SEM-CONTEMP PHYSICS/ASTRONOMY
Prerequisites: any 1000-level course in the Physics or Astronomy Department. May be taken before or concurrently with this course. Lectures on current areas of research with discussions of motivation, techniques, and results, as well as difficulties and unsolved problems. Requirements include weekly problem sets and attendance of lectures.
- F 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
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Instructor:
Brian Cole
CULPA: 23
Info
- 1 points
ACCELERATED PHYSICS II
Prerequisites: PHYS UN2801 This accelerated two-semester sequence covers the subject matter of PHYS UN1601, PHYS UN1602 and PHYS UN2601, and is intended for those students who have an exceptionally strong background in both physics and mathematics. The course is preparatory for advanced work in physics and related fields. There is no accompanying laboratory; however, students are encouraged to take the intermediate laboratory, PHYS UN3081, in the following year.
- TR 10:10 a.m.-noon
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Instructor:
Yury Levin
h-index: 91 Info - 4.5 points
MECHANICS
Prerequisites: general physics, and differential and integral calculus. Newtonian mechanics, oscillations and resonance, conservative forces and potential energy, central forces, non-inertial frames of reference, rigid body motion, an introduction to Lagranges formulation of mechanics, coupled oscillators, and normal modes.
- MW 10:10 a.m.-11:25 a.m.
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Instructor:
John Parsons
CULPA: 31
Info
- 3 points
ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES & OPTICS
Prerequisites: PHYS UN3008 Maxwells equations and electromagnetic potentials, the wave equation, propagation of plane waves, reflection and refraction, geometrical optics, transmission lines, wave guides, resonant cavities, radiation, interference of waves, and diffraction.
- TR 2:40 p.m.-3:55 p.m.
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Instructor:
James W McIver
Info - 3 points
INTERMEDIATE LABORATORY WORK
Prerequisites: phys UN2601 or phys un2802 Primarily for junior and senior physics majors; other majors must obtain the instructors permission. Each experiment is chosen by the student in consultation with the instructor. Each section meets one afternoon per week, with registration in each section limited by the laboratory capacity. Experiments (classical and modern) cover topics in electricity, magnetism, optics, atomic physics, and nuclear physics.
- W 1:10 p.m.-5 p.m.
- F 1:10 p.m.-5 p.m.
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Instructor:
Tanya Zelevinsky
CULPA: 9 Wikipedia Info -
Instructor:
Morgan May
CULPA: 3
Info
- 2 points
Quantum Simulation and Computing Lab
Quantum Simul. & Computin
The “Quantum Simulation and Computing Lab” will give students hands-on experience in quantum optics, quantum simulation and quantum computing. The course combines lectures, tutorials, and two lab sections. In one lab section, students will do experiments with entangled photons. In the second lab section, students will program quantum computers and run algorithms on them using the IBM Qiskit platform.
The course starts with a recap of linear algebra and quantum mechanics, followed by an introduction to quantum optics and quantum information. Two-level systems, Bloch sphere, quantum gates, and elementary quantum algorithms will be discussed. Quantum teleportation and quantum key distribution will be introduced as applications of entanglement. The lecture content will be directly applied in experiments with entangled photons. In the following, state-of-the-art quantum algorithms will be discussed, related to cutting-edge research results in quantum computing. This includes quantum Fourier transform, quantum simulation of the Schroedinger equation, and the variational quantum eigensolver (VQE) algorithm. During the course students will do one experimental project with entangled photons and one quantum programming project. Students will be guided to implement a quantum algorithm of their choice and run it on a quantum computer (IBM, IonQ, QuEra).
- 3 points
SUPERVISED INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH
Prerequisites: Permission of the departmental representative required. For specially selected students, the opportunity to do a research problem in contemporary physics under the supervision of a faculty member. Each year several juniors are chosen in the spring to carry out such a project beginning in the autumn term. A detailed report on the research is presented by the student when the project is complete.
