Emphasis tracks
A way of organizing electives around a theme.
• no selected concentration (6-8 units)
any two upper division physics electives (or outside physics with approval)• Atomic/Molecular/Optical/Condensed Matter (AMO/CM) Physics (11-12 units)
3 of PHYS 109 (soft matter), PHYS 141 (condensed matter), PHYS 144 (AMO), PHYS 148(optics), PHYS 172 (quantum information)• Biophysics (12-13 units)
PHYS 104 (biophysics) + 2 of various biology (10) and bioengineering (3) courses• Mathematical Physics (12 units)
PHYS 116 (math methods) + 2 of various math courses• Custom (12 units)
three upper division physics electives (or outside physics with approval)
Need faculty advisor approval at least two semesters prior to completion of degree.
For any emphasis: also, do PHYS 195/196 research in selected area.

Modern Atomic Physics
PHYS 144, Prof. Lin Tian, spring 2020 and spring 2022
Atomic, Molecular, and Optical physics is a growing field with continuous development ofmodern techniques in manipulating atoms and photons in the single-quantum level. Many of
the techniques have been utilized towards quantum computing and quantum information.

We will discuss• Atomic structures: spin-orbital interaction, hyperfine states, Zeeman effects,• Light-matter interaction: manipulation of atomic states, Doppler effect• Recent progress in: optical trapping and cooling, optical tweezer, optical lattices, magnetictrapping, and Bose-Einstein condensation,
Ø Emphasis: AMO/CM. Prerequisite: PHYS 137 or instructor approval. Conjoined with 244.

Advanced Quantum Computing/Quantum Information
PHYS 192 & PHYS 172, Prof. Lin Tian. Spring 2021 and 2023.
Quantum technology could profoundly change the way that we compute and communicate. Inquantum computers, the basic logic element is a quantum bit (qubit) that functions under the lawof quantum mechanics and can be in a superposition to become the Schroedinger’s cat. Quantum
parallelism and entanglement give us the ultimate power.

We will discuss• Quantum computing and algorithms: quantum Fourier transformation, quantum search• How to build superconducting qubits and perform quantum logic gates• Recent progress in: quantum simulation, adiabatic quantum computing, sampling, quantum
supremacy, and hybrid systems
Ø Most topics are related to my research – it’s going to be funØ Emphasis: AMO/CM. Prerequisite: PHYS 137 or instructor approval. Conjoined with 292/272.

PHYS 112: Statistical Mechanics• Who may find it useful: Students planning to take soft matter/biophysics track orCM/AMO track.
• Offered in the spring semester every year. Spring 2020 instructor: Chih-Chun Chien.
• Co-convened with PHYS 212: Statistical Mechanics (Graduate core course)• Content: Probability theory, classical equilibrium and nonequilibrium statisticalmechanics, quantum equilibrium statistical mechanics, statistical estimations andtests.
• Evaluation: Two midterms, one final exam, one team research project.
• Emphasis: none, currently. Pre-reqs: PHYS 108.

PHYS 116: Mathematical Methods• Who may find it useful: students planning to go to graduate school, students
interested in theoretical or computational research.
• Offered: Fall 2019, Fall 2021. Next instructor: Carrie Menke.
• Content: linear algebra, partial differential equations, Fourier transforms.
Applications to relevant physics problems. Computational exercises.
• Emphasis: mathematical physics. Pre-reqs: PHYS 9, MATH 23 and 24.
• Planned for the future: a second class on numerical methods for physics (Strubbe willteach), fall 2020? PHYS 116 would be pre-requisite.

PHYS 104: Biophysics• Offered: Fall 2020, Fall 2022. Next instructor: Jing Xu.
• Content: diffusion, fluids, entropic forces, motor proteins, enzymes, nerve impulses,networks and evolution.
• Co-convened with graduate PHYS 204.
• Emphasis: biophysics. Pre-reqs: PHYS 8, PHYS 9.

