boston college
morrissey college of arts and sciences
graduate program
physics
1
welcome from the boston college
physics faculty
W
elcome to the Boston College Department of Physics. Our department’s
primary focus is cutting-edge research
concentrated in experimental and theoretical
condensed matter physics. Over a relatively short
period of time, we have become one of the leading condensed matter departments in the country.
Some specific areas of current interest are superconductivity, photovoltaics, metamaterials,
thermoelectrics, nanostructures and nanomaterials
for biosensing, plasmonics, plasmas, topological
insulators, novel electronic materials and other
strongly correlated electron systems.
Graduate students share in this research, gaining
the technical and intellectual training needed for
future success in the career paths of their choice.
The department includes 20 faculty, numerous
post-docs and about 50 graduate students, all
of whom are fully supported by generous teaching
assistantships or research assistantships.
Significant research facilities are available to our
graduate students. The Physics Department is
continually enhancing and supplementing these
facilities and has developed strong ties to many
outside facilities, including Los Alamos National
Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, the
Institute for Complex Adaptive Matter (ICAM),
Brookhaven National Laboratory, the Naval
Research Laboratory and the National High
Magnetic Field Laboratory.
In addition to course work and research participation, graduate students become members of the
worldwide research community. Each week there
are colloquia and seminars presented by leading
physicists from around the country and world.
The department is a close-knit community of
scientists as well as part of the vibrant Boston
intellectual and scientific community, allowing
for collaboration among local universities.
After years of study and research, we send our
young physicists into the world to successful careers in many areas, including academic,
industrial and governmental positions. If this
community is attractive to you, we invite you to
learn more about the vibrant scientific environment by visiting bc.edu/physics.
contents
Program Overview
2
Faculty
3
Courses
8
Outcomes
8
Academic Resources
9
Student Life &
Campus Resources
10
Admission & Financial
Information
12
1
program overview
T
he Physics Department’s graduate program is
selective, offering a comprehensive course of study
and research leading to the Ph.D. Courses emphasize a
broadly based foundation in the fundamental principles
of physics, preparing the student to think independently
and to undertake advanced research under the
supervision of a faculty advisor.
ph.d. program
Upon entering the doctoral program, each student
selects a field of specialization and establishes a working
relationship with a member of the faculty. With the
approval of the chosen faculty member, who normally
serves as the principal advisor, the student informs
the chairperson of his/her major field selection. The
chairperson then appoints a faculty doctoral committee
consisting of at least two full-time faculty members to
advise and direct the student through the remainder of
his/her graduate studies.
RequiRements
Required courses for the doctorate, beyond core physics
graduate courses, are Statistical Physics II, Quantum
Mechanics II and Graduate Seminar I and II plus
four additional distributional courses in distinct areas
outside the student’s research specialty. These are
chosen from the graduate electives of the department
or from other graduate departments with the approval
of the chairperson. Solid State Physics I is strongly
recommended as one of these courses. Some teaching
or equivalent educational experience is also required.
This requirement may be satisfied by at least one year
of service as a teaching assistant or by suitable teaching
duties. Arrangements are made with each student for
a teaching program best suited to his or her overall
program of study.
2
CompRehensive examination
Within one year of entering Boston College, each
student must take the comprehensive examination,
usually offered each September. Students with an
advanced level of preparation (e.g., students with a
master’s degree in physics) may choose to take this
examination immediately upon entering Boston
College. In principle, this examination covers all
of physics that a student can be expected to know
at the end of one year of formal course work in the
doctoral curriculum; however, it also stresses classical
mechanics, electromagnetism, quantum mechanics
and statistical physics. The examination has both
written and oral sections. The examination is prepared
and administered by a faculty committee, appointed
by the chairperson; the examination is evaluated by
this committee with approval of the entire graduate
faculty of the department.
ReseaRCh and thesis
After passing the comprehensive examination, a
student’s principal activity is research. Normally, within
a year after passing the comprehensive examination,
the student takes the research proposal examination.
The purpose of this examination is for the student
to demonstrate knowledge of his/her area of research
specialization and to expose the topic of his/her proposed thesis to scrutiny for its soundness and scientific
merit. This is done at a public meeting.
faculty profiles
ph.d. CuRRiCulum
pradip bakshi
A typical sequence of graduate courses during the first
two years:
Distinguished Research Professor of Physics
Year i
Theoretical physics, including mathematical physics, quantum field
theory, plasma physics and condensed matter physics. Current
interests include: theory and applications of non-perturbative
operator techniques and Lie algebraic methods; theory of plasma
instabilities; current driven plasma instabilities in lower dimensional
solid-state systems; theory of nanostructures, including quantum
well systems; quark gluon plasmas.
Fall
Spring
quantum i
quantum ii*
math physics
em i
mechanics
statistical physics i
Grad. sem. i* (if offered)
Grad sem. ii* (if offered)
Year ii
Fall
Spring
statistical physics ii*
distributional
distributional
distributional
Grad. sem. i* (if offered)
Grad sem. ii* (if offered)
Notes: (1) “distribution” courses are basically electives, e.g., solid
state physics i and ii, Group theory, elementary particle physics,
etc. Four distribution courses are required for the ph.d. (2) Courses required for the ph.d. degree are marked by an asterisk.
