2012-2013 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Physics
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116 Cardwell Hall
785-532-6786
Fax: 785-532-6806
graduate@phys.ksu.edu
http://www.phys.ksu.edu/
Department Head:
Amit Chakrabarti
Directors of graduate studies:
Brett Depaola
Michael J. O’Shea
Graduate Faculty:
*Itzhik Ben-Itzhak, Ph.D., Technion, Israel
*Chander P. Bhalla, (Emeritus) Ph.D., Tennessee
*Timothy A. Bolton, Ph.D., MIT
*Kevin Carnes, Ph.D., Purdue
*Amitabha Chakrabarti, Ph.D., Minnesota
*C. Lewis Cocke, (Emeritus) Ph.D., Cal. Tech
*Kristan L. Corwin, Ph.D., University of Colorado at Boulder
*Brett DePaola, Ph.D., Texas at Dallas
*Brett D. Esry, Ph.D., Colorado
*Charles C. Fehrenbach, Ph.D., University of Michigan
*Bret N. Flanders, Ph.D., University of Chicago
*Nathan Folland, (Emeritus) Ph.D., Iowa State
*Thomas J. Gray, (Emeritus) Ph.D., Florida State
*Siegbert J. Hagmann, (Emeritus) Ph.D., Cologne, Germany
*Glenn Horton-Smith, Ph.D., Stanford University
*Andrew G. Ivanov, Ph.D., University of Rochester
*Hongxing Jiang, (Adjunct) Ph.D., Syracuse
*Matthias F. Kling, Dr. rer. nat., University of Goettingen, Germany
*Vinod Kumarappan, Ph.D., Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, India
*Bruce Law, Ph.D., Victoria, New Zealand
Anh-Thu Le, Ph.D., Belarussian State University
*Ronald Lee, (Adjunct) Ph.D., Iowa State University
James C. Legg, (Emeritus) Ph.D., Princeton
*Chii-Dong Lin, Ph.D., Chicago
*Jingyu Lin, (Adjunct) Ph.D., Syracuse
*Stephen Lundeen, Ph.D., Harvard University
*Yurii Maravin, Ph.D., Southern Methodist University
*Michael J. O’Shea, Ph.D., Sussex, England
*Talat S. Rahman, (Emeritus) Ph.D., Rochester
*Bharat Ratra, Ph.D., Stanford
*Neville W. Reay, (Emeritus) Ph.D., Minnesota
*N. Sanjay Rebello, Ph.D., Brown
*Patrick Richard, (Emeritus) Ph.D., Florida State
Eleanor Sayre, Ph.D., University of Maine
Jeremy Schmidt, Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara
*Ronald A. Sidwell, (Emeritus) Ph.D., Indiana
*Christopher M. Sorensen, Ph.D., Colorado
*John D. Spangler, Adjunct, Ph.D., Duke University
*Noel R. Stanton, (Emeritus) Ph.D., Cornell
*Robert Szoszkiewicz, Ph.D., Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
*Uwe Thumm, Dr. rer. nat., Freiburg, Germany
*Carlos A. Trallero, Ph.D., Stony Brook University, New York
*Brian Washburn, Ph.D., Georgia Institute of Technology
*O. Laurence Weaver, Ph.D., Duke
*Gary M. Wysin, Ph.D., Cornell
*Dean A. Zollman, Ph.D., Maryland
*Theodore J. M. Zouros, Adjunct, Ph.D., Yale University
*Denotes graduate faculty that are certified to serve as the major professor for doctoral students.
Program description
The research programs of the Department of Physics are focused in the areas of atomic, molecular and optical physics, condensed matter physics, educational physics, computational physics, cosmology, and high energy physics. We have concentrated our major research commitments in these areas to maintain strength and balance. The Department of Physics offers graduate programs leading to the Ph.D. degree. These are described here with the research interests of the faculty. Our graduate core curriculum is an excellent foundation for work in a large variety of specialties.
Careers
Graduate study in physics provides training for many varied academic and technological careers. Graduates in physics at all levels have found attractive careers in industrial and governmental laboratories and in academic departments. Graduates from K-State are presently engaged in communications research, x-ray laser development, genetic research, university teaching and research in various areas of physics, petroleum research, and industrial electronics, and many other fields. M.S. graduates generally occupy skilled technical positions and Ph.D. graduates generally occupy positions requiring independent work in a wide range of areas.
