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Graduate

Graduate Courses

Penn State Graduate Bulletin

 

PHYS 510 General Relativity I (3) Foundations of general relativity, elements of differential geometry, Einstein's equation, Newtonian limit, gravity waves, Friedmann cosmologies and Schwarzschild solution. 
Effective: Spring 1996 
Prerequisite: PHYS 557 

PHYS 511 Topics in General Relativity (3) Selected topics from: Cauchy problem, Hamiltonian formulation, positive energy theorems, asymptotics, gravitational radiation, singularity theorems, black-holes, cosmology, observational tests. 
Effective: Spring 1996 
Prerequisite: PHYS 510

PHYS 512 Quantum Theory of Solids I (3) Electrons in periodic potentials; single electron approximations; lattice dynamics; electrical, optical, and magnetic properties of solids; transport theory. 
Effective: Spring 1996 
Prerequisite: PHYS 412 Concurrent: PHYS 517

PHYS 513 Quantum Theory of Solids II (3) Electron-phonon interaction, BCS theory; Landau Fermi-liquid theory; disorder and localized states; spin-wave theroy; many-body theory. 
Effective: Spring 1996 
Prerequisite: PHYS 512

PHYS 514 Physics of Surfaces, Interfaces, and Thin Films (3) This course focuses on interfacial and surface phenomena; structural, electronic, vibrational and thermodynamic properties; physisorption and chemisorption; phase transitions and ultrathin film nucleation; and growth phenomena. 
Effective: Summer 1995 
Prerequisite: PHYS 412

PHYS 517 Statistical Mechanics (3) Thermodynamics, classical and quantum statistics; Bose and Fermi gases; Boltzmann transport equation; phase transitions, critical phenomena; Ising model. 
Effective: Spring 1996 
Prerequisite: PHYS 561

PHYS 518 Critical Phenomena and Field Theory (3) Critical phenomena using field theoretical and renormalization group techni- ques; solvable statistical models and conformal field study; fluctuations and random processes. 
Effective: Spring 2011 
Prerequisite: PHYS 517

PHYS 524 Physics of Semiconductors and Devices (3) Electronic structure, optical and transport properties of crystalline and amorphous semiconductors, quantum wells, superlattices; quantum devices; quantum Hall effect. 
Effective: Spring 1996 
Prerequisite: PHYS 412

PHYS 525 Methods of Theoretical Physics I (3) Complex variables, Hilbert spaces, linear operators, calculus of variations, Fourier analysis, Green's functions, distributions, differential equations, and special functions. 
Effective: Spring 1996

PHYS 526 Methods of Theoretical Physics II (3) Finite and Lie groups, representations and application to condensed matter and particle physics; selected topics from differential geometry. 
Effective: Spring 1996 
Prerequisite: PHYS 525

PHYS 527 (ASTRO 527) Computational Physics and Astrophysics (3) Introduction to numerical methods for modeling physical phenomena in condensed matter, atomic and high energy physics, gravitation, cosmology and astrophy. 
Effective: Fall 2008

PHYS 530 Theoretical Mechanics (3) Newtonian mechanics, noninertial coordinate system, Lagrangian mechanics, small oscillations, Hamiltonian formulation, canonical transformations, Hamilton-Jacobi theroy, dynamical systems. 
Effective: Spring 1996 
Prerequisite: PHYS 419

PHYS 533 Theoretical Acoustics (3) Wave propagation in complex systems and materials: viscoelastic fluids, superfluids, elastic solids, periodic and random media, nonlinear media. 
Effective: Spring 1996

PHYS 541 Elementary Particle Phenomenology (3) Baryons and mesons; leptons and quarks; electromagnetic and weak inter- actions and their unification; quantum chromodynamics; experimental techni- ques. 
Effective: Spring 1996 
Prerequisite: PHYS 562

PHYS 542 Standard Model of Elementary Particles Physics (3) Weinberg-Salam model of electroweak interactions, spontaneous symmetry breaking, quantum chromodynamics; selected topics from grand unified theories and superstring theory. 
Effective: Summer 1995 
Prerequisite: PHYS 564

PHYS 545 (ASTRO 545) Cosmology (3) Modern cosmology of the early universe, including inflation, the cosmic microwave background, nucleosynthesis, dark matter and energy. 
Effective: Spring 2009

PHYS 555 (MATSE 555) Polymer Physics I (3) Introduction to the fundamental concepts needed to understand the physics applicable to polymer melts, solutions and gels. 
Effective: Spring 2006

PHYS 557 Electrodynamics (3) Special relativity, electromagneti fields, Maxwell's equations, conservation laws, electrostatics and magnetostatics. 
Effective: Spring 2011 
Prerequisite: PHYS 400

PHYS 559 Graduate Laboratory (2) Study and applications of techniques and instrumentation used in modern physics laboratories. 
Effective: Spring 1996

PHYS 561 Quantum Mechanics I (3) Postulates of quantum mechanics, Hilbert space methods, one dimensional potentials, spin systems, Harmonic oscillator, angular momentum, Hydrogen atom. 
Effective: Spring 1996 
Prerequisite: PHYS 410

PHYS 562 Quantum Mechanics II (3) Addition of angular momenta, perturbation theory, variational principle, scattering theory, density matrices, identical particles, interpretations of quantum mechanics, Dirac theory. 
Effective: Spring 1996 
Prerequisite: PHYS 561

PHYS 563 Quantum Field Theory I (3) Canonical and functional integral quantization of relativistic and non- relativistic field theories; Feynman diagrams; spontaneous symmetry breaking; renormalization group. 
Effective: Spring 1996 
Prerequisite: PHYS 562

PHYS 564 Quantum Field Theory II (3) Abelian and non-Abelian gauge theories; renormalization group and operator product expansions; BRST quantization; scattering theory, other related topics. 
Effective: Spring 1996 
Prerequisite: PHYS 563

PHYS 565 Interface of General Relativity and Quantum Physics (3) Limitations of perturbative methods, conceptual problems; selected topics from black hole thermodynamics, canonical quantum gravity, loop space methods and string-theory. 
Effective: Summer 1995 
Prerequisite: PHYS 510PHYS 563

PHYS 571 Modern Atomic Physics (3) Light-atom interactions, atomic structure, laser cooling and trapping, interferometry, and Bose-Einstein condensation. 
Effective: Spring 2011 
Prerequisite: PHYS 411PHYS 561 or CHEM 565

PHYS 572 Laser Physics and Quantum Optics (3) Theory of modern lasers, non-linear and quantum optics, photon statistics, laser spectroscopies, pulsed lasers. 
Effective: Spring 2011 
Prerequisite: PHYS 410PHYS 561 or CHEM 565

PHYS 580 Elements of Network Science and Its Applications (3) Introduction to elements of network theory used to describe and model complex networks; applictions in social, biological, and technological networks. 
Effective: Spring 2011 
Prerequisite: knowledge of basis calculus

PHYS 590 Colloquium (1-3) Continuing seminars that consist of a series of individual lectures by faculty, students, or outside speakers. 
Effective: Summer 1997

PHYS 596 Individual Studies (1-9) Creative projects, including nonthesis research, which are supervised on an individual basis and which fall outside the scope of formal courses. 
Effective: Spring 1987 

PHYS 597 Special Topics (1-9) Formal courses given on a topical or special interest subject which may be offered infrequently. 
Effective: Spring 1987