Physics 312, Spring, 2001

e-mail jr7k@virginia.edu

Room 151

telephone 924-6796

Office Hours Monday & Wednesday, 9;30 - 11;00 AM

secretary Suzie - room 101

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November 3, 2000

Goals: Investigate topics which have huge scientific interest, technological value, and impact on medical care and society. The course will emphasize:

Team method: Small groups of students will research topics and report their findings to the class. Computational simulations of chaos examples, as well as experiments with optical fibers, and superconductors will be possible in the lab. Each student will write a term paper, and lead class discussion of the results.

Course prerequisites: This course is designed for undergraduates majoring in physics or another science. It is suitable for pre-med students with a strong science background. Physics 311 is not a prerequisite, although a knowledge of physics at the level of our introductory sequences Ph 151 or Ph 231-232 is essential.

Textbook: ‘Chaos - making a new science", by James Gleick, (Penguin, 1988)

Lectures: Monday & Wednesday, 12:00 - 1:30 PM room 210

[ Alternate lecture times will be considered if several students have schedule conflicts]

Lab: Friday, 12;00-1;30pm , Room B22 Physics

Grades: Homework 40%, Term paper 40%, Class presentation + participation 30%

Subject Matter: CHAOS - Non-linearity and the Butterfly effect, Jupiter’s Great red Spot, Wildlife population, Bifurcations, Clouds to blood vessels, Strange Attractors, Turbulence, Mandelbrot set, Fractals, Biological rhythms.

Optical and Wireless Communications: Optical fibers, Raleigh scattering, infrared light, Erbium light amplifiers, resonance, modulation, absorption, bandwidth, lasers, light emitting diodes, Raman scattering, electro-optic switches, the "Holy Grail" quest for all optical networks.

High Temperature Superconductors: History of conventional superconductors, BCS theory, the excitement of modern superconductors: science, technology, and possible materials for conducting electrical currents with zero resistance at room temperature. MRI diagnostics and brain disorder imaging.