PHYS 4001 Introduction to Research I (1,2 Credit)

This course is the first of the 3-course sequence designed to provide the opportunity of learning fundamental skills to conduct independent research in any physical science discipline. In this course, students review essential material in mathematical physics, learn basic programming techniques and improve upon their skills in literature search and scientific writing, especially proposal writing. Special in-class seminars in collaboration with the Penrose Library and Writing and Research Center are scheduled. Student are introduced to research conducted by Physics and Astronomy faculty so that they can choose a faculty member with whom to take on a Winter Research Project during the winter interterm and winter quarter as part of Introduction to Research II. Students must prepare and submit a research proposal before the end of the fall quarter.

PHYS 4002 Introduction to Research II (1-3 Credits)

This is the second of the 3-course sequence to provide the opportunity of learning fundamental skills to conduct independent research in any physical science discipline. In this course, students conduct an independent research or study project that they have outlined in the research proposal they submitted as part of Introduction to Research I under supervision of a faculty advisor of their choosing. At the same time, students have time to review issues that we face as researchers. Prerequisites: PHYS 4001 and consent of a faculty research advisor.

PHYS 4003 Introduction to Research III (1,2 Credit)

This is the third of the 3-course sequence to provide students with the opportunity of learning fundamental skills to conduct independent research in any physical science disciplines. In this course, students complete their Winter research project conducted as part of Introduction to Research II and present the results in writing as a term paper and in oral presentation as part of the Departmental Colloquia. Special in-class sessions in collaboration with the Writing and Research Center are included. Prerequisite: PHYS 4002.

PHYS 4100 Foundations of Biophysics (3 Credits)

Focus of the course is on application of basic physics principles to the study of cells and macromolecules. Topics include diffusion, random processes, thermodynamics, reaction equilibriums and kinetics, computer modeling. Must be admitted to the MCB PhD program or related graduate program with instructor approval. Cross listed with BIOP 4100.

PHYS 4111 Quantum Mechanics I (3 Credits)

PHYS 4112 Quantum Mechanics II (3 Credits)

PHYS 4255 Astrophysics: Black Holes, Cosmology, and Relation to Other Systems (4 Credits)

The very small, the very large, and the very gravitational provide extreme tests of physics. In this course, we will cover two of these: cosmology, i.e., the universe on large scales, or as a whole (the very large) and black holes (the very gravitational). We will cover some basics of special and general relativity and quantum mechanics relevant to these topics, and discuss recent research testing these frontiers of physics, emphasizing analogies that help to relate these exotica to more familiar physical systems.

PHYS 4310 Quantum Electronics & Topology (4 Credits)

This Physics course will introduce students to the basics of electrical and topological phenomena in quantum materials. The course will focus on phenomenology in two-dimensional (2D) materials, in which quantum electronic transport and topology play a major role. Starting from quantum mechanics and condensed matter basics, we will introduce the most widely used 2D systems, such as graphene, and explore their electronic properties. Students will learn about modern concepts in the field of 2D materials, such as topology, electronic correlations, moiré physics, and fractionalization. Students will also have hands-on experience with basic electrical measurements and 2D device fabrication, designed to supplement the lecture.

PHYS 4320 Introduction to Quantum Materials (4 Credits)

This physics course will introduce students to the recent experimental and theoretical developments in the field of quantum materials. Students will gain a basic understanding of how reducing the dimensions of materials to the nanoscale can produce extraordinary physical properties. The course will focus on fundamentals and recent advances in the fields of quantum transport, 2D materials, strongly correlated electronic systems, topological materials, and superconductivity. The goal of this course is to prepare students to engage with the modern condensed matter physics research and application engineering of novel quantum materials. Prerequisites: PHYS 4411 Advanced Condensed Matter or instructor's permission.

PHYS 4333 Magnetism and Spintronics: from Classical to Quantum (4 Credits)

This Physics course will introduce students the fundamentals of magnetism and spintronics as well as their applications in both classical world and quantum world. Besides understanding the principle of modern technologies such as motors, hard disk drives, MRI etc., the students will also have hands-on experience with microelectronics, microwave and laser techniques specially designed to supplement the lecture.

