Physics (PHYSICS)
PHYSICS 7A Physics for Scientists and Engineers 4 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall, spring and summer
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of lecture and 4 hours of laboratory/workshop per week.6 hours of lecture and 8 hours of laboratory/workshop per week for 8 weeks.
Prerequisites: High school physics; Math 1A or 1AS; Math 1B or 1BS (which may be taken concurrently).
Mechanics and wave motion.
PHYSICS 7B Physics for Scientists and Engineers 4 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall, spring and summer
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of lecture and 4 hours of laboratory/workshop per week.6 hours of lecture and 8 hours of laboratory/workshop per week for 8 weeks.
Prerequisites: 7A, Math 1A-1B, Math 53 (may be taken concurrently).
Heat, electricity, and magnetism.
PHYSICS 7C Physics for Scientists and Engineers 4 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall, spring and summer
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture, 1 hour of Discussion, and 3 hours of Laboratory per week for 15 weeks. 6 hours of Lecture, 2 hours of Discussion, and 6 hours of Laboratory per week for 8 weeks.
Prerequisites: 7A-7B, Math 1A-1B, Math 53, 54 (Math 54 may be taken concurrently).
Electromagnetic waves, optics, relativity, and quantum physics.
PHYSICS H7A Physics for Scientists and Engineers 4 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture, 1 hour of Discussion, and 3 hours of Laboratory per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: High school physics; Math 1A; Math 1B (may be taken concurrently)
Honors sequence corresponding to 7A-7B-7C, but with a greater emphasis on theory as opposed to problem solving. Recommended for those students who have had advanced Physics on the high school level and who are intending to declare a major in physics. Entrance into H7A is decided on the basis of performance on an examination given during the first week of class or the consent of the instructor, and into H7B-H7C on performance in previous courses in a standard sequence.
Students will received no credit for H7A after taking 7A.
PHYSICS H7B Physics for Scientists and Engineers 4 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture, 1 hour of Discussion, and 3 hours of Laboratory per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: 7A, Math 1A-1B, Math 53 (may be taken concurrently)
Honors sequence corresponding to 7A-7B-7C, but with a greater emphasis on theory as opposed to problem solving. Recommended for those students who have had advanced Physics on the high school level and who are intending to declare a major in physics. Entrance into H7A is decided on the basis of performance on an examination given during the first week of class or the consent of the instructor, and into H7B-H7C on performance in previous courses in a standard sequence.
Students will receive no credit H7B after taking 7B.
PHYSICS H7C Physics for Scientists and Engineers 4 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture, 1 hour of Discussion, and 3 hours of Laboratory per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: 7A-7B, Math 1A-1B, Math 53, 54 (Math 54 may be taken concurrently).
Honors sequence corresponding to 7A-7B-7C, but with a greater emphasis on theory as opposed to problem solving. Recommended for those students who have had advanced Physics on the high school level and who are intending to declare a major in physics. Entrance into H7A is decided on the basis of performance on an examination given during the first week of class or the consent of the instructor, and into H7B-H7C on performance in previous courses in a standard sequence.
PHYSICS 8A Introductory Physics 4 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall, spring and summer
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of lecture and 4 hours of discussion/laboratory week. 6 hours of lecture and 8 hours of laboratory/workshop per week for 8 weeks.
Prerequisites: Mathematics 1A, 10A, 16A, or equivalent, or consent of instructor.
Introduction to forces, kinetics, equilibria, fluids, waves, and heat. This course presents concepts and methodologies for understanding physical phenomena, and is particularly useful preparation for upper division study in biology and architecture.
Students with credit for 7A will not receive credit for 8A.
PHYSICS 8B Introductory Physics 4 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall, spring and summer
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of lecture and 4 hours of discussion/laboratory section per week. 6 hours of lecture and 8 hours of laboratory/workshop per week for 8 weeks.
Prerequisites: 8A or equivalent.
Introduction to electricity, magnetism, electromagnetic waves, optics, and modern physics. The course presents concepts and methodologies for understanding physical phenomena, and is particularly useful preparation for upper division study in biology and architecture.
Students with credit for 7B or 7C will not receive credit for Physics 8B.
PHYSICS C10/L & S C70V Descriptive Introduction to Physics 3 Units
Department: Physics; Letters and Science
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall, spring and summer
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks. 6 hours of Lecture and 2 hours of Discussion per week for 8 weeks.
Prerequisites: Open to students with or without high school physics.
The most interesting and important topics in physics, stressing conceptual understanding rather than math, with applications to current events. Topics covered may vary and may include energy and conservation, radioactivity, nuclear physics, the Theory of Relativity, lasers, explosions, earthquakes, superconductors, and quantum physics.
PHYSICS C21/L & S C70W Physics and Music 2 Units
Department: Physics; Letters and Science
Course level: Undergraduate
Term course may be offered: Spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 2 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: No previous courses in Physics are assumed, although Physics 10 is recommended.
