Courses

• CAS PY 521: Electromagnetic Theory I
  Vector and tensor analysis. Electrostatics, uniqueness, electrostatic energy, capacitance. Boundary value problems, conformal mapping, variable separation, Green's functions. Multipole expansion, electric polarization, atomic models, anisotropic media. Contour integration and application to frequency-dependent dielectric constant. Dielectrics, electrostatic energy, boundary value problems.
• CAS PY 522: Electromagnetic Theory II
  Continuation of CAS PY 521. Magnetostatics, dipole moment, magnetic materials, boundary value problems. Electromagnetic induction, magnetic energy, Maxwell's equations. Electromagnetic waves in materials, reflection, refraction. Waveguides. Scattering and diffraction. Special relativity. Lorentz transformations, covariant electrodynamics. Interaction of charges with matter. Radiation, Lienard-Wiechert potential, synchotron radiation, antennas.
• CAS PY 536: Quantum Computing
  Quantum physics as a powerful computational paradigm. Quantum bits (qubits), qubit operations and quantum gates, computation, and algorithms. Computational complexity classes, and efficiency of classical vs. quantum computers. Quantum Fourier transform and Shor's factorization algorithm. Physical implementation of quantum computation. Also offered as CAS CS 536.
• CAS PY 541: Statistical Mechanics I
  Probability theory. Ensembles. Steepest descent methods. Paramagnetism, ideal gas, Einstein model, adsorption isotherms. Thermodynamics, Maxwell relations, heat capacity. Bose and Fermi gases. Electrons in metals, white dwarf stars, black-body radiation, phonons, Bose-Einstein condensation. Interacting systems, virial expansion, Van der Waals gas. Phase transitions: mean-field theories, spin systems.
• CAS PY 542: Statistical Mechanics II
  Continuation of CAS PY 541; emphasis on applications. Phase transitions: thermodynamic theory of phase transitions, mean field theories (Landau theory). Fluctuations: equilibrium fluctuations, instabilities, fluctuation dissipation theories. Elementary kinetic theory: mean free path approach, Boltzmann equation. Stochastic mathematics: probability theory, Markoff processes, Gaussian processes. Brownian motion: Langevin equations, Fokker-Planck equation.
• CAS PY 543: Introduction to Solid State Physics
  An introduction to crystal structure; lattice vibrations; electronic energy bands and Fermi surfaces; semiconductors, conductors, and insulators; superconductivity and magnetism.
• CAS PY 551: Introduction to Particle Physics
  Fundamental particles and their symmetries. Isospin and flavor. Discrete symmetries. Phenomenology of weak and strong interactions. Introduction to detector techniques.
• CAS PY 571: Introduction to Biological Physics
  Introduction to biomolecular forces, energy flow, information and thermodynamics in biological systems. Nucleic acid, protein, and biomembrane structure. Mechanisms of transport and signaling in biological membranes. Biophysical techniques including spectroscopy. Emphasis on the physical principles underlying biological structure and function.
• CAS PY 581: Advanced Laboratory
  Classical experiments in atomic and nuclear physics, development of new experiments, basic research projects. Experiments include magnetic resonance, nuclear-decay studies, Zeeman effect, holography, black-body radiation, X-ray diffraction, Mössbauer studies, and flux quantization, positron annihilation.
• CAS PY 681: Electronics for Scientists
  A survey of practical electronics for all science students who wish to gain a working knowledge of electronic instrumentation and, in particular, its construction. Two four-hour laboratory-lecture sessions per week.
• CAS RN 100: Introduction to Religion
  Religion matters. It makes meaning and provides structure to life, addressing fundamental questions about body, spirit, community, and time. But what is it? How does it work in our world? This course explores religion in ritual, philosophical, experiential, and ethical dimensions. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS.
• CAS RN 101: The Bible
  Introductory study of Jewish and Christian scriptures; connections between biblical and related ancient cultures; biblical genres (epic narrative, law, prophecy, poetry, historiography, gospels, letters, apocalypse) and their literary character, major classical and modern strategies of reading. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS.
• CAS RN 102: Sacred Journeys
  An introduction to the comparative study of religion through the theme of the sacred journey/religious quest in Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, and popular literature. Topics include heroic, romantic, and/or mystical quests; voyages to the underworld; apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic journeys. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS.
• CAS RN 103: Religions of the World: Eastern
  Study of Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, and Shinto. Focus on the world view of each tradition and the historical development of that world view. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS.
• CAS RN 104: Religions of the World: Western
  Continues but does not presuppose CAS RN 103. The study of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Introduction to the development, thought, practices, and influence of these religions. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS.
• CAS RN 106: Death and Immortality
  Examines death as religious traditions have attempted to accept, defeat, deny, or transcend it. Do we have souls? Do they reincarnate? Other topics include cremation, ancestor worship, apocalypse, alchemy, AIDS, near-death experiences, otherworld cosmologies.
• CAS RN 111: Multireligious America
  Introduction to American religions, including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism, with an emphasis on developments after 1965, when new legislation opened up immigration and dramatically altered the American religious landscape. Exploration of interreligious interactions: conflict, cooperation, and creolization.
• CAS RN 200: Theoretical Approaches to the Study of Religion
  Origins and history of the academic study of religion. Different constructions of religion as an object of study and the methods that arise from them. The role of the humanities and social sciences in understanding religion's place in history and contemporary experience.
• CAS RN 201: The Hebrew Bible
  Study of the literature of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and the religious faith to which these writings bear witness within the context of the history of the ancient Israelite community. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS.
• CAS RN 202: From Jesus to Christ: The Origins of Christianity
  Places Jesus of Nazareth in his contemporary religious and social context of Second Temple Judaism; and accounts for the origins and growth of Christian life, belief, and spirituality up to the second century, as reflected in the writings of that period. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS.

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