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Top 50 Emerging Research Topics in Physics

Explore the Fascinating Research Topics in Physics

Physics is a field that constantly evolves as researchers push the boundaries of our understanding of the universe. Over the years, countless ground-breaking discoveries have been made, from the theory of relativity to the discovery of the Higgs boson. In this article, iLovePhD will present you with the top 50 emerging research topics in physics, highlighting the frontiers of knowledge and the exciting possibilities they hold.

1. Quantum Computing

• Quantum algorithms for optimization problems • Quantum error correction and fault tolerance • Quantum machine learning and artificial intelligence

2. Dark Matter

• Identifying dark matter particles • Dark matter and galaxy formation • New experimental techniques for dark matter detection

3. Quantum Gravity

• String theory and its implications • Emergent space-time from quantum entanglement • Quantum gravity and black hole information paradox

4. High-Temperature Superconductors

• Understanding the mechanism behind high-temperature superconductivity • New materials and applications • Room-temperature superconductors

5. Neutrino Physics

• Neutrino mass hierarchy and oscillations • Neutrinos in astrophysics and cosmology • Neutrinoless double beta decay

6. Exoplanets and Astrobiology

• Characterizing exoplanet atmospheres • Habitability and the search for life beyond Earth • The role of water in astrobiology

7. Topological Matter

• Topological insulators and superconductors • Topological materials for quantum computing • Topological photonics

8. Quantum Simulation

• Simulating complex quantum systems • Quantum simulation for materials science • Quantum simulators for fundamental physics

9. Plasma Physics

• Fusion energy and the quest for sustainable power • Space weather and its impact on technology • Nonlinear dynamics in plasmas

10. Gravitational Waves

• Multi-messenger astronomy with gravitational waves • Probing the early universe with gravitational waves • Next-generation gravitational wave detectors

11. Black Holes

• Black hole thermodynamics and the information paradox • Observational techniques for studying black holes • Black hole mergers and their cosmic implications

12. Quantum Sensors

• Quantum-enhanced sensing technologies • Quantum sensors for medical diagnostics • Quantum sensor networks

13. Photonics and Quantum Optics

• Quantum communication and cryptography • Quantum-enhanced imaging and microscopy • Photonic integrated circuits for quantum computing

14. Materials Science

• 2D materials and their applications • Metamaterials and cloaking devices • Bioinspired materials for diverse applications

15. Nuclear Physics

• Nuclear structure and reactions • Nuclear astrophysics and the origin of elements • Applications in nuclear medicine

16. Quantum Thermodynamics

• Quantum heat engines and refrigerators • Quantum thermodynamics in the quantum computing era • Entanglement and thermodynamics

17. High-Energy Particle Physics

• Beyond the Standard Model physics • Particle cosmology and the early universe • Future colliders and experiments

18. Quantum Materials

• Quantum phase transitions and exotic states of matter • Quantum criticality and its impact on materials • Quantum spin liquids

19. Astrophysical Neutrinos

• Neutrinos from astrophysical sources • Neutrino telescopes and detection methods • Neutrinos as cosmic messengers

20. Topological Superconductors

• Majorana fermions in condensed matter systems • Topological qubits for quantum computing • Topological superconductors in particle physics

21. Quantum Information Theory

• Quantum communication protocols • Quantum error correction and fault tolerance • Quantum algorithms for cryptography

22. Exotic Particles

• Search for axions and axion-like particles • Magnetic monopoles and their detection • Supersymmetry and new particles

23. 3D Printing of Advanced Materials

• Customized materials with novel properties • On-demand manufacturing for aerospace and healthcare • Sustainable and recyclable materials

24. Quantum Biology

• Quantum effects in biological systems • Photosynthesis and quantum coherence • Quantum sensing in biological applications

25. Quantum Networks

• Quantum key distribution for secure communication • Quantum internet and global quantum connectivity • Quantum repeaters and entanglement distribution

26. Space-Time Crystal

• Time crystals and their quantum properties • Applications in precision timekeeping • Space-time crystals in quantum information

27. Supersolidity

• Theoretical models and experimental evidence • Quantum properties of supersolids • Supersolidity in astrophysical contexts

28. Soft Matter Physics

• Colloidal suspensions and self-assembly • Active matter and biological systems • Liquid crystals and display technologies

29. Dark Energy

• Nature of dark energy and cosmic acceleration • Probing dark energy with large-scale surveys • Modified gravity theories

30. Quantum Spintronics

• Spin-based electronics for quantum computing • Spin transport and manipulation in materials • Quantum spin devices for information processing

31. Quantum Field Theory

• Conformal field theories and holography • Nonperturbative methods in quantum field theory • Quantum field theory in cosmology

32. Terahertz Spectroscopy

• Terahertz imaging and sensing • Terahertz sources and detectors • Terahertz applications in healthcare and security

33. Holography and AdS/CFT

• Holography and black hole physics • AdS/CFT correspondence and quantum many-body systems • Holography in condensed matter physics

34. Quantum Cryptography

• Secure quantum communication protocols • Quantum-resistant cryptography • Quantum key distribution in real-world applications

35. Quantum Chaos

• Quantum manifestations of classical chaos • Quantum chaos in black hole physics • Quantum scrambling and fast scrambling

36. Mesoscopic Physics

• Quantum dots and artificial atoms • Quantum interference and coherence in mesoscopic systems • Mesoscopic transport and the quantum Hall effect

37. Quantum Gravity Phenomenology

• Experimental tests of quantum gravity • Quantum gravity and cosmological observations • Quantum gravity and the early universe

38. Spin-Orbit Coupling

• Spin-orbit coupling in condensed matter systems • Topological insulators and spintronics • Spin-orbit-coupled gases in ultracold atomic physics

39. Optomechanics

• Quantum optomechanics and its applications • Cavity optomechanics in quantum information • Cooling and manipulation of mechanical resonators

40. Quantum Metrology

• Precision measurements with entangled particles • Quantum-enhanced sensors for navigation and geodesy • Quantum metrology for gravitational wave detectors

41. Quantum Phase Transitions

• Quantum criticality and universality classes • Quantum phase transitions in ultra-cold atomic gases • Quantum Ising and XY models in condensed matter

42. Quantum Chaos

43. Topological Quantum Computing

• Topological qubits and fault-tolerant quantum computing • Implementing quantum gates in topological qubits • Topological quantum error correction codes

44. Superfluids and Supersolids

• Exotic phases of quantum matter • Supersolidity in ultra-cold gases • Applications in precision measurements

45. Quantum Key Distribution

• Quantum cryptography for secure communication • Quantum repeaters and long-distance communication • Quantum key distribution in a practical setting

46. Quantum Spin Liquids

• Novel magnetic states and excitations • Fractionalized particles and any statistics • Quantum spin liquids in frustrated materials

47. Topological Insulators

• Topological edge states and protected transport • Topological insulators in condensed matter systems • Topological materials for quantum computing

48. Quantum Artificial Intelligence

• Quantum machine learning algorithms • Quantum-enhanced optimization for AI • Quantum computing for AI and data analysis

49. Environmental Physics

• Climate modeling and sustainability • Renewable energy sources and energy storage • Environmental monitoring and data analysis

50. Acoustic and Fluid Dynamics

• Sonic black holes and Hawking radiation in fluids • Aeroacoustics and noise reduction • Hydrodynamic instabilities and turbulence The field of physics is a treasure trove of exciting research opportunities that span from the universe’s fundamental building blocks to the development of cutting-edge technologies. These emerging research topics offer a glimpse into the future of physics and the potential to revolutionize our understanding of the cosmos and the technologies that shape our world. As researchers delve into these topics, they bring us one step closer to unlocking the mysteries of the universe.

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• Electromagnetism
• Experiments
• GravitationalWaves
• ParticlePhysics
• QuantumMechanics
• thermodynamics

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Home » 500+ Physics Research Topics

500+ Physics Research Topics

Table of Contents

Physics is the study of matter, energy, and the fundamental forces that govern the universe. It is a broad and fascinating field that has given us many of the greatest scientific discoveries in history , from the theory of relativity to the discovery of the Higgs boson. As a result, physics research is always at the forefront of scientific advancement, and there are countless exciting topics to explore. In this blog post, we will take a look at some of the most fascinating and cutting-edge physics research topics that are being explored by scientists today. Whether you are a student, researcher, or simply someone with a passion for science, there is sure to be something in this list that will pique your interest.

Physics Research Topics

Physics Research Topics are as follows:

Physics Research Topics for Grade 9

• Investigating the properties of waves: amplitude, frequency, wavelength, and speed.
• The effect of temperature on the expansion and contraction of materials.
• The relationship between mass, velocity, and momentum.
• The behavior of light in different mediums and the concept of refraction.
• The effect of gravity on objects and the concept of weight.
• The principles of electricity and magnetism and their applications.
• The concept of work, energy, and power and their relationship.
• The study of simple machines and their efficiency.
• The behavior of sound waves and the concept of resonance.
• The properties of gases and the concept of pressure.
• The principles of heat transfer and thermal energy.
• The study of motion, including speed, velocity, and acceleration.
• The behavior of fluids and the concept of viscosity.
• The concept of density and its applications.
• The study of electric circuits and their components.
• The principles of nuclear physics and their applications.
• The behavior of electromagnetic waves and the concept of radiation.
• The properties of solids and the concept of elasticity.
• The study of light and the electromagnetic spectrum.
• The concept of force and its relationship to motion.
• The behavior of waves in different mediums and the concept of interference.
• The principles of thermodynamics and their applications.
• The study of optics and the concept of lenses.
• The concept of waves and their characteristics.
• The study of atomic structure and the behavior of subatomic particles.
• The principles of quantum mechanics and their applications.
• The behavior of light and the concept of polarization.
• The study of the properties of matter and the concept of phase transitions.
• The concept of work done by a force and its relationship to energy.
• The study of motion in two dimensions, including projectile motion and circular motion.

Physics Research Topics for Grade 10

• Investigating the motion of objects on inclined planes
• Analyzing the effect of different variables on pendulum oscillations
• Understanding the properties of waves through the study of sound
• Investigating the behavior of light through refraction and reflection experiments
• Examining the laws of thermodynamics and their applications in real-life situations
• Analyzing the relationship between electric fields and electric charges
• Understanding the principles of magnetism and electromagnetism
• Investigating the properties of different materials and their conductivity
• Analyzing the concept of work, power, and energy in relation to mechanical systems
• Investigating the laws of motion and their application in real-life situations
• Understanding the principles of nuclear physics and radioactivity
• Analyzing the properties of gases and the behavior of ideal gases
• Investigating the concept of elasticity and Hooke’s law
• Understanding the properties of liquids and the concept of buoyancy
• Analyzing the behavior of simple harmonic motion and its applications
• Investigating the properties of electromagnetic waves and their applications
• Understanding the principles of wave-particle duality and quantum mechanics
• Analyzing the properties of electric circuits and their applications
• Investigating the concept of capacitance and its application in circuits
• Understanding the properties of waves in different media and their applications
• Analyzing the principles of optics and the behavior of lenses
• Investigating the properties of forces and their application in real-life situations
• Understanding the principles of energy conservation and its applications
• Analyzing the concept of momentum and its conservation in collisions
• Investigating the properties of sound waves and their applications
• Understanding the behavior of electric and magnetic fields in charged particles
• Analyzing the principles of thermodynamics and the behavior of gases
• Investigating the properties of electric generators and motors
• Understanding the principles of electromagnetism and electromagnetic induction
• Analyzing the behavior of waves and their interference patterns.