Ph.D., Harvard University, 1962
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 “Resonant Intersubband Plasmon induced current in InGaAs
Quantum Wells,”Applied Physics Letters 104, 122101, 2014.
 “Controlled Generation of Resonant Electron-electron Scattering
Induced Current in Quantum Well Structures,” Applied Physics
Letters 95, 172108, 2009.
 “Molecular Dynamics Studies of Solid–Liquid Phase Transition in
2-D Yukawa Systems,” IEEE Trans. Plasma Science 35, 337, 2007.
 “Plasma Instabilities in Quantum Well Structures,”
Condensed Matter Theories,” Nova Science Publishers 20, 45, 2006.
 “Einstein Frequency Distributions for Strongly Coupled Plasmas,”
Contributions to Plasma Physics 43, 261, 2003.
 “Intersubband Transport in Quantum Wells in Strong Magnetic
Fields Mediated by Single- and Two-Electron Processes,” Physical
Review Letters 88, 226803, 2002.
kevin s. bedell
John H. Rourke Professor of Physics
Ph.D., SUNY Stony Brook, 1979
Theoretical physics of condensed matter systems. Strongly correlated
electron systems, including exotic magnets, weak ferromagnets,
unconventional superconductors, heavy fermion materials,
co-existence of magnetism and superconductivity, graphene; theory
of local, marginal and other correlated Fermi liquids; properties of
quantum gases, fluids, and solids.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 “Thermal Expansion and Magnetostricition of a Nearly Saturated
3He-4He Mixture,” Philosophical Magazine 89, 2071, 2009.
 “Charge Inhomogeneity in Single and Bilayer Graphene,”
Physica B 405, 2241, 2010.
 “Spin Waves in a Persistent Spin-current Fermi Liquid,” Physical
Review A 81, 063622, 2010.
 “Spin Orbit Magnetism and Unconventional Superconductivity,”
Physical Review B 87, 2013.
 “The Virial Theorem in Graphene and other Dirac Materials,”
submitted to Philosophical Magazine Letters, 2013.
3
faculty profiles
david a. broido
baldassare di bartolo
Professor of Physics
Professor of Physics
Ph.D., University of California, San Diego, 1985
Director of the International School of Atomic
and Molecular Spectroscopy
Theoretical condensed matter physics, theory of thermoelectric
transport, first principle approaches to phonon thermal
transport in crystalline and disordered bulk and
nanostrucutred materials.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 “Ab Initio Thermal Transport in Compound Semiconductors,”
Physical Review B 87, 165201, 2013.
 “Thermal Conductivity and Large Isotope Effect in GaN from
First Principles,” Physical Review Letters 109, 095901, 2012.
 “Role of Light and Heavy Embedded Nanoparticles on the
Thermal Conductivity of SiGe Alloys,” Physical Review B 84,
125426, 2011.
 “Flexural Phonons and Thermal Transport in Graphene,”
Physical Review B 82, 115427, 2010.
 “Diameter Dependence of Carbon Nanotube Thermal Conductivity and Extension to the Graphene Limit,” Physical Review
B 82, 161402R, 2010.
 “Two-dimensional Phonon Transport in Supported
Graphene,” Science 328, 213, 2010.
kenneth s. burch
Associate Professor of Physics
Ph.D., University of California, San Diego, 2006
Thermoelectrics, topological insulators, high temperature superconductors, novel nanofabrication techniques and devices,
superconducting proximity effect, optical spectroscopy (infrared,
Raman and ellipsometry) and nanospectroscopy.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 “Scattering Continuum and Possible Fractionalized Excitations in RuCl3,” L.J. Sandilands, Y. Tian, K.W. Plumb, Y.-J. Kim
and K.S. Burch, Physical Review Letters 114, 147201, 2015.
 “Optical Evidence of Surface State Suppression in Bi-Based
Topological Insulators,” A.A. Reijnders, Y. Tian, L.J. Sandilands,
G. Pohl, I.D. Kivlichan, S.Y.F. Zhao, S. Jia, M.E. Charles, R.J.
Cava, N.Alidoust, S.Xu, M. Neupane, M.Z. Hasan, X. Wang,
S.W. Cheong and K.S. Burch, Physical Review B 89, 075138,
2014.
 “Cooper-pair-Based Photon Entanglement Without Isolated
Emitters,” A. Hayat, H.-Y. Kee, K.S. Burch and A.M. Steinberg,
Physical Review B 89, 094508, 2014.
 “Proximity-induced High-temperature Superconductivity in
the Topological Insulators Bi2Se3 and Bi2Te3,” P. Zareapour,
A. Hayat, S. Yang, F. Zhao, M. Kreshchuk, A. Jain, D.C. Kwok,
N. Lee, S.-W. Cheong, Z. Xu, A. Yang, G.D. Gu and K.S. Burch,
Nature Communications 3, 1056, 2012.
 “Raman Study of the Phonon Symmetries in BiFeo3 Single
Crystals,” C. Beekman, A.A. Reijnders, Y.S. Oh, S.W. Cheong
and K.S. Burch, Physical Review B Rapid Communications 86,
020403(R), 2012.
