St. Stephen's Centre for Experimental Physics
Department of Physics
Aim of the Centre
The Centre for Experimental Physics is a dedicated research and training facility where faculty members motivate, mentor and actively involve undergraduate students in experimental research and scientific investigations. The Centre provides students with opportunities to develop research aptitude through practical exposure under the guidance of experienced members of the Physics Department.
The Centre focuses on creating an environment where students learn scientific methods, experimental techniques and modern laboratory practices while strengthening their analytical and problem-solving skills.
Research & Training Activities
Activities of the Centre primarily revolve around the available scientific instrumentation and laboratory facilities. Students receive hands-on training through small research projects and experimental assignments.
Laboratory Skills
- Learning instrumental techniques
- Handling scientific instruments
- Material preparation
- Material characterization
- Setting up new experiments
Research Exposure
- Reading scientific literature
- Experimental project work
- Research discussions
- Presentations
- Faculty mentoring
Student Participation
Students from the First, Second and Third Year undergraduate programmes are encouraged to participate in the Centre's activities. Selection is based on each student's interest, commitment and willingness to undertake research assignments.
Regular participation in discussions, laboratory work and presentations forms an important part of the assessment process. Performance in one project determines eligibility for subsequent research assignments.
Important:
The Centre strongly believes that participation in research
activities should complement, and never replace, regular academic
coursework. Students are expected to maintain excellent performance
in their credit courses while actively participating in Centre
activities. Feedback from course instructors is considered during
the overall assessment.
Research Projects
Research proposals are announced periodically to invite applications from interested students. The Centre also encourages interdisciplinary projects involving students from different academic backgrounds.
Students are welcome to submit their own research proposals, which are reviewed by the faculty members for their academic relevance, feasibility and compatibility with the available laboratory facilities.
Research Categories
Keeping in view the varying academic preparation and availability of students from different years, research opportunities are designed under separate categories for First Year, Second Year and Third Year students. This enables every participant to work at an appropriate level while balancing academic responsibilities and future career preparations.
First Year
Basic laboratory exposure and research orientation.
Second Year
Instrumentation, experiments and guided research projects.
Third Year
Advanced experimental research and interdisciplinary projects.
Research Categories in Detail
Category I – First Year Students
Category I is designed for First Year undergraduate students. The objective is to strengthen the students' understanding of fundamental concepts while developing a strong foundation in experimental physics.
Students are provided with reading materials related to specific topics and are encouraged to devote maximum time to learning the operation of various experimental facilities and scientific instruments available in the Centre.
At the end of the academic year, students are evaluated through the submission of a project report and an oral presentation.
Category II – Second Year Students
Category II is intended for Second Year students. Research projects at this level have clearly defined objectives and are completed within a specified time frame.
Students receive training in various characterization techniques, data collection methods, analysis and interpretation of experimental results.
Assessment is based on submission of a detailed research report along with a formal presentation of the project findings.
Category III – Third Year Students
Category III is meant for Third Year undergraduate students. Students may continue and expand their second-year research or undertake an independent research project.
Each project concludes with the submission of a comprehensive final report demonstrating the student's research work, experimental methodology and findings.
Assessment
Assessment across all three categories includes feedback from faculty members to ensure that participation in Centre activities does not adversely affect the student's performance in regular credit courses.
Important Instructions & Prerequisites
- The Centre's research activities are conducted in addition to regular coursework. Students are expected to maintain an effective balance between academic classes and research activities.
- The year-end assessment also includes feedback from regular class performance. Faculty members will never encourage students to miss scheduled classes for Centre activities, as overall academic development remains the highest priority.
- Students will not receive assessment credit solely for working on research projects. Performance in regular academic courses remains an important component of the overall evaluation.
- Students admitted to research projects are expected to demonstrate responsibility, commitment and sincere participation throughout the project period, including semester breaks, summer vacations and winter vacations whenever required.
II. Available Major Instrumentation (Deposition & Characterization Facilities)
The Centre for Experimental Physics is equipped with modern experimental instrumentation to facilitate undergraduate research, training and laboratory-based learning. The major equipment available at the Centre includes:
| S.No. | Instrumentation |
|---|---|
| 1 | Thermal Evaporation Unit |
| 2 | Xenon Lamp Source and Filters |
| 3 | Source Measure Unit (Keithley) |
| 4 | Digital Multimeter Unit (Keithley) |
| 5 | ExpEYES Kit with Standard Accessory (Phoenix Kit) |
| 6 | Digital Multimeter (Protek – 506) |
| 7 | Digital Micrometer |
| 8 | Vernier Calliper |
| 9 | Hot Plate with Magnetic Stirrer |
| 10 | Digital Lux Meter |
| 11 | DC Power Supply (Scientific Model No. PSD 3003) |
| 12 | Digital Storage Oscilloscope (DSO), 100 MHz, 4-Channel (Rigol DS1105B) |
| 13 | UV Lamp for Photolithography |
| 14 | USB-GPIB Cable |
| 15 | Programmable Power Supply (Scientific PSD9005) |
| 16 | Arbitrary Wave Generator (Rigol DG1422A) |
| 17 | High Temperature Furnace |
| 18 | Ball Milling Machine |
| 19 | Spin Coater |
| 20 | Water Chiller |
| 21 | UV-Visible Spectrophotometer |
| 22 | Sonicator |
Laboratory Facilities
These facilities enable students to gain practical experience in thin-film deposition, material preparation, characterization techniques, instrumentation handling, experimental measurements, and data analysis, thereby promoting a strong foundation in experimental research.