Astronomy Courses
This course provides a broad introduction to the theoretical foundations of astrophysical phenomena, demonstrating how fundamental phenomenology arises from physical laws. Several broad domains of astrophysics are covered, including planetary and stellar orbits, radiation, radiative transfer, ionization, star and planet formation, stellar evolution, binary stars, special and general relativity (including black holes), galactic structure and dynamics (including dark matter), active galaxies, spacetime structure, formation of large scale matter structure, and cosmology (including the accelerating expansion of the Universe, dark energy, and Grand Unification of forces in the early Universe).
Theoretical and practical aspects of modern astronomical observational techniques. Photometry, spectroscopy, interferometry, and optical and radio data reduction and image processing.
This course is intended to facilitate a fairly complete understanding of stars, including their structure, evolution (formation, stages of burning, end states), synthesis of elements, and the physical processes involved in each of these, as well as introduce the modern computational modeling techniques used to apply stellar physics to stars. For astronomy students, this course will provide the background necessary to understand the underlying principles of stellar processes and modelling as they are used both in ongoing research into stellar physics and phenomena and in support of other areas of astronomical research where stellar populations, products and processes are important. In a broader context, relevant for any physics student, this course will discuss how understanding the physical principles in fluid dynamics, high-density materials, heat transfer, plasma physics, nuclear structure, and nuclear processes are assembled into our modern understanding of how stellar objects behave, and how the study of stars pushes the frontier of understanding in these areas of physics.
This course surveys the evolution of the universe, including discussion of general relativity, the Standard Big Bang Cosmology, cosmological inflation, the cosmic microwave background, large scale structure, baryogenesis, dark matter and dark energy.
This course may deal with any astronomy topic not covered by existing courses. The course title is added at the time the course is taught. Repeat credit is allowed for different course titles.
This course provides graduate students with domain-specific skills and knowledge in their research specialty. This training is expected to be undertaken in the context of active engagement by the student in an ongoing or semester-long research project. Alternatively, if formal preparation beyond the available courses is necessary for a student's success within their specialty, such formal preparation (reading, assignments, etc) will be performed under the direction and supervision of the instructor. Any combination of active research and additional specialty formal preparation may be specified by the instructor, as is necessary to advance the student's knowledge and skill toward that necessary to plan and perform successful research in their specialty.
Required of all full-time physics graduate students specializing in astronomy each semester in residence. Students must attend weekly seminars and make one oral presentation.
This course surveys the observational and physical aspects of galaxies, clusters of galaxies, active galaxies, quasars, and astrophysical cosmology. The cosmic distance scale and galaxy evolution will be addressed. On successful completion of this course, a student will be prepared to understand the relevant research literature and be ready to embark on independent research in these topics.
The subject of this course is the dynamics of collisionless objects (stars and dark matter) within self-gravitating systems, i.e. within galaxies and star clusters. The course is primarily theoretical, but there will be considerable discussion of the connections to observations. The approach will combine rigorous mathematical analysis with computational experiments.
This course covers radiative transfer, blackbody radiation, and non-relativistic and relativistic electromagnetic radiation processes, including bremsstrahlung, synchrotron and Compton radiation, as well as atomic and molecular transitions.
This course may deal with any astronomy topic not covered by existing courses. The course title is added at the time the course is taught. Repeat credit is allowed for different course titles.
Physics Courses
Variational principles and Lagrange's equations; two-body central-force problems; kinematics of rigid-body motion; rigid-body equations of motion; special relativity; Hamilton's equations of motion; and canonical transformations.
Selected topics in contemporary physics for high school and post-secondary science teachers.
Physics of biological systems: proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, supramolecular structures, and molecular motors; structure, function, energetics, thermodynamics, bionanotechnology. Emphasis on systems that are best understood in physical and molecular detail.
This is a course in teaching methodologies for introductory physics, based on recent results from physics education research.
Special relativity, equivalence principle, tensor analysis, gravitational effects, curvature, Einstein's field equations, action principle, classic tests of Einstein's theory.
Electric and magnetic fields, Green's functions, and Maxwell's equations.
Electromagnetic waves, relativity, and selected topics.
Theory and practical application of digital integrated circuits, including gates, flip flops, counters, latches, and displays. Computer data acquisition and control using LabView, A/D and D/A fundamentals. Digital communications.
Solution of the Schroedinger equation, matrix methods, angular momentum, and approximation methods.
Time-dependent perturbation theory, scattering theory, radiation, identical particles, and spin.
