Last updated: July 25, 2001 @ 08:49AM
Physics
Chair
Bozidar Mitrovic
Professor Emeritus
Colin A. Plint
Professors
Shyamal K. Bose, Bozidar Mitrovic, Fereidoon S. Razavi, Stuart M. Rothstein, Ramesh C. Shukla, Jan Vrbik
Associate Professors
Maureen Reedyk, Edward Sternin
Senior Laboratory Instructor
Frank A. Benko
Laboratory Demonstrator
Fulvio (Phil) Boseglav
Master of Science Program
Administrative Assistant
Alice Witvoet, extension 3412
Mackenzie Chown B210
http://www.physics.brocku.ca/gprogram.html
Admission Requirements
Candidates with an honours BA or BSc degree in Physics may apply to the Chair of the Department for entry into the program. Candidates holding a pass degree without sufficient concentration in Physics may, with the consent of the department, enrol in a qualifying year similar to year 4 of the honours program before formally applying for entry to the MSc program.
Applicants may be required to write the Graduate Record Examination and/or an English language proficiency test. Full-time candidates with an honours degree or who have completed a qualifying year require a minimum of one year of resident study in a program that must be approved by the Chair of the Department.
Program Requirements
The program must include PHYS 5F90 and two credits, of which at least one must be a graduate course. Further credits may be required where a candidate is deficient in a particular area.
Part-time candidates may be considered, in which case at least two years of study beyond the honours degree is required
Research Fields
The department's main research emphasis is on solid state physics. The following research fields are currently being pursued:
Theoretical physics
Lattice dynamics: lattice vibrations in simple metals, thermodynamics of anharmonic crystals, formalism of interacting many-body systems, Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics simulations.
Superconductivity: localization and superconductivity, high-Tc materials, superconducting glassy state.
Transport in metals: transport properties of heavy fermion systems.
Non-crystalline materials: calculation of electronic structure and transport properties of amorphous and liquid metals, quasicrystals,alloys and semiconductors, vibrational and magnetic properties of amorphous solids.
Monte Carlo study of spin systems.
Experimental physics
Investigation of the optical properties of materials with low Tc phase transitions (e.g., superconductors, heavy fermion spin- and charge-density wave compounds) via far-infrared reflectance spectroscopy.
Tunneling spectroscopy of superconductors, transport studies in metals and alloys, magnetic susceptibility measurements, transport and superconducting properties under pressure, heavy fermions and amorphous compounds, high-Tc materials.
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy and relaxation measurements in soft condensed matter systems. Study of collective motions in model membranes, phase transitions in liquid crystals.
Experimental research facilities are supported by electronics, glassblowing and machine shop services. The University provides computing facilities using Silicon Graphics 4D43 central UNIX servers.
Undergraduate Courses
A number of fourth-year courses carrying graduate credit are offered by the department and can be selected with the permission of the Supervisor and the Chair.
Course Descriptions
A selection of the following courses, determined in part by student interest, will be offered each year. Further information about the courses to be offered in any year may be obtained from the Chair of the Department.
PHYS 5F90
MSc Thesis
A research project involving the preparation and defence of a thesis which will demonstrate a capacity for independent work. The research shall be carried out under the supervision of a faculty member and the thesis defended at an oral examination.
PHYS 5P00
Quantum Chemistry: Theory
(also offered as CHEM 5P00)
Self-consistent-field (SCF) method: configuration interaction; basis functions; electron correlation; physical properties of atoms, diatomic and polyatomic molecules.
PHYS 5P30
Advanced Electromagnetism
Electromagnetic wave propagation in vacuum, dielectrics, conductors and ionized gases; wave guide and transmission line propagation; dipole and quadrupole radiation fields; relativistictransformation of the electromagnetic fields; radiation by moving charges.
PHYS 5P41
Advanced Statistical Physics
Statistical ensembles, mean field and Landau theory, critical phenomena and the renormalization group; quantum fluids; superfluidity; linear response theory; selected topics on disordered systems.
PHYS 5P50
Advanced Quantum Mechanics I
Angular momenta, relativistic Schrodinger equation, Dirac equation, positron theory and many electron problems.
PHYS 5P51
Advanced Quantum Mechanics II
Symmetry, collision theory, Green's function, S-matrix, field quantization.
PHYS 5P70
Advanced Condensed Matter Physics
Topics to be selected.
PHYS 5P72
Many Body Theory
Green's functions at zero and finite temperature; perturbation theory and Feynman diagrams; linear response theory; electron- electron interaction; electron-phonon interaction; electrons in disordered systems; Fermi liquid theory; BCS theory of superconducti-
vity.
Prerequisite: PHYS 5P50 and 5P51.
PHYS 5P74
Anharmonicity in Crystals
General theories of anharmonicity and its effect on material properties, perturbation theory techniques in anharmonic problems, Helmholtz free energy, thermodynamic properties and neutron scattering in crystals.
PHYS 5P75
Optical Properties of Solids
Measurement techniques; reflectivity, the dielectric function and the optical conductivity; Lorentz-Drude oscillator model; Kramers-Kronig transformations and sum rules; properties of metals, insulators and superconductors.
PHYS 5P76
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
Density matrix formulation of NMR theory; spectroscopy of simple spin systems and spin-dependent interactions; relaxation theory; spin temperature; dipolar broadening in solids; NMR of soft condensed matter systems; practical aspects of high-fidelity solid-state NMR; NMR spectrometer design; NMR imaging and microscopy.
Prerequisite: PHYS 5P50, PHYS 2P31 and 3P92 for the technical parts - if given; strong background in quantum mechanics will be assumed.