You are in the official 2007-2008 General Catalog
for California State University, Fresno.
You are in the official 2007-2008 General Catalog
for California State University, Fresno.
B.S. Special Major (Biomedical Physics)
B.A. in Natural
Sciences Teaching Credential
Physics Option
Minor in Medical
Physics
Single Subject Teaching Credential
in the Sciences
Gerardo Munoz, Chair
Douglas Singleton, Graduate Coordinator
Amir Huda, Premedical Adviser
Vanvilai Katkanant, Undergraduate Adviser, Preoptometry Adviser
Steven J. White, Downing Planetarium Director
Manfred Bucher
Raymond Hall
Frederick Ringwald
Charles Tenney
Daqing Zhang
The fascination of physics is that it is so fundamental: the continuing
attempt to understand how things work. It combines observational and experimental
grappling with nature to get the facts of behavior, with the creative synthesis
of these facts into theories and laws of nature, often beautiful in their
simplicity and universality.
Albert Einstein said, "They [the laws of theoretical physics] should
form the basis from which a picture of all processes of nature can be derived
by thoughtful deduction -- and these include also the processes of life."
He also said, "The deeper we search, the more we find there is to know,
and as long as human life exists, I believe it will always be so."
More specifically, physics includes the study of the fundamental particles
that make up all matter, of electromagnetic, gravitational, atomic and nuclear
forces, of energy, of light and heat, of electronics and the structure and
properties of materials, of the interiors of the earth and the stars.
Our faculty members are here to teach and to do research. Several faculty members have research projects involving students. Two of our faculty members do theoretical work in particle physics and field theory while others are involved with numerous different experimental research fields; some of our faculty are involved in physics pedagogy.
Our classes are small; our upper-division and graduate classes usually have 10-15 students or less. Physics majors get to know each other very well. They develop friendships with peers, faculty, and staff, which extend well beyond graduation.
The Physics Department has an active theoretical physics program that focuses on gravitational physics and field theory. We have active collaborations with several international research groups including the Institute of Applied Physics of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova, Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University, the Center for Gravitation and Fundamental Metrology (VNIIMS) at the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia, and Universidad de Costa Rica. Our students in this area regularly attend national and international conferences to give talks, and they are active in publishing their research work in refereed journals. Several international researchers have visited our department and engaged in collaborative research, colloquia, and seminars.
Our physics facilities underwent a multi-million dollar renovation. The renovation project substantially improves both our research and teaching capabilities. The department has well-equipped research laboratories with laminar flow hoods, evaporative and ion beam sputtering chambers, and high temperature ovens for thin film research. We have two medium-power lasers, which enhance our capabilities in modern optical studies, including Raman spectroscopy and nonlinear optics.
Four new research laboratories are also part of our current experimental efforts: the Radiation Measurements and Instrumentation Laboratory, the High Energy Physics Laboratory, the Semiconductor Characterization Laboratory, and the Astrophysics Laboratory. The High Energy Laboratory develops and constructs state-of-the-art solid-state charged particle detectors to be used in the D0 Project at Fermi National Laboratory (Fermilab). This has linked us to new frontier physics research areas, including studies of top quark properties and the search for the Higgs boson. The Semiconductor Laboratory is well equipped with both teaching and student research equipment, such as a pulsed NMR spectrometer, superconductivity experiment, temperature-dependent measurement of resistivity, and conduction phenomena determination of semiconductor band gap. Two new major pieces of equipment have been added to our condensed matter physics research: an X-ray fluorescence spectrometer that is capable of sub ppm resolution and a Fourier Transform Infrared spectrometer (FTIR) that permits analysis of spectra in the mid-infrared region. We also have a tunable argon ion laser with a 400 megawatt output, a three-stage high temperature furnace, and a fume hood providing a sample preparation chamber. This allows us to make many important measurements of condensed matter properties such as resistivity, conductivity, mobility, charge concentration, activation energy, the charge sign of majority carriers, and photoconductivity. It leads us to material science technologies, the study of nanowires and nanosprings, and novel semiconductors used in solar cell applications. The Astrophysics Laboratory is loaded with powerful computing equipment, all available to students. It is used for image processing and remote observatory operations. Undergraduate and graduate students can participate in astrophysics research. They use both ground-based telescopes and space observatories (including Hubble Space Telescope, Chandra X-ray Observatory, and other NASA spacecraft).
We have upgraded instrumentation in our existing Radiation Laboratory and we have begun a new program of research in biomedical physics. In general, the field is subdivided into four subspecialties: nuclear medicine, diagnostic radiology (use of X-rays, MRI, ultrasound, etc.), radiation therapy (the use of radioactive materials produced by accelerators for the treatment of cancer and other diseases), and radiation biology. With the establishment of affiliations with local area medical centers, research opportunities in this field will open up for our students.
We have received a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIH/NIMH) to initiate one of the first medical physics/neuroimaging undergraduate programs in the nation. Students enrolling in this special degree program will get a chance to intern at the end of their junior year in the finest state-of-the-art laboratories across the nation. Our department has a collaboration with the VA Medical Center, where students are provided with hands-on instruction on MR scanners and other imaging equipment. The curriculum ranges from courses in MRI/MRS, X-ray imaging, nuclear medicine, and neuroimaging to courses in radiation health physics. This program is designed to provide a solid foundation in physics, biology, and mathematics so that students can tackle the challenges of an interdisciplinary program of graduate instruction in the broad field of neurosciences. The program also aims to serve as a feeder program to graduate schools across the nation.
The Downing Planetarium, operated by the Physics Department, was completed in the spring of 2000. It has proven highly successful, with more than 150,000 visitors since opening. The planetarium features a computer controlled Minolta MS-8 star projector and a main theater with 74 reclining seats under a 30-foot dome. The facility presents multi-media shows on a daily basis. Physics students have the opportunity to participate in presenting the shows and to assist in planetarium operation.
Adjacent to the planetarium is a new campus observatory equipped with
a 16-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope, CCD cameras, and adaptive optics
system. This observatory is being used for classes and for student research
projects. A second observatory with a more advanced 16-inch telescope is
being built at a dark site in the Sierra Nevada mountains. This telescope
will be remotely controlled from campus, and students will be able to download
images from it over the Internet without having to go to the telescope site.
Eventually, the observatory will be able to function as a totally autonomous
robot, able to carry out a student's program of observations and close itself
down at the onset of bad weather.
Approximately half of our bachelor's and master's degree graduates have gone directly into graduate school at various institutions, pursuing master's or doctoral degrees in physics or related fields. The other half have found employment in teaching, in industry, in government, and in the medical professions. We have also observed a recent increase in the demand for high school physics teachers.
Physics graduates have the versatility, knowledge, and analytical skills necessary to adapt quickly to the opportunities which arise in the dynamic world of modern science and high technology. Our graduates report interesting, exciting careers with increasing levels of responsibility and satisfaction.
Physics
Courses