School of Physics and Astronomy
School of
Physics and Astronomy
Overview
There has never been a more exciting time to study the exciting discipline of physics, spanning the workings of the sub-atomic world to the ever-expanding universe. The BS Physics Program offers a comprehensive curriculum that provides a solid foundation in experimental, computational, and theoretical physics, emphasizing laboratory training and the development of analytical problem-solving skills. Physics majors gain strong preparation for employment in research, industry, and teaching, and for graduate study in physics and related fields. BS Physics students also find graduate placements in various professional programs such as in medical, law, and business schools.
At the graduate level, the School of Physics and Astronomy offers PhD and MS programs in Astrophysical Sciences & Technology with extensive curricula and research opportunities spanning topics in stellar, galactic, and extragalactic astrophysics, as well as the fields of general relativity, gravitational wave astronomy, and instrument/detector development. Additionally, the School offers a general Physics MS Program that spans the various sub-disciplines in the field of physics, and provides both a research and a professional option to students.
50%
Of astrophysical sciences and technology doctoral students are women
11
Average number of undergraduate co-authors on peer-reviewed publications annually (2013-2018)
4
BS/MS accelerated 5-year dual degree programs offered
Undergraduate Programs
The undergraduate program in physics offers a broad curriculum preparing students for employment in research, industry, and teaching as well as excellent preparation for graduate school. The individualized research capstone component of the program provides our students with a competitive edge when seeking entry into preferred graduate programs and the job market.
Graduate Programs
Our graduate programs offer advanced training in physics and astronomy and provide opportunities spanning a wide variety of research and professional areas. Students in the MS Physics program can choose between either a research (i.e., thesis) option or a “professional” option. Students in the Astrophysical Sciences & Technology programs engage with RIT’s world-class research centers offering cutting-edge opportunities in gravitational waves, new advanced sensor technologies, and multi-wavelength astrophysics.
Latest News
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May 23, 2022
![portrait of student Olivia Young.]()
RIT student Olivia Young receives prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
Astrophysical sciences and technology Ph.D. student Olivia Young earned a competitive fellowship from the National Science Foundation to develop machine learning algorithms that will help scientists use radio telescopes to study transient objects such as pulsars and fast radio bursts.
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May 19, 2022
![a green laser is used to characterize a new ultra-wideband quantum photonic integrated circuit.]()
RIT offers new minor in emerging field of quantum information science and technology
RIT students can soon begin earning a minor in an emerging field that could disrupt the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines. RIT students can now take classes toward a minor in quantum information science and technology.
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May 16, 2022
![portrait of professor Ben Zwickl.]()
Ben Zwickl to spend fall in Oslo studying physics students’ computational literacy and career interests
Associate Professor Ben Zwickl will head to the University of Oslo this fall to research what he calls one of the most understudied aspects of the undergraduate physics curriculum.
Research
RIT faculty participating in the Center for Detectors are involved in the design and development of the next generation of instruments and technologies for astrophysics. We participate in a variety of ground-based, sub-orbital, and orbital programs designed to probe from our solar system and galactic neighborhood out to the most distant regions of our universe.
Research Active Faculty:
Physics research in condensed matter and materials encompasses theory and experiment. Theorists utilize electronic structure calculations, molecular dynamics simulations, and kinetic Monte Carlo modeling to study and design oxides, metals, and alloys at various length and time scales. Experimentalists are focused on the study of metals, oxides, surfaces, and magnetic systems through x-ray scattering techniques such as coherent scattering and surface diffraction, as well as imaging techniques such as atomic force microscopy.
Research Active Faculty:
Current research areas overlapping the disciplines of Physics and Engineering include such topics as optoelectronic and photovoltaic devices, surface and materials characterization, instrumentation for fundamental physics, complex fluids, and micro-fluidics. Research programs in the School of Physics and Astronomy, for example, aim to increase photovoltaic power conversion efficiency and/or reduce materials costs and consumption through the use of nanoscale and novel materials. Activities encompass materials synthesis by vapor phase epitaxy, device fabrication, material and device modeling, as well as characterization both at the electrical and materials level, and computational design of nano-materials for energy technologies, and complex fluids-structure interaction at the micro-scale for oil recovery.
