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Physics 905 – Summer 2010
Graduate Research in Condensed Matter and Optical Physics
Instructor: Chih-Wei Lai, cwlai@msu.edu, Office: 4238 BPS.
Guest Instructors:
Prof. John McGuire, Prof. Brage Golding, Prof. Ruby Ghosh,
Tom Palazzolo, Dr. Baokang Bi, Dr. Reza Loloee.
Course Description and Objectives
A 6-week summer course will be offered for graduate students prior to embarking on PhD research. The
objective is to provide each student with resources and tools for future research and career development.
Time period: July 12 to August 16
Format: a weekly 3-hr lecture/discussion plus a 3-hr lab
Lecture:
9-12 am Monday
Laboratory: 1:30-5 pm Monday
Location:
BPS 4270 (Lecture) and BPS 1245 (Lab)
The analytical and experimental techniques covered in this course are basic to graduate research in
condensed matter physics and in atomic, molecular, and optical physics. General topics such as literature
searches, laboratory automation, and optical methods (which are applicable to chemistry and biophysics)
will also be covered.
Students will keep an individual laboratory notebook, co-author a mini-report, and deliver an individual
10 minute APS-style presentation about an experiment or a specific research topic.
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Course Outline
(1) Experimental Techniques for condensed matter physics and biophysics research: basic electronics and
circuits, common laboratory electronics and instruments, mechanical design and machining, vacuum
techniques, low temperature techniques, optical components and opto-mechanics, opto-electronic devices
and instruments, spectroscopy and microscopy, light sources and laser systems, micro- and nanofabrication facilities, laboratory automation and data acquisition.
(2) Analytical and Communication Skills – tools and resources: numerical simulation and modeling, data
analysis and plotting, scientific and technical writing, and technical presentations.
(3) Career development: how to find an advisor and be a good graduate student, online resources and
bibliographic tools.
(4) Hands-on experiments, mini-reports, and 10-minute talks: Students will be divided into groups to
examine different aspects of a set of experiments related to optical pumping of 85Rb and 87Rb and pulsed
nuclear magnetic resonance. Students are required to keep individual laboratory notebook, co-author a
mini-report, and deliver an individual 10 minute APS-style presentation about the experiment.
Below is an outline of the content of the course.
Unit 1: CMP/AMO Research & Groups and Facilities at P-A
Unit 2: Mechanical Design and Fabrication
Unit 3: Optics – Laser, Microscopy and Spectroscopy
Unit 4: Electronics
Unit 5: Vacuum Technology and Cryogenics
Unit 6: Scientific Writing and Presentation, Computing
Unit 7: On Being a Scientist & a Graduate Student
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Your Reading Material
This course does not use a traditional textbook. Instead, you will be reading from different websites and
notes. Depending on your chosen field of research, you may consider buying some of the following
books.
J. H. Moore, C. C. Davis, and M. A. Coplan, Building Scientific Apparatus - a practical guide to design and
construction, Perseus Books (4th ed, 2009). [essential]
J. R. Taylor, An Introduction to Error Analysis, University Science Books (2nd ed, 1997)
A. Melissions and J. Napolitano, Experiments in Modern Physics, Academic Press (2nd ed, 2003).
P. Horowitz and W. Hill, The Art of Electronics, 2nd Ed., Cambridge University Press (1989).
P. C. C. Hobbs, Building Electro-Optical Systems: making it all work , Wiley-Interscience (2nd ed, 2009). [e-book is
available via MSU library: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/cgi-bin/bookhome/121493848]
J. W. Ekin, Experimental Techniques for Low-Temperature Measurements, Oxford University Press (2006).
G. Ventura and L. Risegari, The Art of Cryogenics - Low-Temperature Experimental Techniques, Elsevier (2008).
Computer Software
We will NOT offer training classes for computer software. However, we will give examples based on
some of the following programs. You may obtain a student or academic license from MSU computer
store (http://cstore.msu.edu/), the official website of the vendors, or online stores such as Academic
Superstore (http://www.academicsuperstore.com/).
Data Acquisition and Analysis
LabView (‘free’ MSU site license) (http://www.ni.com/labview/)
Origin Pro (http://www.originlab.com/), or Igor Pro (http://www.wavemetrics.com/), or
KaleidaGraph (http://www.synergy.com/ )
Computation
Mathematica (http://www.wolfram.com/) or Maxima (a descendant of Macsyma) (http://maxima.sourceforge.net/)
Matlab (http://www.mathworks.com/) or GNU Octave (free Matlab ‘clone’) (http://www.gnu.org/software/octave/)
MathCAD (http://www.ptc.com/products/mathcad/)
Document Preparation
MS Office, or Open Office, or Star Office
MikTeX + a TeX editor, or proTeXt (http://www.tug.org/protext/ ), & REVTex 4.1 https://authors.aps.org/revtex4/
Bibliography
EndNote X3 (http://www.endnote.com/) or any other bibliography manager
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Introduction
7/12
Science, Language, and Literacy
Science is about generating and interpreting data. But it is also about communicating
facts, ideas, and hypotheses. Scientists write, speak, debate, visualize, listen, and read
about their specialties daily. For students unfamiliar with the language or style of
science, the deceptively simple act of communication can be a barrier to understanding
or becoming involved with the science. [Special Section, Science Vol. 328, 23 April
2010]
Scientific Reasoning
“Critique is not some peripheral feature of science, but rather it is core to its practice,
and without it, the construction of reliable knowledge would be impossible.”
Reading Materials:
1. Bao, L. et al. Learning and Scientific Reasoning. Science 323, 586-587 (2009).
2. Osborne, J. Arguing to Learn in Science: The Role of Collaborative, Critical Discourse. Science
328, 463-466 (2010).
On Being a Scientist
On being a scientist: a guide to responsible conduct in research. 3rd edn, (National Academies Press,
2009).
The scientific research enterprise is built on a foundation of trust. Scientists trust that the
results reported by others are valid. Society trusts that the results of research reflect an
honest attempt by scientists to describe the world accurately and without bias.
 Watch On Being a Scientist Video from NAP
 Free e-book can be downloaded at - http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12192
”On Facts and Fraud”, by David Goodstein (2010 )
This is a more lively and interesting book with plenty of anecdotes. You may not appreciate many
comments he makes yet.
How to Succeed in Graduate School
Marie des Jardins’s Advice Summary: http://www.cs.umbc.edu/~mariedj/papers/advice-summary.html
Self-education and Self-directed Learning
The inarticulate expertise of not knowing that you know is a dead end from the learning
and teaching point of view. The only open position, with potential for development, is that of
knowing what you know. (http://www.doceo.co.uk/tools/knowing.htm)
But remember: Some things we can teach, and some we can't.
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 Example websites for you to begin self-education
MIT Open Courseware, http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm;
Many universities have webcast sites on YouTube, too. Youtube, http://www.youtube.com/;
The Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics – Online Talks - http://www.itp.ucsb.edu/talks
Nobel Lectures, Lecture Notes, and Interviews: http://nobelprize.org/
Google & Scholar.google, http://www.google.com & http://scholar.google.com/.
 Materials on any subjects can be practically found online & library.
 Your doctoral research goal is to generate new knowledge.
Online Books (available to MSU students)
•
•
Wiley (A John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Publication) http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/
Springer http://www.springerlink.com/
Learning through problems/solutions and catalogues/technical notes
Example Books - Problems and Solutions
• Mihaly, L. & Martin, M. C. Solid state physics : problems and solutions. (J. Wiley, 1996).
• Flügge, S. Practical quantum mechanics. (Springer, 1999).
• Budker, D., Kimball, D. F. & DeMille, D. P. Atomic physics : an exploration through
problems and solutions. 2nd edn, (Oxford University Press, 2008).
