Departmental Notes
Subject Code for Astronomy: ASTR
Subject Code for Physics: PHYS
World Wide Web Address: www.queensu.ca/physics/home
Head of Department: Lawrence Widrow
Associate Head of Department: Mark Chen
Departmental Office: Stirling Hall, Room 205
Departmental Telephone: 613-533-2707
Chair of Undergraduate Studies: Ryan Martin
Undergraduate Program Assistant: Melissa Balson
Chair for Engineering Physics: James Stotz
Department Manager: Julie McDonald
Overview
Through studying Physics at Queen’s, you will be trained in observation and experimentation, in applied mathematics and model building, and will develop the confidence to tackle new and intellectually demanding problems. This will place you at the leading edge of research and development in science and technology. This program teaches you to describe the properties of matter and energy, from using everyday concepts such as force, heat and electricity, to using the abstract ideas of relativity and quantum mechanics. The Department of Physics, Engineering Physics, and Astronomy also offers a Specialization Plan in Astrophysics, and jointly with the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, a Specialization Plan in Mathematical Physics.
Advice to Students
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy courses at Queen’s are offered by the Department of Physics, Engineering Physics, and Astronomy, which has strong research groups active in astronomy, astrophysics and astrophysics. Students intending to specialize in astronomy or astrophysics at the graduate level should consider the Astrophysics Specialization Plan. Students wishing to include a course in astronomy as an elective should refer to ASTR 101/3.0, ASTR 102/3.0, and PHYS 216/3.0.
First Courses in Physics
PHYS 104/6.0 and PHYS 106/6.0 are intended for students in the physical and mathematical sciences. Both are calculus-based courses. A grade of at least B- in either of these courses is recommended for entry into PHYS 206/3.0, PHYS 239/3.0, and PHYS 242/3.0, which are required courses for most Physics Plans.
PHYS 115/3.0 and PHYS 116/3.0 are designed for students in the biological and life sciences. 4U physics is recommended but not required; neither is a previous or concurrent calculus course, although some 4U or equivalent mathematics is required.
ASTR 101/3.0, ASTR 102/3.0, and PHYS 216/3.0 are attractive electives for students in other disciplines. ASTR 101/3.0 and ASTR 102 can count toward a Minor(Arts) or a General(Arts) in Physics, but are only electives in other Physics Plans.
Students with an A standing in both PHYS 115/3.0 and PHYS 116 /3.0 and, an A standing in MATH 120/6.0 or MATH 121/6.0 may be admitted to a Physics Plan (with PHYS 115/3.0 and PHYS 116/3.0 then satisfying the first-year physics core requirement), but only after consultation with, and approval from, the Department.
Ancillary Fees
Please note that in some courses you may be asked to purchase a lab or course manual containing material(s) specific to the lab/course content. Prices generally range from $15 to $25 per manual and are sold through Physics Stores.
Faculty
For more information, please visit: https://www.queensu.ca/physics/people/people-directory
- Joe Bramante
- Alexander Braun
- Tucker Carrington Jr.
- Mark C. Chen
- Lynann Clapham
- Ken Clark
- Philippe Di Stefano
- Marc Dignam
- Laura Fissel
- James Fraser
- Jun Gao
- Guillaume Giroux
- R.J. Gooding
- Stephen Hughes
- Judith Irwin
- Robert Knobel
- Thomas Krause
- Kayll W. Lake
- Ryan Martin
- Alastair B. McLean
- Jordan Morelli
- A.J. Noble
- Jean Michel Nunzi
- Nahee Park
- Nir Rotenberg
- Sarah Sadavoy
- Bhavin J. Shastri
- Kristine Spekkens
- James Stotz
- Anne Topper
- Greg van Anders
- Aaron Vincent
- Gregg Wade
- Lawrence M. Widrow
- Alex Wright
Courses
Astronomy (ASTR)
NOTE Also offered online, consult Arts and Science Online (Learning Hours may vary).
NOTE Also offered at Bader College, UK (Learning Hours may vary).
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Identify and explain the fundamental scientific principles that underlie the dynamical behaviour and structure of the solar system, and apply these principles on all physical scales.