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Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1964
Luminescence spectroscopy of laser solids, molecular spectroscopy and flash photolysis, laser theory, theory of atomic
and molecular spectra, photoacoustics, femtospectroscopy.
Director of the International School of Atomic and Molecular
Spectroscopy.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 Bio-Photonics: Spectroscopy, Imaging, Sensing and Manipulation,
B. Di Bartolo and J. Collins, eds., Springer, 2011.
 Optical Interactions in Solids, 2nd Edition, World Scientific Co.,
2010.
 “Fluorescence Spectroscopy and Energy Transfer Processes in
Biological Systems,” Bio-Photonics: Spectroscopy, Imaging, Sensing, and Manipulation, Springer 2010.
 “Principles of Photoluminescence,” Handbook of Photoluminescence Semiconductor Materials, Taylor and Francis, 2010.
 “Temperature Dependence of the Luminescence Spectra of
Garnet Crystals Doped with Chromium Ions,” Optical Materials
31, 1065, 2009.
 “Vibrationally Assisted Transitions and Phonon Spectra in
Crystalline Solids,” Journal of Luminescence 129, 1782, 2009.
jan r. englebrecht
Associate Professor of Physics
Ph.D., University of Illinois, Urbana, 1993
Recent research focuses on systems that order in time,
including stable collective ordering in the spiking activity
of model and real neural networks, as well as more general
coupled oscillator systems such as Kuramoto oscillator networks
in addition to continuing research on strongly correlated
electron systems.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 “Classification of attractors for systems of identical coupled
Kuramoto oscillators,” Chaos 013114, 2014.
 “Rhythm-Induced Spike-Timing Patterns Characterized by 1D
Firing Maps,” Journal of Computational Neuroscience 59, 2013.
 “The Structure of Long-term Average Frequencies for Kuramoto oscillator Systems,” Physical Review Letters 034103, 2012.
michael j. graf
Professor of Physics and Associate Chairperson
Ph.D., Brown University, 1987
Experimental condensed matter physics at low temperatures;
electronic, magnetic and thermodynamic properties; NMR and
muon spin spectroscopy of novel electronic materials, including
magnetically frustrated materials, molecular and single-ion
magnets; nanostructured thermoelectrics and superconductors.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 “Short Range Order in the Magnetic Ground State of Na4Ir3O8, Physical Review Letters 113, 247601, 2014.
“Magnetization and Hall Effect Studies on the Pyrochlore
Iridate Nd2Ir2O7,” Physical Review B 86, 060403(R), 2013.
 “Magnetic order in the Pyrochlore Iridates A2Ir2O7 (A = Y,
Yb),” Physical Review B 86, 014428, 2012.
 “Evolution of Spin Relaxation Processes in LiY1-xHoxF4 with
Increasing x Studied Via Ac-susceptibility and Muon Spin Relaxation,” Physical Review B 86, 014427, 2012.
 “Thermoelectric Prospects of Nanomaterials with Spin-orbit
Surface Bands,” Journal of Applied Physics 111, 043709, 2012.
ruihua he
Assistant Professor of Physics
Ph.D., Stanford University, 2010
Experimental studies of strongly correlated electron systems,
including cuprates, iridates, nickelates and other complex
oxides, transition metal dichalcogenides, etc. in the form of bulk
single crystals and thin films, with various techniques based on
synchrotron radiations, mainly, angle-resolved photoemission
spectroscopy, resonant elastic x-ray scattering, x-ray absorption
spectroscopy and circular dichroism; also with in-house
facilities, including ozone-assisted molecular beam epitaxy, lowtemperature quantum capacitance and resistivity measurement,
x-ray diffraction, etc.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 “Spectroscopic evidence for negative electronic compressibility in a quasi-three-dimensional spin-orbit correlated metal,”
Nature Materials, 2015 (online).
 “Direct spectroscopic evidence for phase competition between
the pseudogap and superconductivity in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+d,”
Nature Materials 14, 37, 2015.
 “Energy gaps in high-transition-temperature cuprate superconductors,” Nature Physics 10, 483, 2014.
 “Measurement of coherent polarons in the strongly coupled
antiferromagnetically ordered iron-chalcogenide Fe1.02Te using
angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy,” Physical Review
Letters 110, 037003, 2013.
 “Subband structure of a two-dimensional electron gas formed
at the polar surface of the strong spin-orbit perovskite KTaO3,”
Physical Review Letters 108, 117602, 2012.
 “From a Single-band Metal to a High-temperature Superconductor via Two Thermal Phase Transitions,” Science 331, 1579,
2011.
 “Creation and Control of a Two-dimensional Electron Liquid
at the Bare SrTiO3 Surface,” Nature Materials 10, 114, 2011.
 “Particle-hole symmetry breaking in the pseudogap state of
Bi2201,” Nature Physics 6, 414, 2010.