What can we learn about the nature of reality and the ways that we humans have invented to discover how the world works? An exploration of these questions through the physical principles encountered in the study of music. The applicable laws of mechanics, fundamentals of sound, harmonic content, principles of sound production in musical instruments, musical scales. Numerous illustrative lecture demonstrations will be given. Only the basics of high school algebra and geometry will be used.
PHYSICS 24 Freshman Seminars 1 Unit
Department: Physics
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: The grading option will be decided by the instructor when the class is offered.
Hours and format: 1 hour of Seminar per week for 15 weeks.
The Berkeley Seminar Program has been designed to provide new students with the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member in a small-seminar setting. Berkeley Seminars are offered in all campus departments, and topics vary from department to department and semester to semester.
Course may be repeated for credit as topic varies. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
PHYSICS 39 Lower Division Physics Seminar 1.5 - 4 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: The grading option will be decided by the instructor when the class is offered.
Hours and format: 1.5 to 4 hours of Seminar per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: Enrollment by consent of instructor during the week of pre-enrollment. Consult bulletin boards outside 366 Le Conte for more information.
Enrollment limited to 20 students per section. Physics seminar course designed for both non major students and students considering a major in physics. Topics vary from semester to semester.
Course may be repeated for credit. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
PHYSICS 49 Supplementary Work in Lower Division Physics 1 - 3 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall, spring and summer
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: Meetings to be arranged.
Students with partial credit in lower division physics courses may, with consent of instructor, complete the credit under this heading.
Course may be repeated for credit. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
PHYSICS 98 Directed Group Study 1 - 4 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall, spring and summer
Grading: Offered for pass/not pass grade only.
Hours and format: 1 to 4 hour of Directed group study per week for 15 weeks. 1.5 to 7.5 hours of Directed group study per week for 8 weeks.
Prerequisites: Restricted to freshman and sophomores only; consent of instructor.
Course may be repeated for credit as topic varies. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes. Enrollment is restricted; see the Introduction to Courses and Curricula section of this catalog.
PHYSICS 98BC Berkeley Connect 1 Unit
Department: Physics
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Offered for pass/not pass grade only.
Hours and format: 1 hour of directed group study per week.
Berkeley Connect is a mentoring program, offered through various academic departments, that helps students build intellectual community. Over the course of a semester, enrolled students participate in regular small-group discussions facilitated by a graduate student mentor (following a faculty-directed curriculum), meet with their graduate student mentor for one-on-one academic advising, attend lectures and panel discussions featuring department faculty and alumni, and go on field trips to campus resources. Students are not required to be declared majors in order to participate.
Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
PHYSICS 99 Supervised Independent Study 1 - 3 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall, spring and summer
Grading: Offered for pass/not pass grade only.
Hours and format: 1 to 4 hour of Independent study per week for 15 weeks. 1.5 to 7.5 hours of Independent study per week for 8 weeks.
Prerequisites: Restricted to freshmen and sophomores only; consent of instructor.
Course may be repeated for credit as topic varies. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes. Enrollment is restricted; see the Introduction to Courses and Curricula section of this catalog.
PHYSICS 100 Communicating Physics and Physical Science 2 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Undergraduate
Term course may be offered: Spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 2 hours of lecture/fieldwork per week.
For undergraduate and graduate students interested in improving their ability to communicate scientific knowledge by teaching science in K-12 schools. The course will combine instruction in inquiry-based science teaching methods and learning pedagogy with 10 weeks of supervised teaching experience in a local school. Students will practice, with support and mentoring, communicating scientific knowledge through presentations and hands-on activities. Approximately three hours per week including time spent in school classrooms.
PHYSICS 105 Analytic Mechanics 4 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
Newtonian mechanics, motion of a particle in one, two, and three dimensions, Larange's equations, Hamilton's equations, central force motion, moving coordinate systems, mechanics of continuous media, oscillations, normal modes, rigid body dynamics, tensor analysis techniques.
PHYSICS 110A Electromagnetism and Optics 4 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
A course emphasizing electromagnetic theory and applications; charges and currents; electric and magnetic fields; dielectric, conducting, and magnetic media; relativity, Maxwell equations. Wave propagation in media, radiation and scattering, Fourier optics, interference and diffraction, ray optics and applications.
PHYSICS 110B Electromagnetism and Optics 4 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
A course emphasizing electromagnetic theory and applications; charges and currents; electric and magnetic fields; dielectric, conducting, and magnetic media; relativity, Maxwell equations. Wave propagation in media, radiation and scattering, Fourier optics, interference and diffraction, ray optics and applications.
PHYSICS 111 Modern Physics and Advanced Electrical Laboratory 1 - 3 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 8 hours of Laboratory per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: 137A or consent of instructor.
