Graduate Program

This course surveys observations, theories, and methods of modern astronomy. The course is predominantly for non-science majors, aiming to provide a conceptual understanding of the universe and the basic physics that governs it. Due to the broad coverage of this course, the specific topics and concepts treated may vary. Commonly presented subjects include the general movements of the sky and history of astronomy, followed by an introduction to basic physics concepts like Newton’s and Kepler’s laws of motion. The course may also provide modern details and facts about celestial bodies in our solar system, as well as differentiation between them: Terrestrial and Jovian planets, exoplanets, the practical meaning of “dwarf planets”, asteroids, comets, and Kuiper Belt and Trans-Neptunian Objects. Beyond this we may study stars and galaxies, star clusters, nebulae, black holes, clusters of galaxies and dark matter. Finally, we may study cosmology, the structure and history of the universe.

Meets New Mexico General Education Curriculum Area 3: Physical and Natural Sciences.

Includes hands-on exercises that work to reinforce concepts covered in the lecture, and may include additional components that introduce students to the night sky. Two hours lab.

Meets New Mexico General Education Curriculum Area 3: Physical and Natural Sciences.

Pre- or corequisite: 1115.

Prerequisite: 1115.

{Offered upon demand}

An introductory course covering the basics of the night sky, relevant physics, and the Solar System. The level of math is trigonometry and pre-calculus. First of a two-semester sequence.

Prerequisite: MATH 1230 or MATH 1250 or MATH 1512.

Pre- or corequisite: PHYS 1230 or PHYS 1310.

{Fall}

Students learn how to carry out astronomical observations using actual telescopes. Students learn the basics of the celestial sphere, telescope design and characteristics planning observations, astronomical data reduction, how to make measurements from astronomical data, interpreting results, and writing reports. The topics of the lab are aligned with 2110. The level of math is trigonometry and pre-calculus. Three hours lab.

Pre- or corequisite: 2110.

{Fall}

An introductory course covering the Sun, stars, the Milky Way, galaxies and cosmology. The level of math is trigonometry and pre-calculus. Second of a two-semester sequence.

Prerequisite: MATH 1230 or MATH 1250. 

Pre- or corequisite: Any physics course numbered 1200 or higher.

{Spring}

Students learn how to carry out astronomical observations using actual telescopes. Students learn the basics of the celestial sphere, telescope design and characteristics planning observations, astronomical data reduction, how to make measurements from astronomical data, interpreting results, and writing reports. The topics of the lab are aligned with 2115. Three hours lab.

Pre- or corequisite: 2115.

{Spring}

Gravitation, radiation, relativity, stellar atmospheres, structure, and evolution.

Prerequisite: PHYS **330.

{Fall}

Applications of advanced astrophysical concepts to the interstellar medium, star formation, the Milky Way, external galaxies, and cosmology.

Prerequisite: *421.

{Spring}

Single dish and aperture synthesis radio observations; emission processes at radio wavelengths: synchrotron radiation, thermal bremsstrahlung.

Prerequisite: PHYS **330.

{Alternate Springs}

Principles of optics and quantum physics applied to modern astronomical instrumentation (over a wide range of electromagnetic wavelengths), data acquisition and processing.

{Offered upon demand}

Planetary physics; planetary investigation using space vehicles; optical properties of planetary atmospheres.

{Offered upon demand}

(Also offered as PHYS 456)

Independent studies course for students seeking departmental honors.

Principles of optics and quantum physics applied to modern astronomical instrumentation (over a wide range of electromagnetic wavelengths), data acquisition and processing.

{Offered upon demand}

Astrophysical problems illustrating E&M and classical/statistical mechanics: expansion of the universe; dark matter; big-bang nucleosynthesis; stellar interiors; neutron stars; supernovae. May be repeated when topics are different.

{Alternate Falls}

Astrophysical problems as illustrations of quantum mechanics: atoms; molecules; spectral lines; ionized regions surrounding stars; centers of active galaxies; Lyman-alpha forest. May be repeated when topics are different.

Prerequisite: PHYS 521.

{Alternate Springs}

Applications of advanced astrophysical concepts to the interstellar medium, star formation, the Milky Way, external galaxies, and cosmology.

Prerequisite: *421.

{Spring}

Single dish and aperture synthesis radio observations; emission processes at radio wavelengths: synchrotron radiation, thermal bremsstrahlung.

Prerequisite: PHYS **330.

{Alternate Springs}

If you are curious about how common things work, about physics that is relevant to social and political issues, or just about the natural world in general, this is just the course for you! No previous background in physics or mathematics (beyond high school algebra) is required or expected. Just bring a lively curiosity and a dedication to learning new things.

