1. Overview
2. Courses at a glance
3. Faculty

Overview

Physics Honours is a rigourous three-year programme designed to train students to become scientists. A three-year sequence in mathematical physics supports courses in classical mechanics, electromagnetic theory, thermodynamics, optics, quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics, and solid-state physics. Theory courses are reinforced by labs. Physics is complemented by pure mathematics, electronics, and chemistry.  

What makes the physics experience at St Stephen’s special, over and above the syllabus (the same in all of Delhi University), are – the dedication of its teachers, the quality of its students, and the unique atmosphere of the college. At their best our teachers require their students to learn honestly, think independently, recognize quality, and develop the confidence to create rather than merely reproduce. At their best our students keep their teachers and one another on their feet. The quality of the students gives the teachers the freedom to go beyond the confines of the syllabus, whether in practical matters like computational physics and error analysis or recondite matters like path integrals in quantum mechanics. Students do projects to explore areas off the charted path. Teachers and students alike work hard and think hard. And yet, there is an atmosphere of joyful camaraderie in the department. Though the pressure of tests and projects cannot be denied, it is not relentless – there is time enough for discussion and dreaming, for participation in extra-curricular activities, and for fun and fellowship. In keeping with Stephanian tradition physics students get a lot of personal attention from teachers, an important source of encouragement and guidance. 

Outside the classroom we have the Physics Society. It organizes an annual lecture series by a distinguished scientist. Students compete at paper presentation and problem solving. It runs a forum called the Feynman Club at which students, old students, and visitors present ideas and discoveries in physics. It owns a couple of small telescopes, much used in some years. It organizes trips to national labs and observatories (and hill stations!). 

The Stephanian physics experience reaches beyond the College into the research institutes –  IISc, IMSc, HRI, SINP, JNCASR, and others – where many of our students get a taste of real science through summer projects.

At the end of three years at St Stephen’s our better students have a roundedness and  solidity that most recent graduates do not. A significant fraction of our students do PhDs at places like TIFR, IISc, Harvard, Yale, Cornell, Oxford and Cambridge, and go on to become scientists. The analytical skills learnt by our students prove useful also to those who move into fields like computer science, engineering, geophysics, economics, and finance. 

A student wishing to join BSc (Hons) Physics needs to have done physics, chemistry, and mathematics at the higher secondary level. Familiarity with differentiation and integration is required, as all first-year courses are calculus-based.

Courses at a Glance (For the detailed syllabus , click here)               BACK TO TOP

First year 

Mathematical Physics I – Vector analysis and vector calculus; curvilinear coordinates; multiple integrals; ordinary differential equations; Fourier series; calculus of variations; theory of errors. 

Mechanics – Newtonian Mechanics: extensive study of the laws of motion and the accompanying conservation principles, with applications ranging from projectile motion through the harmonic oscillator to planetary motion. Physics is accelerated frames. The special theory of relativity in mechanics. (Standard textbook: Kleppner & Kolenkow.) 

Electricity & Magnetism – Electrostatics, the study of the electric field for static charge distributions. Magnetostatics, the study of the magnetic field for static current distributions. Establishment of electric and magnetic fields as fundamental quantities. The electric and magnetic fields in matter. Electric circuits. (Standard text: first half of Griffiths.) 

Mathematics I – Rigorous real analysis, from a purely mathematical point of view. 

Chemistry – Molecular bonding, solids, coordination chemistry, general organic and functional group chemistry. 

Linear and Digital Integrated Circuits and Instruments – Integrated circuits, operational amplifiers, Boolean algebra, digital circuits, flip-flops and sequential circuits, A/D and D/A converters, 555 timer and electronic instruments. 

Physics Lab I – Experiments in mechanics, electric circuits, heat. Basic understanding of errors.

Chemistry Lab – Experiments in inorganic, physical, and organic chemistry.  

English – Qualifying paper  

Second year 

Mathematical Physics II – Complex analysis upto contour integration, solution of ordinary differential equations by series methods, special functions, solution of partial differential equations by separation of variables.  

Thermal Physics – Kinetic theory of gases: the molecular point of view, Brownian motion, transport phenomena. Classical thermodynamics: establishment of the laws and application to a variety of situations including phase transitions.  

