Physics and Energy Science

Professors: Blade, Burkhart (Chair) and Camley; Associate Professors: Celinski, Christensen and Grabowski; Assistant Professor Adjoint: Klebe; Senior Instructor: Milazzo; Instructors: Hallam and Prigmore.

Bachelor of Science — Physics

The Bachelor of Science program in Physics is designed to help students attain their professional goals in physics. Four options within the Bachelor of Science program enable students to achieve their particular educational objectives. The options are: Traditional Physics, Solid State Physics, Energy Science, and Engineering Physics. A degree option is available for secondary education teachers. Please contact the Student Success Center or the College of education for further information.

Degree Options

Courses in each option are chosen to teach the fundamental concepts on which the field is based. Laboratories are designed to give students practical hands-on experience. Advanced laboratories provide opportunities to study and use state-of-the-art technology in the student’s area of interest.

In the case of the Energy Science option, an Educational and Research Facility for Energy Science (ERFES) has been built at CU-Colorado Springs by the Physics and Energy Science Department and is used to teach solar energy courses. The Solid State Laboratory required in the Solid State option is designed to teach the fundamentals of materials technology. Students in each of the three options are required to take the core course requirements as well as the option requirements listed below.

Required Courses for All Four Options

Physics and Energy Science (PES)

Other Core Areas

In addition, students must meet the 12 hour area requirements from both Humanities and Social Science. Furthermore, the department requires a grade of C or better in every Physics course that is applied toward the graduation requirements. Students may take a maximum of 54 credits in PES which will apply toward the degree.

In addition to the above core requirements, students will complete one of four options: Traditional Physics, Solid State Physics, Energy Science or Engineering Physics.

Traditional Physics Option

This program is designed for students intending graduate studies in physics or planning to obtain an industrial position with a traditional Physics degree. This option requires a minimum of 18 credit hours of courses in addition to the core.

Required Courses

PES 325 Mathematical Methods of Physics 3

PES 332 Electricity and Magnetism II 3

PES 425 Quantum Mechanics 3

PES 451 Optics     3

Also, the Traditional Physics Option requires a minimum of three upper-division hours of mathematics in addition to MATH 340. A minimum of three credit hours from the following PES courses must be taken:

Elective Courses

PES 306 Astrophysics 3

PES 365 Nuclear Physics and Energy Technology 3

PES 370 Acoustics 2

PES 395, 396, 397 Special Topics (variable credit, maximum of 6 hours allowed)

PES 415 Solid State Laboratory 2

PES 426 Quantum Mechanics II 3

PES 430 Celestial Mechanics 3

PES 446 Solid State Physics 3

PES 449 Physics of Thin Films 3/4

PES 472 Stellar Structure and Evolution 3

PES 485 Senior Project (variable credit, maximum of 6 hours allowed)

Other elective courses may be substituted with the written approval of the department chair.

Solid State Physics Option

This option is designed for students presently employed by or intending employment in the semiconductor industry. It will provide theoretical foundations and practical experience in solid state physics.

This option requires a minimum of 20 credit hours of courses in addition to the core.

Required Courses

PES 325 Mathematical Methods of Physics   3

PES 332 Electricity and Magnetism II 3

PES 415 Solid State Laboratory 2

PES 425 Quantum Mechanics 3

PES 446 Solid State Physics 3

This option also requires the completion of a minimum of six hours from the following technical electives:

Elective Courses

PES 426 Quantum Mechanics II 3

PES 448 Surface and Interface Physics 3

PES 449 Physics of Thin Films 3/4

CHEM 301 Materials Science 3

CHEM 451 Physical Chemistry I  4

CHEM 452 Physical Chemistry II  4

ECE 2410 Logic Circuits 3

ECE 2420 Logic Circuits Laboratory 2

ECE 4020 Introduction to Semiconductor Devices   3

MATH 381 Probability Theory 3

MATH 445 Complex Variables 3

MATH 447 Partial Differential Equations 3

C S 316 Programming Languages 3

C S 460 Numerical Computing 3

C S 472 Design and Analysis of Algorithms 3

Other elective courses may be substituted with the written approval of the department chair.

Energy Science Option

This option will prepare graduates for energy-related careers in industry and government and will provide the student with a strong background in the technical, economic, and instrumentation aspects of all energy resources.

This option requires a minimum of 19 hours of courses in addition to the core.

Required Courses

PES 250. Energy Fundamentals 3

ECON 101. Microeconomics 3

GEOL 101. Physical Geology (with lab) 4

Students in this option are required to complete 9 hours from the following technical electives.

