Physics

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OFFICE: Physics 131
TELEPHONE: 619-594-6240
WEBSITE: http://physics.sdsu.edu

Chair: Usha Sinha, Professor of Physics, Director of Medical Physics (B.S., Osmania University, India; M.S., Indian Institute of Technology, India; Ph.D., Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India)

Undergraduate Adviser: Matthew E. Anderson, Associate Professor of Physics [Senate Distinguished Professor] (B.S., University of California, San Diego; Ph.D., University of Oregon)

Graduate Admission and Graduate Adviser: Fridolin Weber, Albert W. Johnson Distinguished Professor of Physics (M.S., Ph.D., University of Munich, Germany)

Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty:
Arlette R.C. Baljon, Associate Professor of Physics (M.S., University of Utrecht, Netherlands; Ph.D., University of Chicago)
Jeffrey A. Davis, Professor of Physics, Director of Electro-Optics Program (B.S., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Ph.D., Cornell University)
Calvin W. Johnson, Professor of Physics (B.S., University of California, Davis; Ph.D., University of Washington)
Lyuba P. Kuznetsova, Associate Professor of Physics (M.S., Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia; Ph.D., Cornell University)
Rodrigo Navarro Perez, Assistant Professor of Physics (B.S., Universidad de las Americas, Mexico; M.S., Ph.D., Universidad de Granada, Spain)
Kenneth M. Nollett, Assistant Professor of Physics (B.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Ph.D., The University of Chicago)
Kyle Sundqvist, Assistant Professor of Physics (B.S., University of Washington; M.A., Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley)
Mauro Tambasco, Associate Professor of Physics (B.S., University of Toronto; M.S., University of Windsor; Ph.D., University of Western Ontario)
Milton S. Torikachvili, Professor of Physics (B.S., Rio Grande do Sul University, Brazil; M.S., Ph.D., Campinas State University, Brazil)

Lecturers:
Joseph S. Chalmers, B.S., M.A., Ph.D., Wayne State University
Raynard Fong, B.A., Hawaii Loa College; M.S., Colorado State University; CHP
Chong Kim, B.S., M.S., Georgia Institute of Technology; Ph.D., Kyunghee University, Korea
Steve A. Leduc, B.S., MIT; M.S., San Diego State University
George Mardirossian, M.S., Ph.D., University of London, London; DABR

Emeritus Faculty:
Don M. Cottrell, Ph.D., 1967-1998, Professor of Physics
Thomas B. Day President, Ph.D., 1978-1996, Professor of Physics
Elsa Feher, Ph.D., 1971-1997, Professor of Physics
Fred M. Goldberg, Ph.D., 1986-2012, Professor of Physics
Phoebe E. Roeder, Ph.D.
Roger A. Lilly, Ph.D., 1968-2001, Professor of Physics
Saul B. Oseroff, Ph.D., 1984-2008, Professor of Physics
Patrick J. Papin, Ph.D., 1985-2016, Professor of Physics
Robert J. Piserchio, Ph.D., 1966-2000, Professor of Physics
Gordon L. Shackelford, M.S., 1975-2004, Lecturer in Physics
Herbert B. Shore, Ph.D., 1975-2002, Professor of Physics
Alan R. Sweedler, Ph.D., 1980-2018, Associate Vice President, Academic Affairs, International Programs; Professor of Physics
William J. Wallace, Ph.D., 1969-2001, Associate Professor of Geological Sciences and Physics
Gerhard H. Wolter, M.S., 1957-1975, Professor of Physics

Undergraduate Information

Natural Science

The Major

The physical science major is offered as an interdisciplinary approach to the study of science. It stresses the interrelationship of physics with chemistry, geology, astronomy, biology, and mathematics. The major is designed primarily for students who intend to become single subject teachers of both interdisciplinary science and physics.

One of the requirements for acceptance into the College of Education’s post-baccalaureate credential program is to pass the appropriate California Subject Examinations for Teachers (CSET). Completion of the physical science major provides excellent academic training for students who plan to teach integrated science at the middle or high school level and physics at the high school level. It provides the breadth and depth required to pass the general science and physics CSET.

In addition to completing the major and passing the CSET, all candidates for a Single Subject Teaching credential at San Diego State University must complete the requirements outlined in the catalog under Teacher Education or Dual Language and English Learner Education. Contact the School of Teacher Education or the Dual Language and English Learner Education department for up-to-date information on prerequisites.

Impacted Program

The physical science major is an impacted program. To be admitted to the physical science major, students must meet the following criteria:

1. Complete preparation for the major;
2. Complete a minimum of 60 transferable semester units;
3. Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0.

To complete the major, students must fulfill the degree requirements for the major described in the catalog in effect at the time they are accepted into the premajor at SDSU (assuming continuous enrollment).

Major Academic Plans (MAPs)

Visit https://www.sdsu.edu/mymap for the recommended courses needed to fulfill your major requirements. The MAPs website was created to help students navigate the course requirements for their majors and to identify which General Education course will also fulfill a major preparation course requirement.

Physics

The Major

The study of physics is considered the foundation of modern science. It has fascinated the finest minds and personalities of every age-Isaac Newton, James Clerk Maxwell, Marie Cure, Albert Einstein, Lise Meitner, Niels Bohr, Erwin Schrodinger, Richard Feynman, Sally Ride, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Shirley Jackson, and Donna Strickland, to name a few. The study of this diverse field encompasses such areas as classical mechanics, optics, electricity, magnetism, the properties of the solid state, atomic structure, nuclear structure, quantum mechanics, motion, relativity, space and time. Physics also plays a significant role in chemistry, biology, astronomy, and geology, and in the applied sciences of engineering and technology.

