ORIGINS AND MEANING

This course is a one-semester journey across cosmological history, from the beginning of time to something akin to its end. We will explore the origin of inanimate physical structures (the cosmos as a whole, as well as that of galaxies, stars, planets, particles, atoms and complex molecules), the origin of life (replicating molecules, the first cells, as well as more complex life forms), the origin of mind (self-reflective conscious awareness) and the origin of culture (language, myth, religion, art, and science). We will then consider what science in particular tells us about the very far future, where we will encounter the likely demise of all complex matter, all life and all consciousness. In the face of such disintegration we will examine the nature of value and purpose. We will recognize that the deepest understanding of reality emerges from blending all of the accounts we discuss—from the reductionist to the humanist to the cosmological—and only through such amalgamation can we fully grasp the long-standing human search for meaning.

• F 2:10 p.m.-5 p.m.
• Instructor: Brian Greene
  CULPA: 9 Wikipedia Info
• 3 points

Origins and Meaning: Independent Study

Origins and Meaning: Ind.

The proposed independent study is a one-semester course that is in dialogue with the Origins
and Meaning, Physics UN1111. Students in the independent study will further explore various
issues raised in Origins and Meaning by (a) meeting once per week with the instructor, (b)
completing a selection of readings and viewings, and (c) completing an end-of-term writing
assignment.

• Instructor: Brian Greene
  CULPA: 9 Wikipedia Info
• 1 points

GENERAL PHYSICS I

Prerequisites: some basic background in calculus or be concurrently taking MATH UN1101 Calculus I. The accompanying laboratory is PHYS UN1291-UN1292 The course will use elementary concepts from calculus. The accompanying laboratory is PHYS UN1291 - UN1292. Basic introduction to the study of mechanics, fluids, thermodynamics, electricity, magnetism, optics, special relativity, quantum mechanics, atomic physics, and nuclear physics.

• MW 11:40 a.m.-12:55 p.m.
• TR 2:40 p.m.-3:55 p.m.
• Instructor: John Parsons
  CULPA: 31 Info
• Instructor: Cory Dean
  h-index: 49 Info
• 3 points

GENERAL PHYSICS I - REC

• M 4:10 p.m.-5 p.m.
• M 5:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• M 6:10 p.m.-7 p.m.
• T 4:10 p.m.-5 p.m.
• T 5:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• T 6:10 p.m.-7 p.m.
• W 4:10 p.m.-5 p.m.
• W 5:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• M 4:10 p.m.-5 p.m.
• M 5:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• T 4:10 p.m.-5 p.m.
• T 5:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• W 4:10 p.m.-5 p.m.
• W 5:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• R 4:10 p.m.-5 p.m.
• R 5:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: John Parsons
  CULPA: 31 Info
• 0 points

GENERAL PHYSICS I LAB

Corequisites: PHYS UN1201 This course is the laboratory for the corequisite lecture course and can be taken only during the same term as the corresponding lecture.

• M 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Giuseppina C Cambareri
  Info
• 1 points

GENERAL PHYSICS I LAB

Corequisites: PHYS UN1201 This course is the laboratory for the corequisite lecture course and can be taken only during the same term as the corresponding lecture.

• M 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
• M 4:10 p.m.-7:10 p.m.
• Instructor: Giuseppina C Cambareri
  Info
• 1 points

GENERAL PHYSICS I LAB

Corequisites: PHYS UN1201 This course is the laboratory for the corequisite lecture course and can be taken only during the same term as the corresponding lecture.

• M 4:10 p.m.-7:10 p.m.
• M 7:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m.
• T 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Giuseppina C Cambareri
  Info
• 1 points

GENERAL PHYSICS I LAB

Corequisites: PHYS UN1201 This course is the laboratory for the corequisite lecture course and can be taken only during the same term as the corresponding lecture.

• T 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
• T 4:10 p.m.-7:10 p.m.
• Instructor: Giuseppina C Cambareri
  Info
• 1 points

GENERAL PHYSICS I LAB

Corequisites: PHYS UN1201 This course is the laboratory for the corequisite lecture course and can be taken only during the same term as the corresponding lecture.

