Course Offerings

Fall 2023

See complete information about these courses in the course offerings database. For more information about a specific course, including course type, schedule and location, click on its title.

General Physics I

PHYS 111 - Mazilu, Irina

An introduction to classical mechanics. Topics include kinematics, Newton's laws, solids, fluids, and wave motion.

General Physics I

PHYS 111 - Mazilu, Dan A.

An introduction to classical mechanics. Topics include kinematics, Newton's laws, solids, fluids, and wave motion.

General Physics I

PHYS 111 - McClain, Thomas J. (Tom)

An introduction to classical mechanics. Topics include kinematics, Newton's laws, solids, fluids, and wave motion.

Foundations of Quantum Computing and Quantum Information

PHYS 190 - Mazilu, Irina

This course offers a gentle introduction to the emerging field of quantum information science. Quantum computing holds great promise for the future and is a rapidly growing field of study. In this course we will cover the basics of quantum computation, from its quantum mechanics foundation to quantum circuits, entanglement, quantum teleportation, and algorithms and their technological implementation. No knowledge of quantum mechanics is required. We will cover the necessary physics and mathematics concepts that are needed for this course.

Electrical Circuits

PHYS 207 - Erickson, Jonathan C. (Jon)

Same as ENGN 207. A detailed study of electrical circuits and the methods used in their analysis. Basic circuit components, as well as devices such as operational amplifiers, are investigated. The laboratory acquaints the student both with fundamental electronic diagnostic equipment and with the design and behavior of useful circuits.

Modern Physics

PHYS 210 - Sukow, David W.

An introduction to the special theory of relativity and the physics of the atom. Topics in relativity include the Lorentz transformations, relativistic velocity addition, and relativistic momentum and energy. Topics in atomic physics include the wave description of matter, introductory quantum mechanics, the hydrogen atom, and the historical experiments that led to the modern theory.

Intermediate Special Topics in Physics: Quantum Gravity

PHYS 295C - McClain, Thomas J. (Tom)

A non-technical introduction to the topic of quantum gravity, including why we think we need a quantum theory of gravity, what counts as a quantum theory of gravity, and a survey of current quantum gravity theories. As part of our introduction, we will explore the physical meanings of general relativity, quantum mechanics, and quantum field theory from the quantum gravity perspective and discuss what it means to propose a new theory in physics and how we evaluate competing theories.

Quantum Mechanics

PHYS 340 - Sukow, David W.

A study of the postulates and formalism of quantum theory emphasizing the Schroedinger approach. The probabilistic theory is applied to one-dimensional bound and scattering states and the three-dimensional central force problem. Investigation of spin and angular momentum, Clebsch-Gordan coefficients, indistinguishable particles, and perturbation theory. Mathematical formalism includes operators, commutators, Hilbert space, and Dirac notation.

Directed Individual Research

PHYS 421 - Mazilu, Irina

Directed research in physics.

Honors Thesis

PHYS 493 - Mazilu, Irina

Honors Thesis.

Spring 2023

See complete information about these courses in the course offerings database. For more information about a specific course, including course type, schedule and location, click on its title.

Stellar Evolution and Cosmology

PHYS 151 - Sukow, David W.

An introduction to the physics and astronomy of stellar systems and the universe. Topics include the formation and lifecycle of stars, stellar systems, galaxies, and the universe as a whole according to "Big Bang" cosmology. Observational aspects of astronomy are also emphasized, including optics and telescopes, star maps, and knowledge of constellations. Geometry, trigonometry, algebra, and logarithms are used in the course.

Winter 2023

See complete information about these courses in the course offerings database. For more information about a specific course, including course type, schedule and location, click on its title.

General Physics II

PHYS 112 - Rutkowski, Todd C.

A continuation of PHYS 111. Topics include thermodynamics, electricity, magnetism, and optics.

General Physics II

PHYS 112 - Sukow, David W.

A continuation of PHYS 111. Topics include thermodynamics, electricity, magnetism, and optics.

General Physics II

PHYS 112 - Wu, Sean

A continuation of PHYS 111. Topics include thermodynamics, electricity, magnetism, and optics.

General Physics II (FY Only)

PHYS 112A - McClain, Thomas J. (Tom)

A continuation of PHYS 111. Topics include thermodynamics, electricity, magnetism, and optics.

General Physics II (FY Only)

PHYS 112A - Mazilu, Dan A.

A continuation of PHYS 111. Topics include thermodynamics, electricity, magnetism, and optics.

Mathematical Methods for Physics and Engineering

PHYS 225 - Woodruff, Steven

Study of a collection of mathematical techniques particularly useful in upper-level courses in physics and engineering: vector differential operators such as gradient, divergence, and curl; functions of complex variables; Fourier analysis; orthogonal functions; matrix algebra and the matrix eigenvalue problem; ordinary and partial differential equations.

Newtonian Mechanics

PHYS 230 - Mazilu, Irina

A thorough study of Newton's laws of motion, rigid body motion, and accelerated reference frames.

Modeling and Simulation of Physical Systems

PHYS 265 - Mazilu, Irina

An introduction to the innovative field of modeling and analysis of complex physical systems from such diverse fields as physics, chemistry, ecology, epidemiology, and a wide range of interdisciplinary, emerging fields such as econophysics and sociophysics. Topics vary according to faculty expertise and student interest. The goal is to seek the underlying physics laws that govern such seemingly diverse systems and to provide contemporary mathematical and computational tools for studying and simulating their dynamics. Includes traditional lectures as well as workshops and computational labs, group presentations, and seminars given by invited speakers.

Intermediate Special Topics in Physics: Advanced Physics Lab

PHYS 295B - Rutkowski, Todd C.

This laboratory course will provide students with hands-on experience studying a variety of phenomena encountered in advanced fields of physics, including particle physics, plasma physics, quantum mechanics, quantum computing, and optics.  The lecture portion of the course will cover error analysis methods, common software used during manuscript preparation, and will examine recent journal articles for examples of the style and quality required for publication in the field. 

Directed Individual Research

PHYS 421 - Mazilu, Irina

Directed research in physics.

Directed Individual Research

PHYS 421 - Sukow, David W.

Directed research in physics.

Directed Individual Research

PHYS 421 - McClain, Thomas J. (Tom)

In this course, we will examine the fundamentals of non-interacting quantum fields, with special attention paid to scalar and Dirac fields. Background topics will include the quantum harmonic oscillator and the Lagrangian formulation of classical field theory, and we will continue with techniques like Fourier decomposition, canonical quantization, and Dirac spinors.