Doctor of Philosophy in Physics - Theoretical and Computational Physics

The department offers a diversified program in theoretical and computational physics, including atomic, solid state, soft condensed matter, molecular and surface physics, statistical mechanics, materials physics, cosmology and particle astrophysics. There is significant interaction between experimentalists and theorists within the department and there is also collaboration with faculty in chemistry, biochemistry and engineering. Seminars are held weekly in several of these areas.Computational physics students are trained to solve accurately and efficiently problems in physics using a wide range of computational techniques. An important aspect of the training is the presentation of problem solutions in a way that can be easily visualized and understood. Various algorithms for molecular dynamics simulation, Monte Carlo methods, ab-initio electronic structure calculations and solutions of generalized Langevin equations are being developed. A strong focus in this area is in the development of efficient algorithms to best exploit the benefits of parallel architecture in modern computers.