Advanced Physics Laboratory: Project

Catalog description

Have you ever wanted to dream up a research question, then design, execute, and analyze an experiment to address it, together with a small group of your fellow students? This is an accelerated, guided experimental research experience, resembling real frontier research. Phenomena that have been studied include the magnetization of ferromagnets, the quantum hall effect in graphene, building a 21cm telescope, interference in superconducting circuits, loss in nanomechanical resonators, and superfluidity in helium. But most projects pursued (drawn from condensed matter and recently also particle physics) have never been done in the class before. Our equipment and apparatus for Physics 108 are very flexible and not standardized like in most other lab classes. We provide substantial resources to help your team. We recommend taking this class in junior year, if possible, as it can inform post-graduation decisions and can empower the professor to write a powerful letter of recommendation.