Physics Research Topics for Grade 11

• Investigating the effect of temperature on the resistance of a wire
• Determining the velocity of sound in different mediums
• Measuring the force required to move a mass on an inclined plane
• Examining the relationship between wavelength and frequency of electromagnetic waves
• Analyzing the reflection and refraction of light through various media
• Investigating the properties of simple harmonic motion
• Examining the efficiency of different types of motors
• Measuring the acceleration due to gravity using a pendulum
• Determining the index of refraction of a material using Snell’s law
• Investigating the behavior of waves in different mediums
• Analyzing the effect of temperature on the volume of a gas
• Examining the relationship between current, voltage, and resistance in a circuit
• Investigating the principles of Coulomb’s law and electric fields
• Analyzing the properties of electromagnetic radiation
• Investigating the properties of magnetic fields
• Examining the behavior of light in different types of lenses
• Measuring the speed of light using different methods
• Investigating the properties of capacitors and inductors in circuits
• Analyzing the principles of simple harmonic motion in springs
• Examining the relationship between force, mass, and acceleration
• Investigating the behavior of waves in different types of materials
• Determining the energy output of different types of batteries
• Analyzing the properties of electric circuits
• Investigating the properties of electric and magnetic fields
• Examining the principles of radioactivity
• Measuring the heat capacity of different materials
• Investigating the properties of thermal conduction
• Examining the behavior of light in different types of mirrors
• Analyzing the principles of electromagnetic induction
• Investigating the properties of waves in different types of strings.

Physics Research Topics for Grade 12

• Investigating the efficiency of solar panels in converting light energy to electrical energy.
• Studying the behavior of waves in different mediums.
• Analyzing the relationship between temperature and pressure in ideal gases.
• Investigating the properties of electromagnetic waves and their applications.
• Analyzing the behavior of light and its interaction with matter.
• Examining the principles of quantum mechanics and their applications.
• Investigating the properties of superconductors and their potential uses.
• Studying the properties of semiconductors and their applications in electronics.
• Analyzing the properties of magnetism and its applications.
• Investigating the properties of nuclear energy and its applications.
• Studying the principles of thermodynamics and their applications.
• Analyzing the properties of fluids and their behavior in different conditions.
• Investigating the principles of optics and their applications.
• Studying the properties of sound waves and their behavior in different mediums.
• Analyzing the properties of electricity and its applications in different devices.
• Investigating the principles of relativity and their applications.
• Studying the properties of black holes and their effect on the universe.
• Analyzing the properties of dark matter and its impact on the universe.
• Investigating the principles of particle physics and their applications.
• Studying the properties of antimatter and its potential uses.
• Analyzing the principles of astrophysics and their applications.
• Investigating the properties of gravity and its impact on the universe.
• Studying the properties of dark energy and its effect on the universe.
• Analyzing the principles of cosmology and their applications.
• Investigating the properties of time and its effect on the universe.
• Studying the properties of space and its relationship with time.
• Analyzing the principles of the Big Bang Theory and its implications.
• Investigating the properties of the Higgs boson and its impact on particle physics.
• Studying the properties of string theory and its implications.
• Analyzing the principles of chaos theory and its applications in physics.

Physics Research Topics for UnderGraduate

• Investigating the effects of temperature on the conductivity of different materials.
• Studying the behavior of light in different mediums.
• Analyzing the properties of superconductors and their potential applications.
• Examining the principles of thermodynamics and their practical applications.
• Investigating the behavior of sound waves in different environments.
• Studying the characteristics of magnetic fields and their applications.
• Analyzing the principles of optics and their role in modern technology.
• Examining the principles of quantum mechanics and their implications.
• Investigating the properties of semiconductors and their use in electronics.
• Studying the properties of gases and their behavior under different conditions.
• Analyzing the principles of nuclear physics and their practical applications.
• Examining the properties of waves and their applications in communication.
• Investigating the principles of relativity and their implications for the nature of space and time.
• Studying the behavior of particles in different environments, including accelerators and colliders.
• Analyzing the principles of chaos theory and their implications for complex systems.
• Examining the principles of fluid mechanics and their applications in engineering and science.
• Investigating the principles of solid-state physics and their applications in materials science.
• Studying the properties of electromagnetic waves and their use in modern technology.
• Analyzing the principles of gravitation and their role in the structure of the universe.
• Examining the principles of quantum field theory and their implications for the nature of particles and fields.
• Investigating the properties of black holes and their role in astrophysics.
• Studying the principles of string theory and their implications for the nature of matter and energy.
• Analyzing the properties of dark matter and its role in cosmology.
• Examining the principles of condensed matter physics and their applications in materials science.
• Investigating the principles of statistical mechanics and their implications for the behavior of large systems.
• Studying the properties of plasma and its applications in fusion energy research.
• Analyzing the principles of general relativity and their implications for the nature of space-time.
• Examining the principles of quantum computing and its potential applications.
• Investigating the principles of high energy physics and their role in understanding the fundamental laws of nature.
• Studying the principles of astrobiology and their implications for the search for life beyond Earth.

Physics Research Topics for Masters

• Investigating the principles and applications of quantum cryptography.
• Analyzing the behavior of Bose-Einstein condensates and their potential applications.
• Studying the principles of photonics and their role in modern technology.
• Examining the properties of topological materials and their potential applications.
• Investigating the principles and applications of graphene and other 2D materials.
• Studying the principles of quantum entanglement and their implications for information processing.
• Analyzing the principles of quantum field theory and their implications for particle physics.
• Examining the properties of quantum dots and their use in nanotechnology.
• Investigating the principles of quantum sensing and their potential applications.
• Studying the behavior of quantum many-body systems and their potential applications.
• Analyzing the principles of cosmology and their implications for the early universe.
• Examining the principles of dark energy and dark matter and their role in cosmology.
• Investigating the properties of gravitational waves and their detection.
• Studying the principles of quantum computing and their potential applications in solving complex problems.
• Analyzing the properties of topological insulators and their potential applications in quantum computing and electronics.
• Examining the principles of quantum simulations and their potential applications in studying complex systems.
• Investigating the principles of quantum error correction and their implications for quantum computing.
• Studying the behavior of quarks and gluons in high energy collisions.
• Analyzing the principles of quantum phase transitions and their implications for condensed matter physics.
• Examining the principles of quantum annealing and their potential applications in optimization problems.
• Investigating the properties of spintronics and their potential applications in electronics.
• Studying the behavior of non-linear systems and their applications in physics and engineering.
• Analyzing the principles of quantum metrology and their potential applications in precision measurement.
• Examining the principles of quantum teleportation and their implications for information processing.
• Investigating the properties of topological superconductors and their potential applications.
• Studying the principles of quantum chaos and their implications for complex systems.
• Analyzing the properties of magnetars and their role in astrophysics.
• Examining the principles of quantum thermodynamics and their implications for the behavior of small systems.
• Investigating the principles of quantum gravity and their implications for the structure of the universe.
• Studying the behavior of strongly correlated systems and their applications in condensed matter physics.

Physics Research Topics for PhD

• Quantum computing: theory and applications.
• Topological phases of matter and their applications in quantum information science.
• Quantum field theory and its applications to high-energy physics.
• Experimental investigations of the Higgs boson and other particles in the Standard Model.
• Theoretical and experimental study of dark matter and dark energy.
• Applications of quantum optics in quantum information science and quantum computing.
• Nanophotonics and nanomaterials for quantum technologies.
• Development of advanced laser sources for fundamental physics and engineering applications.
• Study of exotic states of matter and their properties using high energy physics techniques.
• Quantum information processing and communication using optical fibers and integrated waveguides.
• Advanced computational methods for modeling complex systems in physics.
• Development of novel materials with unique properties for energy applications.
• Magnetic and spintronic materials and their applications in computing and data storage.
• Quantum simulations and quantum annealing for solving complex optimization problems.
• Gravitational waves and their detection using interferometry techniques.
• Study of quantum coherence and entanglement in complex quantum systems.
• Development of novel imaging techniques for medical and biological applications.
• Nanoelectronics and quantum electronics for computing and communication.
• High-temperature superconductivity and its applications in power generation and storage.
• Quantum mechanics and its applications in condensed matter physics.
• Development of new methods for detecting and analyzing subatomic particles.
• Atomic, molecular, and optical physics for precision measurements and quantum technologies.
• Neutrino physics and its role in astrophysics and cosmology.
• Quantum information theory and its applications in cryptography and secure communication.
• Study of topological defects and their role in phase transitions and cosmology.
• Experimental study of strong and weak interactions in nuclear physics.
• Study of the properties of ultra-cold atomic gases and Bose-Einstein condensates.
• Theoretical and experimental study of non-equilibrium quantum systems and their dynamics.
• Development of new methods for ultrafast spectroscopy and imaging.
• Study of the properties of materials under extreme conditions of pressure and temperature.

Random Physics Research Topics

• Quantum entanglement and its applications
• Gravitational waves and their detection
• Dark matter and dark energy
• High-energy particle collisions and their outcomes
• Atomic and molecular physics
• Theoretical and experimental study of superconductivity
• Plasma physics and its applications
• Neutrino oscillations and their detection
• Quantum computing and information
• The physics of black holes and their properties
• Study of subatomic particles like quarks and gluons
• Investigation of the nature of time and space
• Topological phases in condensed matter systems
• Magnetic fields and their applications
• Nanotechnology and its impact on physics research
• Theory and observation of cosmic microwave background radiation
• Investigation of the origin and evolution of the universe
• Study of high-temperature superconductivity
• Quantum field theory and its applications
• Study of the properties of superfluids
• The physics of plasmonics and its applications
• Experimental and theoretical study of semiconductor materials
• Investigation of the quantum Hall effect
• The physics of superstring theory and its applications
• Theoretical study of the nature of dark matter
• Study of quantum chaos and its applications
• Investigation of the Casimir effect
• The physics of spintronics and its applications
• Study of the properties of topological insulators
• Investigation of the nature of the Higgs boson
• The physics of quantum dots and its applications
• Study of quantum many-body systems
• Investigation of the nature of the strong force
• Theoretical and experimental study of photonics
• Study of topological defects in condensed matter systems
• Investigation of the nature of the weak force
• The physics of plasmas in space
• Study of the properties of graphene
• Investigation of the nature of antimatter
• The physics of optical trapping and manipulation
• Study of the properties of Bose-Einstein condensates
• Investigation of the nature of the neutrino
• The physics of quantum thermodynamics
• Study of the properties of quantum dots
• Investigation of the nature of dark energy
• The physics of magnetic confinement fusion
• Study of the properties of topological quantum field theories
• Investigation of the nature of gravitational lensing
• The physics of laser cooling and trapping
• Study of the properties of quantum Hall states.
• The effects of dark energy on the expansion of the universe
• Quantum entanglement and its applications in cryptography
• The study of black holes and their event horizons
• The potential existence of parallel universes
• The relationship between dark matter and the formation of galaxies
• The impact of solar flares on the Earth’s magnetic field
• The effects of cosmic rays on human biology
• The development of quantum computing technology
• The properties of superconductors at high temperatures
• The search for a theory of everything
• The study of gravitational waves and their detection
• The behavior of particles in extreme environments such as neutron stars
• The relationship between relativity and quantum mechanics
• The development of new materials for solar cells
• The study of the early universe and cosmic microwave background radiation
• The physics of the human voice and speech production
• The behavior of matter in extreme conditions such as high pressure and temperature
• The properties of dark matter and its interactions with ordinary matter
• The potential for harnessing nuclear fusion as a clean energy source
• The study of high-energy particle collisions and the discovery of new particles
• The physics of biological systems such as the brain and DNA
• The behavior of fluids in microgravity environments
• The properties of graphene and its potential applications in electronics
• The physics of natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis
• The development of new technologies for space exploration and travel
• The study of atmospheric physics and climate change
• The physics of sound and musical instruments
• The behavior of electrons in quantum dots
• The properties of superfluids and Bose-Einstein condensates
• The physics of animal locomotion and movement
• The development of new imaging techniques for medical applications
• The physics of renewable energy sources such as wind and hydroelectric power
• The properties of quantum materials and their potential for quantum computing
• The physics of sports and athletic performance
• The study of magnetism and magnetic materials
• The physics of earthquakes and the prediction of seismic activity
• The behavior of plasma in fusion reactors
• The properties of exotic states of matter such as quark-gluon plasma
• The development of new technologies for energy storage
• The physics of fluids in porous media
• The properties of quantum dots and their potential for new technologies
• The study of materials under extreme conditions such as extreme temperatures and pressures
• The physics of the human body and medical imaging
• The development of new materials for energy conversion and storage
• The study of cosmic rays and their effects on the atmosphere and human health
• The physics of friction and wear in materials
• The properties of topological materials and their potential for new technologies
• The physics of ocean waves and tides
• The behavior of particles in magnetic fields
• The properties of complex networks and their application in various fields

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Doctoral Program (Ph.D.)

