PHYSICS

Professors: Reinhold Blümel; Fred M. Ellis; Lutz Hüwel, Chair; Thomas J. Morgan; Robert J. Rollefson

Associate Professor: Brian Stewart

Assistant Professors: Tsampikos Kottos, Francis Starr, Greg A. Voth

GRADUATE PROGRAM

The Physics Department offers graduate work leading to the PhD and MA. The small size of the program (nine full-time faculty and 10-15 graduate students) permits the design of individual programs of study and allows the development of a close working colleagueship among students and faculty. The department wants its students to "do physics" right from the start, rather than spend one or two years solely on course work before getting into research. To this end, graduate students are expected to join in the research activities of the department upon arrival and must have done some work in at least two research areas before embarking on a thesis project. An interdisciplinary program in chemical physics is available to interested students. For more details, see the listing for chemical physics.

While there are no specific course requirements for the PhD degree, students must have demonstrated proficiency in the main subject areas of physics by the time they have completed the program. Each student, during the first year of graduate study, selects an advisory committee of three faculty members. The committee assists the student to design a program of study, for monitoring progress, and for making annual recommendations to the department regarding the student's continuation in the program. The advisory committee also administers the examinations described below.

Although the emphasis in the program is on independent research and scholarly achievement, graduate students are expected to improve their skills at teaching and other forms of oral communication. Each student is given the opportunity for some undergraduate teaching under direct faculty supervision. While this usually consists of participation in the teaching of undergraduate laboratories, direct classroom teaching experience is also possible for more advanced and qualified students. In addition, each student who has passed the candidacy examination (described below) is required to present an annual informal talk on his or her thesis work in a departmental seminar.

Experimental research areas are concentrated in atomic-molecular physics and condensed-matter physics. Current interests include Rydberg states in strong fields, molecular collisions, photoionization, laser-produced sparks, surfaces, quantum fluids, and granular and fluid flows. Current theoretical and computational research areas include nonlinear dynamics, quantum chaos, neuroscience, electronic properties of nanostructures, and soft condensed matter.

REQUIREMENTS FOR DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DEGREE

Courses. In consultation with the advisory committee (or, for incoming students, with the graduate advisor), each student plans a program of study that will ensure an adequate grasp of the main subject areas of physics--e.g., quantum theory, including atomic and solid-state physics; electromagnetism and optics; classical dynamics and relativity theory; and thermal and statistical physics. Each student takes one lecture course during each semester of residence. While this will normally be a graduate-level ( 500 ) physics course, under special circumstances a lower-level physics course, a course in a related discipline, or a tutorial may be chosen.

Research. During the first year, each student shall associate with two or more different research groups by spending a semester with each group. During the second year, research with one of these groups may be continued or still another research area may be explored. This second-year research activity will normally form the basis for the PhD candidacy examination and may develop into the subject matter of the thesis.

Examinations. Three formal examinations serve to define the various stages of the student's progress to the degree. The first, usually taken during September of the second year, is a written examination on material at an advanced undergraduate level. Advancement to the second stage of candidacy depends on passing this examination as well as on course work and demonstrated research potential. During the spring of the second year, each student takes the PhD candidacy examination. This consists of an oral presentation before the student's advisory committee, describing and defending a specific research proposal. (The proposal might--but need not--grow out of previous research, nor need the proposal be adopted by the student as a thesis topic.) The committee then recommends to the department whether to admit the student to the final stage of PhD candidacy or whether to advise the student to seek an MA degree. The final oral examination, taken when the dissertation is completed, is described below.

Dissertation. Each candidate is required to write a dissertation on original and significant research, either experimental or theoretical, supervised by a member of the faculty. The work must be defended in a final oral examination administered by the advisory committee. This oral examination covers the dissertation and related topics and is open to all members of the Wesleyan community. It is expected that the candidate will submit the results of his or her work to a scholarly journal for publication.

PHYS500 Graduate Pedagogy

Identical with: BIOL500

Credit: 0.50

Fall 2005

 PHYS501/502 Individual Tutorial, Graduate

Topic to be arranged in consultation with the tutor.

Credit: 1.00

 PHYS504 Selected Topics, Graduate Sciences

Credit: 1.00

 PHYS505 Condensed Matter Physics Seminar

Presentations and discussions of material at the forefront of the discipline emphasizing emerging novel physics topics.

Credit: 0.25

Fall 2005

 PHYS506 Condensed Matter Physics Seminar II

Presentation and discussion of material at the forefront of the discipline emphasizing emerging novel physics topics.

Credit: 0.25

Spring 2006

 PHYS507 Atomic and Molecular Physics Seminar I

Presentations and discussions of material at the forefront of the discipline emphasizing current research at Wesleyan.