Research and facilities
Experimental atomic, molecular and optical (AMO) physics research is based in the James R. Macdonald (JRM) Laboratory, which is a Department of Energy (DOE) funded facility attached to the physics building. The JRM lab contains three ultra-short pulse, ultra-high intensity titanium:sapphire lasers, a 6 million volt Tandem Van de Graaff accelerator, an Electron Beam Ion Source (EBIS), and an Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Source (ECRIS). With these facilities, JRM researchers investigate the interaction between atoms and molecules and intense electric fields, whether from high intensity lasers or charged particles. The laboratory is well known for its expertise in imaging these interactions, and uses a sophisticated array of detector electronics and computers for data acquisition and analysis. In addition to the large research group funded by a single DOE grant, the JRM lab also houses three individual groups that work in the areas of metrology (fiber lasers and frequency combs) and Magneto Optical Trap (MOT) targets.
Facilities for semiconductor material fabrication and device processing include: two MOCVD systems for the epitaxial growth of III-nitride semiconductor materials (GaN, InGaN, AlGaN); an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) dry etching system; a scanning electron microscope (SEM) based electron-beam lithograph system; and photolithograph systems. The semiconductor laboratory also possesses the world’s first (and the present only) picosecond time-resolved laser spectroscopy system with excitation and detection capabilities expanding from IR to deep UV (1.7 microns < ( < 0.195 microns). The laboratory is also equipped with other facilities such as SEM and AFM systems for structuralcharacterization, a variable temperature (10 K - 650 K) Hall-effect measurement system for transport characterization, and e-beam evaporator for metalization.
Facilities for magnetic research include a computer controlled sputter system with three sputter guns, a shared x-ray facility with the Department of Chemistry, and a SQUID magnetometer to measure magnetic moment (1.8 - 400 K, applied magnetic fields up to 55 kOe). Electron microscopy facilities are also available at Kansas State and are used regularly by physics faculty.
Facilities for the study of liquid interfaces and layers include phase modulated ellipsometry and a recently developed ellipsometric microscope which possesses submonolayer thickness resolution and micron spatial resolution.
A light scattering laboratory is used for study of liquids, aerosols and particulates. Dynamical properties, growth of particles and fractal geometry are studied.
The high energy physics group operates a 520 square foot clean room with probe station and wire bonder for silicon detector test and fabrication. Further space and facilities for detector development exist in the physics high bay building. The Kansas State-High Energy Physics group also makes extensive use of the Kansas State Electronics Design Laboratory. In addition, the group operates two high performance PC computing networks running the NT and Linux operating systems.
The physics department has a cluster of high-end and low-end Unix and Linux workstations connected via the ethernet. Additionally, a consortium of faculty are part of the Center for Scientific Supercomputing which provides the local backbone for high performance computing through its 48 processors of the HP/Convex Exemplar S-class and V-class machines which are housed in Cardwell Hall. Cardwell Hall is connected via fast switches with large bandwidth to the Internet and Internet 2. Kansas State University is also part of the Great Plains Network (GPN), a six-state consortium of state networks and research universities, for the purpose of providing high performance interconnectivitiy among GPN sites and to provide high bandwidth access to Internet 2. Researchers in the physics department have easy access to all national supercomputer centers.
Financial support
The department is continually awarded outside support for research and teaching. The extramural research support for the department has averaged over $6.5 million during each of the last four years. This support is important for the graduate student because it is an indication that the research conducted by the department is regarded highly by the research peers who review the department’s proposals. It also indicates that a large number of graduate research assistantships are available in the department. Exceptional students can compete for university graduate fellowships and graduate fellowships offered by the Graduate School. Applications must be completed by January 15 to be considered for a fellowship. The schedule for teaching assistants is about 8 to 10 hours per week in laboratory sections in the introductory physics courses. Summer appointments as research assistants are generally available. The stipend is sufficient for a comfortable life in Manhattan.
Doctor of Philosophy
Master of Science
Physics
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