Catalogue 2021-2022 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Physics and Astronomy Department
|
|
|
|
Chair: Jenny Magnes;
Professors: Brian Dalyb, Debra M. Elmegreena, Jenny Magnes, Cindy Schwarz;
Associate Professor: José Perillán;
Assistant Professors: Juan Merloa, Colette Salyk;
Lecturer: David R. Rishell;
Visiting Assistant Professors: Ulrich Faul, Jacqueline Villadsen;
Visiting Instructor: Evelyn Brooke.
a On leave 2021/22, first semester
b On leave 2021/22, second semester
Astronomy Major Advisers: Debra M. Elmegreen, Colette Salyk.
Physics Major Advisers: Brian Daly, Jenny Magnes, José Perillán, David R. Rishell, Cindy Schwarz.
Major
Correlate Sequences in Physics and Astronomy
Astronomy: I. Introductory
-
ASTR 101 - Solar System Astronomy Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
A study of the solar system as seen from earth and space: planets, satellites, comets, meteors, and the interplanetary medium; astronautics and space exploration; life on other planets; planets around other stars; planetary system cosmogony. Colette Salyk.
Open to all classes.
Course Format: CLS -
ASTR 105 - Stars, Galaxies, and Cosmology Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
This course is designed to acquaint the student with our present understanding of the universe. The course discusses the formation, structure, and evolution of gas clouds, stars, and galaxies, and then places them in the larger content of clusters and superclusters of galaxies. The Big Bang, GUTS, inflation, the early stages of the universe’s expansion, and its ultimate fate are explored. Debra Elmegreen.
Open to all classes.
Course Format: CLS -
ASTR 150 - Life in the Universe
1 unit(s)
An introduction to the possibility of life beyond Earth is presented from an astronomical point of view. The course reviews stellar and planetary formation and evolution, star properties and planetary atmospheres necessary for a habitable world, possibilities for other life in our Solar system, detection of extrasolar planets, the SETI project, and the Drake equation. Debra Elmegreen.
Prerequisite(s): High school Physics and Calculus.
Open only to first-year students; satisfies the college requirement for a First-Year Writing Seminar.
Not offered in 2021/22.
Course Format: CLS
Astronomy: II. Intermediate
-
ASTR 220 - Stellar Astrophysics Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
The physical theory of stellar interiors, atmospheres, and energy sources. Stellar evolution. Spectral sequence and its origin. Supernovae, white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes. Jacqueline Villadsen.
Prerequisite(s): PHYS 114 , or permission of the instructor.
Course Format: CLS -
ASTR 230 - Planetary and Space Science Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
Atmospheres, surface features, and interiors of the planets. Interaction of the sun with the other members of the solar system. Planetary formation and evolution. Life on other planets. Space exploration. Colette Salyk.
Prerequisite(s): PHYS 114 , or permission of the instructor.
Course Format: CLS -
ASTR 240 - Observational Astronomy Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
This course introduces the student to a variety of techniques used in the detection and analysis of electromagnetic radiation from astronomical sources. All areas of the electromagnetic spectrum are discussed, with special emphasis on solid-state arrays as used in optical and infrared astronomy. Topics include measurement uncertainty, signal-to-noise estimates, the use of astronomical databases, telescope design and operation, detector design and operation, practical photometry and spectroscopy and data reduction. Students are required to perform a number of nighttime observations at the college observatory. Colette Salyk.
Prerequisite(s): PHYS 113 or PHYS 114 , or permission of the instructor.
Course Format: CLS -
ASTR 290 - Community-Engaged Learning Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
0.5 to 1 unit(s)
Execution and analysis of an off-campus field study in astronomy. The course requirements are to be arranged with an individual instructor. The department.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of the instructor.
Course Format: INT -
ASTR 298 - Independent Work Semester Offered: Fall
0.5 to 1 unit(s)
Intermediate-level execution of an independent observational, theoretical, or library study in astronomy. The course requirements are to be arranged with an individual instructor. The department.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of the instructor.
One 2-hour period and individual conferences with the instructor.
Course Format: INT
Astronomy: III. Advanced
-
ASTR 300 - Senior Thesis Semester Offered: Fall
0.5 unit(s)
Investigation and critical analysis of a topic in observational or theoretical astronomy. Observational research may include building or experimenting with a non-trivial hardware or software system. A written thesis and oral presentation of results to the department are required for the course. A student electing this course must first gain the support of at least one member of the Astronomy department faculty, who will determine the format of final deliverables for the course. The Senior Thesis is a 1-unit course with 1/2 unit graded provisionally in the Fall and 1/2 unit graded in the Spring. The final grade, awarded in the Spring, shall replace the provisional grade in the Fall. Colette Salyk.