• Graduate Programs

The Physics Ph.D. program provides students with opportunities to perform independent research in some of the most current and dynamic areas of physics. Students develop a solid and broad physics knowledge base in the first year through the core curriculum, departmental colloquia, and training.

Upper-level courses and departmental seminar series subsequently provide more specialized exposure. Armed with the core knowledge, doctoral students join a research group working in an area of particular interest. This research is performed in very close collaboration with one or more faculty whose interests span a wide range of physics fields.

Applicants are expected to have a strong background in physics or closely related subjects at the undergraduate level. All applications are evaluated holistically to assess the applicant's preparation and potential for graduate coursework and independent research, which can be demonstrated in multiple ways.

For the physics track, only the Physics Subject GRE scores are  required (general GRE scores are not required). For the astrophysics track, submission of General and Subject Physics GRE scores is not required.

Three recommendation letters from faculty or others acquainted with the applicant's academic and/or research qualifications are required.

If you have submitted an application and need to make changes or add to the application, do not send the materials to the Physics department. The department is unable to alter or add to your application. Contact the  Graduate School staff  for all changes.  

Ph.D. Program Milestones and Guideposts

• Work toward joining a research group
• Pass 3 courses per semester if a TA or 4 courses per semester if a Fellow with at least 50% B's or better
• Complete 6 core courses (PHYS 2010, 2030, 2040, 2050, 2060, 2140)
• Begin research
• Complete PHYS2010 (or other core courses) if not taken during Year 1
• Complete at least 2 advanced courses
• Pass qualifying exam
• Complete 2nd Year Ethics Training
• Identify prelim committee
• Continue research
• Complete remaining advanced courses
• Pass preliminary exam and advance to candidacy
• Complete thesis research
• Write and defend thesis

Ph.D. Resources

• Ph.D. Program Student Handbook
• Graduate Core Course Listing
• Finding a Research Group
• Comprehensive Exam Information
• Ph.D. Second Year Ethics Training Requirement
• Ph.D. Preliminary Exam Requirements and Guidelines
• Ph.D. Prelim Form
• Physics Department Defense Form
• Ph.D. Dissertation Defense Requirements and Guidelines
• Ph.D. Course Waiver/Permission Form

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PhD Program

A PhD degree in Physics is awarded in recognition of significant and novel research contributions, extending the boundaries of our knowledge of the physical universe. Selected applicants are admitted to the PhD program of the UW Department of Physics, not to a specific research group, and are encouraged to explore research opportunities throughout the Department.

Degree Requirements

Typical timeline, advising and mentoring, satisfactory progress, financial support, more information.

Applicants to the doctoral program are expected to have a strong undergraduate preparation in physics, including courses in electromagnetism, classical and quantum mechanics, statistical physics, optics, and mathematical methods of physics. Further study in condensed matter, atomic, and particle and nuclear physics is desirable. Limited deficiencies in core areas may be permissible, but may delay degree completion by as much as a year and are are expected to remedied during the first year of graduate study.

The Graduate Admissions Committee reviews all submitted applications and takes a holistic approach considering all aspects presented in the application materials. Application materials include:

• Resume or curriculum vitae, describing your current position or activities, educational and professional experience, and any honors awarded, special skills, publications or research presentations.
• Statement of purpose, one page describing your academic purpose and goals.
• Personal history statement (optional, two pages max), describing how your personal experiences and background (including family, cultural, or economic aspects) have influenced your intellectual development and interests.
• Three letters of recommendation: submit email addresses for your recommenders at least one month ahead of deadline to allow them sufficient time to respond.
• Transcripts (unofficial), from all prior relevant undergraduate and graduate institutions attended. Admitted applicants must provide official transcripts.
• English language proficiency is required for graduate study at the University of Washington. Applicants whose native language is not English must demonstrate English proficiency. The various options are specified at: https://grad.uw.edu/policies/3-2-graduate-school-english-language-proficiency-requirements/ Official test scores must be sent by ETS directly to the University of Washington (institution code 4854) and be received within two years of the test date.

For additional information see the UW Graduate School Home Page , Understanding the Application Process , and Memo 15 regarding teaching assistant eligibility for non-native English speakers.

The GRE Subject Test in Physics (P-GRE) is optional in our admissions process, and typically plays a relatively minor role.  Our admissions system is holistic, as we use all available information to evaluate each application. If you have taken the P-GRE and feel that providing your score will help address specific gaps or otherwise materially strengthen your application, you are welcome to submit your scores. We emphasize that every application will be given full consideration, regardless of whether or not scores are submitted.

Applications are accepted annually for autumn quarter admissions (only), and must be submitted online. Admission deadline: DECEMBER 15, 2024.

Department standards

Course requirements.

Students must plan a program of study in consultation with their faculty advisor (either first year advisor or later research advisor). To establish adequate breadth and depth of knowledge in the field, PhD students are required to pass a set of core courses, take appropriate advanced courses and special topics offerings related to their research area, attend relevant research seminars as well as the weekly department colloquium, and take at least two additional courses in Physics outside their area of speciality. Seeking broad knowledge in areas of physics outside your own research area is encouraged.

The required core courses are:

In addition, all students holding a teaching assistantship (TA) must complete Phys 501 / 502 / 503 , Tutorials in Teaching Physics.

Regularly offered courses which may, depending on research area and with the approval of the graduate program coordinator, be used to satisfy breadth requirements, include:

• Phys 506 Numerical Methods
• Phys 555 Cosmology & Particle Astrophysics
• Phys 507 Group Theory
• Phys 557 High Energy Physics
• Phys 511 Topics in Contemporary Physics
• Phys 560 Nuclear Theory
• Phys 520 Quantum Information
• Phys 564 General Relativity
• Phys 550 Atomic Physics
• Phys 567 Condensed Matter Physics
• Phys 554 Nuclear Astrophysics
• Phys 570 Quantum Field Theory

Graduate exams

Master's Review:   In addition to passing all core courses, adequate mastery of core material must be demonstrated by passing the Master's Review. This is composed of four Master's Review Exams (MREs) which serve as the final exams in Phys 524 (SM), Phys 514 (EM), Phys 518 (QM), and Phys 505 (CM). The standard for passing each MRE is demonstrated understanding and ability to solve multi-step problems; this judgment is independent of the overall course grade. Acceptable performance on each MRE is expected, but substantial engagement in research allows modestly sub-par performance on one exam to be waived. Students who pass the Master's Review are eligible to receive a Master's degree, provided the Graduate School course credit and grade point average requirements have also been satisfied.

General Exam:   Adequate mastery of material in one's area of research, together with demonstrated progress in research and a viable plan to complete a PhD dissertation, is assessed in the General Exam. This is taken after completing all course requirements, passing the Master's Review, and becoming well established in research. The General Exam consists of an oral presentation followed by an in-depth question period with one's dissertation committee.

Final Oral Exam:   Adequate completion of a PhD dissertation is assessed in the Final Oral, which is a public exam on one's completed dissertation research. The requirement of surmounting a final public oral exam is an ancient tradition for successful completion of a PhD degree.

Graduate school requirements

Common requirements for all doctoral degrees are given in the Graduate School Degree Requirements and Doctoral Degree Policies and Procedures pages. A summary of the key items, accurate as of late 2020, is as follows:

• A minimum of 90 completed credits, of which at least 60 must be completed at the University of Washington. A Master's degree from the UW or another institution in physics, or approved related field of study, may substitute for 30 credits of enrollment.
• At least 18 credits of UW course work at the 500 level completed prior to the General Examination.
• At least 18 numerically graded UW credits of 500 level courses and approved 400 level courses, completed prior to the General Examination.
• At least 60 credits completed prior to scheduling the General Examination. A Master's degree from the UW or another institution may substitute for 30 of these credits.
• A minimum of 27 dissertation (or Physics 800) credits, spread out over a period of at least three quarters, must be completed. At least one of those three quarters must come after passing the General Exam. Except for summer quarters, students are limited to a maximum of 10 dissertation credits per quarter.
• A minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 must be maintained.
• The General Examination must be successfully completed.
• A thesis dissertation approved by the reading committee and submitted and accepted by the Graduate School.
• The Final Examination must be successfully completed. At least four members of the supervisory committee, including chair and graduate school representative, must be present.
• Registration as a full- or part-time graduate student at the University must be maintained, specifically including the quarter in which the examinations are completed and the quarter in which the degree is conferred. (Part-time means registered for at least 2 credits, but less than 10.)
• All work for the doctoral degree must be completed within ten years. This includes any time spend on leave, as well as time devoted to a Master's degree from the UW or elsewhere (if used to substitute for credits of enrollment).
• Pass the required core courses: Phys 513 , 517 , 524 & 528 autumn quarter, Phys 514 , 518 & 525 winter quarter, and Phys 515 , 519 & 505 spring quarter. When deemed appropriate, with approval of their faculty advisor and graduate program coordinator, students may elect to defer Phys 525 , 515 and/or 519 to the second year in order to take more credits of Phys 600 .
• Sign up for and complete one credit of Phys 600 with a faculty member of choice during winter and spring quarters.
• Pass the Master's Review by the end of spring quarter or, after demonstrating substantial research engagement, by the end of the summer.
• Work to identify one's research area and faculty research advisor. This begins with learning about diverse research areas in Phys 528 in the autumn, followed by Phys 600 independent study with selected faculty members during winter, spring, and summer.
• Pass the Master's Review (if not already done) by taking any deferred core courses or retaking MREs as needed. The Master's Review must be passed before the start of the third year.
• Settle in and become fully established with one's research group and advisor, possibly after doing independent study with multiple faculty members. Switching research areas during the first two years is not uncommon.
• Complete all required courses. Take breadth courses and more advanced graduate courses appropriate for one's area of research.
• Perform research.
• Establish a Supervisory Committee within one year after finding a compatible research advisor who agrees to supervise your dissertation work.
• Take breadth and special topics courses as appropriate.
• Take your General Exam in the third or fourth year of your graduate studies.
• Register for Phys 800 (Doctoral Thesis Research) instead of Phys 600 in the quarters during and after your general exam.
• Take special topics courses as appropriate.
• Perform research. When completion of a substantial body of research is is sight, and with concurrence of your faculty advisor, start writing a thesis dissertation.
• Establish a dissertation reading committee well in advance of scheduling the Final Examination.
• Schedule your Final Examination and submit your PhD dissertation draft to your reading committee at least several weeks before your Final Exam.
• Take your Final Oral Examination.
• After passing your Final Exam, submit your PhD dissertation, as approved by your reading committee, to the Graduate School, normally before the end of the same quarter.