• T 4:10 p.m.-7:10 p.m.
• T 7:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m.
• W 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Giuseppina C Cambareri
  Info
• 1 points

GENERAL PHYSICS I LAB

Corequisites: PHYS UN1201 This course is the laboratory for the corequisite lecture course and can be taken only during the same term as the corresponding lecture.

• W 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
• W 4:10 p.m.-7:10 p.m.
• Instructor: Giuseppina C Cambareri
  Info
• 1 points

GENERAL PHYSICS I LAB

Corequisites: PHYS UN1201 This course is the laboratory for the corequisite lecture course and can be taken only during the same term as the corresponding lecture.

• W 4:10 p.m.-7:10 p.m.
• W 7:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m.
• R 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
• R 4:10 p.m.-7:10 p.m.
• R 7:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m.
• F 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Giuseppina C Cambareri
  Info
• 1 points

GENERAL PHYSICS I LAB

Corequisites: PHYS UN1201 This course is the laboratory for the corequisite lecture course and can be taken only during the same term as the corresponding lecture.

• F 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Giuseppina C Cambareri
  Info
• 1 points

INTRO TO MECHANICS & THERMO

Corequisites: MATH UN1101 Fundamental laws of mechanics, kinematics and dynamics, work and energy, rotational dynamics, oscillations, gravitation, fluids, temperature and heat, gas laws, the first and second laws of thermodynamics. Corequisite: MATH UN1101 or the equivalent.

• MW 10:10 a.m.-11:25 a.m.
• MW 2:40 p.m.-3:55 p.m.
• TR 10:10 a.m.-11:25 a.m.
• Instructor: Eric Raymer
  CULPA: 3 Info
• Instructor: James C Hill
  Info
• Instructor: Eric Raymer
  CULPA: 3 Info
• 3 points

INTRO-CLASSCL & QUANTUM WAVES

Prerequisites: PHYS UN1402 PHYS W1402. Corequisites: MATH V1201 or the equivalent. Classical waves and the wave equation, Fourier series and integrals, normal modes, wave-particle duality, the uncertainty principle, basic principles of quantum mechanics, energy levels, reflection and transmission coefficients, applications to atomic physics.

• MW 1:10 p.m.-2:25 p.m.
• Instructor: Gustaaf Brooijmans
  CULPA: 11 Info
• 3 points

INTRO TO MECH & THERMO - REC

• M 4:10 p.m.-5 p.m.
• M 5:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• M 6:10 p.m.-7 p.m.
• M 7:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• T 4:10 p.m.-5 p.m.
• T 5:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• T 6:10 p.m.-7 p.m.
• T 7:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• W 4:10 p.m.-5 p.m.
• W 5:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• W 6:10 p.m.-7 p.m.
• R 4:10 p.m.-5 p.m.
• R 5:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• T 4:10 p.m.-5 p.m.
• T 5:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• W 4:10 p.m.-5 p.m.
• W 5:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• W 6:10 p.m.-7 p.m.
• R 4:10 p.m.-5 p.m.
• Instructor: Eric Raymer
  CULPA: 3 Info
• 0 points

INTRO TO EXPERIMENTAL PHYS-LAB

Prerequisites: PHYS W1401 and W1402. Laboratory work associated with the two prerequisite lecture courses. Experiments in mechanics, thermodynamics, electricity, magnetism, optics, wave motion, atomic physics, and nuclear physics. Note: Students cannot receive credit for both PHYS W1493 and W1494.

• M 4:10 p.m.-7:10 p.m.
• M 7:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m.
• T 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
• T 4:10 p.m.-7:10 p.m.
• T 7:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m.
• W 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
• W 4:10 p.m.-7:10 p.m.
• W 7:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m.
• R 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
• R 4:10 p.m.-7:10 p.m.
• F 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Valerie Hsieh
  Info
• 3 points

PHYSICS I:MECHANICS/RELATIVITY

Prerequisites: Corequisite: MATH UN1102 Calculus II or equivalent. Fundamental laws of mechanics, kinematics and dynamics, work and energy, rotational dynamics, oscillations, gravitation, fluids, introduction to special relativity and relativistic kinematics. The course is preparatory for advanced work in physics and related fields.

