Professors: Fred M. Ellis, Roderick V. Jensen (Chair), Lutz Huwel, Thomas J. Morgan, Robert J. Rollefson

Associate Professors: Reinhold Blümel, Brian Stewart

Assistant Professor: Kara Beauchamp

Research Associate: Yuri Dabaghian, Wen Huang, Stephen Irons

Departmental Advising Experts (2000-2001): Fred Ellis

"Four decades ago, a liberal arts education was thought to prepare one well for any professional endeavor; the specific coursework may have been irrelevant, but the education process instilled intellectual discipline and sobriety. These days, a physics education serves the purpose much better, because it offers the discipline and important tools for tackling new issues. Physics is the liberal arts education for a technological society." (Physics Today, January 1997, p. 46)

Participation in research and mastery of the main subject areas of physics are the twin goals of the physics program. The major program is designed to develop proficiency in quantum theory, electromagnetism and optics, thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, classical dynamics, and solid-state physics. Preparation in mathematics and mathematical methods is an integral part of the program.

Interested and qualified students may pursue several opportunities for advanced work, including graduate courses and participation with graduate students and faculty in research. The department encourages its students to "do physics" at the earliest opportunity by making arrangements to work with one of the research groups or by arranging an independent research tutorial. Research may be experimental or theoretical and may, but need not, result in a senior honors thesis. Most majors who intend to write a thesis begin research no later than the junior year and continue it through the summer into the senior year. Current research interests include chaos theory, quantum phase transitions, third sound in super fluid films, laser plasmas and photo dissociation, highly excited atom spectroscopy and collisions, physics of the gas-solid interface, and molecular collisions.

The Science Machine Shop, located on the ground floor of the Science Tower, maintains a well-equipped student shop. It is open to all students who have satisfied the shop foreman of their competence in handling machine tools. Many students also take advantage of Wesleyan’s computing facilities in their research or course work. The department has a number of Macintosh, Unix, and Wintel workstations that are available for student use.

Opportunities are available each semester to serve as a teaching apprentice or assistant in one of the introductory or intermediate-level courses. Many physics majors have found that this is both a stimulating and a satisfying way to learn more about the fundamentals of the discipline. The Cady Lounge in the department serves as a focus for the major, by providing a place where students can study and talk physics. There is also a study room where students in the introductory courses can come to get help and to work together. Students are encouraged to attend the weekly colloquium series and to participate in the weekly research seminars in atomic and molecular physics, chemical physics, and condensed matter physics.

Pathways to the Major. One of two beginning courses, PHYS113 or PHYS115, is appropriate for most students considering a major in physics. Both deal largely with mechanics.

* PHYS113 has a prerequisite of one semester of calculus, taken either in secondary school or in college, at about the level of MATH121. It is desirable, but not required, that you also have some familiarity with Newton’s laws of motion. If you have had no calculus, you may still pursue a major in physics by taking calculus during your first year, then PHYS113 in the first semester of your sophomore year.

* PHYS115 is intended for students who have a strong preparation in calculus, both differential and integral, at about the level of MATH121/122, and who have had a rigorous course in mechanics, preferably one that uses calculus. This is a fast-paced, half-credit, half-semester course covering approximately the same material as PHYS113, but in half the time and at a somewhat higher mathematical level. It is intended as a review, to bring up to speed in a short time students who feel that PHYS113 would be too similar in level to their high school course. (Most students then take PHYS215, Special Relativity, also a half-credit, half-semester course for the second half of the semester.)

The students from both PHYS113 and 115 merge for the second semester in a course in electricity and magnetism, PHYS116. Exceptionally well-prepared students, who have had a course on Maxwell’s equations using calculus, may take PHYS224 instead of PHYS116.

Major program. To major in physics, you must complete Physics 116 by the end of your sophomore year; if you can complete it by the end of your first year, it will give you more flexibility to construct your major. You should also have completed Math 121, 122, and 221 by the end of the sophomore year. It is desirable for those who are considering graduate work in physics, or who wish to pursue an intensive major, also to complete Physics 213, 214, and 224 by the end of the sophomore year. You should note that a few of the advanced courses are not offered every year and you should plan your program of study accordingly.

To fulfill the major in physics, a student must complete the following:

1.Eight lecture courses, including: (a) four core physics courses, PHYS 213, 214, 224, and 316; and (b) at least four other courses at the 200, 300, or 500 level, not including the laboratory courses or Math 221 or 222. For most majors, the department strongly recommends Physics 315, followed in importance by 325, 313, and 356.

2.Two laboratory courses: Physics 342 and 345. An experimental research or thesis tutorial may be substituted for one of these.

Students planning graduate study in physics should take a minimum of 14 credits, at the 200 level or higher, in physics, mathematics, and computer science. Physics 215, 315, and 325 are essential, and Physics 313 and 356 are very important. In addition, the department strongly recommends Math 222, Math 226 or Physics 561, and Math 229. Graduate physics courses may be elected with permission, and experience in computer programming is also extremely valuable.

Students not planning graduate study in physics, and who are interested in applying their knowledge of physics to other areas of the curriculum, may choose up to four courses from other departments to satisfy requirement 1(b) above. This must be done in consultation with the physics major adviser, and the selections must constitute a coherent, coordinated program of study.

Honors in physics. To be a candidate for departmental honors in physics, a major must submit a thesis describing the investigation of a special problem carried out by the candidate. If the project is carried out under the direction of someone other than a member of the department, a member of the department must be chosen in advance as a mentor. This mentor will serve as one of the readers and will choose the second reader. Under these circumstances, the person directing the project will ordinarily be the third reader. In addition, the candidate must have attained a minimum average in the physics courses taken, except those in the final semester of the senior year, of B (85.0) for honors and B+ (88.3) for high honors.

Combined 3-2 programs in science and engineering. For students considering a career in engineering, the physics major is a good route into the 3-2 programs with Caltech and Columbia. Consult the 3-2 program advisor for details on planning an appropriate program of study.

B.A./M.A. program in physics. This is a curricular option for those students who feel the need for the intensive research experience that a fifth year of study can afford. During the fifth year, the student will do additional coursework and write an M.A. thesis based on original research. Tuition is not charged for the fifth year. Students interested in this possibility should consult the physics major advisor as early as possible, since it takes some planning to complete the requirements for both the B.A. and M.A. degrees in five years.

Program for nonmajors. The Physics Department offers two two-semester survey courses covering many of the main subject areas of physics (mechanics, electromagnetism and optics, thermodynamics, and kinetic theory), PHYS111/112 (no calculus) and PHYS113/116 (calculus), with associated laboratory courses PHYS121/122 or PHYS123/124. (Unusually well-prepared students may take PHYS215 and 225 in place of 113.) Either of these two-semester courses will satisfy the physics requirement for admission to schools of medicine, dentistry, or architecture. One-semester courses, designed for the nonspecialist, investigate a more restricted area of physics in greater detail. For help in deciding which of these course options is best suited to your needs and ability, consult the departmental advisor or the professors in charge of these various offerings.