Department of Physics
http://www.utdallas.edu/physics
Faculty
Professors: Roy C. Chaney , Austin J. Cunningham, Gregory D. Earle,
Ervin J. Fenyves, Robert Glosser, Roderick A. Heelis, Robert Hilborn, John H.
Hoffman, Joseph M. Izen, Mark Lee, Xinchou Lou, Wolfgang A. Rindler, Myron Salamon, Brian A.
Tinsley, B. Hobson Wildenthal, Anvar A. Zakhidov
Associate Professors: Phillip Anderson, Yuri Gartstein, David Lary
Assistant Professors: Mustapha Ishak-Boushaki, Anton Malko, Jason
Slinker
Senior Lecturers: Paul MacAlevey, Beatrice
Rasmussen
Affiliated Faculty: Cyrus D. Cantrell (Engineering), John P. Ferraris
(Chemistry), Matt Goeckner (Engineering), Chris Hinkle (MSEN), Wenchuang Hu
(Engineering), Jeong-Bong Lee (Engineering), Stephen Levene (Biology), Larry Overzet (Engineering), Dean Sherry
(Chemistry), Duck-Joo Yang (Chemistry), Mary Urquhart
(Science/Mathematics Education)
The goal of the Graduate Program in
Physics is to develop individual creativity and expertise in the fields of
physics. In pursuit of this objective, study in the program is strongly focused
on research. Students are encouraged to begin participating in ongoing research
activities from the beginning of their graduate studies. The research
experience culminates with the doctoral dissertation, the essential element of
the Ph.D. program that prepares students for careers in academia, government
laboratories, or industry.
A Master of Science degree is
offered to those seeking to acquire or maintain technical mastery of both
fundamentals and current applications.
A Master of Science degree in
Applied Physics is offered for students wishing to emphasize applications
encountered in industrial and high technology environments.
Admission Requirements
The University´s general admission
requirements are discussed here.
The Graduate Physics Program seeks
students who have a B.S. degree in Physics or closely related subjects from an
accredited university or college, and who have superior skills in quantitative
and deductive analysis. Decisions on admission are made on an individual basis.
However, as a guide, a combined score on the verbal and quantitative parts of
the GRE general test of 1200, with at least 700 on the quantitative part, is
advisable based on past experience with student success in the program.
For graduate work it is assumed that
the student has an undergraduate background that includes the following courses
at the level indicated by texts referred to: mechanics at the level of Symon, Mechanics; electromagnetism at the level of Reitz
and Milford, Foundations of Electromagnetic Theory; thermodynamics at the level
of Kittel, Thermal Physics; quantum mechanics at the
level of Griffiths, Introduction to Quantum Mechanics (chapters 1-4), some
upper-division course(s) in modern physics, and atomic physics. Students
who lack this foundation may be required to take one or more undergraduate
courses to complete their preparation for graduate work.
Financial Support
A limited number of assistantships are
awarded to those students displaying the most promise in teaching or research.
Specific decisions regarding TA awards are made on an individual basis.
Students who wish to be considered for financial support are encouraged to
submit completed applications by February 1st for admission in the
fall semester. Admission for the spring term is possible, but opportunities for
financial support in such cases are extremely limited. Ph.D. teaching
assistantship awardees are required to complete 12 graduate physics courses
(not including research courses) during the first 24 months in residence.
Continuation of support requires achievement of a minimum GPA of 3.3, and a
satisfactory record in teaching or research assignments.
Financial support is preferentially
provided to students in the MS/PhD track, and is generally not available for
students in the Applied Masters program.
Specializations
The central principle in the
structure of the graduate program is that a student´s progress and ultimate
success is best served by early and varied research experiences coupled with
individually tailored course sequences.
Current areas of research
specialization in the physics program are: Atmospheric and Space
Physics; Astrophysics/Cosmology/Relativity; Condensed Matter Physics/Materials
Science; and High Energy Physics. Further details on the current research
topics in these areas are provided below.
Astrophysics, Cosmology and
Relativity
This research group studies
fundamental problems in theoretical astrophysics, contemporary cosmology, and
relativity. These research efforts typically involve analytical, numerical, and
cosmological-data related projects. The group is instrumental in organizing the
biennial Texas Symposia on Relativistic Astrophysics, beginning in Dallas in 1963
and recurring regularly all over the world since then. Current areas of
research include: gravitational lensing (lenses) and its applications to
cosmology; the acceleration of the expansion of the universe (cosmological
constant, dark energy); fitting cosmological models to observational data (e.g.
