Tuition Fee
Start Date
Medium of studying
Duration
Program Facts
Program Details
Degree
Masters
Major
Astronomy | Physics
Area of study
Natural Science
Course Language
English
About Program
Program Overview
Physics and Astronomy (PHYS)
Course Fees
Some courses may carry fees beyond the standard tuition costs to cover additional support or materials. Program-, subject- and course-specific fee information can be found on the Office of the Bursar website.
Course Offerings
- PHYS 501. Independent Study
- Description: Independent research conducted with the approval and supervision of a faculty member.
- Units: 1-3
- PHYS 502. Independent Study
- Description: Independent research conducted with the approval and supervision of a faculty member.
- Units: 1-3
- PHYS 507. Solar System Astronomy
- Prerequisites: PHYS 300; MATH 206 or ENGR 102
- Description: This is an advanced course in solar system astrophysics, covering orbital mechanics, the nature of light, astronomical instrumentation, solar physics, planetary atmospheres/geophysics, comets/asteroids, interplanetary dust, and exo-planets.
- Units: 3
- PHYS 517. Physics of Climate
- Term Typically Offered: Spring Odd Years
- Prerequisites: MATH 206 or ENGR 102 (or equivalent) or permission of instructor
- Description: Introduction to the physics of Earth's climate system, including the energy budget of the atmosphere, oceans, and cryosphere, shortwave and longwave radiation, the effects of clouds and aerosols, and models of the greenhouse effect, climate sensitivity, atmosphere-ocean feedbacks, and climate change.
- Units: 3
- PHYS 518. Space Weather
- Term Typically Offered: Spring Even Years
- Prerequisites: MATH 206 or ENGR 102 (or equivalent), or permission of instructor
- Description: This course provides a comprehensive overview of the physics and effects of space weather. Space weather refers to conditions on the Sun and in the solar wind, magnetosphere, ionosphere, and thermosphere that can influence the performance and reliability of space-borne and ground-based technological systems, and affect human life or health.
- Units: 3
- PHYS 520. Vibrations and Sound
- Term Typically Offered: Occasionally Offered
- Prerequisites: PHYS 298, PHYS 299, and MATH 206
- Description: Vibrating bodies, propagation of sound waves, physical acoustics, and ultrasonics.
- Units: 3
- PHYS 530. Thermal Physics
- Prerequisites: PHYS 299; MATH 301 or ENGR 201
- Description: The laws of thermodynamics, thermodynamic reasoning, and elements of statistical mechanics.
- Units: 3
- PHYS 531. Introductory Statistical Physics
- Prerequisites: PHYS 530
- Description: Elementary probability theory applied to the understanding of properties of macroscopic matter in terms of their microscopic constituents. Kinetic theory of gases, transport phenomena. Equations of state derived from ensemble theory.
- Units: 3
- PHYS 541. Electromagnetic Fields
- Term Typically Offered: Occasionally Offered
- Prerequisites: PHYS 300; PHYS 350 or MATH 405 or ENGR 205; MATH 301 or ENGR 201
- Description: Electrostatic and magnetostatic fields in free space and in material media, solutions of Poisson's equation, time-dependent fields, Maxwell's equations.
- Units: 3
- PHYS 542. Electromagnetic Radiation
- Term Typically Offered: Spring Only
- Prerequisites: PHYS 541
- Description: Poisson's equation and LaPlace's Equation, propagation of electromagnetic fields with applications to optics and microwave physics.
- Units: 3
- PHYS 545. Advanced Optics
- Prerequisites: PHYS 355 and PHYS 542; or consent of instructor
- Description: Topics in optical physics including optical system design, lasers, and quantum optics.
- Units: 3
- PHYS 546. Advanced Optics Lab
- Prerequisites: PHYS 355 or equivalent
- Fee: An additional $25.00 is charged for this course
- Description: Laboratory experiments illustrating fundamental optical phenomena, the interaction of light and matter, lasers, and quantum optics.
- Units: 1
- PHYS 547. Fundamentals of Lasers
- Term Typically Offered: Occasionally Offered
- Prerequisites: PHYS 355; and PHYS 542 or ECE 473; or consent of instructor
- Description: Topics to be discussed include interaction of light with matter, optical amplifiers, laser resonators, Gaussian and higher-order optical beams, non-linear optics, and ultra-fast laser pulses.
- Units: 3
- PHYS 555. Elementary Quantum Mechanics
- Term Typically Offered: Fall Only
- Prerequisites: PHYS 300; PHYS 350 or MATH 405 or ENGR 205; PHYS 460
- Description: General concepts of quantum mechanics. Schrodinger equation and solutions in one, two, and three-dimensions, hydrogen atom, and orbital angular momentum.
