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Honours Physics (81 credits)

Offered by: Physics     Degree: Bachelor of Science

Program Requirements

The B.Sc.; Honours in Physics provides a broad view of physics from classical to modern topics as well as a choice of specialized high level courses relevant for contemporary research. The students have the opportunity to participate in research.

This is a demanding program. This program may be completed in 78 or 81 credits.

Program Prerequisites

Students entering Physics programs from the Freshman program must have successfully completed the courses below or their equivalents. Quebec students must have completed the DEC with appropriate science and mathematics courses.

  • CHEM 110 General Chemistry 1 (4 credits)

    Offered by: Chemistry (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Chemistry : A study of the fundamental principles of atomic structure, radiation and nuclear chemistry, valence theory, coordination chemistry, and the periodic table.

    Terms: Fall 2024

    Instructors: Sirjoosingh, Pallavi; Kakkar, Ashok K; McKeague, Maureen; Denisova, Irina (Fall)

    • Fall

    • Prerequisites/corequisites: College level mathematics and physics or permission of instructor; CHEM 120 is not a prerequisite

    • Each lab section is limited enrolment

  • CHEM 120 General Chemistry 2 (4 credits)

    Offered by: Chemistry (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Chemistry : A study of the fundamental principles of physical chemistry.

    Terms: Winter 2025

    Instructors: Sirjoosingh, Pallavi; Sewall, Samuel Lewis; Wiseman, Paul; Denisova, Irina (Winter)

    • Winter

    • Prerequisites/corequisites: College level mathematics and physics, or permission of instructor: CHEM 110 is not a prerequisite

    • Each lab section is limited enrolment

  • MATH 133 Linear Algebra and Geometry (3 credits)

    Offered by: Mathematics and Statistics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Mathematics & Statistics (Sci) : Systems of linear equations, matrices, inverses, determinants; geometric vectors in three dimensions, dot product, cross product, lines and planes; introduction to vector spaces, linear dependence and independence, bases. Linear transformations. Eigenvalues and diagonalization.

    Terms: Fall 2024, Winter 2025

    Instructors: Macdonald, Jeremy; Ayala, Miguel; Branchereau, Romain; Giard, Antoine (Fall)

    • 3 hours lecture, 1 hour tutorial

    • Prerequisite: a course in functions

    • Restriction(s): 1) Not open to students who have taken CEGEP objective 00UQ or equivalent. 2) Not open to students who have taken or are taking MATH 123, except by permission of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics.

  • PHYS 131 Mechanics and Waves (4 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : The basic laws and principles of Newtonian mechanics; oscillations, waves, and wave optics.

    Terms: Fall 2024

    Instructors: Ragan, Kenneth J (Fall)

    • Fall

    • 3 hours lectures; 1 hour tutorial, 3 hours laboratory in alternate weeks; tutorial sessions

    • Corequisite: MATH 139 or higher level calculus course.

    • Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken or are taking PHYS 101, or who have taken CEGEP objective 00UR or equivalent.

    • Laboratory sections have limited enrolment

  • PHYS 142 Electromagnetism and Optics (4 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : The basic laws of electricity and magnetism; geometrical optics.

    Terms: Winter 2025

    Instructors: Guo, Hong (Winter)

    • Winter

    • 3 hours lectures, 3 hours laboratory in alternate weeks; tutorial sessions

    • Prerequisite: PHYS 131.

    • Corequisite: MATH 141 or higher level calculus course.

    • Restriction: Not open to students who have taken or are taking PHYS 102, or who have taken CEGEP objective 00US or equivalent.

    • Laboratory sections have limited enrolment

7-8 credits from:

  • MATH 140 Calculus 1 (3 credits)

    Offered by: Mathematics and Statistics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Mathematics & Statistics (Sci) : Review of functions and graphs. Limits, continuity, derivative. Differentiation of elementary functions. Antidifferentiation. Applications.

    Terms: Fall 2024, Winter 2025

    Instructors: Sabok, Marcin; Trudeau, Sidney; Kalmykov, Artem (Fall)

    • 3 hours lecture, 1 hour tutorial

    • Prerequisite: High School Calculus

    • Restriction(s): 1) Not open to students who have taken MATH139 or MATH 150 or CEGEP objective 00UN or equivalent. 2) Not open to students who have taken or are taking MATH 122, except by permission of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics.

    • Each Tutorial section is enrolment limited

  • MATH 141 Calculus 2 (4 credits)

    Offered by: Mathematics and Statistics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Mathematics & Statistics (Sci) : The definite integral. Techniques of integration. Applications. Introduction to sequences and series.