Credit: 0.25

Fall 2005

 PHYS508 Atomic & Molecular Physics Seminar II

Presentations and discussions of material at the forefront of the discipline emphasizing current research at Wesleyan.

Credit: 0.25

Spring 2006

 PHYS509 Theoretical Physics Seminar I

Presentations and discussions of material at the forefront of the discipline emphasizing emerging novel physics topics.

Credit: 0.25

Fall 2005

 PHYS510 Theoretical Physics Seminar II

Presentations and discussions of material at the forefront of the discipline emphasizing emerging novel physics tools.

Credit: 0.25

Spring 2006

 PHYS511/512 Group Tutorial, Graduate

Credit: 1.00

PHYS513 Classical Dynamics

Identical with: PHYS313

Credit: 1.00

Fall 2005

 PHYS515 Quantum Mechanics II

Identical with: PHYS315

Credit: 1.00

Fall 2005

 PHYS516 Thermal and Statistical Physics

Identical with: PHYS316

Credit: 1.00

Spring 2006

 PHYS519 Walls of Pure Energy

Identical with: PHYS319

Credit: 1.00

 PHYS521 Physics Colloquium I

Presentations by outside experts and discussion of material at the forefront of the discipline emphasizing emerging novel physics topics.

Credit: 0.25

Fall 2005

 PHYS522 Physics Colloquium II

Presentations by outside experts and discussion of material at the forefront of the discipline emphasizing emerging novel physics topics.

Credit: 0.25

Spring 2006

 PHYS524 Electricity and Magnetism

Identical with: PHYS324

Credit: 1.00

Spring 2006

 PHYS525 Radiation and Optics

Identical with: PHYS325

Credit: 1.00

 PHYS542 Experimental Optics

Identical with: PHYS342

Credit: 0.50

Fall 2005

 PHYS545 Electronics

Identical with: PHYS345

Credit: 0.50

Spring 2006

 PHYS547 Digital Electronics

Identical with: PHYS347

Credit: 0.50

 PHYS556 Atoms and Molecules

Identical with: PHYS356

Credit: 0.50

 PHYS558 Condensed Matter

Identical with: PHYS358

Credit: 1.00

Spring 2006

 PHYS563 Analytical Mechanics

Advanced classical mechanics and mathematical physics, description of multidimensional motion, vibrations, perturbation theory and chaos.

Credit: 1.00

 PHYS565 Mathematical Physics

Much of mathematical physics has grown from the need to solve ordinary and partial differential equations.  The course will emphasize certain techniques that are employed for this purpose, including complex analysis, and Fourier and Laplace transforms.  The course may be taken by juniors and seniors provided they secure the permission of the instructor.

Credit: 1.00

Spring 2006

 PHYS566 Electrodynamics

Boundary value problems, Green's functions, multipoles, fields in dielectric and magnetic media, electromagnetic radiation, and wave guides.

Credit: 1.00

 PHYS567 Statistical Mechanics

This course will develop some of the more important concepts in statistical physics by examining several applications in detail.  The areas covered will include the classical and quantum gases, critical behavior and phase transitions, and non equilibrium phenomena.

Credit: 1.00

 PHYS568 Quantum Mechanics

Principal concepts, methods and selected applications of quantum theory discussed from a modern standpoint.  This course may be taken by undergraduates with permission of the instructor.

Credit: 1.00

 PHYS571 Advanced Topics in Atomic and Molecular Physics

Discussion of aspects of atomic and molecular structure and dynamics with application to current research topics.

Credit: 0.50

Fall 2005

 PHYS572 Advanced Topics in Atomic and Molecular Physics

The course will treat advanced topics in atomic and molecular structure, and spectroscopy. Taught in the Spring semester.

Credit: 0.50

 PHYS573 Advanced Topics in Condensed Matter

The course will treat advanced topics in condensed matter physics with emphasis on current research problems within the department. Taught in the Fall semester.

Credit: 0.50

 PHYS574 Advanced Topics in Condensed Matter

The course will treat advanced topics in condensed matter physics with emphasis on current research problems within the department.

Credit: 0.50

Spring 2006

 PHYS575 Advanced Topics In Theoretical Physics

Offered in the Fall semester.

Credit: 0.50

 PHYS576 Advanced Topics in Theoretical Physics

Offered in the Spring semester.

Credit: 0.50

 PHYS587 Seminar in Chemical Physics

Identical with: CHEM547

Credit: 0.25

Fall 2005

 PHYS588 Seminar in Chemical Physics

Weekly seminars presented jointly with the Chemistry Department under the auspices of the chemical physics program.  These informal seminars will be presented by students, faculty and outside visitors on current research and other topics of interest.

Credit: 0.25

Spring 2006

PHYS591/592 Advanced Research

Investigation of special problems leading to a dissertation.

Credit: 1.00