University of Maryland Baltimore County, Physics

• The research in the solid-state physics concentration includes the classical and quantum properties of condensed matter, with emphases on solid-state, surface physics, nano-physics and polymer physics.
• The research in the optics concentration includes the interaction of electro-magnetic radiation with matter, with emphases on optical and infrared spectroscopy, non-linear optics, light scattering, quantum optics, quantum computing, optical information processing, imaging, terahertz optics and photonics.
• The department also houses the UMBC/NASA/ UMCP/USRA Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science and Technology and the Joint Center for Astrophysics. Research in our program in astrophysics includes X-ray and gamma-ray astronomy and the study of active galactic nuclei.
• The research in the atmospheric physics concentration includes atmospheric dynamics, atmospheric lidar, radiative transfer and remote sensing. This research is performed in conjunction with the UMBC/ NASA Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology (JCET). The department also offers a graduate program in atmospheric physics, details of which may be found in a separate entry in this catalog.
• The department's research areas have relevance to research programs in other departments, including physical chemistry, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering, so physics students have the opportunity to interact with graduate students and faculty in several other departments at UMBC.
• Graduate students in physics have the advantage of being located in one of the greatest concentrations of scientific research and engineering activity in the world. The Baltimore-Washington area, with its wealth of public, private, government, and university laboratories, offers almost unlimited opportunities for research collaboration and future employment. Nearby institutions include the National Institute for Standards and Technology, the Naval Research Laboratory, the Space Telescope Institute, the Johns Hopkins Physics Laboratory and the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Many of the department's faculty work closely with these institutions.