- Units: 3
- PHYS 556. Quantum Theory of Matter
- Term Typically Offered: Spring Only
- Prerequisites: PHYS 555
- Description: Spin and general angular momentum, perturbation theory, variational principle, applications, identical particles, and scattering.
- Units: 3
- PHYS 561. Mathematical Physics I
- Prerequisites: PHYS 350 or MATH 405 or ENGR 205
- Description: Selected mathematical techniques and their applications to various fields of physics.
- Units: 3
- PHYS 562. Mathematical Physics II
- Prerequisites: PHYS 350 or MATH 405 or ENGR 205
- Description: Selected mathematical techniques and their applications to various fields of physics.
- Units: 3
- PHYS 563. Fluid Dynamics
- Term Typically Offered: Spring Odd Years
- Prerequisites: MATH 301 or ENGR 201 (or equivalent), or permission of instructor
- Description: An introduction to nonlinear fluid dynamics, covering kinematics (strain, rotation, transport), nonlinear conservation laws (mass, momentum, energy; dimensions forms), vorticity dynamics, viscous flows, boundary layers, shear instability, and turbulence. Concepts are illustrated with applications drawn from aerodynamics (lift and drag on airfoils, propulsion of fish and birds), biofluids (flow in blood vessels), compressible flow (shock waves), geophysical fluid dynamics (waves, shear instability), and turbulence (energy cascades, modeling strategies).
- Units: 3
- PHYS 565. Advanced Computational and Numerical Methods in Physics
- Term Typically Offered: Spring Only
- Prerequisites: PHYS 350 or PHYS 561
- Fee: An additional $25.00 is charged for this course
- Description: Modern computational and numerical methods in physics with application to problems in different branches of physics.
- Units: 3
- PHYS 570. Atomic and Molecular Physics
- Term Typically Offered: Occasionally Offered
- Prerequisites: PHYS 541 and PHYS 555; or consent of instructor
- Description: The structure of atoms and diatomic molecules, the production of coherent radiation and its interaction with matter.
- Units: 3
- PHYS 575. Solid State Physics
- Term Typically Offered: Fall Only
- Prerequisites: PHYS 541 and PHYS 555, or consent of instructor
- Description: Crystal structure, elastic waves, lattice dynamics, phonons, band theory of solids, and conductivity phenomena.
- Units: 3
- PHYS 580. Nuclear Physics
- Term Typically Offered: Occasionally Offered
- Prerequisites: PHYS 541 and PHYS 555; or consent of instructor
- Description: Phenomenological study of nuclear properties. Nuclear structure and reactions, radioactive decay, interaction of charged particles with matter.
- Units: 3
- PHYS 585. Elementary Particle Physics
- Term Typically Offered: Spring Even Years
- Prerequisites: PHYS 541 and PHYS 555, or consent of instructor
- Description: Properties of elementary particles. Detectors and accelerators. Weak and electromagnetic interactions. Quark model of hadrons, strong interactions.
- Units: 3
- PHYS 589. General Relativity
- Term Typically Offered: Spring Even Years
- Prerequisites: PHYS 460; MATH 301 or ENGR 201
- Description: Review of classical gravitation and special relativity, Riemannian geometry, Einstein field equations, exact solutions, tests of the theory, gravitational collapse and black holes, gravitational waves, cosmology.
- Units: 3
- PHYS 590. Astrophysics
- Term Typically Offered: Spring Only
- Prerequisites: PHYS 307; PHYS 350 or MATH 405 or ENGR 205 (or equivalent)
- Description: Physics applied to the interstellar medium; the atmospheres, structure, and evolution of stars; galaxies.
- Units: 3
- PHYS 595. Special Topics
- Description: Introduction to an advanced topic or elaboration of an intermediate topic not treated comprehensively in a regular course.
- Units: 1-3
- PHYS 601. Quantum Mechanics Laboratory
- Prerequisites: PHYS 621 or PHYS 555 (may be taken concurrently)
- Fee: An additional $25.00 is charged for this course
- Description: Laboratory exercises demonstrating the principles of Quantum Mechanics.
- Units: 3
- PHYS 605. Theoretical Mechanics
- Prerequisites: PHYS 460 and PHYS 561, or consent of instructor
- Description: Analytical dynamics of systems of particles and rigid bodies. Hamiltonian and Lagrangian formulations, special relativity, canonical transformations, Hamilton-Jacobi theory, and action-angle variables.
- Units: 3
- PHYS 611. Electromagnetic Theory I
- Prerequisites: PHYS 542 and PHYS 561, and consent of instructor
- Description: Microscopic and macroscopic Maxwell's equations; the energy-momentum tensor; multipole radiation; radiation from accelerated charges; scattering and dispersion; and covariant formulation.