 “Energy Gaps in the Failed High-Tc Superconductor
La1.875Ba0.125CuO4,” Nature Physics 5, 119, 2009.
andrzej herczynski
Research Associate Professor and Laboratory Director
Ph.D., Lehigh University, 1987
Analytical methods in fluid dynamics-perturbation theory for
compressible flows, similarity solutions in hydrodynamics,
waves; physics and art, scaling properties and fluid dynamical
effects in abstract paintings. Recent projects concern sloshing
waves in freely moving containers and “Bragg Resonance” in
waves passing over corrugated channel floor.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 “Bound Charges and Currents,” American Journal of Physics
81, 202, 2013.
 “Experiments on the Periodic oscillations of Free Containers
Driven by Liquid Sloshing,” Journal of Fluid Mechanics 693, 216,
2012.
 “Painting with Drops, Jets and Films,” Physics Today 31, June
2011.
gabor j. kalman
Distinguished Research Professor of Physics
D.Sc., Israel Institute of Technology, 1961
Theoretical investigation and molecular dynamics simulation of
strongly correlated Coulomb, Yukawa and related systems,
complex (dusty) plasmas, plasma crystals, charged particle
bilayers, two dimensional bosonic dipole systems and quarkgluon plasmas. Issues of interest are collective modes, response
functions, non-linear response, and phase transitions. Intensive
collaboration and student exchange with European
research groups.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 “Topical Review: Dynamical Correlations and Collective Excitations of Yukawa Liquids,” Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter
20, 413101, 2008.
 “Dynamics of Two-dimensional Dipole Systems,” Physical Review E 82, 036402, 2010.
 “Correlational Origin of the Roton Minimum,” Europhysics
Letters 90, 5502, 2010.
 “Beam-Plasma Instabilities in a 2D Yukawa Lattice,” Physical
Review Letters 102, 225006, 2009.
 “Collective Modes in Two-dimensional Binary Yukawa Systems,” Physical Review E 87, 04310, 2011.
 “Strong Coupling Effects in Binary Yukawa Systems,” Physical
Review Letters 107, 175003, 2013.
 “Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Strongly Coupled QCD
Plasmas,” Nuclear Physics A 774, 881, 2006.
 “Obliquely Propagating Waves in the Magnetized Strongly
Coupled One-component Plasma,” Physics of Plasmas 20,
057301, 2013.
5
faculty profiles
krzysztof kempa
Professor of Physics
Ph.D., University of Wroclaw, 1980
Plasmonic and metamaterial effects in metallic and semiconducting nanostructures, plasmon scattering, superfluorescence
and plasmon instability, photovoltaics beyond the ShockleyQueisser limit, bioapplications of nanostructures.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 “A Subwavelength Extraordinary-Optical-Transmission Channel in Babinet Metamaterials,” W.-C. Chen, N.I. Landy, K.
Kempa and W.J. Padilla, Advanced Optical Materials, February
12, 2013.
 “Metamaterial-plasmonic Absorber Structure for High
Effi-ciency Amorphous Silicon Solar Cells,” Y. Wang, T. Sun,
T. Paudel, Y. Zhang, Z. Ren and K.Kempa, Nano Letters 12,
440, 2012.
 “Foundations of Plasmonics,” Y. Wang, E.W. Plummer and
K. Kempa, Advances in Physics 60(5), 799, September/October
2011.
 “Percolation Effects in the Checkerboard Babinet Series of
Metamaterial Structures,” Physica Status Solidi RRL 4, 218,
2010.
michael j. naughton
Evelyn J. and Robert A. Ferris Professor and Department Chairman
Ph.D., Boston University, 1986
Experimental condensed matter and materials physics, and
nanoscale integrated science; electrical, magnetic and nanophotonic studies of low dimensional and nanoscale matter; organic
superconductors; low temperature physics; nanostructures for
photovoltaics, biosensing and high resolution neurointerface
development.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 “Nanocoaxes for Optical and Electronic Devices,” (Invited
Critical Review), B. Rizal, J.M. Merlo, M.J. Burns, T.C. Chiles
and M.J. Naughton, Analyst 140, 39, 2015.
 “Embedded Metal Nanopatterns as a General Scheme for
Enhanced Broadband Light Absorption,” F. Ye, M.J. Burns and
M.J. Naughton, Physica Status Solidi (A) 212, 561, 2015.
 “Symmetry-Broken Metamaterial Absorbers as Reflectionless Directional Couplers for Surface Plasmon Polaritons in the
Visible Range,” F. Ye, M.J. Burns and M.J. Naughton, Advanced
Optical Materials 2, 957, 2014.
 “Near-Field Experimental Observation of Light Propagation in
Nanocoax Waveguides”, J.M. Merlo, B. Rizal, Fan Ye, M.J. Burns
and M.J. Naughton, Optics Express 22, 14148, 2014.
 “Optical and Electrical Mappings of Surface Plasmon
Cavity Modes” (Invited Review), F. Ye, J. M. Merlo, M.J. Burns
and M.J. Naughton, Nanophotonics 3, 33, 2014.
6
 “Nanocoax-Based Electrochemical Sensor,” B. Rizal, M.M.
Archibald, T. Connolly, S. Shepard, M.J. Burns, T.C. Chiles and
M.J. Naughton, Analytical Chemistry 85, 10040, 2013.
