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Program Overview

Research within the department is broadly defined in two major focus areas: Theoretical and Experimental Condensed Matter Physics, which includes dynamics of quantum systems with application to electronic, magnetic, optical, structural, and thermal properties of nanomaterials (eg. fullerene-derived solids and nanotubes); quantum many-body physics, electronic properties of graphene and its derivatives, strongly-correlated electronic systems and quantum magnetism, spintronics, optical properties and magnetism of thin films, organic semiconductors, nanostructured materials, solid state battery materials & interfaces, and ferroelectric superlattice materials (professors: Clougherty, Kotov, Headrick, Kozen, White, Dawber); and Biological Physics: which includes structures and dynamics of biological macromolecules; properties and dynamics of tissues and tumors; design of new drugs and bio-inspired materials; development of novel theoretical and computational methods at multiple scales in biology; and applications of machine learning and AI in biophysics and soft matter. (Professors: Yue, Ma).

All graduate students participate in cutting-edge research and teaching during their graduate career, training them to become the next-generation of scientists and Physics educators.  Ph.D. students typically start research in their first year at ¶¶Òõ̽̽.  Potential students are encouraged to reach out to Physics professors directly for available research opportunities.

Curriculum

Minimum Degree Requirements

75 credits, of which 15 graded coursework credits must be taken after matriculation and 9 of which must be at 6000- or 7000-level, and including:

Admissions

Graduate Studies for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy

Undergraduate majors in physics are considered for admission to the program. Satisfactory scores on the Graduate Record Examination (general) are required.

Outcomes

Upon completion of the Ph.D. degree, students will be able to:

• Apply the laws of physics in classical mechanics, quantum mechanics, electrodynamics, and statistical mechanics at a level commensurate with current standards in physics.
• Demonstrate mastery of advanced physics within their chosen subfield (e.g. astronomy, condensed matter, biological, and engineering physics).
• Demonstrate fluency in comprehension of the primary research literature in their chosen subfield
• Conduct primary research literature searches in their chosen subfield.
• Complete an original, creative project that demonstrably advances human knowledge within their subfield.

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Comprehensive Examination

At the start of their second semester at ¶¶Òõ̽̽, students are  expected to sit for the written part of the Comprehensive  Exam which covers classical mechanics, quantum mechanics, electricity and magnetism, as well as thermal  physics and mathematical physics.

Students are given 2 opportunities to pass the comprehensive exam. In addition to the written portion, there is also an oral portion that consists of a Ph.D. dissertation proposal given after the start of a dissertation research project.

Here on the Cutting Edge

To get a feel for the depth and breadth of work completed by ¶¶Òõ̽̽ graduate students in physics, review . These documents are maintained by ¶¶Òõ̽̽'s Howe Library.