CMB, lensing, supernovae); dark matter; the structure of the big bang; the role
of inflation; computer algebra systems applied to general relativity and
cosmology; space-time junction conditions and wormholes; cosmological models of
wider generality than the classical homogeneous models and their possible
observational signatures. More specific information is available at: http://www.utdallas.edu/~mishak/relativitycosmology.html.
Atmospheric And
Space Physics
Research in Atmospheric and Space
Physics encompasses both theory and experiment, with emphasis on aeronomy, ionospheric physics,
planetary atmospheres, atmospheric electricity and its effects on weather and
climate, and space instrumentation. Much of the research occurs in the William
B. Hanson Center for Space Sciences, which includes laboratory facilities for
instrument design, fabrication, and testing. Faculty and students participate
in ongoing satellite missions sponsored by NASA and DoD, and suborbital sounding rockets. Most students participate
in analysis of large data sets from previous missions, and from ground-based
optical and radar instruments at locations ranging from Greenland to South
America. Particular areas of interest include large and small scale dynamics
and electrodynamics, numerical modeling of the thermosphere and ionosphere,
characteristics of the near earth plasma environment, the effects of solar
variability on atmospheric electricity, cloud microphysics and tropospheric
dynamics, plasma instabilities and irregularities, and development and testing
of innovative space flight instrumentation. Computer facilities include a
network of dedicated workstations and access to supercomputers. For further
details see http://www.utdallas.edu/research/spacesciences.
High Energy Physics And Elementary Particles
The UTD High Energy Physics Group
collaborates on the Atlas experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC)
and the BaBar experiment, at the PEP-II asymmetric b
factory located at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC). Atlas will
search for the Higgs boson, believed to be responsible for electroweak symmetry
breaking, for new physics beyond the standard model such as supersymmetric
partners to known particles, and for new hadrons. Atlas data-taking will begin
in 2009. BaBar measures CP violation in the decays of
bottom mesons and is exploring whether the origin of this CP violation lies
within the Standard Model. BaBar data is fertile
ground for precision and rare decays of bottom and charm particles, and tau
lepton. The group explores both charmonia and a class
of unexpected particles with charm-anticharm quark
content with properties that are quite different from conventional charmonium. BaBar has completed
data-taking and is analyzing its data. The group's research is funded by the
U.S. Department of Energy. The UTD High Energy Physics group specializes in
high performance computing, simulation production, and data analysis while
contributing to the commissioning and operation of experiments. Additional
information can be found at: http://www.utdallas.edu/~joe/hepweb/utdhep.html
Solid State/Condensed Matter
Physics/Materials Science
Materials Science is at the
interface of many disciplines and involves a collaborative approach with
colleagues in chemistry, and electrical engineering. Our research facilities
are distributed over the physics laboratories, NanoTech Institute
(nanotech.utdallas.edu) and Electrical Engineering Clean Room. Research in
Materials Science involves both experiment and theory with emphasis on the
physical aspects of solid state materials, optical properties of solids, Raman
scattering, physical properties of thin films, and carbon nanotubes. Various nanoscale and synthetic materials are being studied for their
optical, electronic, magnetic and transport properties, as well as applications
in photonics, spintronics and (opto)electronics. The materials of interest include nanostructures (quantum
dots and wires, fullerenes and carbon nanotubes) and low-dimensional systems,
photonic band gap crystals and "left-handed" electromagnetic
meta-materials, organic and polymeric materials. Unconventional superconductivity
and superconducting nanostructures are also under investigation.
The interaction of nanoscale materials, such as carbon nanotubes, with
biological entities are being investigated for prospective biomedical and
electronic applications. For example, chemically functionalized carbon
nanotubes are being studied as building blocks in transistor and sensor
applications.
Degree Requirements
The University´s general degree
requirements are discussed here.
All candidates for graduate degrees
in physics must satisfy general University degree requirements. Well prepared
students may demonstrate by examination adequate knowledge of the core and
basic course material. In addition to the general university graduation
requirements, graduation in physics requires a grade of B or better in all core
courses in the M.S., Applied M.S., and Ph. D. programs
Master of Science
A minimum total of 32 graduate hours
is required, including the core courses listed below.
1. M.S. Core courses (12 hours)
PHYS 5301 Mathematical Methods of
Physics I
PHYS 5311 Classical Mechanics
PHYS 5320 Electromagnetism I
PHYS 6300 Quantum Mechanics I
2. M.S. Elective courses (18 hours)
In addition to the core courses, 20
hours of additional graduate level physics courses must be successfully
completed by M.S. candidates in physics, with prior approval from the Graduate
Advisor. Up to 6 hours of elective credit may be satisfied through approved
industrial internships, supervised research, or the satisfactory completion and
defense of an M.S. thesis. Prior approval for these options must be obtained
from the Graduate Advisor.