Meets New Mexico General Education Curriculum Area 3: Physical and Natural Sciences.

{Spring}

Overview of the concepts and basic phenomena of physics. This course provides a largely descriptive and qualitative treatment with a minimum use of elementary mathematics to solve problems. No previous knowledge of physics is assumed.

Meets New Mexico General Education Curriculum Area 3: Physical and Natural Sciences.

A series of laboratory experiments associated with the material presented in 1115. Two hours lab.

Meets New Mexico General Education Curriculum Area 3: Physical and Natural Sciences.

Pre- or corequisite: 1115.

This course is designed for students who need more experience with force and motion before tackling 1230 or 1310. It also serves as a good refresher for students who let some time lapse between taking Physics I and II.

{Second half of Fall and Spring}

Introduction for non-science majors to basic concepts, laws, and skills in physics, in the context of a study of sound, acoustics, and music.

{Spring}

Experiments to accompany 1125. Two hours lab.

Pre- or corequisite: 1125.

{Spring}

An algebra-based treatment of Newtonian mechanics. Topics include kinematics and dynamics in one and two dimensions, conservation of energy and momentum, rotational motion, equilibrium, and fluids.

The sequence (PHYS 1230, 1230L, 1240, 1240L) is required of pre-medical, pre-dental, and pre-optometry students. Only 1230 and 1240 are required of pharmacy students.

Credit for both this course and PHYS 1310 may not be applied toward a degree program.

Meets New Mexico General Education Curriculum Area 3: Physical and Natural Sciences.

Prerequisite: MATH 1240 or MATH 1250 or MATH 1430 or MATH 1512 or ACT Math =>28 or SAT Math Section =>660 or ACCUPLACER Next-Generation Advanced Algebra and Functions =>284.

{Summer, Fall, Spring}

A series of laboratory experiments associated with the material presented in 1230. Three hours lab.

Meets New Mexico General Education Curriculum Area 3: Physical and Natural Sciences.

Pre- or corequisite: 1230.

This is a supplemental course for 1230.

Offered on a CR/NC basis only.

Corequisite: 1230.

The second half of a two semester algebra-based introduction to physics. This course covers electricity, magnetism and optics.

Credit for both this course and PHYS 1320 may not be applied toward a degree program.

Meets New Mexico General Education Curriculum Area 3: Physical and Natural Sciences.

Prerequisite: 1230.

A series of laboratory experiments associated with the material presented in 1240. Three hours lab.

Meets New Mexico General Education Curriculum Area 3: Physical and Natural Sciences.

Pre- or corequisite: 1240.

This is a supplemental course for 1240.

Offered on a CR/NC basis only.

Corequisite: 1240.

A calculus-level treatment of classical mechanics and waves, which is concerned with the physical motion concepts, forces, energy concepts, momentum, rotational motion, angular momentum, gravity, and static equilibrium.

Credit for both this course and PHYS 1230 may not be applied toward a degree program.

Meets New Mexico General Education Curriculum Area 3: Physical and Natural Sciences.

Pre- or corequisite: MATH 1512.

A series of laboratory experiments associated with the material presented in 1310. Students will apply the principles and concepts highlighting the main objectives covered in coursework for 1310. Three hours lab.

Meets New Mexico General Education Curriculum Area 3: Physical and Natural Sciences.

Pre- or corequisite: 1310.

This is a supplemental course for 1310.

Offered on a CR/NC basis only.

Corequisite: 1310.

A calculus-level treatment of classical electricity and magnetism. It is strongly recommended that this course is taken at the same time as 1320L.

Credit for both this course and PHYS 1240 may not be applied toward a degree program.

Meets New Mexico General Education Curriculum Area 3: Physical and Natural Sciences.

Prerequisite: 1310.

Pre- or corequisite: MATH 1522.

A series of laboratory experiments associated with the material presented in 1320. Students will apply the principles and concepts highlighting the main objectives covered in coursework for 1320. Three hours lab.

Meets New Mexico General Education Curriculum Area 3: Physical and Natural Sciences.

Pre- or corequisite: 1320.

This is a supplemental course for 1320.

Offered on a CR/NC basis only.

Corequisite: 1320.

This course, the third in the calculus based sequence for science and engineering students, is a study of optics and topics in modern physics.

Prerequisite: 1320.

Pre- or corequisite: MATH 2530.

Covers topics in geometrical optics, wave optics and modern physics at the calculus level. Lab activities mirror and enhance lecture topics. Hands-on experiments involving data collection and analysis give students a better conceptual framework for understanding physics. Geometrical and wave optical phenomena are deeply probed. Three hours lab.

Pre- or corequisite: 2310.

Problem solving and demonstrations related to 2310.

Offered on a CR/NC basis only.