The first semester (3 units), on Basic Semiconductor Circuits (BSC), covers introductory analog and digital circuits. The class meets for two 4-hour afternoon lab sessions, and a 1-1/2 hour weekly lecture. In the second semester, Advanced Lab (3 units), students complete 4 of 20+ advanced experiments. These include many in atomic, nuclear, classical, and solid-state physics, among others. Students may, with approval, enroll in an optional third semester for variable units.
Course may be repeated for a maximum of 9 units.Course may be repeated for a maximum of 9 units. Six units required for physics major; nine units may be taken for credit. No more than 3 units may be completed in one semester.
PHYSICS 112 Introduction to Statistical and Thermal Physics 4 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
Basic concepts of statistical mechanics, microscopic basis of thermodynamics and applications to macroscopic systems, condensed states, phase transformations, quantum distributions, elementary kinetic theory of transport processes, fluctuation phenomena.
PHYSICS 129 Particle Physics 4 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Undergraduate
Term course may be offered: Fall
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: 137A, 137B (may be taken concurrently), or consent of instructor.
Tools of particle and nuclear physics. Properties, classification, and interaction of particles including the quark-gluon constituents of hadrons. High energy phenomena analyzed by quantum mechanical methods. Course will survey the field including some related topics in nuclear physics.
Formerly known as 129A.
PHYSICS 130 Quantum and Nonlinear Optics 3 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: 110A and 137A-137B, or consent of instructor.
Detailed theory and experimental basis of quantum and nonlinear optics, exhibiting concepts of quantum measurement, noise, stochastic processes and dissipative quantum systems. Topics include second-quantization of electromagnetic fields, photodetection, coherence properties, light-atom interactions, cavity quantum electrodynamics, nonlinear optical systems, squeezed light, aspects of quantum information science, and contemporary research.
PHYSICS 132 Contemporary Physics 3 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Undergraduate
Term course may be offered: Spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: 8A-8B or equivalent or consent of instructor.
A general descriptive course of selected topics in contemporary physics. Subject matter will vary and may include topics from special and general relativity, atomic and nuclear physics, radiation, fundamental particles and their symmetries, superconductivity and superfluidity, solid state physics, astrophysics, and cosmology.
Not open for credit to students who have completed 137A.
PHYSICS 137A Quantum Mechanics 4 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall, spring and summer
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks. 6 hours of Lecture and 2 hours of Discussion per week for 8 weeks.
Introduction to the methods of quantum mechanics with applications to atomic, molecular, solid state, nuclear and elementary particle physics.
PHYSICS 137B Quantum Mechanics 4 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall, spring and summer
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks. 6 hours of Lecture and 2 hours of Discussion per week for 8 weeks.
Introduction to the methods of quantum mechanics with applications to atomic, molecular, solid state, nuclear and elementary particle physics.
PHYSICS 138 Modern Atomic Physics 3 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: 137A-137B.
This course covers atomic, molecular, and optical physics as a quantitative description of atoms and fields, a generalized toolbox for controlling quantum systems, and a vibrant research area. Topics covered include atomic structure and spectra, atom-field interactions, topics in quantum electrodynamics, methods of resonant manipulation of quantum systems, resonance optics, and experimental techniques.
PHYSICS 139 Special Relativity and General Relativity 3 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Undergraduate
Term course may be offered: Spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: 105, 110A or consent of instructor.
Historical and experimental foundations of Einstein's special theory of relativity; spatial and temporal measurements, particle dynamics, electrodynamics, Lorentz invariants. Introduction to general relativity. Selected applications. Designed for advanced undergraduates in physics and astronomy.
PHYSICS 141A Solid State Physics 4 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: 137A-137B; 137B may be taken concurrently.
A thorough introductory course in modern solid state physics. Crystal symmetries; classification of solids and their bonding; electromagnetic, elastic, and particle waves in periodic lattices; thermal magnetic and dielectric properties of solids; energy bands of metals and semi-conductors; superconductivity; magnetism; ferroelectricity; magnetic resonances.
PHYSICS 141B Solid State Physics 3 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: 137A-137B; 137B may be taken concurrently.
A thorough introductory course in modern solid state physics. Crystal symmetries; classification of solids and their bonding; electromagnetic, elastic, and particle waves in periodic lattices; thermal magnetic and dielectric properties of solids; energy bands of metals and semi-conductors; superconductivity; magnetism; ferroelectricity; magnetic resonances.
PHYSICS 142 Introduction to Plasma Physics 4 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Undergraduate
Term course may be offered: Spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: 105, 110A-110B (110B may be taken concurrently).
Motion of charged particles in electric and magnetic fields, dynamics of fully ionized plasma from both microscopic and macroscopic point of view, magnetohydrodynamics, small amplitude waves; examples from astrophysics, space sciences and controlled-fusion research.
PHYSICS 151 Elective Physics: Special Topics 3 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: Consent of instructor.
Topics vary from semester to semester. The subject matter level and scope of the course are such that it is acceptable as the required elective course in the Physics major. See Department of Physics course announcements.
