Program Requirements:

To be awarded the M.S. (Physics in Medicine) degree, candidates for the degree must:

1. Meet the degree requirements of the Graduate School.
2. Complete 30 credit hours of course work listed as available for graduate credit, including PHY 6600 , PHY 6610 , PHY 6730 , PHY 6000 , a minimum of 6 CH of PHY 8990  (Research) with only 9 CH counting towards the degree, and one additional 6000 or above physics course.
   Additional related course requirements of at least 6 CH are listed below.
3. Must complete any course or study requirement imposed at admission.
4. Pass a thesis defense administered by the advisory committee over research work and any topics in the core physics curriculum the committee may deem appropriate.
5. Present an approved thesis to the graduate school.

Details concerning program selection, student evaluation, thesis requirements, and orientation examination may be obtained from the Department of Physics.

Research/Areas of Expertise:

The Department of Physics is involved in five broad areas of research: solid state/materials physics, spectroscopy (optical/laser, molecular/terahertz, and nuclear magnetic resonance), computational biology, geophysics/atmospheric physics, and physics education. Many of these involve significant collaboration with researchers at the Air Force Research Laboratories (AFRL) and their contractors.

Research in solid state/materials physics include semiconductors, superconductors, nanostructures, and solid state sensors. The materials considered include Si, GaAs, GaN, ZnO SiC, and graphene. Research in semiconductors includes high speed electronic transport, and radiation damage characterized by Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy, Photoluminescence, and Hall Conductivity techniques. Research in superconductors is centered on the processing and preparation of high-temperature superconducting materials. It involves the enhancement of the critical current density and the study of pinning mechanisms and relaxation effects and their dependence on the microstructure of the material. Research into nanostructures involves fabrication of metallic nanoparticles using the solution-phase method, electrochemical deposition, and condensation techniques. Research in solid-state sensor devices involves all aspects of device analysis and design including the basic solid-state physics, optimal sensor geometry and coupling (electromagnetic, thermal, acoustic, etc), noise mechanisms, and readout electronics. Emphasis is placed on high-frequency to infrared devices, with THz sensors as the focus area. Both detectors (e.g., novel pyroelectric materials and capacitor arrays) and sources (e.g., novel ultrafast photoconductive switches and photomixers) are being pursued.

Research in the spectroscopy laboratories focuses on temporal and wavelength resolved spectroscopy. Specific research areas include terahertz spectroscopy and the study of high band gap semiconductor materials with techniques of photoreflectance, photoabsorption, and photoluminescence. In addition theoretical and computational studies are directed toward the understanding of energy and particle flow in gas discharge plasmas. Research in the Molecular Spectroscopy Laboratory includes high-resolution spectroscopy, chemical physics, remote and in-situ sensing and molecular collisions. Experimental studies are in the millimeter-wave region of the electromagnetic spectrum on molecules related to the ozone chemistry of the upper atmosphere and astrophysics-related molecules found in the interstellar medium. Research into nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) covers theoretical and computational studies of nuclear spin dynamics, yielding new methods for increasing the information yield of NMR experiments and imaging protocols.

Research in computational biology includes quantitative modeling of biological processes at the molecular, cellular, and organ level. Bioinformatics research on cellular genomic, proteomic, and metabolomic responses to interventions is done in association with scientists at Wright- Patterson Air Force base and other departments at Wright State University

Research into the physics of the earth is conducted in cooperation with the department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and the Environmental Science Ph.D. program. Subjects addressed include multi-phase flow in porous media, optical and transport properties of real media, sediment transport in turbulent flow, and coupled ocean-atmospheric phenomena. In a broader sense this research addresses the questions of the relative roles of non-linear physics, stochastic forcing, and heterogeneous surroundings in fundamental natural phenomena. Research in atmospheric physics includes the physics, chemistry, and evolution of planetary atmospheres. Mathematical and computational methods are used, utilizing data from satellites and planetary probes to construct models of planetary atmospheres, including the earth’s atmosphere.

Research in physics education encompasses undergraduate physics curriculum and in-service teacher professional development. Research on undergraduate physics curriculum includes the development of courses for both pre-service teachers and undergraduate science majors and the study of the effectiveness of these courses at increasing student understanding and retention. Research focusing on in-service teachers involves the development of professional development programs and the study of their effectiveness at instilling best teaching practices in the K-12 classroom and subsequent student achievement.