and one two-hour laboratory period each week. Credit may be obtained only for either P202 or P222. I Sem., II Sem., SS.

P300 General Physics III (3 cr.) N & M P: P201-P202 or equivalent. Special relativity; quantum physics; atomic, condensed matter, nuclear, and particle physics. Applications of modern physics to related scientific disciplines, including the life sciences. Three lectures each week. Credit may be obtained only for either P300 or P301. I Sem.

P302 Elementary Electronics (2 cr.) P: One course in physics; or junior standing and consent of instructor. Integrated lecture and laboratory course. Characteristics of semi-conductor circuit elements, amplifier circuits, power supplies, operational amplifiers, digital and switching circuits, oscilloscopes, and other laboratory test equipment. I Sem., II Sem.

P309 Modern Physics Laboratory (2 cr.) P or C: P301. Fundamental experiments in physics with emphasis on modern physics. The course aims to develop basic laboratory skills and data analysis techniques.

P310 Environmental Physics (3 cr.) N & M P: P201 or P221 and MATH M211 or M215; or consent of instructor. For biological and physical science majors. Relationship of physics to current environmental problems. Energy production, comparison of sources and byproducts; nature of and possible solutions to problems of noise, particulate matter in atmosphere. I Sem.

Courses for Physics Majors

These courses are recommended for physics majors and those students who desire a strong background in physics. Prospective physics majors are strongly encouraged to consult with the physics department undergraduate advisor, to start the P221-P222 sequence in their freshman year, and to strongly consider enrolling in the honors section of P221-P222.

P221 Physics I (5 cr.) N & M C: MATH M211 or consent of instructor. First semester of a three-semester, calculus-based sequence intended for science majors. Newtonian mechanics, oscillations and waves, heat and thermo-dynamics. Three lectures, two discussion sections, and one 2-hour lab each week. Physics majors are encouraged to take P221 in the fall semester of the freshman year. Credit not given for both P201 and P221. I Sem., II Sem.

P222 Physics II (5 cr.) N & M P: P221. C: MATH M212 or consent of instructor. Second semester of a three-semester, calculus-based sequence intended for science majors. Primarily electricity, magnetism, and geometrical and physical optics. Three lectures, two discussion sections, and one 2-hour lab each week. Physics majors are encouraged to take P222 in the spring semester of the freshman year. Credit not given for both P202 and P222. I Sem., II Sem.

P301 Physics III (3 cr.) N & M P: P222 (or P202 with consent of instructor). Third semester of a three-semester, calculus-based sequence. Special theory of relativity; introduction to quantum physics; atomic, nuclear, condensed matter, and elementary particle physics. Intended for science and mathematics majors. Three lecture-discussion periods each week. Credit may be obtained only for either P300 or P301. I Sem., II Sem.

P310 Environmental Physics (3 cr.) N & M P: P201 or P221 and MATH M211; or consent of instructor. For biological and physical science majors. Relationship of physics to current environmental problems. Energy production, comparison of sources and byproducts; nature of and possible solutions to problems of noise, particularly matter in atmosphere.

P314 Introduction to Medical Physics (3 cr.) P: P202 or equivalent, or consent of the instructor. Physics topics relevant to biological effects on the human body: sound and ultrasound, optics, radiation effects, radiation and medical imaging techniques.

P321 Techniques in Theoretical Physics (3 cr.) N & M P or C: P301. Particle motion in one, two, and three dimensions in the presence of forces; construction of forces from fields, and relationships between fields and sources; energies and potentials; complex oscillations and circuit analysis; classical and quantum mechanical waves and probabilities.

P331 Theory of Electricity and Magnetism I (3 cr.) N & M P: P202 or P222 and MATH M312 (for scientists), or consent of instructor. Electrostatic fields and differential operators, Laplace and Poisson equations, dielectric materials, steady currents, power and energy, induction, magnetic fields, scalar and vector potentials, Maxwell's equations. I Sem.

P332 Theory of Electricity and Magnetism II (3 cr.) N & M P: P331 or consent of instructor. Magnetic materials, wave equations and radiation, energy transfer and conversion. Pointing vector and momentum, retarded potentials, dipole radiation, transmission lines and wave guides, relativity. II Sem.

P340 Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics (3 cr.) N & M P: P202 or P222; MATH M311 concurrently. Intermediate course, covering three laws of thermodynamics, classical and quantum statistical mechanics, and some applications.

P350 Applied Physics Instrumentation Laboratory (3 cr.) N & M P: P221-P222 (or P201-P202 with permission of the instructor). C: P309. Instrumentation, data acquisition, and control for research, development, industrial applications depending upon coordination of electrical sensors, instruments, personal computers, and software. Covers the essentials of electronic signal measurements, transducers, computer control of instruments, design of automated measurement and control algorithms, real-time data analysis and instrument calibration.