- Report and explain variable astronomical phenomena visible in the night sky and seasonally.
- Identify the instruments used by astronomers (e.g., specialized telescopes) and explain their purpose and use.
- Contrast and critique the ancient and modern understandings of the nature of our Solar System.
NOTE Also offered online, consult Arts and Science Online (Learning Hours may vary).
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Identify and explain phenomena beyond the solar system (i.e., the formation, nature, and evolution of the stars; stellar deaths, including novae, supernovae, white dwarfs, neutron stars, pulsars, and black holes).
- Use models to explain large-scale structure in the universe.
- Critically assess modern ideas in cosmology and the early universe including the origin and fate of our universe and the concept of multiplicity of universes.
Physics (PHYS)
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Demonstrate basic science literacy i.e., strong physics critical thinking skills; an understanding of the relevant quantities (and units) and foundational physics relationships so that you can make simple predictions about issues that are relevant to you, your community and the world.
- Create and implement simple experiments to demonstrates key physics principles relevant to frontier physics, and use the results to evaluate one or more possible models.
- Evaluate the quality and accuracy of various physics resources.
- Assess the effectiveness and supportiveness of their group members (and yourself).
- Synthesize ideas from several sources to create and present an original physics teaching artifact/demonstration.
- Describe active frontiers of physics research and their potential impact on society.
NOTE Also offered at the Bader College, UK. Learning Hours may vary.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Analyze the information contained in various hypothetical problem scenarios within the context of recognizable physics laws and apply systematic problem-solving strategies to solve for unknown quantities.
- Identify and interpret the laws of nature as summarized by the fundamental concepts that constitute the foundation of classical physics.
- Interpret and apply basic experiment methodologies designed to test fundamental concepts through direct observation.
- Quantitatively analyze measurement results with effective evaluation of experimental uncertainties.
- Relate nature's basic laws describing forces, motion, energy, momentum, thermodynamics, and the conservation rules that constrain these laws to real world applications.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Analyze the information contained in various hypothetical problem scenarios within the context of recognizable physics laws and apply systematic problem-solving strategies to solve for unknown quantities.
- Identify and interpret the laws of nature as summarized by the fundamental concepts that constitute the foundation of classical physics.
- Interpret and apply basic experiment methodologies designed to test fundamental concepts through direct observation.
- Quantitatively analyze measurement results with effective evaluation of experimental uncertainties.
- Relate nature's basic laws describing forces, motion, energy, waves, electromagnetism, optics, and the conservation rules that constrain these laws to real world applications.
NOTE Only offered online. Consult Arts and Science Online.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Students will apply nature's basic laws describing forces and motion, energy and momentum, and the conservation rules that constrain these laws to real world applications.
- Students will be able to analyze the information contained in various problem scenarios within the context of recognizable physics laws and utilize systematic problem-solving strategies to solve for unknown quantities.
- Students will be able to identify and interpret the laws of nature as summarized by the fundamental concepts that constitute the foundations of classical physics.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Describe and model the following: Fundamentals of free, damped, and forced vibrations with applications to various mechanical systems. Coupled oscillations and normal modes. Classical wave equation, standing and travelling waves. Lenses and mirrors, image formation and optical instruments, optical resolution.
- Derive the classical wave equation and be fully conversant with classical wave behavior, such as refraction, diffraction, interference, and the superposition of waves.
- Identify normal modes in coupled oscillators.
- Relate the concepts listed above to real work applications.
- Solve these differential equations to obtain the response of the mechanical (or electrical) system analytically or numerically using modern software packages such as MATLAB, Python, or Mathematica.
- Model image formation in multi-element optical systems.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Analyze a physical problem, reducing the problem to study the key factors influencing the evolution of the system, and derive a system of equations to model the behaviour of the resulting system.
- Create, run and analyze the output (graphically and otherwise) of computer programs, in a Python computing environment.
- Design the appropriate computer algorithm to solve the resulting equations and to implement it in well-documented, clearly written code (Python).
- Synthesize the entire process above and create a clear, concise written report summarizing the key results.
- Test the resulting code using known results in simple examples and interpret the results of simulations in more general cases, determining the influence of each parameter affecting the outcome.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Understand the wave equation and the propagation of harmonic waves, including electromagnetic radiation.