 “Plasmonic Halos: Optical Surface Plasmon Circular Drumhead Modes,” F. Ye, M.J. Burns and M.J. Naughton, Nano Letters
13, 519, 2013.
 “Ultrasensitive Chemical Detection Using A Nanocoax Sensor,” H. Zhao, B. Rizal, G. McMahon, H. Wang, P. Dhakal, T.
Kirkpatrick, T.C. Chiles, M.J. Naughton and D. Cai, ACS Nano
6, 3171, 2012.
 “Upper Critical Field in Tthe Molecular Organic Superconductor (DMET)2I3,” P. Dhakal, H. Yoshino, J.I. Oh, K. Kikuchi and
M.J. Naughton, Physical Review B83, 014505, 2011.
 “Efficient Nanocoax-Based Solar Cells,” M.J. Naughton, et al.,
Physica Status Solidi RRL 4, 181, 2010.
 “Hot Electron Effect In Nanoscopically Thin Photovoltaic
Junctions,” K. Kempa, M.J. Naughton, Z.F. Ren, A. Herczynski,
T. Kirkpatrick, J. Rybczynski and Y. Gao, Applied Physics Letters
95, 233121, 2009.
cyril p. opeil, s.j.
Associate Professor of Physics
Ph.D., Boston College, 2004
Experimental condensed matter physics (2 < T < 300 K) including transport, dilatometry, magnetometry, resonant ultrasound,
x-ray and UV photoemission on uranium single crystals
and Martensite alloys; ferroelectric material response under
magnetic and electric fields; the physics of nano-composite thermoelectric materials (2-800 K.)
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 “Experimental Determination of the Lorenz number in Cu
0.01Bi2Te2.7 Se0.3 and Bi0.88Sb0.12,” Physical Review B, in
press.
 “Stony Meteorite Thermal Properties and Their Relationship
to Meteorite Chemical and Physical States,” Meteoritics and
Plan- etary Sciences 48, 1, 2012.
 “Suppression of Grain Growth by an Additive in Nanostructured P-type Bismuth Antimony Tellurides,” Nano Energy 1, 183,
2012.
 “Dramatic Thermal Conductivity Reduction by Nanostructures for Large Increase in Thermoelectric Figure-of-merit of
FeSb2,” Applied Physics Letters 99, 163101, 2011.
 “Neutron Scattering Study of Magnetic Phase Separation in
Phase Separation in Nanocrystalline La5/8Ca3/8Mno3,” Physical
Review B 84, 144401, 2011.
ying ran
Assistant Professor of Physics
Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2007
Quantum condensed matter theory, electronic systems with
strong interaction, frustrated magnets, high-Tc superconductors, topological aspects of condensed matter system such as
topological defects and topological band insulators.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 “Topological Insulators in Three Dimensions from Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking,” Y. Zhang, Y. Ran and A. Vishwanath,
Physical Review B 79, 245331, 2009.
 “Helical Metal Inside a Topological Band Insulator,” Y. Ran,
Y. Zhang and A. Vishwanath, Nature Physics 5, 289, 2009.
 “A Functional Renormalization Group Study of the Pairing
Symmetry and Pairing Mechanism of the FeAs Based High
Temperature Superconductors,” F. Wang, H. Zhai, Y. Ran, A.
Vishwanath and D.-H. Lee, Physical Review Letters 102, 047005,
2009.
 “Nodal Spin Density Wave and Band Topology of the FeAs
Based Materials,” Y. Ran, F. Wang, H. Zhai, A. Vishwanath and
D.-H. Lee, Physical Review B 79, 014505, 2009
rein a. uritam
Associate Professor of Physics
Ph.D., Princeton University, 1968
Particle phenomenology, current algebra, broken symmetries;
foundations of quantum mechanics; non-Western and Medieval
scientific traditions; role of history and philosophy of science in
physics education; role of science in liberal education; connection between science and religion.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 “Review of What is Quantum Mechanics, A Physics
Adenture,” translated by John Nambu (Language Research
Foundation, 1996), Journal of College Science Teaching 27, 1997.
 “Review of Early Physics and Astronomy; A Historical Introduction,” by Olaf Pederseon (Cambridge University Press,
1993), R.A. Uritam, American Journal of Physics 62, 954, 1994.
 “Review of Maxwell on Molecules and Gases,” eds. E. Garber,
S. Brush and C. Everitt (MIT Press, 1986), Journal of College
Science Teaching 18, 57, 1988.
ziqiang wang
Professor of Physics
Ph.D., Columbia University, 1989
Theory of correlated electronic materials: high temperature
superconductors and transition metal oxides, pnictides and
chalcogenides; Mott transition and spin liquids in Mott-Hubbard systems; heavy fermion physics; quantum Hall systems;
correlated and topological phases of quantum electronic matter.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 “Majorana Fermions in Spin-singlet Nodal Superconductors
with Coexisting Non-collinear Magnetic order,” Y.-M. Lu and Z.
Wang, Physical Review Letters 110, 096403, 2013.
 “Superconductivity Driven by Charge Fluctuations in Ironpnictides,” S. Zhou, G. Kotliar and Z. Wang, Physical Review B
84, 140505(R), 2011.