    Terms: Fall 2024, Winter 2025

    Instructors: Hassan, Hazem; Trudeau, Sidney; Zlotchevski, Andrei (Fall) Trudeau, Sidney (Winter)

    • Prerequisites: MATH 139 or MATH 140 or MATH 150.

    • Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken CEGEP objective 00UP or equivalent.

    • Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken or are taking MATH 122,except by permission of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics.

    • Each Tutorial section is enrolment limited

  • MATH 150 Calculus A (4 credits)

    Offered by: Mathematics and Statistics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Mathematics & Statistics (Sci) : Functions, limits and continuity, differentiation, L'Hospital's rule, applications, Taylor polynomials, parametric curves, functions of several variables.

    Terms: Fall 2024

    Instructors: Kelome, Djivede (Fall)

    • Fall

    • 3 hours lecture, 2 hours tutorial

    • Students with no prior exposure to vector geometry are advised to take MATH 133 concurrently. Intended for students with high school calculus who have not received six advanced placement credits

    • Restriction(s): 1) Not open to students who have taken or are taking MATH 139 or MATH 140 or CEGEP objective 00UN or equivalent. 2) Not open to students who have taken or are taking MATH 122,except by permission of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics.

    • MATH 150 and MATH 151 cover the material of MATH 139, MATH 140, MATH 141, MATH 222

  • MATH 151 Calculus B (4 credits)

    Offered by: Mathematics and Statistics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Mathematics & Statistics (Sci) : Integration, methods and applications, infinite sequences and series, power series, arc length and curvature, multiple integration.

    Terms: Winter 2025

    Instructors: Roth, Charles (Winter)

    • Winter

    • 3 hours lecture; 2 hours tutorial

    • Each Tutorial section is enrolment limited

    • Prerequisite: MATH 150

    • Restriction(s): 1) Not open to students who have taken or are taking MATH 141 or CEGEP objective 00UP or equivalent. 2) Not open to students who have taken or are taking MATH 122, except by permission of the Department of Mathematic sand Statistics.

Note: Either MATH140 and MATH141 or MATH150 and MATH151.

Required Courses (51 credits)

  • MATH 247 Honours Applied Linear Algebra (3 credits)

    Offered by: Mathematics and Statistics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Mathematics & Statistics (Sci) : Matrix algebra, determinants, systems of linear equations. Abstract vector spaces, inner product spaces, Fourier series. Linear transformations and their matrix representations. Eigenvalues and eigenvectors, diagonalizable and defective matrices, positive definite and semidefinite matrices. Quadratic and Hermitian forms, generalized eigenvalue problems, simultaneous reduction of quadratic forms. Applications.

    Terms: Winter 2025

    Instructors: Hoheisel, Tim (Winter)

    • Winter

    • Prerequisite: MATH 133 or equivalent.

    • Restriction: Intended for Honours Physics and Engineering students

    • Restriction: Not open to students who have taken or are taking MATH 236, MATH 223 or MATH 251

  • MATH 248 Honours Vector Calculus (3 credits)

    Offered by: Mathematics and Statistics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Mathematics & Statistics (Sci) : Partial derivatives and differentiation of functions in several variables; Jacobians; maxima and minima; implicit functions. Scalar and vector fields; orthogonal curvilinear coordinates. Multiple integrals; arc length, volume and surface area. Line and surface integrals; irrotational and solenoidal fields; Green's theorem; the divergence theorem. Stokes' theorem; and applications.

    Terms: Fall 2024

    Instructors: Mutanguha, Jean Pierre (Fall)

    • Fall and Winter and Summer

    • Prerequisites: MATH 133 and MATH 222 or consent of Department.

    • Restriction: Intended for Honours Physics, Computer Science, Physiology and Engineering students.

    • Restriction: Not open to students who have taken or are taking MATH 314 or MATH 358.

  • MATH 249 Honours Complex Variables (3 credits)

    Offered by: Mathematics and Statistics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Mathematics & Statistics (Sci) : Functions of a complex variable; Cauchy-Riemann equations; Cauchy's theorem and consequences. Taylor and Laurent expansions. Residue calculus; evaluation of real integrals; integral representation of special functions; the complex inversion integral. Conformal mapping; Schwarz-Christoffel transformation; Poisson's integral formulas; applications.

    Terms: Winter 2025

    Instructors: Pym, Brent (Winter)

    • Winter

    • Prerequisite(s): MATH 248 or MATH 358 or equivalent.

