MISSISSIPPI

STATE

UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762 http://www.msstate.edu/dept/physics

General University Information
President: Mark E. Keenum Dean of Graduate School: Louis DAbramo University website: http://www.msstate.edu Control: Public Setting: Rural Total Faculty: 1,289 Total Graduate Faculty: 945 Total number of Students: 19,035 Total number of Graduate Students: 3,962

TOEFL requirements
The TOEFL exam is required for students from non-Englishspeaking countries. PBT score: 525 iBT score: 193

Other admissions information

Additional requirements: Students from non-English speaking countries are required to demonstrate prociency in English via the TOEFL exam or the IELTS exam. Minimum acceptable TOEFL score for admission to the MS program is 525 (or 193 computer based) and 550 (or 213 computer based) for the Applied Physics Ph.D. program. Minimum acceptable IELTS score for admission to the M.S. program is 6.0 and 6.5 for the Applied Physics program. Undergraduate preparation assumed: Undergraduate major in physics. Deciencies are corrected by additional course work.

Department Information
Department Chairman: Mark A. Novotny Department Contact: David L. Monts, Professor of Physics Total full-time faculty: 18 Total number of full-time equivalent positions: 21 Full-Time Graduate Students: 42 First-Year Graduate Students: 8 Total Post Doctorates: 2

TUITION Department Address

355 Lee Boulevard Hilbun Hall, Room 125 Mississippi State, MS 39762 Phone: (662) 325-2806 Fax: (662) 325-8898 E-mail: dlm1@ra.msstate.edu Website: http://www.msstate.edu/dept/physics Tuition year 2010 11: Tuition for in-state residents Full-time students: $5,461 per academic term Part-time students: $303.5 per credit Tuition for out-of-state residents Full-time students: $13,801 per academic term Part-time students: $767 Out-of-state portion of tuition is waived for assistantship holders. Credit hours per semester to be considered full-time: 9-13 Deferred tuition plan: Yes Health insurance: Available at the cost of $1,178 per year. Other academic fees: $300 International Student charges/yr Academic term: Semester Number of rst-year students who receive full tuition waivers: 8

ADMISSIONS Admission Contact Information

Address admission inquiries to: Mississippi State University, Ofce of Graduate Studies, P. O. Box G, Mississippi State MS 39762-5507 Phone: (662) 325-7400 Admissions website: http://www.grad.msstate.edu

Teaching Assistants, Research Assistants, and Fellowships

Number of rst-year Teaching Assistants: 6 Research Assistants: 2 Fellowship students: 0 Average stipend per academic year Teaching Assistant: $13,950 Research Assistant: $13,950 Fellowship student:

Application deadlines
Fall admission: U.S. students: March 01, 2012 Spring admission: U.S. students: August 01, 2012 Intl. students: March 01, 2012 Intl. students: August 01, 2012 Intl. students: $40

Application fee
U.S. students: $40

Admissions information
For Fall of 2011: Number of applicants: 53 Number admitted: 21 Number enrolled: 9

FINANCIAL AID Application deadlines

Fall admission: U.S. students: February 01, 2012 Intl. students: February 01, 2012 Spring admission: U.S. students: August 01, 2012 Intl. students: August 01, 2012

Admission requirements
Bachelors degree requirements: Bachelors degree in physics is required. Minimum undergraduate GPA: 2.75

GRE requirements
The GRE is recommended.

Loans
Loans are available for U.S. students. Loans are not available for international students. GAPSFAS application required: No FAFSA application required: No

Advanced GRE requirements

The Advanced GRE is recommended.

379

Mississippi
For further information
Address nancial aid inquiries to: Mississippi State University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Box 5167, Mississippi State, MS 39762-5167. Phone: 662-325-2807 E-mail: 662-325-8898 Financial aid website: http://www.msstate.physics.edu

Mississippi State U., Phys. & Astr.

the High Performance Computing Collaboratory (HPC2), and the Institute for Clean Energy Technology (ICET), all located on the MSU campus.