Course may be repeated for credit as topic varies. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
PHYSICS C161/ASTRON C161 Relativistic Astrophysics and Cosmology 4 Units
Department: Physics; Astronomy
Course level: Undergraduate
Term course may be offered: Spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: 110A-110B; 112 (may be taken concurrently).
Elements of general relativity. Physics of pulsars, cosmic rays, black holes. The cosmological distance scale, elementary cosmological models, properties of galaxies and quasars. The mass density and age of the universe. Evidence for dark matter and dark energy and concepts of the early universe and of galaxy formation. Reflections on astrophysics as a probe of the extrema of physics.
Formerly known as C160B and Physics C160B. Instructors: Boggs, Davis, Holzapfel, A. Lee, Ma, Quataert
PHYSICS 177 Principles of Molecular Biophysics 3 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Undergraduate
Term course may be offered: Spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: 112 or consent of instructor.
We will review the structure of proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, lipids, and the forces and interactions maintaining their structure in solution. We will describe the thermodynamics and kinetics of protein folding. The principles of polymer chain statistics and of helix-coil transitions in biopolymers will be reviewed next, together with biopolymer dynamics. We will then cover the main structural methods in biology: X-ray crystallography, MNR and fluorescence spectroscopy, electron and probe microscopy, and single molecular methods.
PHYSICS H190 Physics Honors Course 2 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Undergraduate
Term course may be offered: Spring
Grading: Offered for pass/not pass grade only.
Hours and format: 2 hours of Seminar per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: Consent of instructor.
A seminar which includes study and reports on current theoretical and experimental problems. Open only to students officially in the physics honors program or with consent of instructor.
Course may be repeated for credit. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
PHYSICS C191/CHEM C191/COMPSCI C191 Quantum Information Science and Technology 3 Units
Department: Physics; Chemistry; Computer Science
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of lecture/discussion per week.
This multidisciplinary course provides an introduction to fundamental conceptual aspects of quantum mechanics from a computational and informational theoretic perspective, as well as physical implementations and technological applications of quantum information science. Basic sections of quantum algorithms, complexity, and cryptography, will be touched upon, as well as pertinent physical realizations from nanoscale science and engineering.
Instructors: Crommie, Vazirani, Whaley
PHYSICS H195A Senior Honors Thesis Research 2 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Letter grade. This is part one of a year long series course. A provisional grade of IP (in progress) will be applied and later replaced with the final grade after completing part two of the series.
Hours and format: Zero hours of Independent study per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: Open only to students in the honors program.
Thesis work under the supervision of a faculty member. To obtain credit the student must, at the end of two semesters, submit a satisfactory thesis. A total of four units must be taken. The units may be distributed between one or two semesters in any way.
PHYSICS H195B Senior Honors Thesis Research 2 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Letter grade. This is part two of a year long series course. Upon completion, the final grade will be applied to both parts of the series.
Hours and format: Zero hours of Independent study per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: Open only to students in the honors program.
Thesis work under the supervision of a faculty member. To obtain credit the student must, at the end of two semesters, submit a satisfactory thesis. A total of four units must be taken. The units may be distributed between one or two semesters in any way.
PHYSICS 198 Directed Group Study 1 - 4 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall, spring and summer
Grading: Offered for pass/not pass grade only.
Hours and format: 1 to 4 hour of Directed group study per week for 15 weeks. 1.5 to 7.5 hours of Directed group study per week for 8 weeks. 2.5 to 10 hours of Directed group study per week for 6 weeks.
Enrollment restrictions apply; see the Introduction to Courses and Curricula section in this catalog.
Course may be repeated for credit. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
PHYSICS 198BC Berkeley Connect 1 Unit
Department: Physics
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Offered for pass/not pass grade only.
Hours and format: 1 hour of directed group study per week.
Berkeley Connect is a mentoring program, offered through various academic departments, that helps students build intellectual community. Over the course of a semester, enrolled students participate in regular small-group discussions facilitated by a graduate student mentor (following a faculty-directed curriculum), meet with their graduate student mentor for one-on-one academic advising, attend lectures and panel discussions featuring department faculty and alumni, and go on field trips to campus resources. Students are not required to be declared majors in order to participate.
Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
PHYSICS 199 Supervised Independent Study 1 - 3 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall, spring and summer
Grading: Offered for pass/not pass grade only.
Hours and format: Zero hours of Independent study per week for 15 weeks. 1.5 to 4.5 hours of Independent study per week for 10 weeks. 1.5 to 5.5 hours of Independent study per week for 8 weeks. 2.5 to 7.5 hours of Independent study per week for 6 weeks.
Enrollment restrictions apply; see the Introduction to Courses and Curricula section in this catalog.
Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
PHYSICS C201/BIO ENG C280/MAT SCI C261/NSE C201 Introduction to Nano-Science and Engineering 3 Units
Department: Physics; Bioengineering; Materials Science and Engineering; Nanoscale Science and Engineering
Course level: Graduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: Major in physical science such as chemistry, physics, etc., or engineering; consent of advisor or instructor.
A three-module introduction to the fundamental topics of Nano-Science and Engineering (NSE) theory and research within chemistry, physics, biology, and engineering. This course includes quantum and solid-state physics; chemical synthesis, growth fabrication, and characterization techniques; structures and properties of semiconductors, polymer, and biomedical materials on nanoscales; and devices based on nanostructures. Students must take this course to satisfy the NSE Designated Emphasis core requirement.
Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes. Instructors: Gronsky, S.W. Lee, Wu
PHYSICS C202/ASTRON C202 Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics 4 Units
Department: Physics; Astronomy
Course level: Graduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture per week for 15 weeks.
Principles of gas dynamics, self-gravitating fluids, magnetohydrodynamics and elementary kinetic theory. Aspects of convection, fluid oscillations, linear instabilities, spiral density waves, shock waves, turbulence, accretion disks, stellar winds, and jets.
Instructors: Chiang, Kasen, Ma, Quataert, White
PHYSICS C203/NSE C242 Computational Nanoscience 3 Units
Department: Physics; Nanoscale Science and Engineering
Course level: Graduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: Graduate standing or consent of instructor.
A multidisciplinary overview of computational nanoscience for both theorists and experimentalists. This course teaches the main ideas behind different simulation methods; how to decompose a problem into "simulatable" constituents; how to simulate the same thing two different ways; knowing what you are doing and why thinking is still important; the importance of talking to experimentalists; what to do with your data and how to judge its validity; why multiscale modeling is both important and nonsense.
PHYSICS 205A Advanced Dynamics 4 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Term course may be offered: Fall
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: 105 or equivalent.
Lagrange and Hamiltonian dynamics, variational methods, symmetry, kinematics and dynamics of rotation, canonical variables and transformations, perturbation theory, non-linear dynamics, KAM theory.
PHYSICS 205B Advanced Dynamics 4 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Term course may be offered: Spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: 205A.
Continuous systems, dissipative systems. Attractors. Emphasis on recent developments, including turbulence.
PHYSICS C207/ASTRON C207 Radiation Processes in Astronomy 4 Units
Department: Physics; Astronomy
Course level: Graduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: Physics 105, 110A; 110B concurrently; open to advanced undergraduates with GPA of 3.70.
An introduction to the basic physics of astronomy and astrophysics at the graduate level. Principles of energy transfer by radiation. Elements of classical and quantum theory of photon emission; bremsstrahlung, cyclotron and synchrotron radiation. Compton scattering, atomic, molecular and nuclear electromagnetic transitions. Collisional excitation of atoms, molecules and nuclei.
Instructors: Bower, Chiang, Kasen, Quataert
PHYSICS 209 Classical Electromagnetism 5 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Term course may be offered: Fall
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: 110A-110B or consent of instructor.
Maxwell's equations, gauge transformations and tensors. Complete development of special relativity, with applications. Plane waves in material media, polarization, Fresnel equations, attenuation, and dispersion. Wave equation with sources, retarded solution for potentials, and fields. Cartesian and spherical multipole expansions, vector spherical harmonics, examples of radiating systems, diffraction, and optical theorem. Fields of charges in arbitrary motion, radiated power, relativistic (synchrotron) radiation, and radiation in collisions.
PHYSICS 211 Equilibrium Statistical Physics 4 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Term course may be offered: Fall
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: 112 or equivalent.
Foundations of statistical physics. Ensemble theory. Degenerate systems. Systems of interacting particles.
PHYSICS 212 Nonequilibrium Statistical Physics 4 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Term course may be offered: Spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: 112 and 221A-221B, or equivalents.
Time dependent processes. Kinetic equations. Transport processes. Irreversibility. Theory of many-particle systems. Fluctuation phenomena.
PHYSICS 216 Special Topics in Many-Body Physics 4 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Term course may be offered: Spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: 221A-221B or equivalent recommended.
Quantum theory of many-particle systems. Applications of theory and technique to physical systems. Pairing phenomena, superfluidity, equation of state, critical phenomena, phase transitions, nuclear matter.
PHYSICS 221A Quantum Mechanics 5 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Term course may be offered: Fall
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: 137A-137B or equivalent.
Basic assumptions of quantum mechanics; quantum theory of measurement; matrix mechanics; Schroedinger theory; symmetry and invariance principles; theory of angular momentum; stationary state problems; variational principles; time independent perturbation theory; time dependent perturbation theory; theory of scattering.
PHYSICS 221B Quantum Mechanics 5 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Term course may be offered: Spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: 221A.
Many-body methods, radiation field quantization, relativistic quantum mechanics, applications.
PHYSICS 226 Particle Physics Phenomenology 4 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Term course may be offered: Fall
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: 221A-221B or equivalent or consent of instructor.