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Instructor:
Jeremy R Dodd
CULPA: 25
Info
- 1-5 points
ADVANCED MECHANICS
Prerequisites: differential and integral calculus, differential equations, and PHYS UN3003 or the equivalent. Lagranges formulation of mechanics, calculus of variations and the Action Principle, Hamiltons formulation of mechanics, rigid body motion, Euler angles, continuum mechanics, introduction to chaotic dynamics.
- TR 1:10 p.m.-2:25 p.m.
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Instructor:
Alberto Nicolis
Info - 3 points
SOLID STATE PHYSICS
Prerequisites: PHYS GU4021 and PHYS GU4023 or the equivalent. Introduction to solid-state physics: crystal structures, properties of periodic lattices, electrons in metals, band structure, transport properties, semiconductors, magnetism, and superconductivity.
- MW 10:10 a.m.-11:25 a.m.
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Instructor:
Cory Dean
h-index: 49 Info - 3 points
QUANTUM MECHANICS II
Prerequisites: PHYS GU4021. Formulation of quantum mechanics in terms of state vectors and linear operators, three-dimensional spherically symmetric potentials, the theory of angular momentum and spin, time-independent and time-dependent perturbation theory, scattering theory, and identical particles. Selected phenomena from atomic physics, nuclear physics, and elementary particle physics are described and then interpreted using quantum mechanical models.
- MW 11:40 a.m.-12:55 p.m.
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Instructor:
Alfred H Mueller
CULPA: 2 Wikipedia Info - 3 points
INTRO TO GENERAL RELATIVITY
Prerequisites: PHYS UN3003 and PHYS UN3007 or the equivalent. Tensor algebra, tensor analysis, introduction to Riemann geometry. Motion of particles, fluid, and fields in curved spacetime. Einstein equation. Schwarzschild solution; test-particle orbits and light bending. Introduction to black holes, gravitational waves, and cosmological models.
- TR 4:10 p.m.-5:25 p.m.
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Instructor:
James C Hill
Info - 3 points
Quantum Simulation and Computing Lab
Quantum Simul. & Computin
The “Quantum Simulation and Computing Lab” will give students in the Quantum Masters program hands-on experience in quantum optics, quantum simulation and quantum computing. The course combines lectures, tutorials, and two lab sections. In one lab section, students will do experiments with entangled photons. In the second lab section, students will program quantum computers and run algorithms on them using the IBM Qiskit platform.
The course starts with a recap of linear algebra and quantum mechanics, followed by an introduction to quantum optics and quantum information. Two-level systems, Bloch sphere, quantum gates, and elementary quantum algorithms will be discussed. Quantum teleportation and quantum key distribution will be introduced as applications of entanglement. The lecture content will be directly applied in experiments with entangled photons. In the following, state-of-the-art quantum algorithms will be discussed, related to cutting-edge research results in quantum computing. This includes quantum Fourier transform, quantum simulation of the Schroedinger equation, and the variational quantum eigensolver (VQE) algorithm. During the course students will do one experimental project with entangled photons and one quantum programming project. Students will be guided to implement a quantum algorithm of their choice and run it on a quantum computer (IBM, IonQ, QuEra).
- 3 points
ASTROPHYSICS I
Prerequisites: a strong undergraduate background in E-M and classical mechanics. Qualified undergraduates may be admitted with the instructors permission. The basic physics of high energy astrophysical phenomena. Protostars, equations of stellar structure; radiative transfer theory; stellar nucleosynthesis; radiative emission processes; equations of state and cooling theory for neutron stars and white dwarfs, Oppenheimer-Volkoff equation; Chandrasekhar limit; shocks and fluids; accretion theory for both disks and hard surfaces; black hole orbits and light bending.
- MW 11:40 a.m.-12:55 p.m.
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Instructor:
Charles J Hailey
CULPA: 42 Wikipedia Info - 3 points
FRONTIERS OF COND MATTER PHYS
- F 2:40 p.m.-3:55 p.m.