    • Restriction: Intended for Honours Physics and Engineering students

    • Restriction: Not open to students who have taken or are taking MATH 316

  • MATH 325 Honours Ordinary Differential Equations (3 credits)

    Offered by: Mathematics and Statistics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Mathematics & Statistics (Sci) : First and second order equations, linear equations, series solutions, Frobenius method, introduction to numerical methods and to linear systems, Laplace transforms, applications.

    Terms: Winter 2025

    Instructors: Lessard, Jean-Philippe (Winter)

    • Fall and Winter

    • (3-0-6)

    • Prerequisite: MATH 222.

    • Restriction: Intended for Honours Mathematics, Physics and Engineering programs.

    • Restriction: Not open to students who have taken MATH 263 (formerly MATH 261), MATH 315

  • MATH 475 Honours Partial Differential Equations (3 credits)

    Offered by: Mathematics and Statistics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Mathematics & Statistics (Sci) : First order partial differential equations, geometric theory, classification of second order linear equations, Sturm-Liouville problems, orthogonal functions and Fourier series, eigenfunction expansions, separation of variables for heat, wave and Laplace equations, Green's function methods, uniqueness theorems.

    Terms: Fall 2024

    Instructors: Choksi, Rustum (Fall)

  • PHYS 241 Signal Processing (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : Linear circuit elements, resonance, network theorems, diodes, transistors, amplifiers, feedback, integrated circuits.

    Terms: Winter 2025

    Instructors: Hessels, Jason (Winter)

    • Winter

    • 2 hours lectures; 3 hours laboratory alternate weeks

    • Prerequisite: CEGEP physics or PHYS 142.

  • PHYS 251 Honours Classical Mechanics 1 (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : Newton's laws, work energy, angular momentum. Harmonic oscillator, forced oscillations. Inertial forces, rotating frames. Central forces, centre of mass, planetary orbits, Kepler's laws.

    Terms: Fall 2024

    Instructors: Chiang, Hsin Cynthia (Fall)

    • Fall

    • 3 hours lectures

    • Prerequisite: CEGEP physics or PHYS 131.

    • Corequisite: MATH 222

    • Restriction: Not open to students taking or having taken PHYS 230.

  • PHYS 253 Thermal Physics (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : Energy, work, heat; first law. Temperature, entropy; second law. Absolute zero; third law. Equilibrium, equations of state, gases, liquids, solids, magnets; phase transitions.

    Terms: Fall 2024

    Instructors: Grutter, Peter H (Fall)

    • Fall

    • 3 hours lectures

    • Prerequisites: CEGEP physics or PHYS 131, and CEGEP chemistry or CHEM 120.

    • Corequisite: MATH 222

    • Restriction: Not open to students taking or having taken PHYS 232.

  • PHYS 257 Experimental Methods 1 (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : Introductory laboratory work and data analysis as related to mechanics, optics and thermodynamics. Introduction to computers as they are employed for laboratory work, for data analysis and for numerical computation. Previous experience with computers is an asset, but is not required.

    Terms: Fall 2024

    Instructors: Vachon, Brigitte (Fall)

    • Fall

    • 6 hours of laboratory and classroom work

    • Corequisite: PHYS 230 or PHYS 251

  • PHYS 258 Experimental Methods 2 (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : Advanced laboratory work and data analysis as related to mechanics, optics and thermodynamics. Computers will be employed routinely for data analysis and for numerical computation, and, particularly, to facilitate the use of Fourier methods.

    Terms: Winter 2025

    Instructors: Cooke, David (Winter)

    • Winter

    • 6 hours of laboratory and classroom work

    • Prerequisite: PHYS 257

  • PHYS 260 Modern Physics and Relativity (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : History of special relativity; Lorentz transformations: kinematics and dynamics; transformation of electric and magnetic forces; introduction to topics in modern physics.

    Terms: Fall 2024

    Instructors: Liu, Adrian (Fall)

    • Fall

    • 3 hours lectures

    • Prerequisite: CEGEP physics or PHYS 142.

    • Corequisite: MATH 222

  • PHYS 350 Honours Electricity and Magnetism (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : Fundamental laws of electric and magnetic fields in both integral and differential form.

    Terms: Fall 2024

    Instructors: Liu, Adrian (Fall)

    • Fall

    • 3 hours lectures

    • Prerequisites: MATH 248, MATH 325.