The course will cover a mixture of foundational and applied machine learning topics related to practical applications in analysis of large scientific data. Students will learn the theory behind various machine learning algorithms and tools and will learn how to apply them to real-world problems. This course will introduce the fundamentals of machine learning and classification theory based on statistical learning and describe classes of popular algorithms in depth: decision and rule-based methods (decision trees and rules, bagging and boosting, random forests), deep learning-based models (fully connected, convolutional, recurrent, recursive, Bayesian, geometric deep learning and graph neural networks) as well as other machine learning algorithms. The lectures will be augmented by active learning techniques to promote greater and deeper student engagement. There will be various in-class activities and small-group discussions and problem solving to allow students to build and reinforce connections with fellow students.
Structure and properties of nuclear and subnuclear matter; conservation laws; scattering and decay processes; and fundamental interactions.
Ensembles, partition function, quantum statistics, Bose and Fermi systems, phase transitions and critical phenomena, and applications.
Structure of simple crystals; thermal, electrical, and magnetic properties of solids; the free-electron model and the band approximation; and semiconductors.
May deal with any physics or astronomy topic not covered by existing courses. The course title is added at the time the course is taught. Repeat credit is allowed for different course titles.
PH585 is the first course of series of graduate level courses on magnetism (PH585, PH586 - Advanced Magnetism: Magnetic Materials, Phenomena and Devices), magnetic phenomena, magnetic materials with examples of magnetic devices for physical science and engineering students. The course is based on a combination of physical principles (materials physics, condensed mater, physics of magnetism) and examples their applications. Lecture examples, lecture and home work problems throughout the course will be based on applications (see list of applications in the topics list) with emphasize on impact of fundamental magnetism for advances in particular technology.
PH586 a graduate level course in magnetism, magnetic phenomena, magnetic materials with examples of magnetic devices for physical science and engineering students. The course is based on a combination of physical principles (condensed mater and physics of magnetism) and examples their applications to magnetization process and magneto-transport phenomena. The course material will include the following topics: • Review Principles of Magnetism: Fundamental Magnetic Properties • Magnetic domains and domain walls • Thermal Effects • Micromagnetics • Magnetization Processes • Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert Equation • Hard and Soft Magnetic Materials , Permanent magnet applications • Overview of modern magnetic recording: magnetic recording media • Ferromagnetic Resonance • Interlayer and Interfacial Exchange and Exchange Bias • Review Principles of Electronic structure and Electronic transport • Magneto-transport Phenomena • Anisotropic Magnetoresistance • Giant Magnetoresistance • Tunneling Magnetoresistance • Overview of MagntoElectronic devices : HDD reader, MRAM • Special topics may be included, such as critical phenomena (Ising/Heisenberg model), magnetic and non-magnetic neutron scattering, or principles of VSM magnetometry, spin polarized electron characterization techniques.
This course provides graduate students with domain-specific skills and knowledge in their research specialty. This training is expected to be undertaken in the context of active engagement by the student in an ongoing or semester-long research project. Alternatively, if formal preparation beyond the available courses is necessary for a student's success within their specialty, such formal preparation (reading, assignments, etc) will be performed under the direction and supervision of the instructor. Any combination of active research and additional specialty formal preparation may be specified by the instructor, as is necessary to advance the student's knowledge and skill toward that necessary to plan and perform successful research in their specialty.
Experimental work in modern physics at an advanced level.
No description available.
Required of all full-time physics graduate students each semester in residence. (Students specializing in astronomy must take AY 597.) Students are required to attend at least 10 department colloquia and/or specialty research seminars. Students in their second year and beyond are required to give one oral research presentation.
No description available.
No description available.
The Dirac equation, Lorentz covariance, free-particle solutions of the Dirac equation, Foldy-Wouthuysen transformation, propagator theory, and applications to quantum electrodynamics.
Classical field theory, quantization of free fields, interacting fields, the scattering matrix, Feynman rules and diagrams, evaluation of integrals and divergences, and electroweak and strong interactions. Offered according to demand.
Gauge invariance, non-Abelian gauge theories, hidden symmetries, electroweak interactions of leptons and quarks, strong interactions among quarks, string theories, and phenomenology of high-energy interactions. Offered according to demand.
This course will review physics beyond the Standard Model, Grand Unified Theories, Supersymmetric Theories, Superstrings, and Exact Solutions in Quantum Field Theory.
May deal with any physics topic not covered by existing courses. The course title is added at the time each course is taught. Repeat credit is allowed for different course titles.
Because this is non-dissertation research, students may repeat this course each semester for up to 18 credit hours.
No description available.