 “Electron Correlation and Spin Density Wave Order in Ironpnictides,” S. Zhou and Z. Wang, Physical Review Letters 105,
096401, 2010.
 “Valence Bond Glass: A Unified Theory of Electronic Disorder
and Pseudogap Phenomena in High Temperature Superconductors,” L.R. Niestemski and Z. Wang, Physical Review Letters 102,
107001, 2009.
 “Nodal d+id Pairing and Topological Phases on the Triangular
Lattice of NaxCoO2.yH2O: Evidence for an Unconventional
Superconducting State,” S. Zhou and Z. Wang, Physical Review
Letters 100, 217002, 2008.
ilija zeljkovic
Assistant Professor of Physics
Ph.D., Harvard University 2013
Experimental condensed matter physics; correlated electron systems; high-temperature superconductors; topological materials;
novel two dimensional systems; transition metal dichalcogenides; strain induced phase transitions; scanning tunneling
microscopy (STM); molecular beam epitaxy (MBE); thin film
growth.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 “Dirac Mass Generation from Crystal Symmetry Breaking on
the Surfaces of Topological Crystalline Insulators,” Nature Mater
14, 318, 2015.
 “Nanoscale Determination of the Mass Enhancement Factor in the Lightly Doped Bulk Insulator Lead Selenide,” Nature
Communications 6, 6559, 2015.
 “Mapping the Unconventional Orbital Texture in Topological
Crystalline Insulators,” Nature Physics 10, 572, 2014.
 “Imaging the Impact of Single Oxygen Atoms on Superconducting Bi2+ ySr2–yCaCu2O8+ x,” Science 337, 320, 2012.
 “Scanning Tunnelling Microscopy Imaging of SymmetryBreaking Structural Distortion in the Bismuth-Based Cuprate
Superconductors,” Nature Materials 11, 585, 2012.
7
courses
outcomes
T
Recent Dissertations
he combined and varied interests of the faculty,
as indicated in the faculty profiles, ensure that
the department offers a wide range of graduate course
electives. While the number and content of the graduate
electives varies from year to year, the following courses
are illustrative of the range offered.
Fall 2015
Classical mechanics
Bakshi
statistical physics ii
Kalman
quantum mechanics i
Wang
solid state physics ii
Ran
mathematical physics i
uritam
spRinG 2016
optics
di Bartolo
statistical physics i
Ran
electromagnetic theory i
andronoche
quantum mechanics ii
Broido
solid state physics i
Wang
techniques/experiments in physics
he
2014-2015
Muna Aryal Rizal, “transient
disruption of vascular barriers
using focused ultrasound and
microbubbles for targeted drug
delivery in the brain”
Kristen Loncich, “a biologically
inspired model of bat
echolocation in a cluttered
environment with inputs designed
from field recordings”
Mani Pokharel, “thermoelectric
transport properties of
nanostructured Fesb2 and Cebased heavy Fermions CeCu6 and
Ceal3”
Zhensong Ren, “Combined
neutron, transport and
material based investigation in
Ca3ir4sn13”
Binod Rizal, “nanocoax arrays for
sensing devices”
Claire Watts, “metamaterials and
their applications towards novel
imaging technologies”
Yi Zhang, “Fermi liquid study
of exotic modes in magnetically
ordered systems”
Wenwen Zhou, “stm probe on
the surface electronic states of
spin-orbit coupled materials”
2013-2014
Wen-Chen Chen, "metamaterials
and surface electromagnetic
Waves"
2012-2013
Justin Butler, “quantum Well
structures for plasma instabilitybased terahertz Radiation
sources”
Feng Cai, “Chern-simons effective
theory and the Fractional
quantum hall effects in
Graphene”
Steven Disseler, “magnetic order
in the pyrochlore iridates”
Timothy Kirkpatrick, “Geometric
photovoltaics applied to
amorphous silicon thin Film
solar Cells”
Xianliang Liu, “infrared
metamaterial absorbers:
Fundamentals and applications”
Kevin C. Lukas, “thermoelectric
transport properties of novel
nanoscaled materials via
homemade and Commercial
apparatus measurements”
David Shrekenhamer, “dynamic
Control of metamaterials at
terahertz Frequencies”
2011-2012
Yuan-Ming Lu, “exotic phases
of Correlated electrons in two
dimensions”
Chang-Sheng Mei, “accelerated
magnetic Resonance
thermometry for high intensity
Focused ultrasound therapy”
Yun Peng, “simulations of optical
effects in nanostructures”
Yu Dai, “observational study of
dust-Rich quasars”
Gaohua Zhu, “exotic phases
of Correlated electrons in two
dimensions”
Fan Ye, “surface plasmon
polaritons along metal surfaces
with novel structures”
Ryan Johnson, “a study of the
onset of magnetic Correlations in
liY1-xhoF4”
Bo Yu, “power Factor
improvement and thermal
Conductivity Reduction by Band
engineering and modulationdoping in nanocomposites”
8
morrissey college of arts & sciences
T
he oldest and largest of the University’s eight
schools and colleges, the Morrissey College
of Arts and Sciences offers graduate programs
in the humanities, social sciences and natural
sciences, leading to the degrees of Doctor of
Philosophy, Master of Arts and Master of Science.
