Physics Topic Areas
Physics research at the Department broadly falls into four main subject areas. Our physics faculty are a diverse group of researchers cooperating across a broad range of specialties to solve novel problems in collaboration with other Western researchers as well as those from external universities, government, and industrial research laboratories.
Please select the topic you would like to learn more about:
Condensed Matter Physics
Theoretical studies ranging from the quantum properties of solids to dynamics of complex fluids and researching engineered materials from optoelectronic devices to new polymers.
Medical Physics
The application of physics concepts and methods is invaluable in the study, diagnosis, and treatment of human disease.
Planetary Science
This encompasses a rich and diverse set of disciplines ranging from the study of planet formation and planetary systems, to comets, meteors, and asteroids, and Earth's atmosphere.
Scientific Computing
Scientific Computing is the study of algorithms and their implementations for computations involving mathematical symbols as well as numbers.
Soft Matter and Biological Physics
With research topics ranging from colloids and polymers to complex fluids and living organisms, soft matter and biological physics are inherently multidisciplinary and related to each other.
Theoretical Physics
Research in our department spans both high-energy physics and materials physics.
