PHYSICS
2013-2014

Professors: Reinhold Blümel, Fred M. Ellis, Lutz Hüwel, Thomas J. Morgan

Associate Professors: Tsampikos Kottos; Francis Starr; Brian Stewart, Chair; Greg A. Voth

Assistant Professor: Christina Othon

Undergraduate Program

Departmental Advising Expert 2012-2013: Christina Othon, Class of 2014; Francis Starr, Class of 2013

Department/Program Home Page

"Four decades ago, a liberal arts education was thought to prepare one well for any professional endeavor; the specific course work may have been irrelevant, but the education process instilled intellectual discipline and sobriety. These days, a physics education serves the purpose much better, because it offers the discipline and important tools for tackling new issues. Physics is the liberal arts education for a technological society." (Physics Today, January 1997, p. 46)

Participation in research and proficiency in the main subject areas of physics are the twin goals of the physics program. The major program is designed to develop competency in quantum theory, electromagnetism and optics, thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, classical dynamics, and condensed-matter physics. Preparation in mathematical and computational methods is an integral part of the program.

Interested and qualified students may pursue several opportunities for advanced work, including graduate courses and participation with graduate students and faculty in research. The department encourages its students to "do physics" at the earliest opportunity by making arrangements to work with one of the research groups or by arranging an independent research tutorial. Research may be experimental or theoretical and may, but need not, result in a senior honors thesis. Most majors who intend to write a thesis begin research no later than the junior year and continue it through the summer into the senior year. Current research interests include chaos theory, soft condensed-matter physics, granular flow, third sound in superfluid films, laser plasmas, spectroscopy and collision studies involving excited atoms and molecules, and wave transport in complex media.

The science machine shop, located on the ground floor of the Exley Science Center, maintains a well-equipped student shop. It is open to all students who have satisfied the shop foreman of their competence in handling machine tools. Many students also take advantage of Wesleyan's computing facilities in their research or course work. In addition to the usual workstations, the department has three state-of-the art computer clusters available for students working in the theory groups, and the University has a large computer cluster available to all who are doing research.

Each semester, opportunities exist to serve as a teaching apprentice, course assistant, or department assistant in one of the introductory or intermediate-level courses. Many physics majors have found that this is a stimulating way to learn more about the fundamentals of the discipline and how to teach them. The Cady Lounge in the department serves as a focus for the major by providing a place where students can study and talk physics. There is also a study room where students in the introductory courses can come to get help and to work together. Students are encouraged to attend the weekly colloquium series and to participate in the weekly research seminars in atomic and molecular physics, chemical physics, condensed-matter physics, and theory.

Pathways to the major. The appropriate course for students considering a physics major depends primarily on their preparation. There are three common tracks beginning in the fall semester.

Laboratory courses. ThePHYS113/PHYS116General Physics I/II sequence has associated laboratory courses, PHYS121 in the fall, and PHYS122 in the spring. These laboratory sections are half-credit courses associated with the lecture courses but are not required. We encourage students to take the laboratory courses for a firsthand opportunity to observe, both qualitatively and quantitatively, some of the physical phenomena discussed in the lectures.

Major requirements. To major in physics, you must complete PHYS116 no later than the end of your sophomore year; if you can complete it by the end of your first year, it will give you more flexibility to construct your major. You should also have completed MATH121, 122, and 221 by the end of the sophomore year. It is desirable for those who are considering graduate work in physics, or who wish to pursue an intensive major, also to complete PHYS213 and 214 by the end of the sophomore year. You should note that a few of the advanced courses may not be offered every year, and you should plan your program of study accordingly.

To fulfill the major in physics, a student must complete the following:

Honors in physics. To be a candidate for departmental honors in physics, a major must submit a thesis describing the investigation of a special problem carried out by the candidate under the direction of a member of the department. In addition, the candidate must have attained a minimum average in the eight lecture courses applied to the major, except those taken in the final semester of the senior year, of B (85.0) for honors and B+ (88.3) for high honors. Honors status is voted by the faculty on the basis of students' thesis work.