Vibrations & Wave Optics – Coupled oscillators, vibrating string, wave equations, pulses and wave packets. Coherence, interference and diffraction, both intuitive and rigorous approaches.  

Quantum Mechanics & Nuclear Physics – Establishing the need for QM, its postulates, Schrodinger’s equation with applications to one-dimensional problems, including the harmonic oscillator, and to the hydrogen atom. Introduction to angular momentum in QM. The nucleus: liquid-drop model, shell model, radioactivity. 

Mathematics II – More rigorous real analysis. Probability & statistics.  

Computer Fundamentals & Programming – Basics of computer architecture. Microprocessor architecture and operations. Programming in Pascal. Numerical methods in differential and integral calculus, including methods for solving ordinary differential equations. Understanding errors in computational methods.  

Physics Lab II – Experiments in optics using the spectrometer and other instruments, in electricity using the ballistic galvanometer, and in heat. Thorough understanding or errors. 

Microprocessor & Computer Lab – Logic gates, electronics, microprocessor assembly and programming, Pascal programming. 

Third year 

Mathematical Physics III – Vector spaces and matrices, tensor analysis, Fourier and Laplace transforms. 

Electromagnetic Theory – Maxwell’s equations, gauge transformations, energy, momentum and angular momentum of the field. Electric and magnetic fields at boundaries between dielectrics and at conductors. Wave guides and optical wave guides. Polarization.  

Statistical Physics – Fundamentals of classical statistical physics, black-body radiation, lasers. Quantum statistical physics, with applications of ideal Bose and Fermi gases. 

 Physics of Materials – Crystallography. Elementary lattices dynamics. Magnetic and dielectric properties of matter. Introduction to band theory, Hall effect, and superconductivity.  

Electronic Devices: Physics and Applications – DC and AC circuit analysis, semiconductor physics, amplifiers, oscillators, modulation and demodulation. 

Modern Chemistry – Quantum chemistry and molecular spectra (rotational, vibrational, Raman and electronic).  

OR

Economics – Introduction to microeconomics and macroeconomics.  

Physics Labs III & IV – Experiments on the magnetic field, polarization, fundamental constants, properties of matter. Experiments on powers supplies, transistor applications, op-ams, modulation, multivibrators and sweep circuits, transducers, and networks.

FACULTY                                                                               BACK TO TOP

Dr. R.K. Garg (Head of the Department)

Dr. D. L. Katyal

Dr.Bikram Phookun

PhD - 1993 - Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland - A Study of One-Armed Spiral Galaxies
MSc - 1987 - Department of Physics, University of Delhi (St Stephen's College)
BSc (H) - 1985 - Department of Physics, St Stephen's College (University of Delhi)

Currently:
Editorial board of Resonance
Associated with the Physics Olympiad for the purpose of question setting.

Other Interests: trekking

Joined College as a teacher in 1996
bphookun@yahoo.com

Dr. Sanjay Kumar

B.Sc. (Honors) Physics 1984 (St. Stephen’s College)
M.Sc. Physics 1986 (Delhi University)
PhD Physics 1997 (Purdue University)

Research Interests: Gravitational Physics

Other Interests: Hiking, Biking, Philosophy of Science

Dr. Vikram Vyas

B.Sc (Physics) Delhi University
M. Sc (Physics) I. I. T. Bombay
Ph. D. (Boston University) 1990
Thesis: Renormalization Group Approach to Mult-Grid Algorithms in Lattice QCD

Research Interests:
My current research interest is in understanding the theory of strong interaction, Quantum Chromodynamics  (QCD), using string theory.

Associate of the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy (1999-2005)
 

Dr. Abhinav Gupta

Dr. Jacob Cherian

PhD Physics Experimental High Energy Physics (Jadavpur University)

Life Member, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS)

Interests: Electronics
Other Interests: Social Work

jacob1.cherian@gmail.com


Dr. Sangeeta Sachdeva

M.Sc. Delhi University (DU)
M.Tech. Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi
PhD Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi (“Mechanical Properties of Thin Films”)

Interests: Electronics

sangeeta.s21@gmail.com
 

Dr. Geetanjali Sethi

M.Sc. Delhi University (DU)
PhD Delhi University (DU) (Thesis: “Early Universe Cosmology”)

Interests: Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (CMBR) studies

getsethi@gmail.com