    • Restriction: Honours students or permission of the instructor

    • Restriction: Not open to students having taken PHYS 340

  • PHYS 351 Honours Classical Mechanics 2 (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : Rigid bodies, angular momentum, gyroscope, moment of inertia, principal axes, Euler's equations. Coupled oscillations and normal modes. Lagrangian mechanics and applications. Hamiltonian mechanics. Topics in advanced analytical mechanics.

    Terms: Winter 2025

    Instructors: Schutz, Katelin (Winter)

    • Winter

    • 3 hours lectures

    • Prerequisite: PHYS 251.

    • Restriction: Not open to students who have taken PHYS 451.

  • PHYS 352 Honours Electromagnetic Waves (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : Vector and scalar potentials; plane waves in homogeneous media; refraction and reflection; guided waves; radiation from simple systems; dipole and quadrupole radiation; introduction to fields of moving charges; synchrotron radiation; Bremsstrahlung.

    Terms: Fall 2024

    Instructors: Lovejoy, Shaun MacDonald (Fall)

    • Fall

    • 3 hours lectures

    • Prerequisite: PHYS 350.

    • Restriction: Honours students, or permission of the instructor

  • PHYS 357 Honours Quantum Physics 1 (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : Experimental basis for quantum mechanics; wave-packets; uncertainty principle. Hilbert space formalism. Schrodinger equation: eigenvalues and eigenvectors: applications to 1-d problems including the infinite and finite potential wells and the harmonic oscillator. Tunneling. Time independent perturbation theory.

    Terms: Fall 2024

    Instructors: Sievers, Jonathan Le Roy (Fall)

    • Fall

    • 3 hours lectures

    • Prerequisites: MATH 223 or equivalent, and one of PHYS 230, PHYS 251, or CIVE 281

    • Restriction: Honours students or permission of the instructor

    • Restriction: Not open to students taking or having passed PHYS 346

  • PHYS 362 Statistical Mechanics (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : Quantum states and ensemble averages. Fermi-Dirac, Bose-Einstein and Boltzmann distribution functions and their applications.

    Terms: Winter 2025

    Instructors: Sankey (Childress), Jack (Winter)

    • Winter

    • 3 hours lectures

    • Prerequisites: MATH 248 or equivalents, PHYS 253.

    • Restriction: Honours students, or permission of the instructor

    • Restriction: Not open to students taking or having passed PHYS 333

  • PHYS 457 Honours Quantum Physics 2 (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : Angular momentum and spin operators. Operator methods in quantum mechanics. Coupling of spin and angular momenta. Variational principles and elements of time dependent perturbation theory (the Golden Rule). Solution of the Schrodinger equation in three dimensions. Applications to the hydrogen and helium atoms and to simple problems in atomic and molecular physics.

    Terms: Winter 2025

    Instructors: Jeon, Sang Yong (Winter)

    • Winter

    • 3 hours lectures

    • Prerequisite: PHYS 357

    • Restriction: Honours students or permission of instructor

    • Restriction: Not open to students who have taken PHYS 346

Complementary Courses (27-30 credits)

0-3 credits from:

  • MATH 222 Calculus 3 (3 credits) *

    Offered by: Mathematics and Statistics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Mathematics & Statistics (Sci) : Taylor series, Taylor's theorem in one and several variables. Review of vector geometry. Partial differentiation, directional derivative. Extreme of functions of 2 or 3 variables. Parametric curves and arc length. Polar and spherical coordinates. Multiple integrals.

    Terms: Fall 2024, Winter 2025

    Instructors: Pym, Brent; Tageddine, Damien (Fall)

* Students who did not complete an equivalent of MATH 222 on entering the program must take this course in the first semester.

3 credits from:

  • PHYS 359 Advanced Physics Laboratory 1 (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : Advanced level experiments in physics including quantum effects and some properties of condensed matter physics and modern physics.

    Terms: Winter 2025

    Instructors: Ryan, Dominic (Winter)

    • Winter

    • 6 hours

    • Corequisite: PHYS 457 or PHYS 447 or permission of the instructor.

    • Prerequisite: PHYS 258

    • Students who have taken PHYS 469 will conduct different experiments in this course.

    • Restriction: Open to both Majors and Honours students

  • PHYS 469 Advanced Physics Laboratory 2 (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : Advanced level experiments in physics including quantum effects and some properties of condensed matter physics and modern physics.

    Terms: Fall 2024

    Instructors: Cooke, David (Fall)

    • Fall

    • 6 hours

    • Restriction: Honours students or permission of instructor

    • Prerequisite: PHYS 258 or permission of the instructor

    • Corequisite: PHYS 457 or PHYS 447 or permission of the instructor.

