Department of Physics
http://www.utdallas.edu/physics
Faculty
Cecil and Ida Green Chair in Physics: Roderick A. Heelis
Distinguished Chair in Physics: Myron B. Salamon
Green Distinguished Chair in Academic
Leadership: Bryan Hobson Wildenthal
Professors: Phillip Anderson, Austin J. Cunningham, Robert Glosser,
John H. Hoffman, Joseph M. Izen, Mark Lee, Xinchou Lou, Wolfgang A. Rindler, Robert H. Wallace (Electrical
Engineering), Anvar A. Zakhidov
Associate Professors: Yuri Gartstein,
Mustapha Ishak-Boushaki, Lindsay King, David Lary, Chuanwei
Zhang
Assistant Professors: Anton Malko, Fabiano Rodrigues, Jason
Slinker
Senior Lecturers: Paul MacAlevey, Beatrice Rasmussen
Affiliated Faculty: Cyrus D.
Cantrell (Engineering), Yves Chabal (Engineering), Kyeongjae
Cho (Engineering), John P. Ferraris (Chemistry), Matt Goeckner (Engineering), Christopher
Hinkle (Engineering), Julia W. P. Hsu (Engineering), Wenchuang Hu
(Engineering), Stephen Levene (Biology), Larry
Overzet (Engineering), Dean Sherry (Chemistry), Duck-Joo
Yang (Chemistry), Mary Urquhart (Science/Mathematics Education)
Objectives
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.
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 308
(old scale score of 1200), with at least 155 (700 old scale) on the
quantitative part, is advisable based on past experience with student success
in the program. In addition, taking the GRE Subject Test in
Physics is strongly recommended, though not required.
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 teaching assistantships
(TAs) 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 approved by the graduate adviser during the first 24 months in residence. Continuation of
support is evaluated yearly and requires achievement of a minimum GPA of 3.0, and a
satisfactory record in teaching or research assignments.
Financial support is preferentially
provided to students in the PhD track.
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 achieving a grade of B or better
in each core course in the M.S. and Ph. D. programs.
Master of Science
A minimum total of 30 graduate credit
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, 18 hours of additional graduate level physics or
related field 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.
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 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 spring 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 second 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 a minimum grade of B in each core course and a minimum
GPA of 3.0 for all courses, passed the qualifier examination, and decided upon
his/her field of specialization, the student is required to form a Supervising
Committee to guide the student’s dissertation work. Formation of a Supervising
Committee is normally expected before the end of the first semester in the
student’s third year.
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 Supervising
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. An approved dissertationproposal is
normally expected before the end of the student’s third year.
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 (required core course for Space Science students)