Students who become physics majors will be selecting a rewarding and vital career. There has been a tremendous and sustained growth in exciting physics research over the last few decades.  For example: The discovery of the Bose-Einstein Condensate realized a brand new state of matter; quantum information science has led to quantum computing, quantum encryption, and quantum teleportation; novel space telescopes have led to new fundamental questions about the universe, inciting mysteries such as dark energy; advances in computing have led to theoretical advances in nuclear physics, astrophysics, and medical imaging.

The career opportunities for physics graduates are as diverse as the field itself. They include research and development; management or administration in industrial laboratories or government agencies; technical sales; electronic design; laser instrument research; and secondary teaching.

Impacted Program

The majors in the Department of Physics are impacted. To be admitted to one of the majors in the department, students must meet the following criteria:

1. Complete preparation for the major;
2. Complete a minimum of 60 transferable semester units;
3. Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0.

To complete the major, students must fulfill the degree requirements for the major described in the catalog in effect at the time they are accepted into the premajor at SDSU (assuming continuous enrollment).

Major Academic Plans (MAPs)

Visit http://www.sdsu.edu/mymap for the recommended courses needed to fulfill your major requirements. The MAPs website was created to help students navigate the course requirements for their majors and to identify which General Education course will also fulfill a major preparation course requirement.

Graduate Information

Natural Science

General Information

The natural science program offers advanced coursework in natural science and science education. Graduate courses in natural science and science education may be used to fulfill requirements for advanced degrees in other departments with the approval of the student’s graduate adviser. For information on master’s and doctoral programs see Mathematics and Science Education.

Associateships

Graduate teaching associateships in physics are available to a limited number of qualified students. Application blanks and additional information may be secured from the chair of the department.

General Information

The Department of Physics offers graduate study leading to the Master of Arts degree in physics, the Master of Science degree in physics, and the Master of Science degree in medical physics.

The Master of Arts degree emphasizes broad training and intensive coursework. This is a non-thesis program designed to lead the student to a comprehensive final examination. Specific courses, in both pure and applied physics, are chosen to complement the background of the individual student and achieve the desired educational goals. The program is designed to provide students with university-level teaching experience and access to community college teaching positions.

The Master of Science degree emphasizes research experience in a chosen specialty. It is designed to augment the student’s undergraduate training with a core curriculum of advanced courses, then followed by a period of research and preparation of a thesis. Thesis topics are encouraged in both pure and applied areas of physics. The program is designed to provide students with university-level teaching experience and access to community college teaching positions.

Modern experimental laboratories are available for student and faculty research in the areas of modern optics, holography, optical properties of solids, laser physics, solid-state physics, nuclear magnetic resonance, electron paramagnetic resonance, atomic physics, solar energy, nuclear, medical and health physics, and image processing. Theoretical programs are available in condensed matter physics, electricity and magnetism, laser physics, nuclear and  astrophysics.

The Masters of Science in Medical Physics, a Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Education Programs (CAMPEP) certified program, is designed to provide a strong training in Medical Physics to prepare students for graduate school, clinical residencies, and for a career in industry.  Students acquire knowledge and skill sets through didactic and laboratory instruction designed in accordance with the guidelines of the national accreditation board, CAMPEP.  The course work in our program provides a broad base that includes diagnostic imaging, radiation therapy and nuclear medicine; all three areas integrate theory with laboratory instruction using clinical equipment.

Admission to Graduate Study

Students applying for admission should electronically submit the university application available at https://www2.calstate.edu/apply along with the application fee.

All applicants must submit admissions materials separately to SDSU Graduate Admissions and to the Department of Physics.

Graduate Admissions

The following materials should be submitted as a complete package directly to:

Graduate Admissions
Enrollment Services
San Diego State University
San Diego, CA 92182-7416

1. Official transcripts (in sealed envelopes) from all postsecondary institutions attended;
   
   NOTE:

• Students who attended SDSU need only submit transcripts for work completed since last attendance.
• Students with international coursework must submit both the official transcript and proof of degree. If documents are in a language other than English, they must be accompanied by a certified English translation.

2. GRE scores (https://www.ets.org SDSU institution code 4682);
3. English language score, if medium of instruction was in a language other than English (https://www.ets.org SDSU institution code 4682).

Department of Physics

Master of Arts Degree in Physics

Master of Science Degrees in Physics

Master of Science Degree in Medical Physics

The following materials should be mailed or delivered to:

Department of Physics
(Attention: Graduate Adviser)
San Diego State University
5500 Campanile Drive
San Diego, CA 92182-1233

1. Letters of reference (two or three);
2. Application for teaching associate position or graduate assistantship (if desired).

Master of Arts Degree and Master of Science Degree in Physics

Admission to the Degree Curriculum

All students must satisfy the general requirements for admission to the university with classified graduate standing, as described in Admission and Registration . In addition, the undergraduate preparation in physics must have substantially satisfied the undergraduate requirements for the bachelor’s degree in physics. (Refer to the General Catalog for a description of these majors.) If the student’s undergraduate preparation is deficient, he/she will be required to take courses for the removal of the deficiency. These courses are in addition to the minimum of 30 units for the master’s degree.

Programs

• Chemical Physics, B.S. in Applied Arts and Sciences
• Medical Physics, M.S.
• Physical Science, B.A. in Applied Arts and Sciences
• Physics Minor
• Physics, B.A. in Liberal Arts and Sciences
• Physics, General Physics, B.S. in Applied Arts and Sciences
• Physics, M.A.
• Physics, M.S.
• Physics, Modern Optics, B.S. in Applied Arts and Sciences
• Residency Training in Radiation Therapy Physics Certificate

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