    • Restriction: Open to honours and majors physics students

    • Student who have taken PHYS 359 will conduct different experiments in this course.

6 credits selected from:
Note: If chosen, PHYS 459D1 and PHYS 459D2 are taken together.

  • PHYS 359 Advanced Physics Laboratory 1 (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : Advanced level experiments in physics including quantum effects and some properties of condensed matter physics and modern physics.

    Terms: Winter 2025

    Instructors: Ryan, Dominic (Winter)

    • Winter

    • 6 hours

    • Corequisite: PHYS 457 or PHYS 447 or permission of the instructor.

    • Prerequisite: PHYS 258

    • Students who have taken PHYS 469 will conduct different experiments in this course.

    • Restriction: Open to both Majors and Honours students

  • PHYS 459D1 Research Thesis (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : Supervised research project and thesis.

    Terms: Fall 2024

    Instructors: Gale, Charles (Fall)

    • Fall

    • Permission of the instructor.

    • 6 hours

    • Restriction: Honours students or permission of instructor

    • Students must register for both PHYS 459D1 and PHYS 459D2.

    • No credit will be given for this course unless both PHYS 459D1 and PHYS 459D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms

  • PHYS 459D2 Research Thesis (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : See PHYS 459D1 for course description.

    Terms: Winter 2025

    Instructors: Gale, Charles (Winter)

    • Winter

    • Prerequisite: PHYS 459D1

    • No credit will be given for this course unless both PHYS 459D1 and PHYS 459D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms

  • PHYS 469 Advanced Physics Laboratory 2 (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : Advanced level experiments in physics including quantum effects and some properties of condensed matter physics and modern physics.

    Terms: Fall 2024

    Instructors: Cooke, David (Fall)

    • Fall

    • 6 hours

    • Restriction: Honours students or permission of instructor

    • Prerequisite: PHYS 258 or permission of the instructor

    • Corequisite: PHYS 457 or PHYS 447 or permission of the instructor.

    • Restriction: Open to honours and majors physics students

    • Student who have taken PHYS 359 will conduct different experiments in this course.

  • PHYS 479 Physics Research Project (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : A supervised research project.

    Terms: Fall 2024, Winter 2025

    Instructors: Siwick, Bradley (Fall) Siwick, Bradley (Winter)

    • 6 hours

    • Restriction: U2 or U3 students in a Physics program, or permission of the instructor.

Note: Students cannot take both PHYS 359 and PHYS 469 to meet this requirement as one of them was taken to meet the previous requirement above.

18 credits selected from the list below (students may substitute one or more courses with any 3-credit course approved by the Department of Physics):

  • PHYS 404 Climate Physics (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : This course covers the essentials of climate physics through the lens of one-dimensional, vertical atmospheric models. This includes shortwave and longwave radiative transfer, convection, phase changes, clouds, greenhouse gases, and atmospheric escape. This is an adequate level of detail for understanding Earth's climate, paleoclimate, anthropogenic climate change, or pursing studies of Solar System planets and extrasolar planets.

    Terms: Fall 2024

    Instructors: Nguyen, Giang (Fall)

  • PHYS 432 Physics of Fluids (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : The physical properties of fluids. The kinematics and dynamics of flow. The effects of viscosity and turbulence. Applications of fluid mechanics in biophysics, geophysics and engineering.

    Terms: Winter 2025

    Instructors: Jeon, Sang Yong (Winter)

  • PHYS 434 Optics (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : Fundamental concepts of optics, including applications and modern developments. Light propagation in media; geometric optics and optical instruments; polarization and coherence properties of light; interference and interferometry; diffraction theory and applications in spectrometry and imaging; Gaussian beams, Fourier optics and photonic band structure. A laboratory component provides hands-on experience in optical setup design, construction and testing of concepts introduced in lectures.

    Terms: Fall 2024

    Instructors: Wang, Kai (Fall)

    • Fall

    • 2 hours lecture, 3 hours lab

    • Corequisite: PHYS 342 or PHYS 352, or permission of the instructor

  • PHYS 479 Physics Research Project (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : A supervised research project.

    Terms: Fall 2024, Winter 2025

    Instructors: Siwick, Bradley (Fall) Siwick, Bradley (Winter)

    • 6 hours

    • Restriction: U2 or U3 students in a Physics program, or permission of the instructor.