Yearlong course, ASTR 300-301 .
One 2-hour period and individual conferences with the instructor.
Course Format: INT -
ASTR 301 - Senior Thesis Semester Offered: Spring
0.5 unit(s)
Continuation of 300. The Senior Thesis is a 1-unit course with 1/2 unit graded provisionally in the Fall and 1/2 unit graded in the Spring. The final grade, awarded in the Spring, shall replace the provisional grade in the Fall. The department.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of the instructor.
Yearlong course, ASTR 300 -301.
One 2-hour period and individual conferences with the instructor.
Course Format: INT -
ASTR 302 - Senior Thesis Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
1 unit(s)
Students may elect a 1-unit thesis only in exceptional circumstances. Usually, students will adopt 300-301. The department.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of the instructor.
One 2-hour period and individual conferences with the instructor.
Course Format: INT -
ASTR 320 - Astrophysics of the Interstellar Medium
1 unit(s)
A study of the observations and theory related to interstellar matter, including masers, protostars, dust, atomic, molecular and ionized gas clouds. Radiative transfer, collapse and expansion processes, shocks and spiral density waves are discussed.
Prerequisite(s): One 200-level physics course or One 200-level astronomy course, Junior or Senior status, or permission of the instructor.
Not offered in 2021/22.
Course Format: CLS -
ASTR 322 - Galaxies and Galactic Structure
1 unit(s)
Observations and theories of the formation and evolution of galaxies. Properties of star-forming regions; contents, structure, and kinematics of the Milky Way and spiral, elliptical, and irregular galaxies. Active galaxies, interacting galaxies, clusters, and high redshift galaxies. Debra Elmegreen.
Prerequisite(s): PHYS 114 and either ASTR 105 or ASTR 220 , or permission of the instructor; not open to first-year students.
Not offered in 2021/22.
-
ASTR 330 - Extrasolar planets and planet formation Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
A study of current research on extrasolar planets and planet formation, and connections between the two. Course involves close reading and presentation of field-specific articles. Research topics include observational techniques such as adaptive optics imaging, interferometry and spectroscopy, as well as theoretical investigations of the physics of protoplanetary disk evolution and planet formation. Colette Salyk.
Prerequisite(s): ASTR 230 , junior or senior status, or permission of the instructor.
Two 75-minute periods.
Course Format: CLS -
ASTR 399 - Senior Independent Work Semester Offered: Fall
0.5 to 1 unit(s)
High-level execution of an experimental, theoretical, or library study in Astronomy. An oral presentation of results to the department is required for the course. Additional course requirements are to be arranged with an individual instructor. The department.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of the instructor.
Course Format: INT
Physics: I. Introductory
-
PHYS 111 - Introduction to Physics I Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
An introduction to the basic concepts of physics with emphasis on mechanics. Not calculus-based. Recommended for Pre-Health students and life science majors. The Department.
Two 75-minute periods and one 3-hour laboratory.
Course Format: CLS -
PHYS 112 - Introducton to Physics II/Lab Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
Fundamentals of electricity, magnetism, and optics. Not calculus-based. Pre-Health students and life science majors. The Department.
Prerequisite(s): PHYS 111 or PHYS 113 or AP credit.
Two 75-minute periods and one 3-hour laboratory.
Course Format: CLS -
PHYS 113 - Fundamentals of Physics I/Lab Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
An introduction to the basic concepts of physics with emphasis on mechanics. Calculus-based. Recommended for potential majors in physics and other physical sciences. The Department.
Two 75-minute periods and one 3-hour laboratory.
Course Format: CLS -
PHYS 114 - Fundamentals of Physics II/Lab Semester Offered: Spring
1 to unit(s)
Fundamentals of electricity, magnetism, and optics. Calculus-based. Recommended for potential majors in physics and other physical sciences. The Department.
Prerequisite(s): PHYS 111 or PHYS 113 or AP Credit; MATH 121 or equivalent.
Two 75-minute periods and one 3-hour laboratory.