PHYS 109: Soft Matter• Offered: Spring 2021, Fall 2023. Next instructor: Linda Hirst.
• What is soft matter? liquid crystals, polymers, colloids, surfactants, biologicalexamples, … Use the tools of classical and statistical mechanics to understand.
• “Hard condensed matter”: PHYS 141. Semiconductors, metals, rocks, ceramics, glass.
• Co-convened with graduate PHYS 209.
• Emphasis: AMO/CM. Pre-reqs: PHYS 108.

PHYS 141: Condensed-Matter Physics
Prof. David Strubbe, fall 2019 and fall 2021
Topics: crystal structure, bonding, amorphous materials, X-ray scattering, magnetism in materials, phonons(vibrations), electronic band structure, heat capacity, electronic and thermal conductivity, metals, semiconductors,devices (solar cell, LED, transistor, thermoelectrics)
Applications: solar energy, electronic devices, quantum computing, superconductors,spintronics, topological insulators, nanotechnology
Special features: computational exercises with nanoHUB.org to illustrateconcepts; conjoined with graduate PHYS 241

Emphasis track: AMO/CM. Pre-reqs: PHYS 10. (PHYS 108 and PHYS 137 helpful)Phys148: Modern Optics• Offered: Fall 2020, 2022, …
• Instructor: Prof. Scheibner• Course content:• Course Content cont.: (special topics)• Geometrical optics,• radiative transfer,• partial coherence,• lasers,• quantum optics

Lab component: Lab visits and/or mini internships(Excursion: Advanced Light Source, National Ignition Facility,or Lick Observatory)• Nano-photonics• Special light sources• Imaging technologies• Real world applications (medical, security,..)• at extreme scales• Beating the diffraction limit• Imaging distant astronomical objects• Spectroscopy techniques• Raman-scattering• Photoluminescence• Magneto-optics• Ultrafast spectroscopy• Single photon counting

Emphasis track: AMO/CM. Pre-reqs: PHYS 9, MATH 23 and 24.

Hands-on Quantum Materials Lab:
temperatures 4-300 K, magnetic fields 0-9 T
atomic force/confocal microscopy system

Funded by DoD, Award-#: W911NF-17-1-0452

PHYS 180: Nonlinear Dynamics
Instructor: Kevin Mitchell
Next offering: Spring 2021
Prereqs: PHYS 8/8H/18, MATH 23, MATH 24
Counts as a “crossroads” course
Overview: Most processes encountered in nature are inherently nonlinear. This
course introduces the main topics of low-dimensional nonlinear systems, withapplications to a wide variety of disciplines, including physics, engineering,mathematics, chemistry, and biology. Specific topics include maps and flows in one
and two dimensions, phase portraits, bifurcations, chaos, and fractals.

Particularly good for students in the Mathematical Physics track.

PHYS 192: (Special Topics in Physics) 21st Century Physics
Prof. Roland Winston, fall 2019, 2020, 2021
This course will review some of the most exciting
topics in physics in this millennium:• Black holes• Gauge theory• Higgs Boson• entangled states in quantum mechanics
Conjoined with grad PHYS 292.
Some familiarity with quantum mechanics andrelativity would be helpful, but the main prerequisite is
the willingness and desire to learn contemporary
physics and be open to new ideas.

Darkness Visible, Finally: Astronomers
Capture First Ever Image of a Black HoleAstronomers at last have captured a picture of oneof the most secretive entities in the cosmos.
Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration, via National Science Foundation

Emphasis track: none. Pre-reqs: PHYS 9, 9H, or 19.

Pending engineering capstone option• Current requirement:
PHYS 195/196 senior thesis: research with a physics faculty member
Recommended for those wanting to go to graduate school.
• New option:
ENGR 193/194 Engineering Capstone Design: physics-related project• Coordinated by Prof. Alejandro Gutiérrez from engineering• PHYS 160 (modern physics lab) has been added as a pre-requisite• May be of interest for students wanting to go into industry or engineering• This will be an option for physics majors starting fall of 2020.