This typical timeline for competing the PhD applies to students entering the program with a solid undergraduate preparation, as described above under Admissions. Variant scenarios are possible with approval of the Graduate Program coordinator. Two such scenarios are the following:

• Students entering with insufficient undergraduate preparation often require more time. It is important to identify this early, and not feel that this reflects on innate abilities or future success. Discussion with one's faculty advisor, during orientation or shortly thereafter, may lead to deferring one or more of the first year required courses and corresponding Master's Review Exams. It can also involve taking selected 300 or 400 level undergraduate physics courses before taking the first year graduate level courses. This must be approved by the Graduate Program coordinator, but should not delay efforts to find a suitable research advisor. The final Master's Review decision still takes place no later than the start of the 3rd year and research engagement is an important component in this decision.
• Entering PhD students with advanced standing, for example with a prior Master's degree in Physics or transferring from another institution after completing one or more years in a Physics PhD program, may often graduate after 3 or 4 years in our program. After discussion with your faculty advisor and with approval of the Graduate Program coordinator, selected required classes may be waived (but typically not the corresponding Master's Review Exams), and credit from other institutions transferred.
• Each entering PhD student is assigned a first year faculty advisor, with whom they meet regularly to discuss course selection, general progress, and advice on research opportunities. The role of a student's primary faculty advisor switches to their research advisor after they become well established in research. Once their doctoral supervisory committee is formed, the entire committee, including a designated faculty mentor (other than the research advisor) is available to provide advice and mentoring.
• The department also has a peer mentoring program, in which first-year students are paired with more senior students who have volunteered as mentors. Peer mentors maintain contact with their first-year mentees throughout the year and aim to ease the transition to graduate study by sharing their experiences and providing support and advice. Quarterly "teas" are held to which all peer mentors and mentees are invited.
• While academic advising is primarily concerned with activities and requirements necessary to make progress toward a degree, mentoring focuses on the human relationships, commitments, and resources that can help a student find success and fulfillment in academic and professional pursuits. While research advisors play an essential role in graduate study, the department considers it inportant for every student to also have available additional individuals who take on an explicit mentoring role.
• Students are expected to meet regularly, at a minimum quarterly, with their faculty advisors (either first year advisor or research advisor).
• Starting in the winter of their first year, students are expected to be enrolled in Phys 600 .
• Every spring all students, together with their advisors, are required to complete an annual activities report.
• The doctoral supervisory committee needs to be established at least by the end of the fourth year.
• The General Exam is expected to take place during the third or fourth year.
• Students and their advisors are expected to aim for not more than 6 years between entry into the Physics PhD program and completion of the PhD. In recent years the median time is close to 6 years.

Absence of satisfactory progress can lead to a hierarchy of actions, as detailed in the Graduate School Memo 16: Academic Performance and Progress , and may jeopardize funding as a teaching assistant.

The Department aims to provide financial support for all full-time PhD students making satisfactory progress, and has been successful in doing so for many years. Most students are supported via a mix teaching assistantships (TAs) and research assistantships (RAs), although there are also various scholarships, fellowships, and awards that provide financial support. Teaching and research assistanships provide a stipend, a tuition waiver, and health insurance benefits. TAs are employed by the University to assist faculty in their teaching activities. Students from non-English-speaking countries must pass English proficiency requirements . RAs are employed by the Department to assist faculty with specified research projects, and are funded through research grants held by faculty members.

Most first-year students are provided full TA support during their first academic year as part of their admission offer. Support beyond the second year is typically in the form of an RA or a TA/RA combination. It is the responsibility of the student to find a research advisor and secure RA support. Students accepting TA or RA positions are required to register as full-time graduate students (a minimum of 10 credits during the academic year, and 2 credits in summer quarter) and devote 20 hours per week to their assistantship duties. Both TAs and RAs are classified as Academic Student Employees (ASE) . These positions are governed by a contract between the UW and the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW), and its Local Union 4121 (UAW).

Physics PhD students are paid at the "Assistant" level (Teaching Assistant or Research Assistant) upon entry to the program. Students receive a promotion to "Associate I" (Predoctoral Teaching Associate I or Predoctoral Research Associate I) after passing the Master's Review, and a further promotion to "Associate II" (Predoctoral Teaching Associate II or Predoctoral Research Associate II) after passing their General Examination. (Summer quarter courses, and summer quarter TA employment, runs one month shorter than during the academic year. To compendate, summer quarter TA salaries are increased proportionately.)

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• MyPhys , UW Physics Department intranet with policies and information for enrolled students.
• UW Graduate School information for students and postdocs.
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Graduate School

General Information

Program offerings:, director of graduate studies:, graduate program administrator:.

Graduate study in the Department of Physics is strongly focused on research leading to the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree. We welcome students from diverse backgrounds and strive to provide a sense of community and inclusiveness where students are enabled to achieve their full potential. The Physics Department maintains an active research program with equal emphasis on theoretical and experimental studies. Primary research areas are theoretical and experimental elementary particle physics, theoretical and experimental gravity and cosmology, experimental nuclear and atomic physics, mathematical physics, theoretical and experimental condensed matter physics, and theoretical and experimental biophysics.

Students are encouraged to involve themselves in research activities right from the beginning. Early research participation leads to a more mature appreciation of the formal aspects of graduate study and a mastery of the skills necessary to succeed in independent work. It also allows a closer association with faculty members and a more natural transition to independent research later on. While research for the doctoral dissertation is the most important component of the program, the Physics Department also offers intensive training on best practices for teaching and scholarly presentation of research results. Together, this comprehensive training is designed to prepare students well for careers in academia and research at government or industrial laboratories, as well a broad range of non-academic careers in the private sector. The average time to completion of the Ph.D. in the Department of Physics is 5.4 years.

Interdepartmental Research Opportunities Physics department faculty and graduate students are active in research collaborations with scientists in several other departments, including astrophysical sciences, plasma physics, chemical and electrical engineering, chemistry, biology, neuroscience, and quantitative and computational biology, as well as the Institute for Advanced Study and the Princeton Institute for the Science and Technology of Materials. With prior approval, students may conduct their research under the supervision of advisers from outside the physics department.

Additional departmental requirements

Applicants must indicate at least one choice from a menu of Department's current Areas of Research – see the Department of Physics website " Research " section for descriptions of the research areas and the current activities in each. The Statement of Purpose is a good opportunity to clarify research interests. The Department of Physics notes that it is not necessary to describe how an applicant developed an interest in Physics.  Applicants are typically best served by devoting the statement to a description of their research background and interests. However, applicants with unusual or compelling paths are welcome to describe their experiences.  In any case, the Statement of Purpose should focus on an applicant’s specific research interests at Princeton and any relevant research experience.

Program Offerings

Program offering: ph.d..

The Department of Physics divides the core curriculum into three groups.  During the first two years, students are required to take and pass (at least) one course in each group. Thus minimally, a student needs to pass three core courses. A passing grade is a B or higher. All students are required to complete the core curriculum by the end of the second year.  The core curriculum is grouped into three areas, which are outlined below:

Quantum Mechanics/Quantum Field Theory PHY 506 Quantum Mechanics PHY 509 Relativistic Quantum Theory I PHY 510 Relativistic Quantum Theory II PHY 529 Introduction to High Energy Physics

Condensed Matter/Biophysics/Atomic Physics PHY 525 Introduction to Condensed Matter Physics I PHY 526 Introduction to Condensed Matter Physics II PHY 551 Atomic Physics (not taught every year) PHY 561 & 562 Biophysics

General Relativity/High Energy Physics PHY 523 Introduction to General Relativity PHY 524 Advanced Topics in General Relativity PHY 529 Introduction to High Energy Physics

During the fall term of the first year, students generally take one core course to supplement their undergraduate physics background and prepare for the preliminary exam. Students are encouraged to take other more advanced courses to expand their knowledge in their chosen specialty. 

All students are required to take a dedicated course, PHY 502 Communicating Physics that is designed to strengthen the skills necessary to communicate effectively as a teacher and researcher in physics.

Additional pre-generals requirements

Adviser Selection The Department of Physics aims to engage graduate students in research as soon as they arrive.  Graduate students are required to settle on a thesis topic and secure a dissertation adviser by the end of the second year.

General exam

The preliminary examination, the experimental project and the required minimum number of core courses constitute the general examination. All sections of the general examination must be completed by the end of the second year.  

Students take the first section of the general examination, the preliminary examination, in January or May of the first year. The preliminary examination covers topics of electromagnetism, elementary quantum mechanics, mechanics, statistical physics and thermodynamics.

The second section of the general examination is the experimental project, which consists of a report and presentation on an experiment that the student has either performed or assisted others in performing, at Princeton. Students submit the report and complete the presentation in November of the second year.  

Qualifying for the M.A.

The Master of Arts (M.A.) degree is normally an incidental degree on the way to full Ph.D. candidacy and is earned after a student successfully completes all components of the general examination. It may also be awarded to students who, for various reasons, leave the Ph.D. program, provided that these requirements have been met.

While teaching is not a requirement, the Department offers graduate students the opportunity to teach at least one semester during their graduate tenure. A wide range of teaching opportunities are offered, from laboratory work to recitation sessions in core undergraduate and advanced graduate courses.

Post-Generals requirements

The Pre-Thesis Project The pre-thesis project is a research project in the student's area of interest, conducted under the supervision of a faculty adviser who is likely to become the Ph.D. adviser for the student.  The final product is a written report and an oral defense in the presence of a pre-thesis committee, which is strongly encouraged to comprise faculty who will also serve as the student’s Ph.D. committee. The report's length and format are typically comparable to a journal article. It is advisable to include an introduction aimed at physicists who are not expert in the field.

The goals of the pre-thesis projects are:

• to give the student a serious introduction to his or her final area of specialization
• to get the student involved with the faculty in the research group of interest
• to get the student known by the faculty in the research group of interest

In order to get a rapid start on their thesis research, students are expected to start actively working on their pre-thesis project as soon as possible. The evaluation by the pre-thesis adviser will be an essential part of the reenrollment process at the end of the third year. The pre-thesis defense should take place no later than the fall of the third year.

Dissertation and FPO

The Ph.D. is awarded once the dissertation is accepted and the final public oral (FPO) has been completed.

• James D. Olsen

Associate Chair

• Waseem S. Bakr
• Simone Giombi

Director of Graduate Studies

Director of undergraduate studies.

• Dmitry Abanin
• Michael Aizenman
• Robert H. Austin
• Bogdan A. Bernevig
• William Bialek
• Cristiano Galbiati
• Thomas Gregor
• Frederick D. Haldane
• M. Zahid Hasan
• David A. Huse
• William C. Jones
• Igor R. Klebanov
• Mariangela Lisanti
• Daniel R. Marlow
• Nai Phuan Ong
• Lyman A. Page
• Frans Pretorius
• Silviu S. Pufu
• Michael V. Romalis
• Shinsei Ryu
• Peter Schiffer
• Joshua W. Shaevitz
• Suzanne T. Staggs
• Paul J. Steinhardt
• Christopher G. Tully
• Herman L. Verlinde
• Ali Yazdani

Associate Professor

• Andrew M. Leifer

Assistant Professor

• Saptarshi Chaudhuri
• Lawrence W. Cheuk
• Isobel R. Ojalvo
• Gautam Reddy

Associated Faculty

• Ravindra N. Bhatt, Electrical & Comp Engineering
• Roberto Car, Chemistry
• Mihalis Dafermos, Mathematics
• Andrew A. Houck, Electrical & Comp Engineering
• Leslie M. Schoop, Chemistry
• Mansour Shayegan, Electrical & Comp Engineering
• David N. Spergel, Astrophysical Sciences
• David W. Tank, Princeton Neuroscience Inst
• Jeffrey D. Thompson, Electrical & Comp Engineering
• Salvatore Torquato, Chemistry
• Ned S. Wingreen, Molecular Biology
• Nathalie P. de Leon, Electrical & Comp Engineering

Professor Emeritus (teaching)

• Peter D. Meyers

Senior Lecturer

• Grace Bosse
• Katerina Visnjic
• Steven J. Benton
• Justin G. DeZoort
• Aurelien A. Fraisse
• Norman C. Jarosik
• Shengkai Li
• Katharine Moran
• Jason L. Puchalla

Visiting Lecturer with Rank of Professor

• Stephen L. Adler
• Nima Arkani-Hamed
• Juan M. Maldacena
• Nathan Seiberg

For a full list of faculty members and fellows please visit the department or program website.

