Physics at Carleton
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Physics can be as basic as gravity and light, as strange as Einstein's theory of relativity, as other-worldly as Hilbert space, and as elusive as quarks. It is the study of the properties, transformations, and interactions of matter and energy--the search for unifying principles to explain the diverse phenomena of nature. Astronomy, with which physics is closely allied, can have equal appeal. The science of the stars and other heavenly bodies deals with such enigmas as pulsars, quasars, neutron stars, and black holes, as well as planetary motion and the composition and evolution of stars. The scope of physical studies--from atoms to galaxies--is well represented in the imaginative curriculum of Carleton's physics and astronomy department, as well as in the specialties of individual faculty members here. Interested students can choose from 25 regularly-offered courses. A low student-faculty ratio means many opportunities to interact with teachers.
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Physics studies are centered in Olin Hall, which underwent extensive renovation during the 1996-97 school year. The newly remodelled Olin Hall has excellent teaching laboratories, research areas, and computer facilities, providing students ready access to modern research equipment, including extensive electronic instrumentation and laboratory computers, a HPGe gamma detector, a 7" laboratory electromagnet, an optical spectrograph, a dye laser, x-ray diffraction equipment, an ultra high vacuum system, and a scanning tunneling/atomic force microscope. |