Course Format: CLS -
PHYS 160 - Uncertainty, Probability and Spirituality: Physics in Popular Culture
1 unit(s)
(Same as RELI 160 and STS 160 ) This course examines the cultural history of key ideas and experiments in physics, looking in particular at how non-scientists understood key concepts such as entropy, relativity, quantum mechanics and the idea of higher or new dimensions. It begins with an assumption that’s widely accepted among historians – namely, that the sciences are a part of culture and are influenced by cultural trends, contemporary concerns and even urgent personal ethical or religious dilemmas. In this course we are attuned to the ways that physicists drew key insights from popular culture and how non-scientists, including religious or spiritual seekers, appropriated (and misappropriated) scientific insights about the origin and nature of the world, its underlying laws and energetic forces, and its ultimate meaning and purpose. Brian Daly and Christopher White.
Two 75-minute periods.
Not offered in 2021/22.
Course Format: CLS -
PHYS 168 - A Tour of the Subatomic Zoo
0.5 unit(s)
This course is designed for nonphysics majors who want to know more about the constituents of matter including quarks, gluons, and neutrinos. The particle discoveries and the implications of the discoveries are discussed in an historical context. Additional topics discussed: matter vs. antimatter, the wave, and particle nature of light. Cindy Schwarz.
May not count towards a physics concentration.
Not offered in 2021/22.
Course Format: CLS -
PHYS 270 - Communicating Physics to the General Public
1 unit(s)
Students give presentations and interact in one or more of the following areas, K-12 schools, senior centers, afterschool programs. A final presentation summarizing the various activities is required. Cindy Schwarz.
Prerequisite(s): PHYS 113 or the equivalent.
Not offered in 2021/22.
Course Format: INT
Physics: II. Intermediate
-
PHYS 200 - Modern Physics Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
An introduction to the two subjects at the core of contemporary physics: Einstein’s theory of special relativity, and quantum mechanics. Topics include paradoxes in special relativity; the Lorentz transformation; four-vectors and invariants; relativistic dynamics; the wave-particle duality; the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, and simple cases of the Schrodinger wave equation. Jose Perillan.
Prerequisite(s): PHYS 114 or PHYS 115 , MATH 126 /MATH 127 , or permission of the instructor.
Course Format: CLS -
PHYS 202 - Introduction to Experimental Physics Semester Offered: Spring
0.5 unit(s)
An introduction to the tools and techniques of modern experimental physics. Students replicate classic historical experiments. Emphasis is placed on the use of computers for capturing and analyzing data, and on effective oral and written presentation of experimental results. Jenny Magnes.
Prerequisite(s): PHYS 200 , MATH 121 , MATH 126 /MATH 127 , or permission of the instructor.
Must be taken in the same semester as PHYS 203 .
First 6-week course.
Two 3-hour meetings.
Course Format: CLS -
PHYS 203 - Experimental Physics II Semester Offered: Spring
0.5 unit(s)
Additional experiments in physics at the intermediate level – topics may include modern physics, nuclear physics, optics and acoustics. Jenny Magnes.
Prerequisite(s): PHYS 202 or permission of the instructor.
Must be taken in the same semester as PHYS 202 .
Second 6-week course.
Two 3-hour meetings.
Course Format: CLS -
PHYS 210 - Classical Mechanics Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
A study of the motion of objects using Newtonian theory. Topics include oscillator systems, central forces, noninertial systems, and rigid bodies. An introduction to the Lagrangian formulation. Cindy Schwarz.
Prerequisite(s): PHYS 115 or PHYS 200 , and MATH 220 , or permission of the instructor.
Corequisite(s): MATH 228 .
First-year students must consult with the department chair prior to enrolling in this course.
Course Format: CLS -
PHYS 240 - Electromagnetism I Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
A study of electromagnetic forces and fields. Topics include electrostatics of conductors and dielectrics, electric currents, magnetic fields, and the classical theories and phenomena that led to Maxwell’s formulation of electromagnetism. Jacqueline Villadsen.
Prerequisite(s): PHYS 210 and MATH 220 , or permission of the instructor.
Recommended: MATH 221 and MATH 228 .
Course Format: CLS
-
PHYS 245 - Introduction to Statistical Mechanics and Thermodynamics Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
Probability distributions, statistical ensembles, thermodynamic laws, statistical calculations of thermodynamic quantities, absolute temperature, heat, entropy, equations of state, kinetic theory of dilute gases, phase equilibrium, quantum statistics of ideal gases. Brian
Prerequisite(s): PHYS 200 and MATH 220 .