Combined 3-2 programs in science and engineering. Wesleyan maintains a 3-2 program with Columbia and the California Institute of Technology and Dartmouth for students wishing to combine the study of engineering with a broad background in liberal arts. A student participating in this program spends three years at Wesleyan followed by two at the engineering school. After completing all degree requirements from both schools, he or she receives two degrees, a BA from Wesleyan and a BS in engineering from the participating school. During the three years at Wesleyan, a prospective 3-2 student enters a normal major program and completes the minimal requirements for the major and in addition fulfills the science and mathematics requirements for the first two years of the engineering school he or she plans to enter. During the final two years at the engineering school, the student follows its regular third- and fourth-year program in whatever field of engineering is selected and, in addition, may need to take other specific courses to satisfy its degree requirements. (This is more likely to be the case at Columbia, which has a core curriculum required of all students.) Contact the department's 3-2 advisor for further information. Please also consult with your class dean to ensure that you can meet all University requirements for graduation. In addition, a 4-2 option exists for Columbia University, allowing students to complete four years at Wesleyan before pursuing the engineering degree. Otherwise, requirements are the same as those for the 3-2 program.

Certificate Program in Informatics and Quantitative World Modeling. The Certificate Program in Informatics and Modeling enhances student choices and options and is an ideal supplement for interested physics majors. The certificate program provides students with a coherent set of courses and practical instruction in two pathways: (1) integrative genomics science and (2) computational science and quantitative world modeling.

Study abroad for physics majors. The Physics Department encourages study abroad for majors since it allows our physics majors to play an active part as citizens of the world scientific community. As with any major, careful planning is needed to be sure that requirements for the major are fulfilled, and sophomores intending to declare a physics major are strongly urged to study these requirements for the major so that they can determine the optimum semester to study abroad. At Wesleyan we believe that the best study-abroad experience will include work done in the major, since this provides the student with a natural community of fellow students with shared interests and background and greatly facilitates the process of cultural integration. Physics majors are thus urged to consider direct enrollment in a university abroad where they can take courses related to their major interests.

The Physics Department cooperates with Dublin City University in Ireland to offer a preferred exchange program for physics majors. The spring semester opportunity allows students to study in a fully integrated environment under the guidance of members of the Dublin City physics faculty who engage in collaborative research work with members of the Wesleyan Physics Department. Students will be placed in a laboratory and will participate actively in current research activities, working closely with Dublin City physics faculty.

BA/MA program in physics. This is a curricular option for those students who feel the need for the intensive research experience that a fifth year of study can afford. During the fifth year, the student will do additional course work and write an MA thesis based on original research. Tuition is not charged for the fifth year. Students interested in this possibility should consult their physics major advisors as early as possible, since it takes some planning to complete the requirements for both the BA and MA degrees in five years.

Program for nonmajors. The Physics Department offers two two-semester survey courses covering many of the main subject areas of physics (mechanics, electromagnetism and optics, thermodynamics, and kinetic theory), PHYS111/112 (no calculus) and PHYS113/116 (calculus). Laboratory courses,  PHYS121/122/123/124 are also offered. Either of these two-semester course sequences (with the lab) should satisfy the physics requirement for admission to most schools of medicine, dentistry, or architecture, but occasionally schools require the calculus-based series, so attention to these details is necessary.

General Education courses. While the above courses are all excellent for general education, the Physics Department offers two topical general education courses Physics for Future Presidents PHYS102 and Newton to Einstein: The Trail of Light PHYS104. Designed for a general audience, they explore in greater depth particular areas of physics. These courses are described in more detail in the course catalog.

Advanced Placement credit. Students may receive a maximum of two physics AP credits; one with a score of 5 on the AP physics C mechanics exam and one with a score of 5 on the AP physics C electricity and magnetism exam. However, special regulations apply. Please check with the registrar or a departmental advisor. Students may also receive AP credit with a score of 5 on the AP physics B exam. Again, special regulations apply.

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 about 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 in the Chemistry Department.

For the PhD degree, in addition, students must have taken (or placed out of) five PhD-level graduate core courses and five Advanced Topics courses. Students must have demonstrated proficiency in the main subject areas of physics by the time they have completed the program. Each student, after passing the first examination (see below), selects an advisory committee of three faculty members. The committee assists the student to design a program of study, monitors progress, and makes annual recommendations to the department regarding the student's continuation in the program. The advisory committee also administers subsequent examinations as 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 teaching 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 condensed-matter physics. Current interests include Rydberg states in strong fields, molecular collisions, photo-ionization, laser-produced plasmas, quantum fluids, granular and fluid flows, and dynamics in biological systems. Current theoretical and computational research areas include nonlinear dynamics, quantum chaos, properties of nanostructures, soft condensed matter and wave transport in complex media. 

Requirements for the degree of doctor of philosophy

Requirements for the degree of master of arts