Table BSeparately Budgeted Research Expenditures by Source of Support

Source of Support Federal government State/local government Non-prot organizations Business and industry Other Departmental Research $913,010 $351,042 $65,205 Physics-related Research Outside Department $1,531,379

HOUSING Availability of on-campus housing

Single students: No Married students: No

For further information

Address housing inquiries to: Housing and Residence Life, Box 9502, Mississippi State MS 39762. Phone: 662-325-3555

Total

$1,329,257

$1,531,379

Table CSeparately Budgeted Research Expenditures by Research Specialty

Research Specialty Applied Physics Astrophysics Atomic, Molecular, & Optical Physics Nuclear Physics Physics and other Science Education Computational Physics No. of Grants 0 1 2 5 1 2 11 Expenditures ($) $7,902 $173,850 $714,332 $298,613 $134,560 $1,329,257

Table AFaculty, Enrollments, and Degrees Granted

Enrollment Fall 2010 Research Specialty Applied Physics Astrophysics Atomic, Molecular, & Optical Physics Computational Physics Condensed Matter Physics Materials Science, Metallurgy Nuclear Physics Optics Physics and other Science Education Statistical & Thermal Physics 201011 Faculty 1 5 5 3 1 6 2 5 1 Masters 9 1 1 2 13 11 6 Doctorate 11 9 6 1 27 26 2 Number of Degrees Granted 201011 (200611) Masters 0(3) 2(9) 2(10) 2(9) 0(3) 6(34) Terminal Masters Doctorate 1(5) 2(7) 0(3) 1(1) 4(16)

Total FACULTY

Total
Full-time Grad. Stud. First-year Grad. Stud.

GRADUATE DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

Masters: A total of 30 credit hours is required with a minimum average grade of B&#x201d. The residence requirement is a minimum of 30 weeks. For the thesis option, six credit hours of thesis research are required as is an oral examination on the thesis. For the non-thesis option, a written qualifying examination on the physics core courses and an oral examination are required. Doctorate: At least three academic years beyond the Bachelors degree are necessary. The number of credit hours will vary according to the students needs. A preliminary exam is required for admission to candidacy, after completion of academic coursework. A minimum of 20 credit hours of research for the dissertation must be scheduled. An oral defense of the dissertation is required. Thesis: Thesis may be written in absentia.

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT, FACILITIES, OR PROGRAMS

Faculty and graduate students in the Department of Physics and Astronomy are involved in research at the Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems (CAVS), Center for Computational Sciences,

Professor Afanasjev, Anatoli, Ph.D., Latvian State University (Riga), 1999. Computational Physics, Nuclear Physics. Relativistic mean eld theory. Arnoldus, Hendrik F., Ph.D., Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands, 1985. Atomic, Molecular, & Optical Physics, Electromagnetism, Nano Science and Technology, Optics. Theoretical optics with emphasis on near-eld and nanoscale optics at interfaces. Dunne, James A., Ph.D., American University, 1995. Nuclear Physics. Experimental medium energy nuclear physics, nucleon structure. Harpole, Sandra H., Other, Mississippi State, 1986. Physics and other Science Education. Physics education and high school outreach. Ma, Wenchao, Ph.D., Vanderbilt University, 1985. Nuclear Physics. Experimental nuclear physics, nuclear structure at high spin states, nuclei far from stability, radiation detection and measurement technology. Monts, David L., Ph.D., Columbia, 1978. Applied Physics, Atomic, Molecular, & Optical Physics. Molecular spectroscopy; environmental applications imaging. Novotny, Mark A., Ph.D., Stanford University, 1978. Chemical Physics, Computational Physics, Condensed Matter Physics, Materials Science, Metallurgy, Nano Science and Technology, Statistical & Thermal Physics. Head. Computational physics approaches to understanding the time dependence of classical and quantum models for materials. Winger, Jeffry A., Ph.D., Iowa State University, 1987. Nuclear Physics. Decay spectroscopy of neutron-rich nuclei, evolution of single particle energies, application of nuclear physics to nuclear energy. Associate Professor Clay, R. Torsten, Ph.D., University of Illinois, 1999. Computational Physics, Condensed Matter Physics. Theoretical con-