PES 332 Electricity and Magnetism 3

PES 361 Solar Engineering Design 3

PES 365 Nuclear Physics and Energy Technology 3

PES 367 Wind Energy 3

PES 460 Advanced Solar Energy  3

GEOL 312 Structural Geology I 5

GES 320 Practical Meteorology 4

GES 406 Introduction to Remote Sensing 4

GES 409 Advance Remote Sensing 4

Other elective courses may be substituted with the written approval of the department chair.

Engineering Physics Option

This option allows students to combine a strong physics preparation with greater coursework in Engineering disciplines. The option is fully compatible with the College of Engineering’s Common Freshman Year.

This option requires the following engineering core courses:

C S 115 Principles of Computer Science 3

C S 145 Data Structure and Algorithms 3

ECE 1010 Problem Solving in ECE I 3

ECE 1011 Problem Solving in ECE II 3

ECE 1012 Intro to Engineering Design 3

The computer science courses also satisfy the core computer science requirement.

ENGL 308 Technical Writing (2 credits) may be substituted for ENGL 307.

This option requires the following 9 hours of PES courses in addition to the core.

Required Courses

PES 325 Mathematical Methods of Physics 3

PES 332 Electricity and Magnetism II 3

PES 425 Quantum Mechanics I 3

Total hours in this group: 9

ECE 3110/3120 may be substituted for PES 331 / 332.

This option also requires the completion of a minimum of 3 hours from the following Physics electives:

Elective Courses

PES 415 Solid State Physics Lab 2

PES 446 Solid State Physics 3

PES 448 Surface and Interface Physics 3

PES 449 Physics of Thin Films 3

PES 451 Optics 3

This option also requires the completion of a minimum of 3 hours of technical electives from courses offered by the College of Engineering departments, PES, Biology, or Chemistry.

Minor in Physics or Energy Science

Students may earn a minor in physics by taking PES 111, 112, 213, 313 and any other six hours of upper-division physics courses. This is a total of 20 hours. A grade of C or better is required in these courses. A minor in Energy Science is available and is discussed in detail in the Energy Science section of this Bulletin.

Graduate Programs In Physics

There are several options for graduate studies in Physics. Students may obtain a Master of Basic Science (M.B.S.) All of the courses are taken at CU-Colorado Springs, and thesis work may be done with a professor or in conjunction with an adjoint professor who is employed in a local solid state, optics, or space industry. More details on this program follow below.

A Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Physics can be obtained from the University of Colorado at Boulder with much of the coursework and the thesis done at CU-Colorado Springs. Each student is evaluated on the basis of his or her experience and academic grades but, in general, will be expected to complete a year of residency at Boulder as well as passing all qualifying, comprehensive, and preliminary exams at Boulder. Application to this program is made to the Boulder Physics Department with the assistance of the CU-Colorado Springs Physics Department.

Admission Requirements

Admission requirements into the M.B.S. program are consistent with those specified by the Graduate School. These admission requirements are: applicants for graduate work in physics will be required to submit two complete official transcripts of all previous graduate and undergraduate work and three letters of recommendation. Application is made directly to the Physics Department at CU-Colorado Springs. Application deadline is May 1st for the fall semester and October 1st for the spring semester.

An applicant for the master’s degree should hold a B.S. or B.A. from a college or university of recognized standing or have done work equivalent to that required for such a degree and equivalent to the degree given at this university. He or she should have considerable coursework in physics, sufficient mathematical background, and show promise of ability to pursue advanced study and research. Applicants with a B.A. or B.S. in Physics or in a related area, such as Chemistry, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering or Mathematics, are natural candidates for graduate study in Physics.

A student is considered to have sufficient mathematical background if he or she has taken at least two semesters of Mathematics beyond the normal calculus sequence, such as differential equations and mathematical methods of Physics.

To be admitted into the program on the basis of grade point only, the student should have an undergraduate grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

Students with an undergraduate grade point average of under 3.0 but at or above 2.5, or students with an inadequate background, may be allowed into the program provisionally. This decision would be made by the Physics Graduate Student Committee. Provisional status would subsequently be removed and a student given regular standing after completion of nine hours of M.B.S. courses with a 3.0 average (or better).

Regular degree students must maintain at least a 3.0 grade point average each semester or summer term on all work taken, whether or not it is to be applied toward the advanced degree intended. Students who fail to maintain this standard of performance will be subject to suspension from the Graduate School.