Permanent Courses

Courses listed below are graduate-level courses that have been approved by the program’s faculty as well as the Curriculum Subcommittee of the Faculty Committee on the Graduate School as permanent course offerings. Permanent courses may be offered by the department or program on an ongoing basis, depending on curricular needs, scheduling requirements, and student interest. Not listed below are undergraduate courses and one-time-only graduate courses, which may be found for a specific term through the Registrar’s website. Also not listed are graduate-level independent reading and research courses, which may be approved by the Graduate School for individual students.

CHM 510 - Topics in Physical Chemistry (also PHY 544)

Ece 560 - fundamentals of nanophotonics (also mse 556/phy 565), ece 567 - advanced solid-state electron physics (also phy 567), ece 569 - quantum information and entanglement (also phy 568), mat 595 - topics in mathematical physics (also phy 508), mse 504 - monte carlo and molecular dynamics simulation in statistical physics & materials science (also cbe 520/chm 560/phy 512), phy 502 - communicating physics (half-term), phy 505 - quantum mechanics, phy 506 - advanced quantum mechanics (also mse 576), phy 509 - quantum field theory, phy 510 - advanced quantum field theory, phy 511 - statistical mechanics, phy 521 - introduction to mathematical physics (also mat 597), phy 523 - introduction to relativity, phy 525 - introduction to condensed matter physics, phy 529 - high-energy physics, phy 536 - advanced condensed matter physics ii (also mse 577), phy 537 - nuclear physics, phy 539 - topics in high-energy physics, phy 540 - selected topics in theoretical high-energy physics, phy 557 - electronic methods in experimental physics, phy 558 - electronic methods in experimental physics ii, phy 561 - biophysics, phy 562 - biophysics, phy 563 - physics of the universe, phy 580 - extramural summer research project, phy 581 - graduate research internship, qcb 505 - topics in biophysics and quantitative biology (also phy 555), qcb 515 - method and logic in quantitative biology (also chm 517/eeb 517/mol 515/phy 570).

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Astrophysics, Fusion and Plasma Physics

Cornell’s research programs in planetary astronomy, infrared astronomy, theoretical astrophysics, and radio astronomy are internationally recognized. Plasma physics is the science of electrically conducting fluids and high-temperature ionized gases. While the best-known research impetus is controlled fusion as a potential source of electric power, plasma physics also underlies many solar, astrophysical, and ionospheric phenomena as well as industrial applications of plasmas.

Nanoscience and Nanotechnology

Nanoscience, the behavior of physical systems when confined to near atomic, nanoscale ( 100 nm) dimensions together with the physical phenomena that occur at the nanoscale, is currently one of the most dynamic and rapidly developing areas of interdisciplinary research in applied physics.

Condensed Matter and Materials  Physics

Research topics in this diverse area range from innovative studies of the basic properties of condensed-matter systems to the nanofabrication and study of advanced electronic, optoelectronic, spintronic, and quantum-superconductor devices.

Energy Systems

The need for future renewable sources of energy and ways to minimize consumption is leading to a growing emphasis on new concepts for the generation, storage, and transportation of energy. Cornell faculty are involved in developing a wide range of energy-related materials, such as photovoltaic materials, thermoelectrics, advanced battery materials and catalysts, membranes and supports for mobile fuel cells. Research is also conducted on materials processing that minimizes environmental impact.

Biophysics is a broad field, ranging from fundamental studies of macromolecules or cells, through the design of state of the art diagnostic or medical tools. A number of AEP research groups are pushing the limits in biophysical studies by developing instruments that provide new insight into the physics that drives biological processes or developing new methods for manipulating biomolecules for biotechnological or biomedical applications.

Microfluidics and Microsystems

Researchers in this field use their knowledge of microfluidics to create microsystems useful both in research and real-world applications in a variety of fields, including chemistry, biology, agriculture, and biomedical engineering.

Optical Physics

Photonics researchers focus on the applications of the particle properties of light; optoelectronics has to do with the study and application of effects related to the interaction of light and electronic signals.

Quantum Information Science

QIS research studies the application of quantum physics to information science and technology. AEP has research groups spanning quantum sensing, communications, simulation, and computing, with experimental approaches including superconducting circuits, trapped ions, photonics, and semiconductor devices.

Physics, PHD

On this page:, at a glance: program details.

• Location: Tempe campus
• Second Language Requirement: No

Program Description

Degree Awarded: PHD Physics

The PhD program in physics is intended for highly capable students who have the interest and ability to follow a career in independent research.

The recent advent of the graduate faculty initiative at ASU extends the spectrum of potential physics doctoral topics and advisors to include highly transdisciplinary projects that draw upon:

• biochemistry
• electrical engineering
• materials science
• other related fields

Consequently, students and doctoral advisors can craft novel doctoral projects that transcend the classical palette of physics subjects. Transdisciplinary expertise of this nature is increasingly vital to modern science and technology.

Current areas of particular emphasis within the department include:

• biological physics
• electron diffraction and imaging
• nanoscale and materials physics
• particle physics and astrophysics

The department has more than 90 doctoral students and more than 40 faculty members.

Degree Requirements

Curriculum plan options.

• 84 credit hours, a written comprehensive exam, an oral comprehensive exam, a prospectus and a dissertation

Required Core (18 credit hours) PHY 500 Research Methods (6) PHY 521 Classical and Continuum Mechanics (3) PHY 531 Electrodynamics (3) PHY 541 Statistical Physics (3) PHY 576 Quantum Theory (3)

Electives or Research (54 credit hours)

Culminating Experience (12 credit hours) PHY 799 Dissertation (12)

Additional Curriculum Information Of particular note within the core courses are the PHY 500 Research Methods rotations, which are specifically designed to engage doctoral students in genuine, faculty-guided research starting in their first semester. Students complete three credit hours of PHY 500 in both their fall and spring semesters of their first year, for a total of six credit hours.

Coursework beyond the core courses is established by the student's doctoral advisor and supervisory committee, working in partnership with the student. The intent is to tailor the doctoral training to the specific research interests and aptitudes of the student while ensuring that each graduating student emerges with the expertise, core knowledge and problem-solving skills that define having a successful doctoral degree in physics.

When approved by the student's supervisory committee and the Graduate College, this program allows 30 credit hours from a previously awarded master's degree to be used for this degree. If students do not have a previously awarded master's degree, the 30 credit hours of coursework are made up of electives to reach the required 84 credit hours.

Admission Requirements

Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Applicants are eligible to apply to the program if they have earned a bachelor's or master's degree in physics or a closely related area from a regionally accredited institution. Applicants must have had adequate undergraduate preparation equivalent to an undergraduate major of 30 credit hours in physics and 20 credit hours in mathematics. Courses in analytic mechanics, electromagnetism and modern physics, including quantum mechanics, are particularly important.

Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 hours of their first bachelor's degree program or a minimum GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in an applicable master's degree program.

All applicants must submit:

• graduate admission application and application fee
• official transcripts
• personal statement
• three letters of recommendation
• proof of English proficiency

Additional Application Information An applicant whose native language is not English must provide proof of English proficiency regardless of their current residency.

Applicants requesting credit for prior graduate courses, taken either at ASU or elsewhere, must demonstrate mastery of the relevant course material to the graduate-level standards of the Department of Physics.

Next Steps to attend ASU

Learn about our programs, apply to a program, visit our campus, career opportunities.

As professional physicists, graduates can advance the frontiers of physics by generating new knowledge in their subfields while working on the most challenging scientific problems at the forefront of human understanding. Graduates find positions in a variety of settings, such as administration, government labs, industrial labs and management, and as academic faculty.

Physicists are valued for their analytical, technical and mathematical skills and find employment in a vast array of employment sectors, including:

• engineering

Program Contact Information

If you have questions related to admission, please click here to request information and an admission specialist will reach out to you directly. For questions regarding faculty or courses, please use the contact information below.

• [email protected]
• 480/965-3561

Department of Physics

PhD. Theses

Fpo pictures 2024.

Nicholas Quirk - FPO; Committee: Professors Phuan Ong, Biao Lian, and Lyman Page

Leander Thiele - FPO; Committee: Professors David Spergel, Jo Dunkley, and Lyman Page

Jingyao Wang- FPO; Committee: Professors Michael Romalis, Waseem Bakr, and (not pictured) Mariangela Lisanti

Remy Delva- FPO; Committee: Professors Jason Petta, David Huse, and Chris Tully

Saumya Shivam - FPO; Committee: Professors Shivaji Sondhi, Biao Lian and Frans Pretorius

Cheng-Li Chiu - FPO; Committee: Professors Ali Yazdani, Lawrence Cheuk, Sanfeng Wu, and Biao Lian

Charlie Guinn - FPO; Committee: Professors Andrew Houck, Lawrence Cheuk, and Sarang Gopalakrishnan

Kaiwen Zheng - FPO; Committee: Professors Suzanne Staggs, Jo Dunkley and Chris Tully

Stephanie Kwan - FPO; Committee: Professors Isobel Ojalvo, Mariangela Lisanti and Jim Olsen

Nicholas Haubrich - FPO; Committee: Professors Jim Olsen, Isobel Ojalvo, Mariangela Lisanti

Roman Kolevatov - FPO; Committee: Professors Lyman Page, Paul Steinhardt, Frans Pretorius, and Saptarshi Chaudhuri

Gillian Kopp - FPO; Committee: Professors Chris Tully, Isobel Ojalvo, Mariangela Lisanti, and Andrew Leifer

Zheyi Zhu - FPO; Committee: Professors Phuan Ong, Sanfeng Wu, and Silviu Pufu

Yuhan Wang- FPO; Committee: Professors Suzanne Staggs, Jo Dunkley, Isobel Ojalvo, and Lyman Page

Benjamin Spar - FPO; Committee: Professors Waseem Bakr, Lawrence Cheuk, and David Huse

Shuo Ma - FPO; Committee: Professors Jeffrey Thompson, Waseem Bakr, Lawrence Cheuk, and David Huse

Mike Onyszczak - FPO; Committee: Professors Sanfeng Wu, Phuan Ong, and Silviu Pufu

Maksim Litskevich - FPO; Committee: Professors Zahid Hasan, Saptarshi Chaudhuri and Sanfeng Wu

Wentao Fan - FPO; Committee: Professors Hakan Tureci, Jim Olsen, and Dima Abanin

Liz Helfenberger - FPO; Committee: Professors Simone Giombi, Jim Olsen and Silviu Pufu

Mayer Feldman - FPO; Committee Professors David Huse, Sanfeng Wu and Stephen Lyon

PhD. Theses 2024

View past theses (2011 to present) in the Dataspace Catalog of Ph.D Theses in the Department of Physics

View past theses (1996 to present) in the ProQuest Database

PhD in Physics

Program requirements and policies.

• Graduate TA should register on SIS for PHY 405; Graduate RA should register on SIS for PHY 406 .
• Students who are working on a thesis or dissertation project for their doctoral degree should also register for PHY 502 FT (Doctoral Degree Continuation) in each semester.

I. Proficiency in four core fields

• Classical mechanics
• Classical electromagnetism
• Statistical mechanics
• Quantum mechanics

Students can demonstrate proficiency through:

• PHY 131: Advanced Classical Mechanics
• PHY 145: Classical Electromagnetic Theory I
• PHY 146: Classical Electromagnetic Theory II
• PHY 153: Statistical Mechanics
• PHY 163: Quantum Theory I
• PHY 164: Quantum Theory II
• A final grade of A- or better in PHY 131: Advanced Classical Mechanics meets the proficiency requirement for classical mechanics.
• An average combined final grade of A- or better in PHY 145: Classical Electromagnetic Theory I and PHY 146: Classical Electromagnetic Theory II meets the proficiency requirement for classical electromagnetism.
• A final grade of A- or better in PHY 153: Statistical Mechanics meets the proficiency requirement for statistical mechanics.
• An average combined final grade of A- or better in PHY 163: Quantum Theory I and PHY 146: Quantum Theory II meets the proficiency requirement for quantum mechanics.
• Passing a written qualifying exam in the subject(s).