- Understand and apply basic transformations between different reference frames in Special Relativity.
- Draw and read spacetime diagrams.
- Model collisions between relativistic particles.
- Describe the key phenomena of thermal radiation and determine its properties.
- Understand the wave and particle nature of matter and light and its implications.
- Understand the Schrödinger equation and the connection between the quantum mechanical description of nature and non-intuitive phenomena such as Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle and quantum tunneling.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Calculate the various extraneous effects that degrade astronomical information (the light from celestial sources) as the signal passes through the interstellar medium, the Earth's atmosphere, and the detector.
- Design and carry out a straightforward observing project, and analyze data from a real astronomical telescope to develop an understanding of some of the practical limitations in such scientific investigations.
- Distinguish between the various wavelength, energy and frequency domains at which astronomers make their observations, and be able to explain the importance of working in these different spectral domains for a full understanding of the physics of the sources.
- Explain the fundamental interactions between light and atoms/molecules/dust particles that determine the radiative output of astronomical sources.
- Invert received astronomical signals to derive astrophysical conclusion about the physical nature of the source.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Algebraically manipulate complex numbers and complex exponentials.
- Apply the standard methods of mathematical physics, such as Green's functions, to solve ordinary differential equations.
- Apply the techniques of linear vector spaces to problems in classical and quantum mechanics.
- Compute Fourier series and transforms of elementary functions.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Apply the methods of complex analysis and Green's functions to the wave equation and other common equations of physics.
- Apply the techniques of complex analysis to the computation of integrals via the residue theorem and contour integration.
- Apply the techniques of mathematical physics such as separation of variables to solve partial different equations commonly encountered in physics.
- Develop a working knowledge of functions of a complex variable, including the calculation of Laurent expansions.
- Develop a working knowledge of the special functions of mathematical physics, such as Bessel functions and Legendre polynomials.
- Develop an understanding of one or more special topics in mathematical physics such as probability and statistics, group theory, or nonlinear dynamics.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Apply each of Maxwell's equations and the Lorentz force law to solve problems involving charge and current distributions and electromagnetic fields.
- Manipulate equations using methods from vector calculus and apply the integral and differential forms of Maxwell's equations as appropriate.
- Apply conservation of energy and momentum principles to solve problems involving fields and charges.
- Solve problems involving the propagation of electromagnetic waves in free space and in waveguides.
- Relate the theories of special relativity and electromagnetism and solve problems involving charges and extended objects moving at relativistic speeds.
NOTE Manual: estimated cost $20.
NOTE Manual: estimated cost $20.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Appreciate Einstein's geometrization of gravity.
- Compare and analyze various extensions to the theory of General Relativity.
- Describe the various constituents of modern cosmology.
- Extend spherically symmetric vacuum to the axially symmetric case.
- Identify what is meant by a solution to Einstein's equations.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Apply the methods of complex analysis and Green's functions to the wave equation and other common equations of physics.
- Apply the techniques of complex analysis to the computation of integrals via the residue theorem and contour integration.
- Apply the techniques of mathematical physics such as separation of variables to solve partial different equations commonly encountered in physics.
- Develop a working knowledge of functions in a complex variable, including the calculation of Laurent expansions.
- Develop a working knowledge of the special functions of mathematical physics, such as Bessel functions and Legendre polynomials.
- Develop an understanding of one or more special topics in mathematical physics such as probability and statistics, group theory or nonlinear dynamics.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Calculate the various extraneous effects that degrade astronomical information (the light from celestial sources) as the signal passes through the interstellar medium, the Earth's atmosphere, and the detector.
- Design and carry out a straightforward observing project, and analyze data from a real astronomical telescope to develop an understanding of some of the practical limitations in such scientific investigations.
- Distinguish between the various wavelength, energy and frequency domains at which astronomers make their observations, and be able to explain the importance of working in these different spectral domains for a full understanding of the physics of the sources.
- Explain the fundamental interactions between light and atoms/molecules/dust particles that determine the radiative output of astronomical sources.
