2006–2007 - Florida Institute of Technology

on the following list, all of which are given at least every other
year on a rotating schedule.
ECE 5410 Electrodynamics 1 ...............................................................3
ECE 5411 Electrodynamics 2 ...............................................................3
PHY 5015 Analytical Mechanics 1 .......................................................3
PHY 5030 Quantum Mechanics 1 ........................................................3
PHY 5031 Quantum Mechanics 2 ........................................................3
PHY 5035 Solid State Physics 1 ............................................................3
PHY 5036 Solid State Physics 2 ............................................................3
PHY 5045 Introduction to Elementary Particle Physics .......................3
PHY 5080 Thermodynamics .................................................................3
PHY 5081 Statistical Mechanics ..........................................................3
PHY 5999 Thesis ............................................................................. 3–6
Students who do not plan to go beyond the master’s degree can
substitute other courses for the courses listed above with the
approval of the department head. Up to six semester hours of
credit may be earned in thesis research and preparation. Students
not taking the thesis option must take three credit hours of
graduate laboratory work unless excused by the department head.
A general written examination is required in the second semester
of residence for diagnosing any deficiencies in undergraduate
preparation. Any deficiencies must be removed before a degree
will be granted, as evidenced by written examination.
Before the master’s degree is granted, the student must pass a
final oral examination administered by a committee of three or
more members of the graduate faculty selected by the student
and the departmental adviser and including at least one member
from outside the physics department. The oral examination
emphasizes, but is not necessarily restricted to, subject matter
related to the field of the thesis. For students not electing to
do a thesis, the oral examination covers the general area of the
student’s graduate studies.
Doctor of Philosophy Degree Program
The doctoral degree is conferred primarily to recognize the
individual who has demonstrated a satisfactory breadth and level
of scientific accomplishment and has the ability to investigate
scientific problems independently. It is also expected that the
successful candidate for the degree will have advanced or played
a significant part in the advancement of fundamental knowledge
in physics.
Admission Requirements
General admission requirements and the process for applying are
presented in the Graduate Information and Regulations section
of this catalog. The GRE subject exam is recommended but not
required.
Degree Requirements
Each candidate for the doctoral degree must prepare and carry
out a program of study approved by the major adviser and the
department head, pass a departmental qualifying examination,
pass a written doctoral comprehensive examination, submit a
dissertation proposal that gains the approval of the student’s
Doctoral Committee, complete a program of significant original
research, and write and successfully defend a dissertation based
on the program of research. Students with master’s degrees in
physics or appropriate related fields may opt to omit the qualifying
exam if they take and pass the comprehensive exam within
13 months of starting the program. The dissertation research,
or a significant portion thereof, must have been accepted for
publication in a major, refereed journal before the degree can be
awarded.
140 Florida Tech
The Doctor of Philosophy in Physics is by nature a research
degree and formal course requirements are kept to a minimum.
At least 81 credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree (or 48
beyond the master’s) are required, including credits for individual
study, research and dissertation. At least 24 of these credit hours
must be formal classroom courses that may include courses for
the master’s degree and must include at least 18 credit hours
taken at Florida Tech. Students must earn 15 credit hours from
the following list unless equivalent courses were previously taken.
ECE 5410 Electrondynamics 1 .............................................................3
ECE 5411 Electrodynamics 2 ...............................................................3
PHY 5015 Analytical Mechanics 1 .......................................................3
PHY 5030 Quantum Mechanics 1 ........................................................3
PHY 5031 Quantum Mechanics 2 ........................................................3
PHY 5080 Thermodynamics .................................................................3
PHY 5081 Statistical Mechanics ..........................................................3
The student must pass a written comprehensive examination
emphasizing the student’s major area of concentration and an
acceptable dissertation proposal must be submitted before the
student is formally admitted to candidacy.
An applicant without a master’s degree is normally required
to spend some time in residence at Florida Tech, preferably by
obtaining the master’s degree, before being accepted into the
doctoral program in physics.
Research Activities and Facilities
Current research activities include experimental solid-state
physics, terrestrial geomagnetism, auroral and magnetospheric
physics, applied optics, experimental high-energy physics, instrumentation
development, solar and heliospheric energetic particle
observations, cosmic rays and engineering physics.
Experimental research in physics is carried out in a variety of
laboratories operated by the department of physics and space sciences,
as well as at national and international research facilities.
Facilities that are currently available to graduate students include
the following laboratories.
Applied Optics Laboratory: This facility offers the study of
applied optics in physics and space sciences, including 3-D vision
and imaging spectroscopy. Noncontact laser video systems are
being studied for applications such as remote measurement of
surface shapes. These studies are carried out in an applied optics
laboratory equipped with lasers and other sources, two large
isolation tables and computer-interfaced and optically processed
video systems.
High-Energy Physics Laboratory: Activities at this lab are
centered on our work at the world’s three leading laboratories in
high-energy particle physics, respectively high-energy nuclear
physics, as well as the development of advanced, new radiation
detector technology.
At the European Center for Particle Physics (CERN) in Geneva,
Switzerland, we are members of the international L3 collaboration
(led by Nobel Laureate Prof. S.C.C. Ting) and the Compact
Muon Solenoid (CMS) collaboration, whose goal is to make
precise measurements of the laws governing the known elementary
particles and the forces between them, as well as to search
for new phenomena such as the Higgs boson, super-symmetric
particles and extra space dimensions. The L3 experiment
investigates the structure of the photon in virtual two-photon