Physics
Field Description
The graduate physics program is designed to give students an adequate background in the concepts and techniques of theoretical and experimental physics in preparation for careers at the most advanced level in research or teaching.
Research and Study Opportunities
Theoretical physics -- Condensed Matter. Subjects for study include mesoscopic systems and random matrix theory; collective properties of Bose and Fermi condensates; density functional theory (electronic and liquid) with applications to surface growth and interfaces, defects in solids, matter under extreme conditions, and nanophysics; statistical mechanics and critical phenomena applied to crackling noise, dynamical systems, biological systems, and quasicrystals; inverse problems in protein crystallography; strongly interacting electron physics of magnetism, superconductors, and disordered systems.
Theoretical physics -- Particle and Astrophysics. Physics of extra dimensions and supersymmetry, mechanisms for electroweak symmetry breaking, collider phenomenology; lattice gauge theories; particle astrophysics and cosmology; string theory and its application to cosmology, brane world; field theories; astrophysics; black holes; and general relativity.
Experimental particle physics. Our research uses the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, which is the first collider to explore the TeV energy scale, where the Standard Model of particle physics must break down unless new phenomena appear. Cornell is a member of CMS, one of two detector collaborations for elementary particle physics at the LHC. Research topics include mechanisms for electroweak symmetry breaking, including the Higgs mechanism and alternatives, scenarios for physics beyond the Standard Model such as supersymmetry, extra dimensions and new strong interactions, top quark physics, and dark matter. Cornellians are designing online software for the pixel detector, developing strategies for identifying electrons in the electromagnetic calorimeter, writing analysis software capable of handling petabytes of data distributed world-wide, and ensuring that the trigger will successfully pluck new physics out of the huge background of conventional processes. In the next few years, they will also start developing hardware upgrades of the pixels and the trigger.
Accelerator Physics. The electron-positron collider CESR at Cornell University is used as a test-bed for accelerator physics and for X-ray science. Having this large accelerator on campus provides a unique opportunity for students interested in many aspects of accelerator physics. Currently, CESR is testing design concepts for the Linear Collider, which will be the world's largest high-energy physics accelerator. Accelerator research also includes an active program to develop the superconducting radio-frequency cavities needed for the next generation of electron-positron colliders and for future X-ray facilities. The group is also developing a new X-ray facility, the Energy Recovery Linac, for the Cornell campus that offers students the unique opportunity to join a large-scale science project in an early state where many phenomena are still unknown, many parameters need to be computed, and many important decisions are being made.
Experimental condensed matter physics. Subjects of study include nanostructures and quantum transport; superfluid, solid, and supersolid helium; atomic-resolution STM and tunneling spectroscopy; photoemission spectroscopy; high-temperature superconductivity; nanomagnetics; new forms of scanning-probe microscopy; nanomechnanical systems and limits of quantum measurement; disordered and glassy systems; UV, optical, infrared, and microwave spectroscopies; charge density waves; single-molecule biophysics; molecular motors; protein crystals; complex fluids, polymer networks, and colloids; grapheme, carbon nanotubes and related physics; X-ray diffraction and spectroscopy; and the development of new X-ray sources and high-speed detectors.