Introduction to particle physics phenomena. Emphasis is placed on experimental tests of particle physics models. Topics include Quark model spectroscopy; weak decays; overview of detectors and accelerators; e+e- annihilation; parton model; electron-proton and neutrino-proton scattering; special topics of current interest.
PHYSICS C228/ASTRON C228 Extragalactic Astronomy and Cosmology 3 Units
Department: Physics; Astronomy
Course level: Graduate
Term course may be offered: Fall
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture per week for 15 weeks.
A survey of physical cosmology - the study of the origin, evolution, and fate of the universe. Topics include the Friedmann-Robertson-Walker model, thermal history and big bang nucleosynthesis, evidence and nature of dark matter and dark energy, the formation and growth of galaxies and large scale structure, the anisotropy of the cosmic microwave radiation, inflation in the early universe, tests of cosmological models, and current research areas. The course complements the material of Astronomy 218.
Instructors: Davis, Holzapfel, Lee, Ma, Seljak, White
PHYSICS 229 Advanced Cosmology 3 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of lecture per week. 3 hours of lecture per week.
Prerequisites: Physics/Astronomy C228 or equivalent or consent of instructor
Advanced topics in physical and early-universe cosmology. Topics include the expanding Universe, evidence and nature of dark matter and dark energy, relativistic perturbation theory, models of cosmological inflation, the formation and growth of large scale structure and the anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background, and current research areas. The course extends the material of C228.
PHYSICS 231 General Relativity 4 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Term course may be offered: Spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: 209 or equivalent, or consent of instructor.
An introduction to Einstein's theory of gravitation. Tensor analysis, general relativistic models for matter and electromagnetism, Einstein's field equations. Applications, for example, to the solar system, dense stars, black holes, and cosmology.
PHYSICS 232A Quantum Field Theory I 4 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Term course may be offered: Fall
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: 221A-221B or equivalent or consent of instructor (concurrent enrollment in 226 is recommended).
Introduction to quantum field theory: canonical quantization of scalar, electromagnetic, and Dirac fields; derivation of Feynman rules; regularization and renormalization; introduction to the renormalization group; elements of the path integral.
PHYSICS 232B Quantum Field Theory II 4 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Term course may be offered: Spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: 232A or equivalent or consent of instructor.
Renormalization of Yang-Mills gauge theories: BRST quantization of gauge theories; nonperturbative dynamics; renormalization group; basics of effective field theory; large N; solitons; instantons; dualities. Selected current topics.
PHYSICS 233A Standard Model and Beyond I 4 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Term course may be offered: Spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: 232A or equivalent or consent of instructor (concurrent enrollment in 232B is recommened).
Introduction to the standard model of particle physics and its applications: construction of the standard model; Higgs mechanism; phenomenology of weak interctions; chiral Lagrangian; QCD and scaling violation.
PHYSICS 233B Standard Model and Beyond II 4 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Term course may be offered: Fall
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: 233A or equivalent or consent of instructor.
Advanced topics in the standard model and beyond: open problems in the standard model; supersymmetric models; grand unification; neutrino physics; theories with flat and warped extra dimensions; models at the TeV scale; low string/gravity scale. Selected current topics.
Course may be repeated for credit with consent of instructor. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
PHYSICS 234A String Theory I 4 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Term course may be offered: Fall
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: 232A or equivalent or consent of instructor. 232B is recommended.
Perturbative theory of the bosonic strings, superstrings, and heterotic strings: NSR and GS formulations; 2d CFT; strings in background fields; T-duality; effective spacetime supergravity; perturbative description of D-branes; elements of compactifications and string phenomemology; perturbative mirror symmetry.
PHYSICS 234B String Theory II 4 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Term course may be offered: Spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: 234A or equivalent or consent of instructor.
Nonperturbative apsects of string theory. Topics selected from black holes; black branes; Bekenstein-Hawking entropy; D-branes; string dualities; M-theory; holographic principle and its realizations; AdS/CFT correspondence; gauge theory/gravity dualities; flux compactifications; cosmology in string theory; topological string theories. Selected current topics.
May be repeated for credit with consent of instructor. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
PHYSICS 238 Advanced Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics 4 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: 110A, 130, 137A-137B, and 138; or consent of instructor.
Contemporary topics in atomic, molecular, and optical physics are presented at an advanced level. These topics may include one or several of the following, at the discretion of the instructor: mechanical effects of light-atom interactions, ultra-cold atomic physics, molecular physics, resonance optics of multi-level atoms, and probing particle physics with atoms and molecules.
PHYSICS 240A Quantum Theory of Solids 4 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Term course may be offered: Fall
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: 141A-141B and 221A-221B or equivalents, or consent of instructor; 240A is prerequisite to 240B.