Corequisite: 2310.

This class is designed as an introduction to programming for the undergraduate physics major. The class begins with no assumption of prior programming experience. An emphasis will be on building strong programming skills using the MATLAB programming environment. Applications and examples will include data analysis (curve fitting and optimization), simulating physical systems, solving systems of linear equations and Monte Carlo techniques.

Prerequisite: 2310.

Pre- or corequisite: MATH **316.

{Spring}

Advanced study of concepts of physics and astronomy, designed especially for science teachers and other non-traditional students. Cannot be used to satisfy major or minor program requirements for physics or astrophysics degrees.

Prerequisite: 1115 or ASTR 1115 or NTSC 1110.

Concepts of heat and thermodynamics; large numbers and probability distributions; spin, oscillator, and gas systems; simple interacting systems, Fermi and Bose statistics.

Prerequisite: **330.

{Fall}

Geometrical optics; wave optics; lasers, nonlinear optics.

Prerequisite: 2310.

{Alternate Years}

Laboratory experiments in geometrical optics, diffraction, prisms, gratings, microscopy and imaging, polarization, interference and interferometry, and laser operation.

Prerequisite: 2310.

{Spring}

Dynamics of particles and rigid bodies, harmonic motion, gravitation, Lagrange's and Hamilton's equations, moving coordinate systems. Students are highly recommended to take **366 as a corequisite.

Prerequisite: MATH **316.

{Fall}

Mechanics of continuous media, rotations of rigid bodies, small oscillations, nonlinear and chaotic motions.

Prerequisite: **303 and (**366 or MATH **312).

{Spring}

Contemporary electronics. One lecture, 3 hours lab. Completion of **330 is highly recommended.

Prerequisite: 2415.

{Fall}

Experiments in modern physics and experimental methods. One lecture, 3 hours lab. Completion of **330 is highly recommended.

Prerequisite: 2415.

{Spring}

Problem solving and demonstrations related to **301.

Offered on a CR/NC basis only.

Corequisite: **301.

Problem solving and demonstrations related to **303.

Offered on a CR/NC basis only.

Corequisite: **303.

Problem solving and demonstrations related to **304.

Offered on a CR/NC basis only.

Corequisite: **304.

(Also offered as EPS 427 / 527)

Applications of gravity, magnetics, seismology, heat flow to the structure, constitution and deformation of earth. Related aspects of plate tectonics and resource exploration.

Prerequisite: 1220 and MATH 1522.

Special relativity; quantum effects; introductory quantum mechanics; atomic and subatomic physics; instruments of modern physics.

Prerequisite: 2310.

{Spring}

Problem solving and demonstrations related to **330.

Offered on a CR/NC basis only.

Corequisite: **330.

Vector calculus, partial differential equations, complex numbers, tensor analysis, Fourier series and transforms, special functions, and their application to physics.

Prerequisite: 2415 and MATH **316.

Student presentations, both extemporaneous and prepared, of undergraduate physics problems.

Offered on a CR/NC basis only.

Electrostatics; dielectric materials; magnetostatics; magnetic materials.

Prerequisite: **366 or (MATH 311 and MATH **312).

{Spring}

Electromagnetic induction; conservation laws; propagation, reflection, and refraction of electromagnetic waves; wave guides; dipole radiation; relativistic fields.

Prerequisite: *405.

{Fall}

Problem solving and demonstrations related to *405.

Offered on a CR/NC basis only.

Corequisite: *405.

Problem solving and demonstrations related to *406.

Offered on a CR/NC basis only.

Corequisite: *406.

Free electron gas, energy bands, crystals, semiconductors, metals, elementary excitations, superconductivity.

Prerequisite: **330.

{Alternate Years}

Introductory topics in elementary-particle physics and nuclear physics, with examples and applications to high-energy physics and astrophysics such as cosmic rays, fixed-target experiments, lepton and hadron colliders, stellar physics, supernovae and cosmology.

Prerequisite: *491.

{Alternate Springs}

Offered on a CR/NC basis only.

(Also offered as ASTR 456)

Independent studies course for students seeking departmental honors.

{Fall, Spring}

(Also offered as ECE *463)

Electromagnetic theory of geometrical optics, Gaussian ray tracing and matrix methods, finite ray tracing, aberrations, interference.

{Fall}

(Also offered as ECE *464)

Resonator optics. Rate equations; spontaneous and stimulated emission; gas, semiconductor and solid state lasers, pulsed and mode-locked laser techniques.

{Fall}

Complex variables and analysis; differential equations, including Green's functions; transform methods; special functions; linear algebra; matrix analysis; linear integral equations.