Contact Information
Website: http://www.physics.cornell.eduEmail: physics@cornell.edu
Phone: 607 255-7561
117 Clark Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853
Data and Statistics
Subject and Degrees
Physics
Concentrations by Subject
Physics
- experimental physics
- physics
- theoretical physics
Faculty
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: experimental physics; physics
- Research Interests: experimental high-energy physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: physics; theoretical physics
- Research Interests: condensed-matter theory
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: physics; theoretical physics
- Research Interests: theoretical particle physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: experimental physics; physics
- Research Interests: experimental particle physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: physics; theoretical physics
- Research Interests: astrophysics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: experimental physics; physics
- Research Interests: experimental condensed-matter physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: physics; theoretical physics
- Research Interests: theoretical condensed matter physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: experimental physics; physics
- Research Interests: experimental condensed matter physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: physics; theoretical physics
- Research Interests: theoretical particle physics
- Campus: Ithaca - (Graduate School Professor)
- Concentrations: Physics: experimental physics; physics
- Research Interests: experimental solid-state physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: physics; theoretical physics
- Research Interests: theoretical condensed-matter physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: physics; theoretical physics
- Research Interests: general relativity; theoretical astrophysics; gravitational wave astronomy
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: experimental physics; physics
- Research Interests: experimental liquid physics; x-ray physics
- Campus: Ithaca - (Graduate School Professor)
- Concentrations: Physics: physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: experimental physics; physics
- Research Interests: experimental elementary-particle physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: physics; theoretical physics
- Research Interests: theoretical particle physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: physics; theoretical physics
- Research Interests: theoretical particle physics
- Campus: Ithaca - (Graduate School Professor)
- Concentrations: Physics: experimental physics; physics
- Research Interests: structure and properties of soft matter; biomaterials; x-ray instrumentation and methods
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: theoretical physics
- Research Interests: theoretical particle physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: experimental physics; physics
- Research Interests: experimental accelerator particle physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: experimental physics; physics
- Research Interests: physics and science education
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: physics; theoretical physics
- Research Interests: theoretical condensed matter physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: physics; theoretical physics
- Research Interests: theoretical physics; condensed matter physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: physics; theoretical physics
- Research Interests: theoretical physics; condensed matter theory
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: physics; theoretical physics
- Research Interests: high-energy theory
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: physics; theoretical physics
- Research Interests: theory of elementary particles; quantum-field theory
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: experimental physics; physics
- Research Interests: experimental condensed matter physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: experimental physics; physics
- Research Interests: accelerator physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: experimental physics; physics
- Research Interests: experimental condensed matter physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: experimental physics; physics
- Research Interests: accelerator physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: physics; theoretical physics
- Research Interests: theoretical particle physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: experimental physics; physics
- Research Interests: experiment solid-state physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: physics; theoretical physics
- Research Interests: condensed matter physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: physics; theoretical physics
- Research Interests: theoretical physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: physics; theoretical physics
- Research Interests: theoretical high-energy particle physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: experimental physics; physics
- Research Interests: Experimental physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: experimental physics; physics
- Research Interests: experimental condensed matter physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: experimental physics; physics
- Research Interests: low-temperature physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: experimental physics; physics
- Research Interests: experimental high-energy physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: physics; theoretical physics
- Research Interests: theoretical particle physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: experimental physics; physics
- Research Interests: experimental nanoscale physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: experimental physics; physics
- Research Interests: experimental condensed matter physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: physics
- Campus: Ithaca - (Graduate School Professor)
- Concentrations: Physics: experimental physics; physics
- Research Interests: high-energy particle accelerators
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: experimental physics; physics
- Research Interests: experimental article physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: physics; theoretical physics
- Research Interests: plasticity and fracture of materials; dislocation dynamics; crack growth laws and stochastic fracture models; crackling noise and avalanche behavior in magnets, plastic flow and other systems; multiparameter fits to data; statistical mechanics; material science; dynamical systems and quantum physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: experimental physics; physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: experimental physics; physics
- Research Interests: experimental condensed matter physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: physics; theoretical physics
- Research Interests: evolution of antibiotic resistance, evolution of biological networks, evo-devo, bioinformatics of gene regulation
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: physics
- Research Interests: experimental condensed matter physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: physics; theoretical physics
- Research Interests: relativity and astrophysics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: experimental physics; physics
- Research Interests: experimental particle physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: experimental physics; physics
- Research Interests: experimental condensed-matter physics; biological physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: physics; theoretical physics
- Research Interests: theoretical physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: experimental physics; physics
- Research Interests: biological physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: physics; theoretical physics
- Research Interests: theoretical physics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Physics: physics; theoretical physics
- Research Interests: theoretical astrophysics