380

United States: Geographic Listing of Graduate Programs

densed matter physics: electronic and magnetic properties of strongly correlated materials; computational methods for strongly correlated systems. Kim, Seong-Gon, Ph.D., Michigan State University, 1994. Computational Physics, Nano Science and Technology. Application of modern rst principles computational techniques of condensed matter physics and materials science to the study of the electronic and structural properties of nanostructures, semiconductors and metals. Wang, Chuji, Ph.D., University of Science and Technology of China, 1998. Applied Physics, Atomic, Molecular, & Optical Physics, Biophysics, Engineering Physics/Science, Medical, Health Physics, Optics. Develop and apply measuring, monitoring, and sensing technologies to address real problems in energy, environment, and biomedical engineering. Ye, Jinwu, Ph.D., Yale University, 1993. Atomic, Molecular, & Optical Physics, Computational Physics, Condensed Matter Physics. Assistant Professor Berg, Matthew J., Ph.D., Kansas State University, 2008. Applied Physics, Computational Physics, Electromagnetism, Optics. Electromagnetic scattering for aerosol-particle characterization, computational modeling of the scattering process. Dutta, Dipangkar, Ph.D., Northwestern University, 1999. Nuclear Physics. Medium-energy nuclear physics, precision measurement of the fundamental properties of nucleons. Pierce, Donna M., Ph.D., University of Maryland, 2006. Astrophysics. Planetary astronomy, chemical composition of comets. Rupak, Gautam Lan Tai Moong, Ph.D., University of Washington, 1996. Computational Physics, Nuclear Physics. Nuclear structure and reactions using QCD and effective eld theory. Tanner, Angelle M., Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles, 2004. Astrophysics. Adjunct Professor Carter, H. Kennon, Ph.D., Vanderbilt University, 1969. Nuclear structure physics. Lindner, Jeffrey S., Ph.D., Mississippi State University, 1985. Applied Physics, Atomic, Molecular, & Optical Physics, Polymer Physics/Science. Molecular spectroscopy; polymer physics. Luthe, John C., Ph.D., Wisconsin, 1975. Atomic, Molecular, & Optical Physics. Theoretical physics. Rykaczewski, Krzysztof P., Ph.D., Warsaw University, 1983. Nuclear Physics. Decay spectroscopy for low-energy nuclear structure, and application of nuclear physics detectors for nuclear energy research. Singh, J. P., Ph.D., Banares Hindu University, 1980. Applied Physics, Atomic, Molecular, & Optical Physics. Applications of laser spectroscopy. Su, Yi, Ph.D., Wayne State University, 1996. Applied Physics, Atomic, Molecular, & Optical Physics. Applied spectroscopy and environmental sensing.

Mississippi

DEPARTMENTAL RESEARCH SPECIALTIES AND STAFF

Theoretical Atomic, Molecular, & Optical Physics. Computational modeling of electromagnetic scattering from complex single and multiparticle systems, and analytical investigations in fundamental electromagnetic theory. Arnoldus, Ye. Computational Physics. The Computational Physics Group has interests in the use of computational methods to study a diverse range of physics topics. These include theoretical con-