Requirements for Transfer Students

Students who are transferring from other Physics graduate programs must meet the minimum standards outlined above and, in addition, have a 3.0 average (or better) in all graduate work done previously. Full credit, up to nine hours (normally one semester of full-time coursework), will be given for coursework done previously, assuming the prior work is done at accredited institutions with approved programs. Course equivalency will be decided by the CU-Colorado Springs Physics Graduate Student Committee after interviewing the student and comparing textbooks, class notes, or any other helpful documentation.

Degree Requirements

A student has the option of taking 24 credit hours of coursework plus six hours of thesis work. This is the Thesis Option. A student can also graduate by taking 30 credit hours of coursework without a thesis. This is the Non-thesis Option.

Master of Basic Science Curriculum

Approved graduate courses include:

PHYS 631 Electromagnetic Theory I 3

PHYS 632 Electromagnetic Theory II 3

PHYS 621 Theoretical Mechanics 3

PHYS 625 Quantum Mechanics I 3

PHYS 541 Statistical Mechanics 3

PHYS 503 Mathematical Methods of Physics 3

PHYS 626 Quantum Mechanics II 3

PHYS 546 Intro to Solid State Physics 3

PHYS 690 Solid State Physics I 3

PHYS 691 Solid State Physics II 3

PHYS 515 Solid State Lab 2

PHYS 549 Physics of Thin Films 4

PHYS 520 Computational Physics 3

PES 451 Optics 3

PHYS 695 Topics in Advanced Physics 3

ASE 510 Astrodynamics I 3

ASE 511 Perturbation Theory in Astrodynamics 3

ASE 560 Space Environment 3

C S 560 Numerical Computing 3

ECE 5020 Principles of Semiconductor Devices 3

ECE 5030 Advanced Semiconductor Device Modeling 3

ECE 5050 Microelectronics IC Fabrication Laboratory 3

ECE 5070 Electronic Properties of Materials 3

MATH 545/562 Functions of a Complex Variable I, II 3

Other elective courses may be substituted with the written approval of the graduate program advisor.

Degree Options

Thesis and Non-Thesis

For the Thesis Option, the student must take 24 credit hours. Thesis work is an additional six hours (three credits per semester) for a total of 30 credit hours.

The Non-thesis Option requires 30 credit hours from the approved courses.

In order to design a more specialized degree, students may concentrate their elective courses in areas outside of Physics. Concentration areas could include space studies, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, geography, computer science, applied mathematics or other graduate disciplines. These concentration areas might be appropriate for students who have very well-defined career objectives which require a combination of physics with another discipline. Students should consult with the Physics graduate program advisor to establish a course sequence for the M.B.S. degree.

Master’s Comprehensive Exam

There is an exit oral exam called the Master’s Comprehensive Exam which must be passed by all students. Students electing the Thesis Option may substitute an oral defense of their thesis. The committees for such exit exams will consist of three members of the Graduate Faculty, one of whom is to be the student’s adviser. The other two members will typically be from the Physics Department, but one may be selected from a related discipline such as electrical engineering, mathematics, computer science or chemistry.

Energy Science

Professors: Blade, Burkhart, Gruntfest and Huber; Associate Professors: Christensen (Program Director), and Grogger. Instructor: Prigmore

The Energy Science Program is intended to be taken as a minor with various technical and non-technical degrees. Energy science courses are also intended to supplement degree programs including but not limited to geography, geology, engineering and economics. Interested students are urged to discuss the program with their major advisers.

The Energy Science Program is designed to prepare students to appreciate (and possibly find jobs in) alternate energy sources. Specifically, courses are offered in solar energy, wind energy, nuclear energy, and related fields such as remote sensing and climatology.

Depending on a student’s background, a minor may be obtained which requires knowledge of calculus or courses may be selected to provide a less mathematical minor.

Students must take either ENSC 150/151 or ENSC 250.

Students must take ENSC 160 and 162.

Students must select additional courses from the following list of electives. The combination of required courses and electives must total a minimum of 18 credit hours, of which, at least 9 credit hours must be upper division.

Elective courses

PES 213 General Physics III 3

PES 313 Modern Physics 3

PES 318 Instrumentation Lab II 2

PES 341 Thermodynamics and Statistical Mech. 3

ENSC/PES 361 Solar Energy Design 3

ENSC/PES 365 Nuclear Physics and Energy 3

ENSC/PES 367 Alternative Energy Sources 3

ENSC/PES 460 Advanced Solar Energy 3

ENSC/GEOL 312 Structural Geology I 5

ENSC/GES 320 Practical Meteorology 4

ENSC/GES 406 Introduction to Remote Sensing 4

ENSC/GES 409 Advanced Remote Sensing 4