- Invert received astronomical signals to derive astrophysical conclusion about the physical nature of the source.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Describe and model the energy generation and transfer mechanisms reactions in stars.
- Describe and model the evolutionary pathways of stars.
- Describe and model the various endpoint of stellar evolution for stars of different masses.
- Describe star formation mechanisms.
- Explain limitations in observational data and comparisons to theoretical star formation models.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Apply the postulates of quantum mechanics to determine the outcomes of measurements on a variety of quantum systems.
- Determine the quantum states of total angular momentum for different systems.
- Use particle-exchange symmetry to characterize the energy levels of multi-particle systems.
- Determine the quantum states of multielectron atoms and molecules.
- Estimate the ground state energy of quantum systems using the variational method.
- Determine the effects of perturbations on the energy levels of quantum systems.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Apply Maxwell's formalism to determine the characteristics of spatially coherent light propagating through free space and simple optical elements.
- Apply the Lorentz model, to characterize classical light-matter interaction, including dispersion and absorption.
- Apply the postulates of quantum mechanics to model semiclassical light-matter interaction (Maxwell-Bloch theory) and quantify optical amplification for particular systems.
- Characterize the performance of various gain media and laser cavities to generate laser light.
- Identify an interesting technical problem and explain how optics solves it or may solve it.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Communicate effective solution methods and results, both in terms of code and report writing.
- Implement a variety of advanced numerical algorithms to solve problems in physics that require high performance computers.
- Learn advanced numerical algorithms for simulation and modelling, and apply such approaches to different problems, including (i) the dynamics of interacting quantum systems, and (ii) boundary value problems in advanced electromagnetic theory.
- Learn one example of a communications protocol for parallel computations, MPI (message passing interface), and will learn to write python codes that implement MPI.
- Learn to compile and submit parallelized codes to distributed memory architecture machines (from Compute Canada).
- Work on a variety of high performance computing sites, all linked by Compute Canada. Students will compile and submit parallelized codes to distributed memory architecture machines.
- Work with one example of a communications protocol for parallel computations, MPI (message passing interface), and will develop python codes that integrate MPI.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Apply the postulates of quantum mechanics to determine the outcomes of measurements on a variety of quantum systems.
- Determine the quantum states of total angular momentum for different systems.
- Use particle-exchange symmetry to characterize the energy levels of multi-particle systems.
- Determine the quantum states of multielectron atoms and molecules.
- Estimate the ground state energy of quantum systems using the variational method.
- Determine the effects of perturbations on the energy levels of quantum systems.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Have a fundamental understanding of the underlying physics and engineering as it connects to nanoscience and nanotechnologies.
- Understand the limits and advantages of fabrication, analysis and characterization tools for nanoscale materials and devices.
- Read and analyze papers from the current research literature in a variety of fields.
- Use effective oral communication and present a summary of research scientific research.
- Be able to explain scientific results and ideas including critical analysis.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Describe low energy nuclear physics, including nuclear structure and basic interactions.
- Describe particle physics including the quark model, the structure of mesons and hadrons, the fundamental forces and interactions.
- Describe nuclear instability and model rates and properties for alpha, beta, and gamma decays, fusion and fission.
- Describe the process for calculating particle interaction rates from first principles and the role of Feynman Diagrams.
- Describe basic renormalization and model simple QED decay and annihilation processes from first principles.
- Model nuclear and particle processes using 4-vectors and Special Relativity.
- Describe the role of experiments in testing particle physics theories such as the Standard Model and describe limitations and extensions to particle physics theories.
- Describe the role of nuclear and particle physics in the modern age including nuclear power (fission and fusion), nuclear medicine, and fundamental science.
NOTE Manual: estimated cost $15 to $25 per manual.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Have a working definition of what constitutes a plasma.
- Describe the motion of charged particles under the influence of various applied fields.
- Be familiar with adiabatic invariants.
- Develop a basic understanding of plasma as a fluid including the governing magnetohydrodynamic.
- Be familiar with the propagation of waves in plasma.
- Describe diffusion processes, collision processes, and plasma resistivity.
- Be aware of various plasma instabilities.
NOTE Requests for such a program must be received one month before the start of the first term in which the student intends to undertake the program.