Recommended: MATH 228 .
Course Format: CLS -
PHYS 261 - Intensive Topics in Physics Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
1 unit(s)
A focused experience for individual or small groups of students. Topics may include ultrafast optics, nanoscale science, communicating physics to the general public, physics pedagogy, biophysics, nonlinear dynamics, advanced microscopy techniques, history of physics, and advanced laboratory development. Faculty are also interested in student-driven topics. Brian Daly
One 2-hour period and individual conferences with the instructor.
Course Format: INT -
PHYS 262 - Intensive Topics in Physics Semester Offered: Fall
0.5 unit(s)
A focused experience for individual or small groups of students. Topics may include ultrafast optics, nanoscale science, communicating physics to the general public, physics pedagogy, biophysics, nonlinear dynamics, advanced microscopy techniques, history of physics, and advanced laboratory development. Faculty are also interested in student-driven topics. Brian Daly.
One 2-hour period and individual conferences with the instructor.
Course Format: INT -
PHYS 290 - Community-Engaged Learning Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
0.5 to 1 unit(s)
Execution and analysis of an off-campus field study in physics. The course requirements are to be arranged with an individual instructor. The department.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of the instructor.
Course Format: INT -
PHYS 298 - Independent Work Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
0.5 to 1 unit(s)
Intermediate-level execution of an independent observational, theoretical, or library study in Physics. The course requirements are to be arranged with an individual instructor. The Department.
Two 2-hour periods.
Course Format: OTH
Physics: III. Advanced
-
PHYS 300 - Independent Project or Thesis Semester Offered: Fall
0.5 unit(s)
Investigation and critical analysis of a topic in experimental or theoretical physics. Experimental research may include building or experimenting with a non-trivial hardware or software system. A written thesis and oral presentation of results to the department are required for the course. A student electing this course must first gain the support of at least one member of the Physics department faculty. The Senior Thesis is a 1-unit course with 1/2 unit graded provisionally in the Fall and 1/2 unit graded in the Spring. The final grade, awarded in the Spring, shall replace the provisional grade in the Fall. The department.
One 2-hour period and individual conferences with the instructor.
Course Format: INT -
PHYS 301 - Senior Thesis Semester Offered: Spring
0.5 unit(s)
A continuation of 300 . The Senior Thesis is a 1-unit course with 1/2 unit graded provisionally in the Fall and 1/2 unit graded in the Spring. The final grade, awarded in the Spring, shall replace the provisional grade in the Fall. The department.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of the instructor.
One 2-hour period and individual conferences with the instructor.
Course Format: INT -
PHYS 302 - Senior Thesis Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
1 unit(s)
Students may elect a 1-unit thesis only in exceptional circumstances. Usually, students will adopt 300 -301 . The department.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of the instructor.
One 2-hour period and individual conferences with the instructor.
Course Format: INT -
PHYS 320 - Quantum Mechanics I Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
An introduction to the formalism of nonrelativistic quantum mechanics and its physical interpretation, with emphasis on solutions of the Schrodinger wave equation. Topics covered include the operator formalism, uncertainty relations, one-dimensional potentials, bound states, tunneling, central field problems in three dimensions, the hydrogen atom, the harmonic oscillator, and quantum statistics. Jose Perillan.
Prerequisite(s): PHYS 200 , PHYS 210 , MATH 220 , MATH 228 .
Recommended: MATH 221 .
Course Format: CLS -
PHYS 341 - Electromagnetism II Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
A study of the electromagnetic field. Starting with Maxwell’s equations, topics covered include the propagation of waves, waveguides, the radiation field, and the relativistic formulation of electromagnetic theory. Jenny Magnes.
Prerequisite(s): PHYS 240 , MATH 220 or permission of the instructor.
Recommended: MATH 228 .
Course Format: CLS -
PHYS 375 - Advanced Topics in Physics Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
Course topics vary from year to year. May be taken more than once for different topics.
Topic for 2020/21a: Solid State Physics.
Brian Daly.
Prerequisite(s): Prerequisites vary depending on the topic.
Not open to first-year students.
Course Format: CLS -
PHYS 399 - Senior Independent Work Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
0.5 to 1 unit(s)
High-level execution of an experimental, theoretical, or library study in physics. An oral presentation of results to the department is required for the course. Additional course requirements are to be arranged with an individual instructor. The Department.
One 2-hour period and individual conferences with the instructor.
Course Format: OTH
|
Print this Page