Assessment policy for proficiency in the core courses for first year students

II. At least one course from any two of the following specialized fields

• AST 121: Galactic Astronomy
• AST 122: Extragalactic Astronomy
• Any graduate level courses, including Special Topics courses, in Astronomy/Astrophysics
• PHY 173: Solid State Physics I
• PHY 174: Solid State Physics II
• Any graduate level courses, including Special Topics courses, in Condensed Matter Physics
• PHY 183: Particle Physics I
• PHY 184: Particle Physics II
• Any graduate level courses, including Special Topics courses, in Particle Physics
• PHY 167: General Relativity
• PHY 268: Cosmology
• Any graduate level courses, including Special Topics courses, in General Relativity and Cosmology
• PHY 263: Advanced Quantum Mechanics
• Any graduate level courses, including Special Topics courses, in Quantum Mechanics or Quantum Information

III. Oral qualifying examination

By the end of the third year, the student must complete an oral qualifying examination in his/her chosen specialized field. The purpose of the oral qualifying examination is threefold:

• to provide the student with an opportunity to apply his/her fundamental knowledge of physics to a specific topic in his/her field of interest;
• to evaluate the student's ability to carry that skill forward into his/her dissertation research, and
• to provide practice in the presentation of scientific material.

The topic should be selected by the student in consultation with his/her research advisor, in order best to advance that student's progress. It could be a review of research relevant to the student's intended research project, a proposal for a possible research topic, or another topic in the general area of the student's research, but not directly related to that research. It should be sufficiently well defined that the student can achieve substantial mastery and depth of understanding in a period of 4-6 weeks. In general, depth is more important than breadth.

The student shall prepare and deliver a public presentation of 30-45 minutes duration, with the expectation that during that period the audience and guidance committee will freely ask questions. The form of the presentation will be determined by the student's advisor and guidance committee, but regardless of the format, the student must be prepared to depart from the prepared material to answer questions.

Following the presentation and an open question period, the audience will be asked to leave, and the student's guidance committee will pose additional questions. While some questions will be directly related to the topic of the presentation, others will probe fundamental physics underlying or related to the topic. The student's ability to respond appropriately, exhibiting both understanding of the relevant physics and the ability to apply it to the topic at hand, is at least as important as the prepared presentation.

While the primary function of the examination is educational rather than evaluative, if the guidance committee does not find the student's performance to be satisfactory, it may:

• Fail the student, resulting in his/her administrative withdrawal from the doctoral program;
• Require the student to submit to another oral examination covering the same or different material;
• Require other remedial work, which may include preparing and presenting a written or oral explanation of some topic, or such other steps as the committee deems appropriate.

In cases (2) and (3), the requirement must be completed successfully within two months after the original examination, but no later than the beginning of the student's fourth year. In no case will the student receive a third opportunity to fulfill the requirement.

IV. Independent research

After satisfactory performance on the oral qualifying exam, the candidate undertakes a program of independent research under the guidance of their research advisor, culminating in the preparation and defense of a doctoral dissertation. Students must register for one credit of PHY 0297: Graduate Research and one credit of PHY 0298: Graduate Research in their final two semesters of the program.

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How to choose a suitable topic for PhD in Physics? [closed]

After completion of graduate courses when a student is supposed to start real research in Physics, (to be more specific, suppose in high energy physics), how does one select the problem to work on? The area is vast, mature and lots of problems remain to be solved. This vastness of the field and various levels of difficulty of unsolved problems may give rise to confusion regarding choice of problem. The time one can spend at graduate school is limited (let us assume about four years after courses are over) Can anybody guide me or share one's views about this issue?

What type of problems should be avoided at PhD level? I guess problems which even the best theorists had failed to completely solve should be left. There are less difficult problems which are solved in collaboration of say three/four/five or more highly experienced physicists which may not be possible for a beginner who will be working practically alone. So should one start with the simplest unsolved problems? Or is it enough for a problem to be interesting to work on, irrespective of its level of difficulty? In general, what type of work is expected from a graduate student to be eligible for a PhD degree?

• soft-question

• $\begingroup$ Thanks for your replies. Indeed getting a good enough advisor is very helpful in this respect. Or someone who may not be the advisor but by way of discussion may point out some interesting problem to work on. But I am assuming a case where the advisor is not that helpful, may be he meets the student once in six months or so; so that the student is on his own. It is important I feel, to learn to identify the right problem to work on. When a good advisor (or someone else) suggests a problem to work on, he or she must have some criteria in mind to identify the suitable problem for the student. Wh $\endgroup$ –  user11737 Commented Aug 29, 2012 at 5:04
• $\begingroup$ Just ask the questions you investigate here, and if you don't get a quick reply, chances are it's not widely known. Do a literature review at this point, and see if it is known. Then figure it out. You don't have to be perfect in your first attempt, just do something. This answer doesn't answer the question, and you should incorporate it into your question. Also, don't worry so much, just read the literature as much as you can and do the best you can. $\endgroup$ –  Ron Maimon Commented Aug 29, 2012 at 5:20

2 Answers 2

You are just expected to produce some research which makes some papers for your advisor. This is all that is required to get a PhD. The goal is to do so while developing your own field which is entirely your own work.

From my experience, you will not get a good problem from an advisor unless you get lucky with advisor, so you must make your own luck by doing your own research. You have a better nose than your advisor or the professors, so just learn what is necessary and try to figure out some aspect of the world to the point where you are sure of the answer. Scientific publishing is undergoing a revolution which is especially pronounced in physics, and it is opening up, so whatever you discover cannot be suppressed and cannot be taken from you . So don't worry about discussing your work, or keeping it secret. This hurts you more than it protects you. If someone can steal your result, it is not original enough to be a good result.

False open problems

The biggest problem for grad students is that there are many problems people will tell you are open, because they don't understand them, that are actually completely well understood and closed for a long time. After you figure out the answer to a question you think might be open, look to see if it is already solved. Don't trust people's statements about it.

In school, I at one time or another heard the following were open (they are obviously not):

• Equivalence of Polyakov and Nambu actions
• How to do Path integrals in p-q space, where the coordinates don't commute.
• electromagnetic arrow of time
• getting the beta function of strings from worldsheet actions
• The measurement problem in standard QM

There were many more I don't remember. These I remember, because I got the answer, and then I tended to get pissed off that the answer was well-known and it was not presented to me. People in the US tend to hoard actual open problems, and work on them, and they present fake open problems to students to get you to think "gosh, people don't understand anything". The effect is to steer you toward useless thinking.

Basically, any problem that you see in a textbook isn't open. Just solve it as an exercize, and if you can't, read related literature until you can. There are no real open problems in book subjects, or else they wouldn't be book subjects.

Political fields

Further, there are some fields where certain things are known, but for political reasons people say it isn't:

• The pairing mechanism of HighTc superconductors.

The pairing is purely electronic, but it is politically impossible to say this, because there are stupid people who say otherwise. The mechanism is just BCS theory (although in unusual circumstances), but again, nobody can say it. I personally think I know the detailed mechanism, but when I presented it to an expert he said "even if you are right, this is not the thing that anyone cares about in HighTc anymore". I didn't listen about the idea not being important, but I decided the experts in the field are political idiots, and there is no point in trying to penetrate it.

Although this field is political, one can do interesting things if one has access to experimental data. The thing to know is the pairing mechanism. I'll write it up here.

• The rigorous formulation of quantum field theory

Here again, Wilson and Kadanoff made the path clear, and it is only politics and the political structure of mathematics that prevents the work from getting incorporated. Avoid rigorous field theory, it is not productive.

• Large extra dimensions (in any form)

This is junk, and when I was in graduate school, it was expected of people to write about it assuming it is possible. It is better to be homeless and starving than to promote junk science. I was supposed to write a paper on experimental methods to detect large extra dimension, but at some point I said "no, this I cannot do", and I left grad school and started working on biology. I do not regret this decision, and neither will you.

Do not work on junk science, even if it gets you a PhD. Find non-junk things to work on, there are plenty. You might not get a job, you might wander the wilderness like Kraichnan or Einstein or Onsager, but you will discover new things about nature, and those that do junk science cannot and will not.

Left vs right

One recurring issue with research is that the major breakthroughs are almost always made by people on the political left, and these people hardly ever get credit for these, because by the time the work is well understood, it is picked up by the right, and these people are easier for society to reward.

This leads to the marginalization of many great physicists: Ernst Stueckelberg, Geoffrey Chew, the Italian school (Regge, Veneziano, etc). If you are working in the US, bend over backwards to read people from the former USSR and Europe, they had excellent work, and they were not compelled by market forces to write junk for publicity.

This doesn't mean "right wing science" can be ignored--- the development of quantum field theory in the 1970s and 1980s was essentially right-wing science, since it was reviving 1950s work and suppressing more radical 1960s work. But everything radical is eventually tamed, and string theory was at first a radical experiment in nuclear democracy, then taken over by traditional liberals in the 1980s, and is now a conservative's science (although still great).

Try to avoid politics, but be aware of it, since it will allow you to identify work that others cannot because of the political biases.

Just ask your own questions here, and quickly you will get to research questions that nobody has answered. I brought up a few here that would be nice to solve, like the degeneracy of even and odd trajectories, the emissions of near-extremal black holes, and so on.

You will not find such open discussions in academic writing anymore, since all the discussion of active questions has moved online. I have some answers for open problems here: What is currently incomplete in M-theory?

• 2 $\begingroup$ There is so much wrong in academia and everybody knows it and certainly everybody continously complains about his situation for one reason or another. Nevertheless, in your rants you always seem to assume that the general physicist is willing to fight and to pay the price do. I can tell you that that's not going to happen, almost everybody will think of himself and his security first. If you want to see something changing, I'd rather suggest to figure out another approach, which takes that into account. $\endgroup$ –  Nikolaj-K Commented Aug 28, 2012 at 21:02
• 1 $\begingroup$ @NickKidman: You don't need a lot of people, just a handful. They do the progress in every generation. I just hope to do my best to be one of those people, and I kind of expected that I would die empverished on the street from about the age of 16 on, so I don't mind. It's worse in nonscience fields. $\endgroup$ –  Ron Maimon Commented Aug 29, 2012 at 0:34
• $\begingroup$ I am not sure in what you mean when you suggest the measure meant problem is not one that is open? Anyway, in many fields of theoretical physics, freedom to choose a Ph.D. topic that in some way benefits the research group (essentially the funding body) and has some solid grounding and use, is as elusive as it should be. I was a good undergrad with a 1:1, but the subject I decided to do my research in (relativistic magnetohydrodynamics) was sufficiently esoteric as to give me no chance of creating a reasonable proposal. This is where any decent supervisor comes in... $\endgroup$ –  MoonKnight Commented Aug 29, 2012 at 13:38
• 2 $\begingroup$ @Killercam: Relativistic magnetohydrodynamics requires a GR proposal, because any effects will be astrophysical, in accretion disks. It would be interesting to do simulations, and I think it might have new insights. Alfven didn't say "what's the point of studying magnetic fields in hydrodynamics", he just did it. The advisor will just kill your ideas when they aren't coming from his own biases, like Veltman telling 't Hooft not to publish beta function. There's nothing to be gained from delaying original work, and you should do it early, preferably while living with your parents. $\endgroup$ –  Ron Maimon Commented Aug 29, 2012 at 14:40
• 1 $\begingroup$ @Killercam: Remember that Alfven was no Alfven either, he was just a schmo like everyone else, as were Einstein, Dirac, Gell-Mann, Scherk, Mandelstam, and so on. They weren't Nietzsche's superman, they were ordinary people who devoted much time and effort to doing new science. What relativistic MHD arises outside of astrophysics? I don't see any relativistic fluids around in nature other than in accretion disks. Even ITER is nonrelativistic. $\endgroup$ –  Ron Maimon Commented Aug 29, 2012 at 16:57

This is what thesis advisors are for.