densed matter physics and materials science; electronic and magnetic properties of strongly correlated materials; computational methods for strongly correlated systems; the electronic and structural properties of nanostructures, semiconductors and metals; and nuclear structure physics. One area of research involves computational physics approaches to understanding the time dependence of classical and quantum models for materials. This research includes dynamic phase transitions in ferromagnets, hysteresis, time dependence of qubits, and dynamics of electrochemical processes. Another area includes the study of surfaces, interfaces and defects in semiconductors and metals. Specically, the adsorption and dissociation of hydrogen on metal surfaces and the quantum nature of hydrogen fuel cell catalysis. These research efforts require the development new algorithms and the utilization of specic algorithms within large-scale rst principles simulation codes on massively parallel computers, including dynamic Monte Carlo, Monte Carlo with Absorbing Markov Chains, Projective Dynamics, and real-time algorithms for quantum spin systems. This research involves collaborative researcher with many different disciplines including mechanical engineering, chemistry, mathematics, and computer sciences and engineering. Afanasjev, Berg, Clay, Kim, Novotny, Rupak, Ye. Nuclear Physics. The research of the Theoretical Nuclear Physics Group focuses on several areas. First, to understand nuclear structure and reactions in a manner that is consistent with Quantum Chromodynamics. This uses effective eld theory to construct the low energy nuclear theory. Second, the study of the properties of light nuclei, and the properties of dense nuclear matter in an astrophysical context such as neutron stars. Third, the use of relativistic mean eld theory to understand the the structure of medium to heavy mass nuclei. Afanasjev, Rupak. Optics. The Theoretical Optics Group investigates energy ow patterns in electromagnetic radiation elds on a subwavelength scale, specically the radiation emitted by a small localized source near an interface with a material medium. We predict the existence of singularities and vortices in the ow line patterns, and are studying these spatial structures with sub-wavelength (nanoscale) precision. When the radiating particle is embedded in an absorbing medium, the mechanism of energy emission alters dramatically, as compared to free space emission. The surrounding material weakens the energy ow and causes a spatial redistribution of the energy ow. The eld lines for a linear dipole become curves, and some of these curves return to the location of the particle. Energy emitted along these eld lines is non-radiative, owing back to the source rather than to the far eld. Metamaterials are articially structured composites which may have a negative permittivity, a negative permeability, or both. When both are negative, the index of refraction is also negative. Reection and refraction at the interface with a negative index of refraction material appears to defy the known laws of physics. When radiation from a small particle passes through a slab of this material, it may come to a focus on the other side. This may clear the way for the construction of a superlens, which can form an image of an object with a precision less than an optical wavelength. Arnoldus, Berg. Experimental Astrophysics. Planetary astronomy focused on the study of asteroids and comets. In particular, the study of cometary atmospheres. Pierce, Tanner. Atomic, Molecular, & Optical Physics. Multidisciplinary research involving physics, chemistry, and optical engineering to develop and apply measuring, monitoring, and sensing technologies to address real problems in energy, environment,

381

Mississippi
and biomedical engineering. These applications use Cavity RingDown Spectroscopy (CRDS) which is one powerful technology which can have unlimited application potential in the aforementioned elds and beyond. The groups research efforts are dedicated to 1) Laser diagnostics in plasma and combustion, especially, plasma-assisted combustion (PAC); 2) Time-domain ber optic sensor and sensor network for largescale, multi-function (physical, chemical, and biological) monitoring and sensing; 3) Cavity ringdown instrumentation for trace elements, isotopes, and volatile organic compounds; and 4) Breath biomarkers for non-invasive disease diagnostics and metabolic status monitoring. Lindner, Luthe, Monts, Singh, Su, Wang, Ye. Nuclear Physics. The Experimental Nuclear Physics Group has two main areas of research: Low-Energy Nuclear Physics (LENP) and Medium Energy Physics (MEP). The LENP Group performs research on both high-spin states produced in fusion evaporation reactions and lower-spin structures fed by various decay processes. The high-spin research seeks to identify triaxial super deformation in excited energy bands

Mississippi State U., Phys. & Astr.

and developing an understanding of the driving force behind these structures. The decay spectroscopy research focuses on the study of decay properties (half-lives, delayed-neutron probabilities, etc.) of neutron-rich nuclei along the r-process path and the evolution of single particle states leading to new shell closures. This research is performed at Argonne National Lab, Oak Ridge National Lab, and the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory. The MEP Group conducts high precision measurements that probe the fundamental nature of quarks inside atomic nuclei, and precision tests of fundamental symmetries and the Standard Model. These former studies seek to understand the internal structure of hadrons in terms of the underlying quark and gluon degrees of freedom of Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD). Most experiments utilize the high intensity electron beam at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab) in Newport News, Virginia. The MEP Group is also involved in building novel detectors systems and targets for the experimental program carried out at the Jefferson Lab. Carter, Dunne, Dutta, Ma, Rykaczewski, Winger.

View additional information about this department at www.gradschoolshopper.com

382