{Fall}

Methods of theoretical physics such as tensor analysis, group theory, calculus of variations, and elementary statistics. The actual topic areas will vary and will be defined by the instructor.

{Alternate Springs}

Problem solving and demonstrations related to *466.

Offered on a CR/NC basis only.

Corequisite: *466.

Diffraction, interference, optical detectors, lens aberrations, lasers, spectra, scattering, optical testing. One lecture, 3 hours lab.

Prerequisite: **302 or *463 or *464.

{Spring}

Diffraction, interference, optical detectors, lens aberrations, lasers, spectra, scattering, optical testing. One lecture, 3 hours lab.

Prerequisite: **302 or *463 or *464.

{Spring}

Special topics beyond our standard curriculum, usually involving new areas. The actual topic areas will vary and will be defined by the instructor.

Restriction: permission of instructor.

Schrödinger Equations; Heisenberg uncertainty principle; postulates; Dirac notation; one-dimensional potentials; harmonic oscillator; angular momentum; H-Atom.

Prerequisite: **330 and MATH **314.

{Fall}

Spin; Pauli principle; perturbation theory; scattering; applications of quantum mechanics.

Prerequisite: *491.

{Spring}

Spectrographic methods; lasers, atomic structure; high Tc superconductivity; natural and artificial radioactivity; cosmic rays. One lecture, 5 hours lab. *491 is highly recommended.

Prerequisite: **307L.

{Spring}

Problem solving and demonstrations related to *491.

Offered on a CR/NC basis only.

Corequisite: *491.

Problem solving and demonstrations related to *492.

Offered on a CR/NC basis only.

Corequisite: *492.

Offered on a CR/NC basis only.

Review of Lagrangian dynamics; two-body central force; rigid-body motion; small oscillations; Hamilton’s equations; canonical transformations; Hamilton-Jacobi theory.

{Fall}

Review of thermodynamics; classical statistical mechanics; ensemble theory; quantum statistical mechanics with examples.

{Spring}

Review of electro- and magneto-statics; E&M waves and radiation; covariant electrodynamics; scattering; relativity and covariant collisions.

{Spring}

Review of 1-dim. potentials; Dirac formalism; postulates; symmetries and conservation laws; harmonic oscillator; angular momentum and spin; central potentials; approximation methods.

{Fall}

More on angular momentum; scattering; identical particles; spectra of atoms and molecules; symmetry and conservation laws; approximation methods; special topics.

Prerequisite: 521.

{Spring}

Introduction to relativistic quantum mechanics, and quantum mechanics and quantum field theory with applications drawn from quantum electrodynamics and high-energy physics.

Prerequisite: 522.

{Alternate Years}

A continuation of 523.

Prerequisite: 523.

{Offered upon demand}

Band concepts; Bloch functions; phonons and their interactions; superconductivity.

{Alternate Falls}

(Also offered as ECE 534)

Plasma parameters, adiabatic invariants, orbit theory, plasma oscillations, hydromagnetic waves, plasma transport, stability, kinetic theory, nonlinear effects, applications.

{Fall}

Overview of the standard model, including electroweak interactions, gauge theories, QCD, other selected topics.

{Alternate Falls}

Offered on a CR/NC basis only.

(Also offered as ECE 554)

Diffractions theory, coherence theory, coherent objects, and incoherent imaging, and polarization.

Prerequisite: *463.

{Spring}

(Also offered as ECE 559)

Students do research and/or development work at a participating industry or government laboratory in any area of optical science and engineering.

Restriction: permission of department.

This course covers advanced topics in laser and optical physics that includes (but not limited to) semiconductor lasers, detection and noise, extreme wavelength generation, and ultrafast metrology.

Prerequisite: *464.

Study and manipulation of quantum coherence with electromagnetic fields. Quantum coherent spectroscopy; photon statistics and nonclassical light; open quantum systems; decoherence; special topics.

{Alternate Years}

General concepts, microscopic approach, nonlinear optical effects and devices.

{Alternate Springs}

Possible topics include dye lasers, solid-state lasers, novel lasers, interaction between intense lasers and matter, advanced nonlinear optics, spectroscopy.

{Offered upon demand}

This course explores the concepts and mathematical techniques underlying quantum computation. Topics include quantum entanglement, quantum cryptography, teleportation, models for quantum computation, quantum algorithms, quantum error correction, and fault-tolerant quantum computation.

Concepts, applications and mathematical techniques of quantum information theory. Topics include classical information, Hilbert-space formulation of quantum mechanics, quantum states, quantum dynamics and measurements, quantum information, and quantum entanglement.

Only 6 credit hours will count toward the program of studies.

Offered on a CR/NC basis only.

May be repeated with any single faculty member.

Offered on a CR/NC basis only.