Course Descriptions

Lagrange's equation of Motion, Hamilton formulation, Phase-space considerations, Liouville theorem, Poisson brackets, Action-angle variables, Hamilton-Jacobi Equation, Integrable systems, Canonical Perturbation theory, KAM theorem, Phase-space mapping, Henon, Standard and tangent Maps, Local and Global Chaos, Dissipative systems.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours

Topics include boundary-value problems of electrostatics and magnetostatics, time varying fields, radiation and multipole fields.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): PHYS 816.3 or equivalent.

This course provides advanced treatment of electromagnetic waves in matter, radiation and relativistic electrodynamics.

Prerequisite(s): An undergraduate Electromagnetics course or equivalent.
Note(s): Students may receive credit for only one of PHYS 816 or PHYS 456.

The structure and composition of the Earth's atmosphere; mean circulation, tides and wave motions; the major photochemical processes and their implications; the physical processes of the ionosphere and the magnetosphere; and experimental methods.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Note: Instruction is given jointly by members of the Institute of Space and Atmospheric Studies.
Note: Students with may receive credit for only one of PHYS 821.3 or PHYS 422.3

Deals with the application of radio methods to studies of the upper atmosphere. Topics discussed include the magneto-ionic theory; scattering of radio waves by meteors and aurora, scattering, generation and absorption of radio waves in the solar and terrestrial atmospheres, solar-terrestrial-relations and the methods of radio astronomy applied to upper atmospheric measurements.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours

Solar and terrestrial radiation; absorption, emission and scattering in terrestrial and planetary atmospheres; radiative transfer; remote sensing of atmospheric properties; climate models (greenhouse effect, atmospheric evolution).

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): PHYS 821 or permission of the instructor.

This course introduces students to practical physics problems that cannot be solved analytically and the numerical approaches and computational techniques used to estimate their solutions. Problems will typically be taken from mechanics, thermodynamics, electricity and magnetism, and solid state physics with examples such as n-body orbits, fields in complicated boundaries, electronic structures of atoms, thermal profile of a nuclear waste rod, and non-linear chaotic systems. The computational techniques introduced to solve these problems include Runge-Kutta methods, spectral analysis, relaxation and finite element methods, and Monte Carlo simulations. A brief introduction to the issues of using high performance computing and parallel computing techniques is also included.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): EP 320, PHYS 223, PHYS 356, PHYS 383, and CMPT 141.
Note: Students may have credit for only one of PHYS 828 or EP 428.

This is an interdisciplinary special topic course targeted for graduate students with interest in synchrotron radiation and synchrotron science. The following topics are normally covered: spectroscopy with microfocussed beams of soft x-rays and infrared; x-ray diffraction studies of the electron and molecular structure of crystallizable proteins; near edge absorption spectroscopy; fine structure of extended x-ray absorption spectra.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours

Development of the physical ideas and mathematical skills leading to general relativity as a theory of gravitation; solutions of the Einstein field equations and observational tests of general relativity; applications to black holes and cosmological models.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours

Introduction to electromagnetic and weak interactions as relevant to nuclear and particle physics. Symmetries in sub-atomic physics, weak decays, selection rules and electromagnetic processes.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): PHYS 482 and 452.

Discusses the basic concepts of plasma physics. Reading of assigned literature in plasma physics is required.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours

Provides a kinetic theory treatment of plasma transport phenomena - conductivity, diffusion, heat flow - and the relaxation times for particle deflection, momentum transfer, energy relaxation. Various plasma measurement techniques are then discussed, including the use of microwaves, probes, laser scattering and particle energy analyzers.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): PHYS 861.

As part of basic training of graduate students, this core course aims to reinforce the student's understanding of the fundamental concepts and techniques of statistical mechanics, and to advance the student's general knowledge of phase transitions and critical phenomena. The course will not only broaden the student's general knowledge of statistical physics, but will also expose the student to a variety of current research topics. In this course, three basic ensembles (microcanonical, canonical, grandcanonical) are first reviewed for both classical and quantum-mechanical statistical mechanics, and the classical limit of ideal gas is discussed. The quantum-mechanical collective phenomena in Fermi and Bose systems are examined. Finally, the techniques for analysing quantum critical phenomena and the Landau theory of phase transition are studied in detail, along with their applications to various physical systems.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): An undergraduate course in Statistical Mechanics and Quantum Mechanics.

Concepts in advanced quantum mechanics. Topics include perturbation theory, relativistic corrections, scattering theory, second quantization, non-relativistic QED, and selected applications to subatomic, atomic, molecular, or solid-state systems.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours

Fundamental concepts in quantum field theory. Topics include relativistic field equations; canonical and path integral quantization; symmetries, conservation laws, and symmetry breaking; interacting field theories relevant to condensed matter and subatomic physics; tree-level processes.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours

The course continues the study of topics in advanced quantum mechanics with a focus on relativistic quantum mechanics: Quantization of electromagnetic fields, photon emission and absorption, scattering of photons, Klein-Gordon equation, Dirac equation, non-relativistic limit of the Klein-Gordon and Dirac equations, relativistic corrections to the Schrodinger equation, quantization of the Klein-Gordon and Dirac fields, and scattering cross sections in quantum electrodynamics.

Prerequisite(s): PHYS 883.3 or PHYS 481.3 or equivalent.
Note(s): Students may receive credit for only one of PHYS 886 or PHYS 482.

Advanced topics are selected to aid graduate students with their research. Depending on student interests the following subjects may be covered: electronic structure of advanced materials, high temperature superconductors, and biomaterials. Experimental methods in solid state physics and material science. Nanoscale physics, surface phenomena and soft condensed matter physics.

Permission of instructor required.
Note: Students may take this course more than once for credit, provided the topic covered in each offering differs substantially. Students must consult the Department to ensure that the topics covered are different.

Advanced topics in Physics and Engineering Physics selected to aid graduate students with their research. Consists of assigned readings in texts and/or scientific journals, related discussions, and additional lectures.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Permission of instructor required.
Note: Students may take this course more than once for credit, provided the topic covered in each offering differs substantially. Students must consult the Department to ensure that the topics covered are different.

Advanced topics in theoretical physics selected to aid graduate students with their research. Consists of assigned readings in texts and/or scientific journals, related discussions, and additional lectures.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Permission of instructor required.
Note: Students may take this course more than once for credit, provided the topic covered in each offering differs substantially. Students must consult the Department to ensure that the topics covered are different.

Advanced topics in subatomic physics selected to aid graduate students with their research. Consists of assigned readings in texts and/or scientific journals, related discussions, and additional lectures.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Permission of instructor required.
Note: Students may take this course more than once for credit, provided the topic covered in each offering differs substantially. Students must consult the Department to ensure that the topics covered are different.

Advanced topics in space and atmospheric physics selected to aid graduate students with their research. Consists of assigned readings in texts and/or scientific journals, related discussions, and additional lectures.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Permission of instructor required.
Note: Students may take this course more than once for credit, provided the topic covered in each offering differs substantially. Students must consult the Department to ensure that the topics covered are different.

Consists of assigned reading in texts and scientific journals on which the students report; additional lectures by the professor in charge are also given. Depending on the interests of the students, the topics are in the field of nuclear, or theoretical or upper atmospheric physics.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours

Offered occasionally in special situations. Students interested in these courses should contact the department for more information.