22.3 Course Descriptions
Not all of the courses listed below will necessarily be offered in any one year.
64-510. Seminar for M.Sc. Students
In order to receive credit for this course, a student should attend the weekly departmental seminar throughout M.Sc. studies and present a minimum of one seminar on a topic approved by the Seminar Coordinator.
64-520. Classical Electrodynamics
Radiation by moving charges, synchrotron radiation, bremsstrahlung, scattering of radiation, multiple fields, radiation reaction.
64-540. Theory of Particle Scattering
Classical theory of scattering. Formal quantum theory. The definitions of cross sections, transition probabilities and related concepts. The Born approximation, phase shifts.
64-542. Atomic and Molecular Processes I
Atomic/molecular beam methods and techniques. Collision phenomena in atomic and molecular scattering, including elastic, inelastic and reactive scattering, excitation, ionization, and charge exchange. Detailed discussion of the experimental results and their interpretation in terms of interatomic/molecular forces and potentials.
64-543. Atomic and Molecular Processes II
A variety of topics in electron and photon collisions highlighting current advances in these fields and including total and differential elastic and inelastic scattering of electrons and positrons, resonances, polarization, coherence and correlation effects, post-collision interactions, photon-stimulation spectroscopy. (Prerequisite: 64-542.)
64-544. Theory of Atomic Structure and Atomic Spectra
Rotation matrices, 3n-j coefficients and graphical techniques for angular-momentum coupling, irreducible tensor operators, the Wigner-Eckart theorem and applications, the density matrix, interactions of atoms with external fields.
64-546. Molecular Spectroscopy
Diatomic molecules, Born-Oppenheimer approximation, adiabatic potentials, Hund's coupling cases, rotational, vibrational, and electronic states and associated spectra. Applications of group theory to the structure and spectra of polyatomic molecules.
64-550. Advanced Quantum Theory I
General principles, representations and transformation theory. Approximation methods. Many-body problems and identical particles.
64-551. Advanced Quantum Theory II
Number representations and second quantization. Dirac equation. An introduction into quantum electrodynamics and the electro-weak theory. (Prerequisite: 64-550.)
64-560. Solid State Physics I
Application of group theory to condensed matter physics: the study of point groups, Bravais lattices and space groups. Inverse lattice with applications to scattering phenomena.
64-563. Introduction to Elementary Particles
Long-lived particles; basic interactions and antiparticles; conservation laws and C, P, T; pions and nucleons; magnetic moments; strange particles; leptons; resonances; SU(3) multplets of hadrons; Regge poles, SU(6), and quarks.
64-574. General Theory of Relativity
The principle of equivalence, general covariance. Riemann spacetime Einstein field equations.
64-581. Theory and Applications of Thin Films
Definition of thin films and their classification; methods of preparation; elements of high-vacuum technology; thin-film formation, structure and methods of investigation; mechanical, optical, electrical properties of thin films and their application in modern technology.
64-584. Design and Application of Lasers
Stimulated emission, rate equation approach to amplification and output power calculations; Gaussian beams, stable and unstable resonators; Q-switching, mode-locking and cavity-dumping; ruby, Nd:YAG and other solid state lasers; semi-conductor, gas and dye lasers.
64-585. Atmospheric and Environmental Physics
Physics of the atmosphere, general description and layering, interactions of incoming and outgoing radiations, greenhouse effect, atmospheric thermodynamics and stability, cloud physics, atmospheric dynamics, gravity waves and turbulence, atmospheric photochemistry, ozone layer, upper atmosphere, plasma and hydromagnetic effects, ionospere, air glow and aurora.
64-587. Applications of Electron, Ion and Atomic Beams
Non-relativistic theory of charged particles in electric and magnetic fields. Review of matrix optics, electrostatic lenses, magnetic lenses, electrostatic and magnetic vector fields. Applications to energy and mass analysis. The Liouville Theorem and its consequences. Dense electron beams and applications.
64-610. Seminar for Ph.D. Students
In order to receive credit for this course, a student should attend the weekly departmental seminar throughout Ph.D. studies and present a minimum of two seminars on topics approved by the Seminar Coordinator.
64-612, 64-613. Selected Topics in Theoretical and Experimental Physics
These courses consist of two survey lecture series to be selected from among several
which will be offered each year. Each lecture series lasts for approximately half a term. Credit may not be obtained for any survey courses in subjects in which the student has taken another graduate course.
64-630. Statistical Physics I
Review of thermodynamics; information theory. The many-body problem in quantum mechanics, particle number representation. Statistical (density) matrix. The perfect gas, real gases, dense plasma, applications.
64-631. Statistical Physics II
The theory of macroscopic quantum phenomena. (Prerequisite: 64- 630.)
64-640. Elementary Particles and Their Symmetries
Symmetries and conservation laws, group representations, and particle muliplets; Lie groups and algebras; generators and weights of SU(n); the quark model; quantum chromodynamics; electro-weak interaction theory; supersymmetry; path integrals and Feynman diagrams.
64-650. Classical and Quantum Field Theory I
Variational principles and conservation laws and applications, field equations and their solutions. (Prerequisite: 64-551.)
64-651. Classical and Quantum Field Theory II
Quantization of fields; scalar, vector, and spinor fields. Quantum electrodynamics and applications; renormalization and radiative corrections. (Prerequisite: 64-650.)
64-660. Advanced Topics in Condensed Matter Physics
Crystal field theory in the weak and strong coupling schemes. Molecular orbitals; vibronic interactions. Electronic structure and spectra of molecular complexes. (Prerequisite: 64-551.)
64-796. M.Sc. Major Paper
64-797. M.Sc. Thesis
64-798. Ph.D. Dissertation