Excitations and interactions in solids; crystal structures, symmetries, Bloch's theorem; energy bands; electron dynamics; impurity states; lattice dynamics, phonons; many-electron interactions; density functional theory; dielectric functions, conductivity and optical properties; excitons; electron-phonon interactions, polarons; Fermi surfaces; magnetoresistance; quantum Hall effect; transport processes, Boltzmann equation; superconductivity, BCS theory; many-body perturbation theory, Green's functions.
PHYSICS 240B Quantum Theory of Solids 4 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Term course may be offered: Fall
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: 141A-141B and 221A-221B or equivalents, or consent of instructor; 240A is prerequisite to 240B.
Excitations and interactions in solids; crystal structures, symmetries, Bloch's theorem; energy bands; electron dynamics; impurity states; lattice dynamics, phonons; many-electron interactions; density functional theory; dielectric functions, conductivity and optical properties; excitons; electron-phonon interactions, polarons; Fermi surfaces; magnetoresistance; quantum Hall effect; transport processes, Boltzmann equation; superconductivity, BCS theory; many-body perturbation theory, Green's functions.
PHYSICS 242A Theoretical Plasma Physics 4 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring. Offered alternate years.
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: 142.
Analysis of plasma behavior according to the Vlasov, Fokker-Planck equations, guiding center and hydromagnetic descriptions. Study of equilibria, stability, linear and nonlinear electromagnetic waves, transport, and interaction with radiation. Rigorous kinetic theory.
PHYSICS 242B Theoretical Plasma Physics 4 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Term course may be offered: Fall
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: 142.
Analysis of plasma behavior according to the Vlasov, Fokker-Planck equations, guiding center and hydromagnetic descriptions. Study of equilibria, stability, linear and nonlinear electromagnetic waves, transport, and interaction with radiation. Rigorous kinetic theory.
PHYSICS 250 Special Topics in Physics 2 - 4 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 2 to 4 hours of Lecture per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: Consent of instructor.
Topics will vary from semester to semester. See Department of Physics announcements.
Course may be repeated for credit with consent of instructor. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
PHYSICS 251 Introduction to Graduate Research in Physics 1 Unit
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Term course may be offered: Fall
Grading: Offered for satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade only.
Hours and format: 1 hour of Lecture per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: Graduate standing in Department of Physics or consent of instructor.
A survey of experimental and theoretical research in the Department of Physics, designed for first-year graduate students. One regular meeting each week with supplementary visits to experimental laboratories. Meetings include discussions with research staff.
PHYSICS C254/ASTRON C254 High Energy Astrophysics 3 Units
Department: Physics; Astronomy
Course level: Graduate
Term course may be offered: Fall
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: 201 or consent of instructor. 202 recommended.
Basic physics of high energy radiation processes in an astrophysics environment. Cosmic ray production and propagation. Applications selected from pulsars, x-ray sources, supernovae, interstellar medium, extragalactic radio sources, quasars, and big-bang cosmologies.
Instructors: Boggs, Quataert
PHYSICS C285/ASTRON C285 Theoretical Astrophysics Seminar 1 Unit
Department: Physics; Astronomy
Course level: Graduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Offered for satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade only.
Hours and format: 1 hour of Lecture per week for 15 weeks.
The study of theoretical astrophysics.
Instructor: Quataert
PHYSICS 290A Seminar 2 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Offered for satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade only.
Hours and format: 2 hours of Seminar per week for 15 weeks.
Course may be repeated for credit. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
PHYSICS 290B Seminar 2 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Offered for satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade only.
Hours and format: 2 hours of Seminar per week for 15 weeks.
Course may be repeated for credit. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
PHYSICS C290C/ASTRON C290C Cosmology 2 Units
Department: Physics; Astronomy
Course level: Graduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Offered for satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade only.
Hours and format: 2 hours of Seminar per week for 15 weeks.
Course may be repeated for credit. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes. Instructors: White, Cohn
PHYSICS 290D Seminar 2 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Offered for satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade only.
Hours and format: 2 hours of Seminar per week for 15 weeks.
Course may be repeated for credit. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
PHYSICS 290E Seminar 2 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Offered for satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade only.
Hours and format: 2 hours of Seminar per week for 15 weeks.
Course may be repeated for credit. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
PHYSICS 290F Seminar 2 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Offered for satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade only.
Hours and format: 2 hours of Seminar per week for 15 weeks.
Course may be repeated for credit. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
PHYSICS 290G Seminar 2 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Offered for satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade only.
Hours and format: 2 hours of Seminar per week for 15 weeks.
Course may be repeated for credit. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
PHYSICS 290H Seminar 2 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Offered for satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade only.
Hours and format: 2 hours of Seminar per week for 15 weeks.
Course may be repeated for credit. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
PHYSICS 290I Seminar 2 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Offered for satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade only.
Hours and format: 2 hours of Seminar per week for 15 weeks.