In addition, numerous dual-degree options are
offered in cooperation with the Carroll School of
Management, the Boston College Law School, the
Lynch School of Education and the Graduate School
of Social Work.
With approximately 1,000 students and 400 fulltime faculty, the Graduate School is small enough
to know you as a person, but large enough to
serve you and prepare you for a rewarding life and
satisfying career.
Research Instrumentation and Facilities
Academic Resources
Boston aRea ConsoRtium
The Boston Area Consortium allows graduate students to
cross-register for courses at Boston University, Brandeis
University and Tufts University.
Boston ColleGe liBRaRies
The University is home to eight libraries, containing 2.87
million volumes; more than 700 manuscript collections,
including music, photos, art and artifacts; 440,000 ebooks; and more than 600 electronic databases. O’Neill
Library, Boston College’s main library, offers subjectspecialist librarians to help with research, to set up alerts
to new publications in areas of interest and to answer any
research- and library-related questions.
the Boston liBRaRY ConsoRtium
The Boston Library Consortium allows Boston College students access to millions of volumes and other services at
19 area institutions in addition to the world-class resources available through the Boston College Library System.
Departmental resources include TEM, SEM and XRD facilities, a wide array of materials preparation and fabrication
equipment, extensive computational facilities, low-temperature STM, several mK refrigerators and high-field magnets
(up to 46 tesla), and AFM and NSOM. These facilities are
housed in the newly expanded and renovated Higgins Hall.
Also new to the University is a professionally staffed, stateof-the-art Integrated Sciences Nanofabrication Clean Room
Facility, with complete photolithographic and nanolithographic capabilities, including electron beam and focused
ion beam instruments.
The Department of Physics has strong collaborations with
many outside facilities, including Los Alamos, Oak Ridge
and Brookhaven National Laboratories, as well as the
Institute for Complex Adaptive Matter and the ISIS Rutherford-Appleton Laboratory.
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student life & campus resources
B
oston College is located on the edge of one
of the world’s most vibrant cities. Just six
miles from downtown Boston—an exciting and
dynamic place to live and learn—Boston College
is an easy car or “T” ride away from a booming
center for trade, finance, research and education.
Home to some of New England’s most
prestigious cultural landmarks, including the
Museum of Fine Arts, the Isabella Stewart
Gardner Museum, Boston Symphony Hall
and the Freedom Trail, Boston provides a rich
environment for those passionate about art,
music and history. For sports fans, Boston
hosts a number of the country’s greatest sports
teams: the Celtics, Patriots, Bruins and, of
course, Fenway Park’s beloved Red Sox. Found
within a short drive from Boston are some of
New England’s best recreational sites, from
the excellent skiing in New Hampshire to the
pristine beaches of Cape Cod.
Boston also offers a wide range of family-friendly
attractions, including the Children’s Museum,
New England Aquarium, Franklin Park Zoo
and the Museum of Science. There are roughly
50 universities located in the Boston area, and
the large student population adds to the city’s
intellectually rich and diverse community.
Events, lectures and reading groups hosted
by world-renowned scholars abound on area
campuses, providing abundant opportunities to
meet and network with other graduate students
and faculty throughout the Boston area.
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The University
Boston College is a Jesuit university with more than
14,000 students, 758 full-time faculty and more than
165,000 active alumni. Since its founding in 1863, the
University has known extraordinary growth and change.
From its beginnings as a small Jesuit college intended
to provide higher education for Boston’s largely
immigrant Catholic population, Boston College has
grown into a national institution of higher learning that
is consistently ranked among the top universities in the
nation: Boston College is ranked 31st among national
universities by U.S. News & World Report.
Today, Boston College attracts scholars from all 50 states
and over 80 countries, and confers more than 4,000
degrees annually in more than 50 fields through its eight
schools and colleges. Its faculty members are committed
to both teaching and research and have set new marks
for research grants in each of the last 10 years. The
University is committed to academic excellence. As part
of its most recent strategic plan, Boston College is in the
process of adding 100 new faculty positions, expanding
faculty and graduate research, increasing student financial
aid and widening opportunities in key undergraduate
and graduate programs.
The University is comprised of the following colleges and
schools: Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences, Carroll
School of Management, Connell School of Nursing,
Lynch School of Education, Woods College of Advancing
Studies, Boston College Law School, Graduate School
of Social Work and School of Theology and Ministry.
General Resources
housinG
While on-campus housing is not available for graduate
students, most choose to live in nearby apartments. The
Office of Residential Life maintains an extensive database
with available rental listings, roommates and helpful local
real estate agents. The best time to look for fall semester
housing is June through the end of August. For spring
semester housing, the best time to look is late November
through the beginning of the second semester. Additionally, some graduate students may live on campus as
resident assistants. Interested students should contact the
Office of Residential Life.