Master of Science in Applied Physics
(MSAP)
The MSAP degree is intended as a
terminal degree that does not lead to the Ph.D. track. A minimum of 32 graduate
credit hours are required for the MSAP degree. Students in this degree plan
must successfully complete a minimum of 16 semester credit hours of MSAP core
courses, including PHYS 5301. All core courses in the M.S./Ph.D.
track are acceptable MSAP core courses, as are courses from the Augmented MSAP
Core Courses List provided below. Approved elective credit hours in the MSAP
program include any graduate level physics courses, as well as approved
graduate-level courses in electrical engineering, computer science, biology,
geosciences, chemistry, and operations research. Specific courses should be
chosen with the guidance of the graduate advisor for the MSAP program
Augmented MSAP Core Course List
PHYS 5305 Monte Carlo Simulation Method and its Applications
PHYS 5315 Scientific Computing
PHYS 5316 Applied Numerical Methods
PHYS 5317 Atoms, Molecules and Solids
PHYS 5318 Atoms, Molecules and Solids II
PHYS 5321 Experimental Operation and Data Collection Using Personal Computers
PHYS 5371 Solid State Physics
PHYS 5372 Solid State Devices
A minimum of 24 credit hours in the
graduate core sequence are required for the Ph.D. degree, plus additional
courses specified by the student´s thesis committee chair. The required core
courses must include Phys 5301, 5302, 5311, 5313, 5320, 5322, 6300, and 6301.
Students in space sciences must also take Phys 6383.
A candidate must also take a minimum
of 3 elective courses, 1 from within his/her area of specialization and 2
selected from outside the student´s specialty area. Additional courses may be
required to satisfy the particular degree requirements and/or to ensure
sufficient grounding in physical principles. The graduate advisor and the
student´s supervisory committee must approve course selections. A minimum of
one year residency after admission to the doctoral program is required.
Ph. D. students are required to take
a comprehensive qualifying examination. The first opportunity to take the exam
is in the fall semester of the first year of graduate study – taking advantage
of this opportunity allows the qualifier to be attempted up to 3 times.
Students who choose not to take the qualifier in their first semester are
required to take it in the second fall semester in residence. Satisfactory
performance on the qualifier allows continuation with financial support beyond
the second fall term. Students who fail the qualifier in the second fall
semester and wish to remain in the graduate program are required to retake the
exam in the subsequent spring semester – failure to pass the qualifier on this
attempt will result in loss of financial support from the university in
subsequent semesters, and ineligibility to complete the remaining Ph. D. degree
requirements.
After a student has completed the
required course work with the minimum GPA of 3.3, passed the qualifier
examination, and decided upon his/her field of specialization, a committee is
formed to guide the student´s dissertation work. Once a dissertation topic has
been identified, the student must submit a proposal that outlines the present
state of knowledge of the field and presents the research program the student
expects to accomplish for the dissertation. This proposal must be approved by
the committee and the Department Head.
A seminar on the dissertation
proposal must be presented, followed by an oral examination conducted by the
faculty on the proposed area of research and related topics. The Supervising
Committee shall determine by means of the exam and any ancillary information
whether the student is adequately prepared and has the ability to conduct
independent research. The approved dissertation proposal is then filed with the
Dean of Graduate Studies. A manuscript embodying a substantial portion of the
dissertation research accomplished by the student must be submitted to a
suitable professional refereed journal prior to the public seminar and
dissertation defense. A public seminar, successful defense of the dissertation,
and its acceptance by the Supervising Committee conclude the requirements for
the Ph.D. In lieu of the traditional dissertation, and at the discretion of the
supervising professor, a manuscript dissertation following the guidelines
published by the Graduate Dean´s Office may be substituted.
Core Course listing for Doctor of
Philosophy (24 credit hours required, 27 for Space
Science.)
PHYS 5311 Classical Mechanics
PHYS 5313 Statistical Physics
PHYS 5320 Electromagnetism I
PHYS 5322 Electromagnetism II
PHYS 5301 Mathematical Methods of Physics I
PHYS 5302 Mathematical Methods of Physics II
PHYS 6300 Quantum Mechanics I
PHYS 6301 Quantum Mechanics II
PHYS 6383 Plasma Science (Space Science students only)