• TR 10:10 a.m.-11:25 a.m.
• Instructor: Jeremy R Dodd
  CULPA: 25 Info
• 3.5 points

PHYSICS I:MECHANICS/RELATIVITY-REC

• T 4:10 p.m.-5:25 p.m.
• T 5:40 p.m.-6:55 p.m.
• W 4:10 p.m.-5:25 p.m.
• W 5:40 p.m.-6:55 p.m.
• R 4:10 p.m.-5:25 p.m.
• Instructor: Jeremy R Dodd
  CULPA: 25 Info
• 0 points

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.

• T 4:10 p.m.-5:25 p.m.
• Instructor: Ana Asenjo Garcia
  Wikipedia h-index: 19 Info
• 1 points

PHYSICS III:CLASS/QUANTUM WAVE

Prerequisites: PHYS UN1402 or PHYS UN1602 Corequisite: MATH UN1202 or equivalent. Classical waves and the wave equation, geometrical optics, interference and diffraction, Fourier series and integrals, normal modes, wave-particle duality, the uncertainty principle, basic principles of quantum mechanics, energy levels, reflection and transmission coefficients, the harmonic oscillator. The course is preparatory for advanced work in physics and related fields.

• TR 2:40 p.m.-3:55 p.m.
• Instructor: James W McIver
  Info
• 3.5 points

Physics III: Class/Quantum Wave - Rec

Physics3:Class/Quantm Wav

• M 5:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• T 5:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• T 6:10 p.m.-7 p.m.
• W 5:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• W 6:10 p.m.-7 p.m.
• Instructor: James W McIver
  Info
• 0 points

ACCELERATED PHYSICS I

Prerequisites: Advanced Placement in physics and mathematics, or the equivalent, and the instructor's permission. (A special placement meeting is held during Orientation.) 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
• Instructor: Yury Levin
  h-index: 91 Info
• 4.5 points

Nuclear Weapons and Nuclear Testing: Mar

Nuclear Weapons/Testing

The story of the US nuclear weapons testing program in the Marshall Islands can be viewed as the collision of a powerful nuclear weapons state, eager to aggressively pursue a thermonuclear weapons development program, and an indigenous population in a remote location. After World War II, the Marshall Islands became a US territory, as specified by a UN treaty, and the US immediately initiated a testing program to be conducted in the northern expanse of the islands. The testing was done in an overtly public manner and driven at the time by a Cold War mentality. As a result of the testing, the Marshallese people were both driven away from their homes and lands and exposed to radioactive fallout. A classified human subject health monitoring program was implemented under the name Project 4.1. From these tests, the US government was able to study the effects of nuclear fallout and the correlation to cancer rates in the Marshallese population, exposed at different distances from the test sites and over a time period of decades.

This course is about the violent intersection of science and culture. Students will investigate the Marshallese culture prior to the nuclear weapons testing program and then study the ways in which the culture and people were affected by the program. They will also consider the challenges the Marshallese face today. The course will end on a series of group research projects to compare and contrast the Marshall Islands case with those of other indigenous populations affected by nuclear testing performed by other nuclear weapons states. For the course’s final project, the students will apply the tools learned in this course about nuclear weapons and culture and apply them to the French government’s nuclear testing program in either French Polynesians or Algeria.

• MW 8:40 a.m.-9:55 a.m.
• Instructor: Emlyn W Hughes
  CULPA: 18 Info
• 3 points

ELECTRICITY-MAGNETISM

Prerequisites: general physics, and differential and integral calculus. Electrostatics and magnetostatics, Laplace's equation and boundary-value problems, multipole expansions, dielectric and magnetic materials, Faraday's law, AC circuits, Maxwell's equations, Lorentz covariance, and special relativity.