John CouRtneY muRRaY, s.J., GRaduate
student CenteR
One of only a handful of graduate student centers
around the country, the Murray Graduate Student Center
is dedicated to the support and enrichment of graduate
student life at Boston College. Its primary purpose is to
build a sense of community among the entire graduate
student population and cultivate a sense of belonging to
the University as a whole. Its amenities include study
rooms, a computer lab, two smart televisions, kitchen,
deck and patio space, complimentary coffee and tea, and
more. Throughout the year, the center hosts programs
organized by the Office of Graduate Student Life and
graduate student groups. The Murray Graduate Student
Center also maintains an active job board (available
electronically), listing academic and non-academic opportunities for employment both on and off campus.
mCmullen museum oF aRt
Serving as a dynamic educational resource for the national and international community, the McMullen
Museum of Art showcases interdisciplinary exhibitions
that ask innovative questions and break new ground in
the display and scholarship of the works on view. The
McMullen regularly offers exhibition-related programs,
including musical and theatrical performances, films,
gallery talks, symposia, lectures, readings and receptions
that draw students, faculty, alumni and friends together
for stimulating dialogue. Located on the main campus,
the McMullen Museum is free to all visitors.
FlYnn ReCReation Complex
The 144,000-square-foot Flynn Recreation Complex
houses a running track; tennis, basketball, volleyball,
squash and racquetball courts; an aquatics center with
pool and dive well; saunas and more. Its 10,000-squarefoot Fitness Center offers over 100 pieces of cardio
equipment, a full complement of strength training
equipment and free weights, an air-conditioned spin
studio and three air-conditioned group fitness studios.
During the academic year, BC Rec holds more than
80 group fitness classes per week in a variety of disciplines, including Zumba, spin, yoga, strength training,
Pilates and more.
Boston ColleGe CaReeR CenteR
The Boston College Career Center works with graduate
students at each step of their career development.
Services include self-assessment, career counseling, various career development workshops, resume and cover
letter critiques, and practice interviews. In addition to
extensive workshop offerings, Career Center staff members are available throughout the year for one-on-one
advising about any aspect of the career path. The Career
Resource Library offers a wealth of resources, including
books, periodicals and online databases.
ConnoRs FamilY leaRninG CenteR
Working closely with the Graduate School, the Connors
Family Learning Center sponsors seminars, workshops
and discussions for graduate teaching assistants and
teaching fellows on strategies for improving teaching
effectiveness and student learning. Each fall, the
Learning Center and the Graduate School hold a oneand-a-half day “Fall Teaching Orientation” workshop
designed to help students prepare for teaching. The
center also hosts ongoing seminars on college teaching, higher learning and academic life; assists graduate
students in developing teaching portfolios; and provides
class visits and teaching consultations, upon request.
Through these and other activities, the Connors Family
Learning Center plays an important role in enhancing
the quality of academic life at Boston College.
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admission & financial information
T
he application deadline for fall admission is January 2.
Please visit bc.edu/gsas for detailed information on
how to apply.
application requirements include:
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
Application Form:
submitted online,
via the Gsas website.

Application Fee:
$75, non-refundable.

Abstract of Courses
Form:
a concise overview of background
and related courses completed in
an intended field or proposed
area of study.

Official Transcripts:
demonstrating coursework
completed/degree conferral from
all post-secondary institutions
attended.

GRE General Test:
official score report required for
all applicants.

GRE Subject Test:
official score report required for
all applicants.

Three Letters of
Recommendation:
From professors or supervisors.
it is highly advisable that at least
one letter be from an academic
source.

Statement of Purpose: a brief (1-2 page) discussion of
an applicant’s preparation,
motivation and goals for their
proposed course of study.

Proof of English
Proficiency:
(International only)
official toeFl/ielts reports
accepted.
Financial Assistance
depaRtment FundinG
The Physics Department offers five years of funding to
all qualified Ph.D. students contingent upon satisfactory
academic performance and progress toward degree completion. Support for qualified students is available in the
form of teaching assistantships. Research assistantships
are also available during the summer and academic year,
depending on research area and the extent of current
funding.
FedeRal FinanCial aid
Graduate students can apply for federal financial aid
using the FAFSA. The loans that may be available to
graduate students are the Federal Direct Unsubsidized
Stafford Loan and Perkins Loan, based on eligibility. If
additional funds are needed, student may apply for a
Grad Plus Loan. For more information, see the Graduate
Financial Aid website at bc.edu/gradaid or contact the
Graduate Financial Aid Office at 617-552-3300 or
800-294-0294.
oFFiCe oF sponsoRed pRoGRams
The Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) assists both
faculty and graduate students in finding sources of external funding for their projects and provides advice in the
development of proposals. OSP maintains a reference
library of publications from both the public and private
sectors listing funding sources for sponsored projects. In
the recent past, graduate students have received research
support from prominent agencies, corporations and
organizations such as the Fulbright Commission, the
Guggenheim Foundation, the National Science Foundation, the American Political Science Association, the
American Chemical Society and the American Association of University Women.
header
boston college
orrissey college of arts and sciences
department of physics
higgins hall 335
140 Commonwealth avenue
Chestnut hill, ma 02467
617-552-3575
e-mail: physics@bc.edu
bc.edu/physics
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