Indeed it is difficult for a student to identify a problem or topic area which is both interesting enough to potentially get you a job later on, but also has not yet been overgrazed by other physicists. That is why identifying a good thesis advisor, and convincing him to take you as a student, the most critical task for a starting grad student.

Some advisors will involve you in their own research, carving out little subproblems you can tackle while you get up to speed. Some advisors don't collaborate with students but have a knack for identifying promising problems that haven't already been done. Some advisors just aren't very good advisors and leave students to sink or swim on their own. You need to carefully evaluate the options available at your institution.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged soft-question education or ask your own question .

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The broad focus of Prof. Baranger's group is quantum open systems at the nanoscale , particularly the generation of correlation between particles in such systems. Fundamental interest in nanophysics-- the physics of small, nanometer scale, bits of solid-- stems from the ability to control and probe systems on length scales larger than atoms but small enough that the averaging inherent in bulk properties has not yet occurred. Using this ability, entirely unanticipated phenomena can be uncovered on the one hand, and the microscopic basis of bulk phenomena can be probed on the other. Additional interest comes from the many links between nanophysics and nanotechnology. Within this thematic area, our work ranges from projects trying to nail down realistic behavior in well-characterized systems, to more speculative projects reaching beyond regimes investigated experimentally to date.

Correlations between particles are a central issue in many areas of condensed matter physics, from emergent many-body phenomena in complex materials, to strong matter-light interactions in quantum information contexts, to transport properties of single molecules. Such correlations, for either electrons or bosons (photons, plasmons, phonons,…), underlie key phenomena in nanostructures. Using the exquisite control of nanostructures now possible, experimentalists will be able to engineer correlations in nanosystems in the near future. Of particular interest are cases in which one can tune the competition between different types of correlation, or in which correlation can be tunably enhanced or suppressed by other effects (such as confinement or interference), potentially causing a quantum phase transition-- a sudden, qualitative change in the correlations in the system.

My recent work has addressed correlations in both electronic systems (quantum wires and dots) and photonic systems (photon waveguides). We have focused on 3 different systems: (1) qubits coupled to a photonic waveguide, (2) quantum dots in a dissipative environment, and (3) low-density electron gas in a quantum wire. The methods used are both analytical and numerical, and are closely linked to experiments.

Research Topics description from ~2008:

The broad focus of Prof. Baranger's group is the interplay of electron-electron interactions and quantum interference at the nanoscale . Fundamental interest in nanophysics - the physics of small, nanometer scale, bits of solid - stems from the ability to control and probe systems on length scales larger than atoms but small enough that the averaging inherent in bulk properties has not yet occurred. Using this ability, entirely unanticipated phenomena can be uncovered on the one hand, and the microscopic basis of bulk phenomena can be probed on the other. Additional interest comes from the many links between nanophysics and nanotechnology. Within this thematic area, our work ranges from projects trying to nail down realistic behavior in well-characterized systems, to more speculative projects reaching beyond regimes investigated experimentally to date. Currently, 5 topics are being actively pursued: 1. Kondo Effect in Nanoscale Systems The Kondo effect is a classic of many-body physics involving the correlation of an electron in an isolated level with a bulk Fermi sea. In contrast, we consider a finite size Fermi sea and so treat the non-zero level-spacing in the lead. The relevant experimental situation is two quantum dots connected by tunneling, a very small one to supply the electron in an isolated level and a large one to act as a nanoscale Fermi sea. [with R. Kaul, D. Ullmo, and Prof. S. Chandrasekharan] 2. Molecular Electronics We have established a state-of-the-art program to calculate the electric current through single molecules. This involved substantial program development in previous years; we are now concentrating on studying various systems. For instance, we carried out an extensive study of molecules containing cobaltocene , a sandwich molecule consisting of a Co atom between two 5-member carbon rings. Cobaltocene has spin 1/2, and manipulation of this spin strongly affects the electrical conduction. Thus we have introduced the first examples of true molecular spintronics - a spin filter, spin valve, and spin switch. [with R. Liu, S.-H. Ke, and Prof. W. Yang] 3. Quantum Computing: Decoherence in Quantum Error Correction We focus on the effects of decoherence - processes which break the quantum mechanical coherence at the basis of this type of computation. A key question is how decoherence scales as the computer becomes larger, that is, as the number of qubits increases so that the states of the computer become increasingly more complicated entangled states. Initial pessimistic estimates were circumvented by quantum error correction , a clever encoding of a single logical qubit using several physical qubits. We are studying how decoherence due to correlated noise scales in a computer using error correction. [with E. Novais and Prof. E. Mucciolo] 4. Toward Strong Interactions in Circular Quantum Dots The “electron gas” model of electrons in solids – in which the conduction electrons interact via Coulomb forces but the ionic potential is neglected – has been a key paradigm of solid state physics. Quantum mechanically, the physical properties change dramatically depending on the balance between the strength of the Coulomb interaction and the kinetic energy. The limiting cases are well understood: for very weak interactions the particles are delocalized while for very strong interactions they localize in a Wigner crystal. The physics at intermediate densities is surprisingly rich and remains at the forefront of research. We are studying the intermediate density electron gas confined to various nanostructures by using quantum Monte Carlo techniques. [with A. Ghosal, D. Guclu, and Prof. C. Umrigar] 5. Quantum Phase Transitions We are studying models of strongly interacting systems in which there is a quantum (zero temperature) phase transition as a function of disorder strength. The models are chosen so that there is a cooperative many-body ground state (superconductivity or ferromagnetism), and the disorder introduces inhomogeneity through quantum interference. As the inhomogeneity in the system grows, the cooperative state is eventually killed at a quantum phase transition. Through careful study using recently developed algorithms, we identify a bosonic superconductor-insulator transition which has new critical exponents which sharply disagree with previous theoretical prejudices. [with A. Priyadarshee and Prof. S. Chandrasekharan]

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You will have the opportunity to collaborate with faculty members and engage in cutting-edge research projects aligned with your interests and career aspirations. The physics program encourages interdisciplinary research and the exploration of new frontiers in physics, fostering innovation and scientific discovery.

Seth Hubbard

Mishkat Bhattacharya

Moumita Das

Shima Parsa

Lishibanya Mohapatra

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Curriculum for 2024-2025 for Physics Ph.D.

Current Students: See Curriculum Requirements

Physics, Ph.D. degree, typical course sequence

Physics (or closely-related) Electives*

* This list is representative and not exhaustive.

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Admissions and Financial Aid

This program is available on-campus only.

Full-time study is 9+ semester credit hours. International students requiring a visa to study at the RIT Rochester campus must study full‑time.

Application Details

To be considered for admission to the Physics Ph.D. program, candidates must fulfill the following requirements:

• Learn tips to apply for a doctoral program and then complete a graduate application .
• Submit copies of official transcript(s) (in English) of all previously completed undergraduate and graduate course work, including any transfer credit earned.
• Hold a baccalaureate degree (or US equivalent) from an accredited university or college in the physical sciences or engineering.
• A recommended minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 (or equivalent).
• Satisfy prerequisite requirements and/or complete foundation courses prior to starting program coursework.
• Submit a current resume or curriculum vitae.
• Submit a statement of purpose for research which will allow the Admissions Committee to learn the most about you as a prospective researcher.
• Submit two letters of recommendation .
• Entrance exam requirements: GRE, both General and Physics, are optional. No minimum score requirement.
• Writing samples are optional.
• Submit English language test scores (TOEFL, IELTS, PTE Academic), if required. Details are below.

English Language Test Scores

International applicants whose native language is not English must submit one of the following official English language test scores. Some international applicants may be considered for an English test requirement waiver .

International students below the minimum requirement may be considered for conditional admission. Each program requires balanced sub-scores when determining an applicant’s need for additional English language courses.

How to Apply   Start or Manage Your Application

Cost and Financial Aid

An RIT graduate degree is an investment with lifelong returns. Ph.D. students typically receive full tuition and an RIT Graduate Assistantship that will consist of a research assistantship (stipend) or a teaching assistantship (salary).

The School is committed to a diverse applications pool and alleviating any financial burden of application. For information, please contact the Program Director.

Additional Information

Foundation courses.

Physics forms the backbone of many scientific and engineering disciplines, thus candidates from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply. However, applicants to the doctoral program are typically expected to have some undergraduate preparation in physics, including courses in electromagnetism, classical and quantum mechanics, statistical physics, and mathematical methods of physics. If applicants have not taken the expected background coursework, the program director may require the student to successfully complete foundational courses prior to matriculating into the Ph.D. program. A written agreement between the candidate and the program director will identify the required foundation courses, which must be completed with an overall B average before a student can matriculate into the graduate program. Note that this can lead to a delay in degree completion by as much as a year.

• Doing a PhD in Physics
• Doing a PhD

What Is It Like to Do a PhD in Physics?

Physics is arguably the most fundamental scientific discipline and underpins much of our understanding of the universe. Physics is based on experiments and mathematical analysis which aims to investigate the physical laws which make up life as we know it.

Due to the large scope of physics, a PhD project may focus on any of the following subject areas:

• Thermodynamics
• Cosmology and Astrophysics
• Nuclear Physics
• Solid State Physics
• Condensed matter Physics
• Particle Physics
• Quantum mechanics
• Computational Physics
• Theoretical Physics
• Electromagnetism and photonics
• Molecular physics
• And many more

Compared to an undergraduate degree, PhD courses involve original research which, creates new knowledge in a chosen research area. Through this you will develop a detailed understanding of applicable techniques for research, become an expert in your research field, and contribute to extending the boundaries of knowledge.

During your postgraduate study you will be required to produce a dissertation which summarises your novel findings and explains their significance. Postgraduate research students also undertake an oral exam, known as the Viva, where you must defend your thesis to examiners.

Browse PhDs in Physics

Decoherence due to flux noise in superconducting qubits at microkelvin temperatures, in-situ disposal of cementitious wastes at uk nuclear sites, coventry university postgraduate research studentships, discovery of solid state electrolytes using deep learning, observing the black hole mergers in the early universe with next-generation gravitational wave observatories, hear from phd students and doctorates:.

To get a better perspective of what life is really like doing a Physics PhD, read the interview profiles below, from those that have been there before, and are there now:

How Long Does It Take to Get a PhD in Physics?

The typical full-time programme has a course length of 3 to 4 years . Most universities also offer part-time study . The typical part-time programme has a course length of 5 to 7 years.

The typical Physics PhD programme sees PhD students study on a probationary basis during their first year. Admission to the second year of study and enrolment onto the PhD programme is subject to a successful first year review. The format of this review varies across organisations but commonly involves a written report of progress made on your research project and an oral examination.

Additional Learning Modules:

Most Physics PhD programme have no formal requirement for students to attend core courses. There are, however, typically several research seminars, technical lectures, journal clubs and other courses held within the Physics department that students are expected to attend.

Research seminars are commonly arranged throughout your programme to support you with different aspects of your study, for example networking with other postgraduates, guidelines on working with your supervisor, how to avoid bias in independent research, tips for thesis writing, and time management skills.

Doctoral training and development workshops are commonly organised both within and outside of the department and aim to develop students’ transferrable skills (for example communication and team working). Information on opportunities for development that exist within the University and explored and your post doctorate career plans will be discussed.

Lectures run by department staff and visiting scholars on particular subject matters relevant to your research topic are sometimes held, and your supervisor (or supervisory committee) is likely to encourage you to attend.

Typical Entry Requirements:

A UK Physics PhD programme normally requires a minimum upper second-class (2:1) honours undergraduate or postgraduate degree (or overseas equivalent) in physics, or a closely related subject. Closely related subjects vary depending on projects, but mathematics and material sciences are common. Graduate students with relevant work experience may also be considered.