P400 Analog and Digital Electronics (3 cr.) N & M Practical electronics as would be encountered in a research laboratory or industrial setting. Both analog (filters, power supplies, transistors, amplifiers, op-amps, comparators, oscillators, transducers including the analysis of circuits using computer-aided techniques) and digital devices (storage elements, discrete gates, and programmable devices).

S405 Readings in Physics (1–3 cr.) P: Consent of instructor. Independent reading under supervision of faculty member. Study in depth of topic of interest to student, culminating in research paper. I Sem., II Sem.

S406 Research Project (1–6 cr.) P: Consent of instructor or supervisor. Research participation in group or independent project under the supervision of a faculty member in departmental research areas; or topic agreed upon between the student and supervisor. May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours.

S407 Applied Physics Internship (1 cr.) P: Consent of instructor or supervisor. Internship in industry or national laboratory, arranged between the student, the student's faculty mentor, and an internship supervisor. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credit hours. S/F grading.

P408 Current Research in Physics (1 cr.) A series of introductory talks by 15 different faculty members on the current research activities of the Department of Physics. For senior-level students. II Sem.

S409 Applied Physics Thesis (1–4 cr.) P: S407 and consent of instructor. Under the supervision of a faculty member, students prepare a written thesis that presents previous research work. May be repeated for a maximum of 4 credit hours.

P410 Computing Applications in Physics (3 cr.) N & M P: P332 or equivalent and CSCI C301 or equivalent; or consent of instructor. Computing methods and techniques applied to a broad spectrum of physics problems. Emphasis on least-squares method and other curve-fitting techniques of nonlinear functions; Monte Carlo methods; data manipulation, including sorting, retrieval, and display.

P411 Computing Applications in Physics II (3 cr.) N & M P: P410 or equivalent or consent of instructor. Continuation of P410 including introduction to stochastic modeling, statistical mechanics and quantum systems, improving code performance.

P425 Introductory Biophysics (3 cr.) N & M Overview of cellular components; basic structures of proteins, nucleotides, and biological membranes; solution physics of biological molecules; mechanics and motions of biopolymers; physical chemistry of binding affinity and kinetics; physics of transport and initial transduction; biophysical techniques such as microscopy and spectroscopy; mathematical modeling of biological systems; biophysics in the post-genome era, etc.

P441-P442 Analytical Mechanics I-II (3-3 cr.) N & M P: P201-P202 or P221-P222. C: MATH M343. Elementary mechanics of particles and rigid bodies, treated by methods of calculus and differential equations. P441, I Sem.; P442, II Sem.

P451 Experiments in Modern Physics I (3 cr.) P: P301 and P309, or equivalent. R: P453-P454 concurrently. P452 can be taken independently of P451. Advanced laboratory for senior physics majors. Experimental investigations and selected topics in nuclear, atomic, and solid state physics. P451, I Sem.; P452, II Sem.

P453 Introduction to Quantum Mechanics (3 cr.) N & M P: P301 and P331. R: P332 concurrently. The Schroedinger equation with applications to problems such as barrier transmission, harmonic oscillation, and the hydrogen atom. Discussion of orbital and spin angular momentum and identical particles. Introduction to perturbation theory. I Sem.

P454 Modern Physics (4 cr.) N & M P: P453 or equivalent. Structure of multielectron atoms. Experimental facts and theoretical models in solid state physics, nuclear physics, and elementary particle physics. II Sem.

P455 Quantum Computing I (3 cr.) P: MATH M118, M211, and M303, or consent of instructor. Covers the interdisciplinary field of quantum information science and aims at senior undergraduate and graduate students majoring in computer science, physics, mathematics, philosophy, and chemistry. Quantum Information Science is the study of storing, processing, and communicating information using quantum systems. Cross-listed as MATH M455. Credit given for only one of P455 and MATH M455.

P456 Quantum Computing II (3 cr.) P: MATH M118, M211, M303, and M455, or consent of instructor. Covers the interdisciplinary field of quantum information science and aims at senior undergraduate and graduate students majoring in computer science, physics, mathematics, philosophy, and chemistry. Quantum information science is the study of storing, processing, and communicating information using quantum systems. Cross-listed as MATH M456. Credit given for only one of P456 and MATH M456.

P460 Modern Optics (3 cr.) N & M P: P331 or consent of instructor. Physical optics and electromagnetic waves based on electromagnetic theory, wave equations; phase and group velocity; dispersion; coherence; interference; diffraction; polarization of light and of electromagnetic radiation generally; wave guides; holography; masers and lasers; introduction to optical spectroscopy.

P470 Introduction to Accelerator Physics (3 cr.) P: Approval of instructor. Overview of accelerator development and accelerator technologies. Principles of linear and circular accelerators, storage rings, colliders. Transverse phase space motion of a particle in an accelerator. Radio frequency acceleration and synchrotron light sources. Basics of free electron lasers. Spin dynamics in cyclic accelerators and storage rings.

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