Course may be repeated for credit. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
PHYSICS 290J Seminar 2 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Term course may be offered: Fall
Grading: Offered for satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade only.
Hours and format: 2 hours of Seminar per week for 15 weeks.
Course may be repeated for credit. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
PHYSICS 290K Seminar 2 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Offered for satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade only.
Hours and format: 2 hours of Seminar per week for 15 weeks.
Course may be repeated for credit. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
PHYSICS 290L Seminar 2 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Term course may be offered: Fall
Grading: Offered for satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade only.
Hours and format: 2 hours of Seminar per week for 15 weeks.
Course may be repeated for credit. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
PHYSICS 290N Seminar in Non-Neutral Plasmas 2 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Term course may be offered: Fall
Grading: Offered for satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade only.
Hours and format: 2 hours of Seminar per week for 15 weeks.
Course may be repeated for credit. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
PHYSICS 290P Seminar 2 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Offered for satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade only.
Hours and format: 2 hours of Seminar per week for 15 weeks.
Course may be repeated for credit. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
PHYSICS 290Q Seminar in Quantum Optics 2 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Term course may be offered: Fall
Grading: Offered for satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade only.
Hours and format: 2 hours of Seminar per week for 15 weeks.
Course may be repeated for credit. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
PHYSICS 290R Seminar 2 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Offered for satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade only.
Hours and format: 2 hours of Seminar per week for 15 weeks.
Course may be repeated for credit. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
PHYSICS 290S Seminar 2 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Offered for satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade only.
Hours and format: 2 hours of Seminar per week for 15 weeks.
Course may be repeated for credit. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
PHYSICS 290T Seminar 2 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Offered for satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade only.
Hours and format: 2 hours of Seminar per week for 15 weeks.
Course may be repeated for credit. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
PHYSICS 290X Seminar 2 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Offered for satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade only.
Hours and format: 2 hours of Seminar per week for 15 weeks.
Course may be repeated for credit. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
PHYSICS 290Y Seminar 2 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Offered for satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade only.
Hours and format: 2 hours of Seminar per week for 15 weeks.
Course may be repeated for credit. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
PHYSICS 290Z Seminar 2 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Offered for satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade only.
Hours and format: 2 hours of Seminar per week for 15 weeks.
Course may be repeated for credit. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
PHYSICS 295 Special Study for Graduate Students 1 - 4 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall, spring and summer
Grading: Offered for satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade only.
Hours and format: 1 to 4 hour of Independent study per week for 15 weeks. 1 to 4 hour of Independent study per week for 8 weeks. 1 to 4 hour of Independent study per week for 6 weeks.
Prerequisites: Graduate standing.
This course is arranged to allow qualified graduate students to investigate possible research fields or to pursue problems of interest through reading or non-laboratory study under the direction of faculty members who agree to give such supervision.
Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
PHYSICS 299 Research 1 - 12 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall, spring and summer
Grading: Offered for satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade only.
Hours and format: Zero hours of Independent study per week for 15 weeks. 1 to 12 hour of Independent study per week for 8 weeks. 1 to 12 hour of Independent study per week for 6 weeks.
Prerequisites: Graduate standing.
Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
PHYSICS 301 Advanced Professional Preparation: Supervised Teaching of Physics 1 - 2 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Professional course for teachers or prospective teachers
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Offered for satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade only.
Hours and format: 1 hour of informal meeting and 10 to 20 hours of teaching per week.
Prerequisites: 300.
Discussion, problem review and development, guidance of physics laboratory experiments, course development.
Course may be repeated for credit. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
PHYSICS 375 Professional Preparation: Supervised Teaching of Physics 2 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Professional course for teachers or prospective teachers
Term course may be offered: Fall
Grading: Offered for satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade only.
Hours and format: 2 hours of lecture plus 10 to 20 hours of teaching per week.
Prerequisites: Graduate standing or consent of instructor; may be taken concurrently with 301.
Mandatory for first time GSIs. Topics include teaching theory, effective teaching methods, educational objectives, alternatives to standard classroom methods, reciprocal classroom visitations, and guided group and self-analysis of videotapes.
Course may be repeated for credit. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes. Formerly known as Physics 300.
PHYSICS 602 Individual Study for Doctoral Students 1 - 8 Units
Department: Physics
Course level: Graduate examination preparation
Terms course may be offered: Fall, spring and summer
Grading: Offered for satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade only.
Hours and format: 1 to 8 hour of Independent study per week for 15 weeks. 1 to 8 hour of Independent study per week for 8 weeks. 1 to 8 hour of Independent study per week for 6 weeks.
Prerequisites: For qualified graduate students.
Individual study in consultation with the major field adviser intended to provide an opportunity for qualified students to prepare themselves for the various examinations required of candidates for the Ph.D.
Course may be repeated for credit. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes. Course does not satisfy unit or residence requirements for doctoral degree.
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