• MW 10:10 a.m.-11:25 a.m.
• Instructor: William A Zajc
  CULPA: 16 Wikipedia Info
• 3 points

SEM IN CURRENT RES. PROBLEMS

A detailed study of a selected field of active research in physics. The motivation, techniques, and results obtained to the present, as well as the difficulties and unsolved problems. For Physics majors only. Priority given to seniors; juniors by permission of the instructor.

• M 5 p.m.-6:30 p.m.
• Instructor: Kerstin M Perez
  Wikipedia Info
• 2 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.
• R 1:10 p.m.-5 p.m.
• F 1:10 p.m.-5 p.m.
• Instructor: Elena Aprile
  CULPA: 21 Wikipedia Info
• 2 points

SUPERVISED READINGS IN PHYSICS

Prerequisites: the written permission of the faculty member who agrees to act as supervisor, and the director of undergraduate studies permission. Readings in a selected field of physics under the supervision of a faculty member. Written reports and periodic conferences with the instructor.

• Instructor: Jeremy R Dodd
  CULPA: 25 Info
• 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.

• Instructor: Jeremy R Dodd
  CULPA: 25 Info
• 1-5 points

MATHEMATICL METHODS OF PHYSICS

Prerequisites: PHYS UN3003 and PHYS UN3007 and differential and integral calculus; linear algebra; or the instructor's permission. This course will present a wide variety of mathematical ideas and techniques used in the study of physical systems. Topics will include: ordinary and partial differential equations; generalized functions; integral transforms; Green’s functions; nonlinear equations, chaos, and solitons; Hilbert space and linear operators; Feynman path integrals; Riemannian manifolds; tensor analysis; probability and statistics. There will also be a discussion of applications to classical mechanics, fluid dynamics, electromagnetism, plasma physics, quantum mechanics, and general relativity.

• TR 10:10 a.m.-11:25 a.m.
• Instructor: Alberto Nicolis
  Info
• 3 points

QUANTUM MECHANICS I

Prerequisites: PHYS UN3003 and PHYS UN3007 Formulation of quantum mechanics in terms of state vectors and linear operators. Three dimensional spherically symmetric potentials. The theory of angular momentum and spin. Identical particles and the exclusion principle. Methods of approximation. Multi-electron atoms.

• MW 11:40 a.m.-12:55 p.m.
• Instructor: Alfred H Mueller
  CULPA: 2 Wikipedia Info
• 3 points

THERMAL & STATISTICAL PHYSICS

Prerequisites: PHYS GU4021 or the equivalent. Thermodynamics, kinetic theory, and methods of statistical mechanics; energy and entropy; Boltzmann, Fermi, and Bose distributions; ideal and real gases; blackbody radiation; chemical equilibrium; phase transitions; ferromagnetism.

• MW 2:40 p.m.-3:55 p.m.
• Instructor: Tanya Zelevinsky
  CULPA: 9 Wikipedia Info
• 3 points

Quantum Physics Laboratory

The “Quantum Physics Lab” will give students in the Quantum Science and Technology Masters program hands-on experience in quantum physics and its applications. Students will work in small groups on several distinct experiments through the semester. Each experimental project might last for 3-4 weeks, comprising the steps outlined in the Program below. Initial experimental offerings include: a quantum optics (entangled photon) platform, a Josephson junction experiment, a nitrogen vacancy (NV) center for direct manipulation of quantum states, along with experiments on nuclear magnetic resonance, quantum conductance and the quantum Hall effect. We expect to add additional experiments in the near future.

Students will observe and measure fundamental quantum behaviors, reinforcing material they are learning in the Masters lecture courses, while simultaneously being introduced to forefront technology that will be the basis of the second “quantum revolution” that could eventually lead to revolutionary applications in electronics, computing, energy technology and medical devices.    

Program:

1 x 230 min lab meeting per week (small group work)

Background research on selected experiments, and associated physics and instrumentation

Data analysis, discussions with instructor and teaching assistants

Project writeups and presentations

• T 1:10 p.m.-5 p.m.
• Instructor: Abhay N Pasupathy
  CULPA: 10 Info
• 3 points