  • PHYS 512 Computational Physics with Applications (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : Computational methods in Physics illustrated with realworld applications.

    Terms: Fall 2024

    Instructors: Sievers, Jonathan Le Roy (Fall)

    • U3 or graduate students in Physics, Chemistry, or Engineering, or permission of the instructor. Basic familiarity with computer programming highly recommended.

  • PHYS 514 General Relativity (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : Transition from special to general relativity. Non-Euclidian geometry. The basic laws of Physics in co-variant form, Einstein's equations. Gravitational waves; neutron stars; black holes; cosmology.

    Terms: Winter 2025

    Instructors: Cline, James M (Winter)

    • Winter

    • 3 hours lectures

    • Restriction: U3 Honours students and graduate students, or permission of the instructor.

  • PHYS 519 Advanced Biophysics (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : An advanced biophysics course, with a special emphasis on stochastic and out of equilibrium physical processes in living matter.

    Terms: Winter 2025

    Instructors: Wiseman, Paul (Winter)

  • PHYS 521 Astrophysics (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : An advanced course in modern astrophysics, covering topics such as the basic tools of astronomy (statistics, mathematical methods, computational tools, and instrumentation); stellar astrophysics (properties, structure, atmospheres, binaries/exoplanets); the interstellar medium, star formation, stellar evolution and endpoints (white dwarfs, neutron stars, black holes); and the Milky Way, galaxies, and cosmology.

    Terms: Fall 2024

    Instructors: Raghoonundun, Ambrish (Fall)

    • Fall

    • 3 hours

    • Restriction: U3 students and graduate students, or permission of the instructor

  • PHYS 534 Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : Topics include scanning probe microscopy, chemical self-assembly, computer modelling, and microfabrication/micromachining.

    Terms: Fall 2024

    Instructors: Grutter, Peter H (Fall)

    • Fall

    • Restriction: U3 or graduate students in Physics, Chemistry, or Engineering, or permission of the instructor.

  • PHYS 551 Quantum Theory (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : General formulation, scattering theory, WKBJ approximation, time-dependent perturbation, theory and applications, angular momentum, relativistic wave equations.

    Terms: Fall 2024

    Instructors: Dasgupta, Keshav (Fall)

    • Fall

    • 3 hours lectures

    • Restriction: U3 Honours students and graduate students, or permission of the instructor

  • PHYS 557 Nuclear Physics (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : General nuclear properties, nucleon-nucleon interaction and scattering theory, radioactivity, nuclear models, nuclear reactions.

    Terms: Fall 2024

    Instructors: Gale, Charles (Fall)

    • Fall

    • 3 hours lectures

    • Restriction: U3 Honours students, graduate students, or permission of the instructor

  • PHYS 558 Solid State Physics (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : Properties of crystals; free electron model, band structure; metals, insulators and semi-conductors; phonons; magnetism; selected additional topics in solid-state (e.g. ferroelectrics, elementary transport theory).

    Terms: Fall 2024

    Instructors: Hilke, Michael (Fall)

    • Fall

    • 3 hours lectures

    • Restriction: U3 Honours students, graduate students, or permission of the instructor

  • PHYS 559 Advanced Statistical Mechanics (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : Scattering and structure factors. Review of thermodynamics and statistical mechanics; correlation functions (static); mean field theory; critical phenomena; broken symmetry; fluctuations, roughening.

    Terms: Winter 2025

    Instructors: Reisner, Walter (Winter)

    • Fall

    • 3 hours lectures

    • Restriction: U3 Honours students, graduate students, or permission of the instructor

  • PHYS 562 Electromagnetic Theory (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : Electrostatics, dielectrics, magnetostatics, timevarying fields, relativity, radiating systems, fields of moving charges.

    Terms: Winter 2025

    Instructors: Rutledge, Robert (Winter)

    • Winter

    • 3 hours lectures

    • Prerequisites (Graduate): U1 or U2 Honours Physics or permission of instructor.

    • Restriction: U3 Honours students, graduate students, or permission of the instructor

  • PHYS 567 Particle Physics (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : Survey of elementary particles; hadrons, leptons and hadrons' constituents (quarks). Invariance principles and conservation laws. Detectors and accelerators. Phenomenology of strong, electromagnetic and weak interactions.

    Terms: Winter 2025

    Instructors: Cline, James M (Winter)

    • Winter

    • 3 hours lectures

    • Restriction: U3 Honours students, graduate students, or permission of the instructor

Faculty of Science—2024-2025 (last updated Aug. 21, 2024) (disclaimer)
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