Research Active Faculty:
RIT faculty participating in the Center for Computational Relativity and Gravitation and the Laboratory for Multi-wavelength Astrophysics conduct observational and theoretical research across a wide range of topics in multi-messenger and multi-wavelength astrophysics, utilizing a combination of observations spanning the electromagnetic spectrum, data from gravitational wave detectors, and supercomputer simulations. Current areas of research include numerical relativity and relativistic magnetohydrodynamics, gravitational wave data analysis, compact object binaries, accretion disks and jets, galaxy formation and evolution, large scale structure, active galactic nuclei, observational and experimental cosmology, early and late stages of stellar evolution, protoplanetary disks, planetary nebulae, the interstellar medium, supernovae, and pulsars. RIT is a member of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope Corporation and faculty are involved in several major collaborations including the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory Scientific Collaboration, the NANOGrav Pulsar Timing Array Consortium, the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna, and the Cosmic Evolution Survey.
Research Active Faculty:
Physics Education Research combines physics disciplinary knowledge with cognitive science, psychology, instructional design and social science to study fundamental and applied topics in physics education. Core areas of study at RIT include: career preparation of physics majors, communication skills for scientists, identity, diversity and inclusion in physics, student epistemic framing while problem solving, educational technology development, and graduate school admissions and retention. Physics faculty are part of a larger discipline-based education research community at RIT which includes researchers in biology, chemistry, engineering, and computing. The group is distinguished by its collaborative structure that is consciously designed to maximize interactions across the disciplines.
Research Active Faculty:
Current optics research in RIT Physics consists of a combination of theory and experiments. Theorists are focused on characterizing silicon nano-photonic networks and exploring quantum sensing and mesoscopic quantum physics. Experimentalists are currently investigating problems in integrated photonics and imaging, including the quantification of entanglement for the purposes of computing, simulation, and secure communication.
Research Active Faculty:
Physics faculty engaged in research on atomic and nanoscale structure and dynamics, at a variety of length and time scales, utilize and further develop x-ray, neutron, and laser light techniques and instrumentation. In addition to x-ray scattering/spectroscopy from surfaces and laser scattering from particulate or structured solutions performed at RIT, x-ray experiments are performed at national synchrotron facilities and neutron experiments take place using instruments at national spallation and reactor sources. RIT physics faculty are also developing a new spin-polarized neutron scattering technique and instrument in which the spin polarizations of sample target nuclei are selectively manipulated using nuclear magnetic resonance techniques.
Research Active Faculty:
Biological physics researchers at RIT are studying molecular interactions related to cataract disease and to the eye vitreous, using scattering techniques, nuclear magnetic resonance, confocal microrheology, and statistical thermodynamics modeling. Theorists are studying the roles of connectivity, structural and functional heterogeneities, and proximity to phase transitions in determining the robustness and adaptability of biological networks in cells and tissues, as well as networks of neurons. Such work can lead to design principles for bio-inspired, engineered systems. Soft matter researchers focus on understanding the physics of systems of many interacting bodies. Areas of research include using micro-fluidics and fluorescent optical imaging to study the complex fluids confined in solid phases where interactions are mediated by hydrodynamics, and using light and other scattering methods to study micellar and micro-emulsion systems. RIT physicists also study granular materials, collections of larger particles (sand, sugar, and coins) that interact primarily through contact forces.
Research Active Faculty:
Research Affiliates
Manasse Mbonye (RIT-Rwanda)
Eleanor Sayre (RIT-CASTLE)
Visiting Scholars
Fred Moolekamp
Featured Work
Astrophysical sciences and technology Ph.D. student receives DOE award to study dark matter
Astrophysical sciences and technology Ph.D. student Peter Craig received an Office of Science Graduate Student Research program award to investigate the distribution of dark matter in the universe.
James Webb Space Telescope program aims to map the earliest structures of the universe
Assistant Professor Jeyhan Kartaltepe is the principal investigator of COSMOS-Webb, the largest General Observer program selected for James Webb Space Telescope’s first year.
CIBER-2 experiment successfully completes first flight
A project led by Assistant Professor Michael Zemcov explores extragalactic background light which traces the history of galaxies back to the formation of the first stars in the universe.
Featured Profiles
From RIT to Communicating with Satellites as a Spacecraft Operator
Mike Ortiz ‘22 (astrophysical sciences and technology)
Mike Ortiz chose RIT for its research options and campus location. Today, he works as a spacecraft operator at Terran Orbital, a global leader in small satellites.
Physics MS Program: Research From Day One
Aasim Jan ’21 (physics)
The opportunity to research from day one was a deciding factor for Aasim Jan ‘21 to enroll in the physics MS program at RIT.
AST Program Grad is now Researching Stars at the Smithsonian
Rodolfo (Rudy) Montez Jr. ’10 (astrophysical and technology)
RIT Astrophysical Sciences and Technology Ph.D. graduate Rodolfo (Rudy) Montez Jr. ’10 is now an Astrophysicist researching stars at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian.