Courses numbered 700 and above are offered when needed. The core Ph.D. courses (PHYS 752, 758, 761, 771, 781) and PHYS 782 are typically offered on a six-semester cycle. Contact your adviser for details.

For a complete listing of courses offered at NDSU during a particular semester, check out the Class Schedule published by the Office of Registration and Records.

PHYS 611       Optics for Scientists and Engineers
PHYS 611L     Optics for Scientists and Engineers Laboratory
PHYS 613       Lasers for Scientists and Engineers
PHYS 615       Elements of Photonics
PHYS 662       Thermal and Statistical Physics
PHYS 681       Condensed Matter Physics
PHYS 685       Quantum Mechanics I
PHYS 686       Quantum Mechanics II
PHYS 752       Mathematical Methods in Physics I
PHYS 753       Mathematical Methods in Physics II
PHYS 758       Statistical Physics
PHYS 761       Electromagnetism
PHYS 771       Quantum Physics I
PHYS 772       Quantum Physics II
PHYS 781       Solid State Physics
PHYS 782       Condensed Matter Physics
PHYS 790       Graduate Seminar
PHYS 798       Master's Thesis
PHYS 899       Doctoral Dissertation

3 credits, offered every fall

Introduction to modern optics. Geometric optics, electromagnetic nature of light, polarization, interference, diffraction, fiber optics. Corequisite laboratory with major related optics project.

Prereq: PHYS 252. Coreq: PHYS 611L. Cross-listed with ECE.

1 credit, offered every fall

Required laboratory for PHYS/ECE 611. Ten optics experiments plus a major related optics project.

Coreq: PHYS 611. Cross-listed with ECE.

Lab Fee: $25.00

3 credits, offered in the spring of odd-numbered years

Lecture and laboratory introduction to lasers. Spontaneous and stimulated transitions, line-broadening, gain, gain saturation, optical resonators, Fabry-Perot interferometers, theory of laser oscillation, rate equations, transverse modes, coherence, and Gaussian beams.

3 credits, offered in the spring of even-numbered years

Analysis of optical systems using the matrix formulation, wave propogation in anisotropic media, electro-optic effect and laser modulation, physical orgin of optical non-linearities, phase matching, optical second harmonic and parametric generation.

3 credits, offered in the fall of odd-numbered years

Lagrangian dynamics, central force, rigid body motion, small oscillations, Hamiltonian dynamics, canonical transformations, dynamics of continuous systems.

3 credits, offered in the fall of even-numbered years

Classical principles and laws of thermodynamics. Cyclic processes and entropy functions. Legendre differential transformations. Maxwell relations, stability and phase transitions, critical phenomena.

3 credits, offered in the spring of odd-numbered years

The Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution function and its applications to thermodynamic problems. Introduction to kinetic theory.  Introduction to Bose-Einstein and Fermi-Dirac statistics.

3 credits, offered on demand

Crystal structure and binding, reciprocal lattices and x-ray diffraction, lattice vibrations, thermal properties, free electron model, band theory, magnetism, superconductivity.

Prereq: PHYS 485.

3 credits, offered in the fall of odd-numbered years

Operators, one-dimensional wells and barriers, Schrodinger equation, uncertainty, duality, Born interpretation, unstable states, bosons and fermions, central force problems, angular momentum, spin.

3 credits, offered in the spring of even-numbered years

Continuation of PHYS 685. Perturbation theory, angular momentum addition, variational schemes, WKB method, scattering theory, time-dependent problems.

Prereq: PHYS 685.

3 credits

Review of practical mathematical methods routinely used by physicists, including applications. Focus on differential equations, variational principles, and other selected topics.

Cross-listed with MATH 782. Typically taught by the Department of Physics.

3 credits

Tensor analysis, matrices and group theory, special relativity, integral equations and transforms, and selected advanced topics.

Prereq: PHYS 752.  Cross-listed with MATH 783.  Typically taught by the Department of Mathematics.

3 credits

Review of thermodynamics and statistical mechanics; Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics simulation; applications to phase transitions.

Prereq: PHYS 463.

3 credits

Review of Maxwell's equations, radiation, collisions between charged particles, dynamics of relativistic particles and fields.

Prereq: PHYS 361.

3 credits

Schrodinger equation, wave packets, uncertainty, angular momentum, spin, second quantization, harmonic oscillator, resistance mechanisms.

Prereq: PHYS 486.

3 credits

Continuation of PHYS 771.

Prereq: PHYS 771.

3 credits

Crystal structure and binding, reciprocal lattices and x-ray diffraction, lattice vibrations, thermal properties, free electron model, band theory, magnetism, superconductivity.

Prereq: PHYS 485/685.

3 credits

An introduction to soft condensed matter, focusing on colloids, polymers, liquid crystals, surfactants, and biological systems. Topics will include characterization of soft materials, interparticle interactions, structure, equilibrium phase behavior, non-equilibrium properties, and practical applications.

Prereq: PHYS 463/663.

1-3 credits, offered every semester

Each student will present a seminar on a literature topic or current research and attend all other seminars.

1-10 credits, offered every semester

Masters Thesis research.

1-15 credits, offered every semester

Doctoral Dissertation research.