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Instructor:
Yasutomo Uemura
Info - 3 points
QUANTUM MECHANICS II
Prerequisites: PHYS W4021-W4022, or their equivalents. Applications to atoms and molecules, including Thomas-Fermi and Hartree-Fock atoms; interaction of radiation with matter; collision theory; second quantization.
- MW 8:40 a.m.-9:55 a.m.
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Instructor:
Norman H Christ
CULPA: 34 Wikipedia Info - 4.5 points
QUANTUM FIELD THEORY I
Lagrangian density formalism of Lorentz scalar, Dirac and Weyl spinor, and vector gauge fields. Action variations, symmetries, conservation laws. Canonical quantization, Fock space. Interacting local fields, temporal evolution. Wicks theorem, propagators, and vertex functions, Feynman rules and diagrams. Scattering S matrix examples with tree level amplitudes. Path quantization. 1-loop intro to renormalization.
- TR 4:10 p.m.-5:25 p.m.
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Instructor:
Frederik Denef
CULPA: 1 h-index: 36 Info - 4.5 points
Quantum Many Body Physics
Course Summary: the quantum many-body problem and its the conceptual formulation in terms of functional integrals, the basics of perturbative calculations at both zero and non-zero temperature, mean field theory and its interpretation as a saddle point of a functional integral, fluctuations including collective modes, the field theory of linear response and transport calculations and the new features associated with nonequilibrium physics.
- MW 10:10 a.m.-11:25 a.m.
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Instructor:
Andrew Millis
CULPA: 5 h-index: 99 Info - 4.5 points
Quantum Optics: Atoms and Photons
Quantum optics, including: quantiziation of the electromagnetic field, open quantum systems, light-matter interaction, coherent control, collective phenomena, measurement theory and decoherence, and applications in quantum information science.
- MW 2:40 p.m.-3:55 p.m.
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Instructor:
Ana Asenjo Garcia
Wikipedia h-index: 19 Info - 3 points
CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS I
Prerequisites: PHYS E6081 or the instructors permission. Semiclassical and quantum mechanical electron dynamics and conduction; dielectric properties of insulators; semiconductors; defects; magnetism; superconductivity; low-dimensional structures; soft matter.
- MW 11:40 a.m.-12:55 p.m.
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Instructor:
Raquel Quieroz
Info - 3 points
CLASSICAL FIELDS & WAVES
Prerequisites: PHYS G6092. This course will study the classical field theories used in electromagnetism, fluid dynamics, plasma physics, and elastic solid dynamics. General field theoretic concepts will be discussed, including the action, symmetries, conservation laws, and dissipation. In addition, classical field equations will be analyzed from the viewpoint of macroscopic averaging and small-parameter expansions of the fundamental microscopic dynamics. The course will also investigate the production and propagation of linear and nonlinear waves; with topics including linearized small-amplitude waves, ordinary and extraordinary waves, waves in a plasma, surface waves, nonlinear optics, wave-wave mixing, solitons, shock waves, and turbulence.
- TR 10:10 a.m.-11:25 a.m.
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Instructor:
Andrei Beloborodov
Info - 4.5 points
GENERAL RELATIVITY
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- TR 2:40 p.m.-3:55 p.m.
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Instructor:
Andrei Beloborodov
Info - 3 points
QUANTUM FIELD THEORY III
Advanced topics at the discretion of the instructor, including string theory, supersymmetry and other aspects of beyond-standard-model physics.
- MW 4:10 p.m.-5:25 p.m.
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Instructor:
Sebastian Mizera
Info - 3 points
PARTICLE PHYSICS I
Prerequisites: PHYS G6037-G6038. Basic aspects of particle physics, focusing on the Standard Model.
- TR 11:40 a.m.-12:55 p.m.
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Instructor:
Robert D Mawhinney
CULPA: 6 h-index: 49 Info - 3 points