- Units: 3
- PHYS 612. Electromagnetic Theory II
- Prerequisites: PHYS 542 and PHYS 561, and consent of instructor
- Description: Microscopic and macroscopic Maxwell's equations; the energy-momentum tensor; multipole radiation; radiation from accelerated charges; scattering and dispersion; and covariant formulation.
- Units: 3
- PHYS 621. Quantum Mechanics I
- Prerequisites: PHYS 556 and PHYS 605, and consent of instructor
- Description: Nonrelativistic quantum mechanics. Hilbert space formalism, Schrodinger and Heisenberg representations, angular momentum theory, perturbation theory, scattering theory. Systems of identical particles and symmetries. Applications.
- Units: 3
- PHYS 622. Quantum Mechanics II
- Prerequisites: PHYS 556 and PHYS 605, and consent of instructor
- Description: Nonrelativistic quantum mechanics. Hilbert space formalism, Schrodinger and Heisenberg representations, angular momentum theory, perturbation theory, scattering theory. Systems of identical particles and symmetries. Applications.
- Units: 3
- PHYS 625. Statistical Mechanics
- Prerequisites: PHYS 530 and PHYS 555, and consent of instructor
- Description: Application of ensemble or information theory to derivation of the laws of thermodynamics for classical or quantum systems. Properties of perfect and imperfect gases, magnetic phenomena, fluctuation phenomena, and the Onsager equations.
- Units: 3
- PHYS 640. Solid State Physics I
- Prerequisites: PHYS 575, and concurrent registration in Quantum Mechanics, and consent of instructor
- Description: Quantum mechanical foundation of the theory of solids, the many-body problem, the band approximation, and other approximate methods. Electron-photon interaction, theory of superconductivity, electronic transport processes.
- Units: 3
- PHYS 641. Solid State Physics II
- Prerequisites: PHYS 575, and concurrent registration in Quantum Mechanics, and consent of instructor
- Description: Quantum mechanical foundation of the theory of solids, the many-body problem, the band approximation, and other approximate methods. Electron-photon interaction, theory of superconductivity, electronic transport processes.
- Units: 3
- PHYS 650. Research Methods in Physics & Astronomy
- Grading Basis: Pass/Fail
- Fee: An additional $25.00 is charged for this course
- Description: A survey of research methodologies. Topics may include modeling and simulation, experimental, theoretical, and computational techniques used in any branch of Physics and Astronomy, particle detector technologies, advanced handling of data statistics, data mining, laboratory safety, and research ethics.
- Units: 3
- PHYS 670. Special Topics
- Prerequisites: Concurrent or previous registration in PHYS 605, PHYS 611, or PHYS 621; and consent of instructor
- Description: One or more advanced topics not treated comprehensively in the regular courses.
- Units: 1-12
- PHYS 690. Independent Study
- Prerequisites: Consent of instructor
- Description: Advanced study conducted under the direction of a faculty member.
- Units: 1-12
- PHYS 695. Research Seminar
- Prerequisites: Consent of instructor
- Description: Regular but informal meetings of faculty members and graduate students active in an area of research to discuss problems of mutual interest, and to review the current literature.
- Units: 1-12
- PHYS 699. Research
- Prerequisites: Consent of instructor
- Description: Research in physics under the direction of a faculty member.
- Units: 1-12
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About University
University of Louisville
Overview:
The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university located in Louisville, Kentucky. It offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs across various disciplines. UofL is known for its commitment to engaged learning, research, and community service.
Services Offered:
UofL provides a comprehensive range of services for students, faculty, and staff. These include:
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Tuition, cost, and financial aid information and resources.Student Life and Campus Experience:
Students at UofL can expect a vibrant and engaging campus experience. The university offers a wide variety of student organizations, clubs, and activities. Students can participate in athletics, arts, music, and community service initiatives. The campus is located in a city with a rich history and culture, offering opportunities for exploration and entertainment.
Key Reasons to Study There:
Engaged Learning:
UofL emphasizes hands-on learning experiences and encourages students to apply their knowledge in real-world settings.Research Opportunities:
The university is a leading research institution with a strong focus on innovation and discovery.Community Engagement:
UofL is deeply committed to serving the local and global communities through various service initiatives.Affordable Education:
The university offers a variety of financial aid options to make education accessible to all students.Vibrant Campus Life:
UofL provides a diverse and inclusive environment with a wide range of student activities and organizations.Academic Programs:
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Master's and doctoral degrees in a variety of fields.Professional Programs:
Programs in medicine, dentistry, and law.Online Programs:
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UofL is a comprehensive university with a strong commitment to research, innovation, and community engagement. The university is home to a number of centers and institutes, including the Health Sciences Center and the UofL Health system. UofL is also known for its strong athletics program, with the Cardinals competing in NCAA Division I.
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