Funded PhD programmes (for examples those sponsored by Doctoral Training Partnerships or by the university school) are more competitive, and hence entry requirements tend to be more demanding.

English Language Requirements:

Universities typically expect international students to provide evidence of their English Language ability as part of their applications. This is usually benchmarked by an IELTS exam score of 6.5 (with a minimum score of 6 in each component), a TOEFL (iBT) exam score 92, a CAE and CPE exam score of 176 or another equivalent. The exact score requirements for the different English Language Qualifications may differ across different universities.

Tips to Improve Your Application:

If you are applying to a Physics PhD, you should have a thorough grasp of the fundamentals of physics, and also appreciate the concepts within the focus of your chosen research topic. Whilst you should be able to demonstrate this through either your Bachelors or Master’s degree, it is also beneficial to also be able to show this through extra-curricular engagement, for example attending seminars or conferences. This will also get across your passion for Physics – a valuable addition to your application as supervisors are looking for committed students.

It is advisable to make informal contact with the project supervisors for any positions you are interested in prior to applying formally. This is a good chance for you to understand more about the Physics department and project itself. Contacting the supervisor also allows you to build a rapport, demonstrate your interest, and see if the project and potential supervisor are a good fit for you. Some universities require you to provide additional evidence to support your application. These can include:

• University certificates and transcripts (translated to English if required)
• Academic CV
• Covering Letter
• English certificate – for international students

How Much Does a Physics PhD Degree Typically Cost?

Annual tuition fees for a PhD in Physics in the UK are approximately £4,000 to £5,000 per year for home (UK) students and are around £22,000 per year for overseas students. This, alongside the standard range in tuition fees that you can expect, is summarised below:

Note: The EU students are considered International from the start of the 2021/22 academic year.

Due to the experimental nature of Physics programmes, research students not funded by UK research councils may also be required to pay a bench fee . Bench fees are additional fees to your tuition, which covers the cost of travel, laboratory materials, computing equipment or resources associated with your research. For physics research students in particular this is likely to involve training in specialist software, laboratory administration, material and sample ordering, and computing upkeep.

What Specific Funding Opportunities Are There for A PhD in Physics?

As a PhD applicant, you may be eligible for a loan of up to £25,700. You can apply for a PhD loan if you’re ordinarily resident in the UK or EU, aged 60 or under when the course starts and are not in receipt of Research Council funding.

Research Councils provide funding for research in the UK through competitive schemes. These funding opportunities cover doctoral students’ tuition fees and sometimes include an additional annual maintenance grant. The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is a government agency that funds scientific research in the UK. Applications for EPSRC funding should be made directly to the EPSRC, but some Universities also advertise EPSRC funded PhD studentships on their website. The main funding body for Physics PhD studentships is EPSRC’s group on postgraduate support and careers, which has responsibility for postgraduate student support.

The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) funds a large range of projects in Physics and Astronomy. To apply for funding students must locate the relevant project, contact the host institution for details of the postdoctoral researcher they wish to approach and then apply directly to them.

You can use DiscoverPhD’s database to search for a PhD studentship in Physics now.

What Specific Skills Will You Get from a PhD in Physics?

PhD doctorates possess highly marketable skills which make them strong candidates for analytical and strategic roles. The following skills in particular make them attractive prospects to employers in research, finance and consulting:

• Strong numerical skills
• Strong analytical skills
• Laboratory experience
• Application of theoretical concepts to real world problems

Aside from this, postgraduate students will also get transferable skills that can be applied to a much wider range of careers. These include:

• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Great attention to detail
• Collaboration and teamwork
• Independent thinking

What Jobs Can I Get with a PhD in Physics?

The wide range of specialties within Physics courses alone provides a number of job opportunities, from becoming a meteorologist to a material scientist. However, one of the advantages Physics doctorates have over other doctorates is their studies often provide a strong numerical and analytical foundation. This opens a number of career options outside of traditional research roles. Examples of common career paths Physics PostDocs take are listed below:

Academia – A PhD in Physics is a prerequisite for higher education teaching roles in Physics (e.g. University lecturer). Many doctorates opt to teach and supervise students to continue their contribution to research. This is popular among those who favour the scientific nature of their field and wish to pursue theoretical concepts.

PostDoc Researcher – Other postdoctoral researchers enter careers in research, either academic capacity i.e. researching with their University, or in industry i.e. with an independent organisation. Again, this is suited to those who wish to continue learning, enjoy collaboration and working in an interdisciplinary research group, and also offers travel opportunities for international conferences.

Astronomy – Astronomers study the universe and often work with mathematical formulas, computer modelling and theoretical concepts to predict behaviours. A PhD student in this field may work as astrobiologists, planetary geologists or government advisors.

Finance – As mentioned previously, analytical and numerical skills are the backbone of the scientific approach, and the typical postgraduate research programme in Physics is heavily reliant on numeracy. As such, many PostDocs are found to have financial careers. Financial roles typically offer lucrative salaries.

Consulting – Consulting firms often consider a doctoral student with a background in Physics for employment as ideal for consultancy, based on their critical thinking and strategic planning skills.

How Much Can You Earn with A PhD in Physics?

Data from the HESA is presented below which presents the salary band of UK domiciled leaver (2012/13) in full-time paid UK employment with postgraduate qualifications in Physical Studies:

With a doctoral physics degree, your earning potential will mostly depend on your chosen career path. Due to the wide range of options, it’s impossible to provide an arbitrary value for the typical salary you can expect. However, if you pursue one of the below paths or enter their respective industry, you can roughly expect to earn:

Academic Lecturer

• Approximately £30,000 – £35,000 starting salary
• Approximately £40,000 with a few years experience
• Approximately £45,000 – £55,000 with 10 years experience
• Approximately £60,000 and over with significant experience and a leadership role. Certain academic positions can earn over £80,000 depending on the management duties.

Actuary or Finance

• Approximately £35,000 starting salary
• Approximately £45,000 – £55,000 with a few years experience
• Approximately £70,000 and over with 10 years experience
• Approximately £180,000 and above with significant experience and a leadership role.

Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering

• Approximately £28,000 starting salary
• Approximately £35,000 – £40,000 with a few years experience
• Approximately £60,000 and over with 10 years experience

Data Analyst

• Approximately £45,000 – £50,000 with a few years experience
• Approximately £90,000 and above with significant experience and a leadership role.

Geophysicist

• Approximately £28,000 – £35,000 starting salary
• Approximately £40,000 – £65,000 with a few years’ experience
• Approximately £80,000 and over with significant experience and a leadership role

Medical Physicist

• Approximately £27,500 – £30,000 starting salary
• Approximately £30,000 – £45,000 with a few years’ experience
• Approximately £50,000 and over with significant experience and a leadership role

Meteorologist

• Approximately £20,000 – £25,000 starting salary
• Approximately £25,000 – £35,000 with a few years’ experience
• Approximately £45,000 and over with significant experience and a leadership role

Again, we stress that the above are indicative values only. Actual salaries will depend on the specific organisation and position and responsibilities of the individual.

UK Physics PhD Statistics

The Higher Education Statistics Agency has an abundance of useful statistics and data on higher education in the UK. We have looked at the data from the Destination of Leavers 2016/17 survey to provide information specific for Physics Doctorates:

The graph below shows the destination of 2016/17 leavers with research based postgraduate qualifications in physical sciences. This portrays a very promising picture for Physics doctorates, with 92% of leavers are in work or further study.

The table below presents the destination (sorted by standard industrial classification) of 1015 students entering employment in the UK with doctorates in Physical Studies, from 2012/13 to 2016/17. It can be seen that PhD postdocs have a wide range of career paths, though jobs in education, professional, scientific and technical activities, and manufacturing are common.

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Stanford Biomedical Physics (BMP) PhD Program

Medical Physics Track Under BMP PhD Program

Program Overview

The Departments of Radiology and Radiation Oncology are proud to offer a new PhD program in Biomedical Physics (BMP). This program, supported by and integrating faculty from these two departments, was formally approved by the university in May 2021 and welcomed its first class of students in fall 2022. This program aims to offer unique interdisciplinary training in physics and engineering applied to solve clinical problems. This burgeoning translational field integrates topics including medical physics, diagnostic imaging, and molecular imaging and diagnostics. Synergistic with multiple departments and institutes from the School of Medicine, Engineering, and Humanities and Sciences, the BMP program leverages Stanford’s outstanding faculty, research, and resources to create a world-class training program. It targets physics, bioscience, and engineering students seeking to become the next generation of leaders focused on addressing the technical challenges of clinical medicine.

Students admitted to the BMP PhD program can choose to complete a CAMPEP curriculum that will allow them to pursue medical physics residencies and certification by the American Board of Radiology (ABR) in preparation for a career in clinical physics. This subtrack of BMP is offered in collaboration with the Medical Physics Certificate Program.

Admission Requirements and Process

Prerequisites

All students pursuing the BMP PhD program will have to complete the requirements for the BMP PhD program. Undergraduates with a major or minor in physics or equivalent of a minor in physics are encouraged to apply if interested in pursuing the Medical Physics Track.

Degree Requirements

• The Medical Physics Track follows the BMP PhD degree requirement described on Stanford Bulletin , but with different course requirements. In addition to 3 listed core courses, students are required to finish 4 more courses including:
• BMP 251 Medical Physics and Dosimetry
• BMP 252 Radiation Therapy Physics
• BMP 269A Medical Imaging Systems l, and
• BMP 269B Medical Imaging Systems lI

Students must complete the BMP requirements and also take the required CAMPEP courses.

Medical Physics CAMPEP students

Enrolled in Program

No graduates at this time.

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Here are the four major areas where one can find research proposals for a PhD thesis in Physics:  

Experimental Physics of Matter 

Magnetization dynamics in thin films and nanostructures

Investigation of magnetization processes of bulk superconducting materials for the development of devices for shielding and production/optimization of magnetic fields 

Control of the properties of two-dimensional materials by electric field effect

Experimental investigation of the order parameter in unconventional superconductors   

Quantum technologies in the frame of quantum optics

Evaluation of the therapeutic and imaging properties of stimuli-activated semiconducting nanocrystals against cancer cells 

Memristors and Mechanical resonators

Materials and processes for micro & nano technologies

Modeling and experiments of elastic wave propagation in complex media and acoustic/elastic metamaterials

NanoPhotonics for Quantum Optics

Theoretical Physics of Matter 

Microscopic theory and simulation of electronic quantum nanodevices

Disorder operators and topological orders in strongly correlated quantum matter

Quantum mixture formed by two bosonic components 

Numerical Monte Carlo simulation of strongly correlated electronic models

Out of equilibrium properties of quantum systems: investigation of topological materials 

Exploring the power of Entanglement for information processing: quantum information theory for quantum technologies

Interaction of mesoscopic quantum systems with gravity

Physics of Complex Systems 

Non equilibrium Statistical Mechanics

Statistical physics of the living cell

High Energy Physics

Supergravity and String Theory

Nuclear matter under extreme conditions and high energy astrophysics

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The Physics Department strives to be at the forefront of many areas where new physics can be found. Consequently, we work on problems where extreme conditions may reveal new behavior. We study the largest things in the universe: clusters of galaxies or even the entire universe itself. We study the smallest things in the universe: elementary particles or even the strings that may be the substructure of these particles. We study the hottest things in the universe: collisions of nuclei at relativistic velocities that make droplets of matter hotter than anything since the Big Bang. We study the coldest things in the universe: laser-cooled atoms so cold that their wave functions overlap resulting in a macroscopic collective state–the Bose-Einstein condensate. While we often study the simplest things, such as individual atoms, we study the most complicated things too: unusual materials like high temperature superconductors and those that are important in biology. By pushing the limits, we have the chance to observe new general principles and to test theories of the structure and behavior of matter and energy. The links at the left will lead you to overviews of the research done in the Physics Department, organized in four broad areas, as well as to the web pages of the faculty working in each area.