PHYS 4350 Physics and information (4 Credits)

Students in Physical Sciences are often well versed in the art of model building but less so in the process of model-selection when multiple models can describe the same data. Students rarely learn tools beyond curve fitting and least square error minimization for model selection. Consequently, students are often unaware of the scope of different tools and fail to make judicious choice of algorithms/theories when faced with diverse problems. For example, building a model from data is very different from generating data (stochastic or deterministic) from a model. Next consider two contrasting challenges of model building i) when there is limited data vs ii) when there is too much data. For the first problem -- inferring models from limited data -- the solution can be traced back to Boltzmann's formulation of Statistical Physics describing motion of atoms. The connection between Information theory, Inference and Boltzmann's description, however, is often overlooked in introductory or even advanced classes in Physics, and Statistics. Studying these similarities can unlock novel solutions for problems well outside of thermodynamics, even as far as Image processing, Biology and Network science. Inference also requires us to appreciate fundamental topics in Probability -- difference between frequentist and non-frequentist approach, Bayesian formalism -- that are rarely taught to physical scientists, life scientists or engineers. At the other extreme, faced with data deluge, we routinely ask: how do we make sense of too much data ? We use clustering, PCA, Neural Networks. In this course we will discuss and connect all these seemingly disparate concepts and apply them -- at the appropriate context -- to diverse problems in Physics, Chemistry, Biology and beyond. In the process we will gain an in-depth knowledge about commonly heard but perhaps less understood topics such as: Entropy, Likelihood maximization, Bayesian statistics, PCA, Classification algorithms, and Neural Networks. We will also address another often overlooked but fundamental and fascinating topic, biology's inherent ability to encode and decode information. Currently there is no such course that address all these topics in Information and Data Science in an unified manner -- deeply connecting their formal basis, regime of applicability -- grounded on physical principles, with a forward looking approach towards application in many areas well outside of traditional sciences. A lot of learning in the course will happen `on the fly', where the tools and application problems are learnt as needed.

PHYS 4411 Advanced Condensed Matter I (3 Credits)

Materials structure; structure analysis; elastic properties; defects; plastic mechanical properties; thermal properties and phonons; free electron gas; energy bands and Fermi surfaces; crystalline and amorphous semiconductors; quasiparticles and excitations; electrical properties and ferroelectrics; magnetic properties and ferromagnetics; classical and high-Tc superconductors; other advanced materials. Co-requisite: PHYS 4111.

PHYS 4412 Advanced Condensed Matter II (3 Credits)

Materials structure; structure analysis; elastic properties; defects; plastic mechanical properties; thermal properties and phonons; free electron gas; energy bands and Fermi surfaces; crystalline and amorphous semiconductors; quasiparticles and excitations; electrical properties and ferroelectrics; magnetic properties and ferromagnetics; classical and high-Tc superconductors; other advanced materials. Co-requisite: PHYS 4112.

PHYS 4611 Adv Electricity & Magnetism I (3 Credits)

PHYS 4612 Adv Electricity & Magnetism II (3 Credits)

PHYS 4720 Light-Matter Interaction (4 Credits)

This course will introduce the theory and applications of light-matter interactions. Fundamental theory will be explored from both semi-classical and quantum perspectives, and photon-carrier interactions will be studied in a variety of physical systems, including atoms, glasses, semiconductors, and metals. Experimental techniques will also be discussed, such as absorption, photoluminescence, and coherent spectroscopies, in addition to ultrafast nonlinear optical interactions. Students will also build their own demonstration and teaching module for elementary-age children, and will use their module to teach children at a local school.

PHYS 4750 Seminar in Physics (1 Credit)

PHYS 4811 Statistical Mechanics I (4 Credits)

Fundamentals of thermodynamics, microcanonical and canonical ensemble, quantum formulation noninteracting particle systems.

PHYS 4860 Numerical and Computational Methods in Physics (4 Credits)

The main goal of this course is to gain a better understanding of physical problems by solving them numerically; in the process, students learn about several numerical methods and computational techniques that have a very broad range of applications in many other scientific fields. Depending on the problem, students work with a software package (Mathematica), and also acquire coding experience in different programming languages. Graduate students carry out projects involving more complex simulation and numerical methods currently used in many areas of condensed matter physics, quantum chemistry and biophysics, such as Density Functional calculations, Monte Carlo and Molecular Dynamics methods.

PHYS 4870 Special and General Relativity (4 Credits)

This course will start with the techniques in Special Relativity and build familiarity with tensors. In the second part of the quarter, we will generalize to curved spaces and the Schwarzschild solution. And, finally, we will set up and solve the Einstein equations using the Cartan equations of structure to study the Robertson Walker metric spacetime used to construct the energy budget of the universe.

PHYS 4991 Independent Study (1-10 Credits)

PHYS 4995 Independent Research (1-10 Credits)