The programs emphasize the fundamentals underlying aeronautics. Major groups include staff and graduate students interested in fluid mechanics, solid mechanics, and applied aerodynamics, with a close interrelationship with the programs of the Jet Propulsion Center, Applied Mathematics, and Applied Mechanics. The program in applied mathematics emphasizes interdisciplinary studies and reflects the breadth of activity in applied mathematics at Caltech. In addition to basic and advanced study offered by the applied mathematics faculty, broad selections are available in mathematics, physics, engineering, and other such areas. Strong research programs cover nonlinear waves, perturbation theory, numerical analysis, fluid dynamics, computational fluid dynamics, scientific computation, computational materials science, and other areas.
Advanced work is offered in elasticity, plasticity, dynamics, and vibrations.
Research opportunities are offered in a wide variety of fields, such as solid-state physics, lasers and integrated optics, photonics, metals and alloys, plasma physics, fluid dynamics, electronic materials, computer simulation of materials, and cryogenics. The program is intended for students with a strong interest in fundamental physics having technological applications. Research programs are conducted in air pollution and aerosol science, catalysis, zeolite synthesis, inorganic membranes, ceramics and electronic materials processing, statistical mechanics, dynamics of complex fluids, polymer rheology and polymer physics, biochemical engineering, multiphase flow, dynamics of gas-surface interactions, and nanoscale structures. Advanced work is offered in structural engineering, earthquake engineering, hydrology, and coastal engineering. Computation and Neural Systems.