Select Catalogues and Trade Magazines (a very incomplete list of companies in optics and photonics)
• Newport, http://www.newport.com/
[Corion, New Focus, Oriel, Richardson Graings, Spectra-Physics]
• New Focus, http://www.newfocus.com/
• Thorlabs, http://www.thorlabs.com/
• Edmund Optics, http://www.edmundoptics.com/
• CVI Melles Griot, http://www.cvimellesgriot.com/
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Laser Focus World, http://www.optoiq.com/index.html
Photonics Spectra, http://www.photonics.com/
Optics and Photonics News, http://www.osa-opn.org/
Buyers’ Guides
• Physics Today Buyers Guide, http://www.physicstoday.org/ptbg/search.jsp
• Photonics Buyers’ Guide, http://www.photonics.com/directory/
CMP/AMO Research Workshop
Optics – Laser, Microscopy and Spectroscopy
7/12 & 7/19
Optical Components
Reading Materials
[Moore] Ch. 4 Optical Systems
[Hobbs] Ch. 4 Lenses, Prisms, and Mirrors; Ch. 5 Coatings, Filters, and Surface Finishes; Ch. 6
Polarization; Ch. 7 Exotic Optical Components
Presentation Slides by C. H. Lee, Academia Sinica, Taiwan
Optics Handling and Cleaning Tutorial
Thorlabs: http://www.thorlabs.com/tutorials.cfm?tabID=26066
Edmund Optics: http://www.edmundoptics.com/technical-support/optics/cleaning-optics/ , Video
: http://www.edmundoptics.com/technical-support/technical-library/videos/index.cfm?vid=16&p=true
Newport: http://www.newport.com/store/product.aspx?id=141176&lang=1033
CVI: http://www.cvimellesgriot.com/products/Documents/TechnicalGuide/CVICleaningOptics.pdf
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Light Sources and Illuminators
Reading Materials
[Hobbs] Ch. 2 Sources and Illuminators
Springer Handbook of Lasers and Optics, Part C Coherent and Incoherent Light Sources (Chs. 10-12)
Selected Books on Lasers
Svelto, O. Principles of lasers. (Springer, 2009). (e-book available @ Springerlink)
Werner, A. Ultrafast Optics. (Wiley 2008). (e-book available @ Wiley)
Milonni, P. W. & Eberly, J. H. Lasers. 2nd edn, (John Wiley & Sons, 2008).
Siegman, A. E. Lasers. (University Science Books, 1986).
Encyclopedia of Laser Physics and Technology, http://www.rp-photonics.com/encyclopedia.html
Selected Tutorials and Lecture Notes
Ultrafast laser characterization (by Trebino @ Georgia
Tech) http://www.physics.gatech.edu/frog/Tutorial/tutorial.html
Ultrafast Optics, http://www.physics.gatech.edu/frog/lectures/index.html
Selected Distributors/ Manufacturers
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Oriel (part of Newport)
Coherent Inc, http://www.coherent.com/
Spectra Physics (Newport), http://www.newport.com/
KLM Laboratories, http://www.klmlabs.com/
Femto Lasers, http://www.femtolasers.com/
Toptica, http://www.toptica.com/
Menlo Systems, http://www.menlosystems.com/
Coherent Inc, http://www.coherent.com/
Spectra Physics (Newport), http://www.newport.com/
KLM Laboratories, http://www.klmlabs.com/
Femto Lasers, http://www.femtolasers.com/
Toptica, http://www.toptica.com/
Menlo Systems, http://www.menlosystems.com/
CMP/AMO Research Workshop
Spectroscopy
Reading Materials
Springer Handbook of Lasers and Optics, Ch. 13 Optical and Spectroscopic Techniques
Ultrafast Laser Spectroscopy
 N. Bloembergen, From nanosecond to femtosecond science, RMP (1999) (pdf)
 Th. Elsaesser, Laser Spectroscopy (pdf)
 Reid & Wynne, Ultrafast Laser Technology and Spectroscopy (2000) (pdf)
 Li and Cundiff, Ultrafast Spectroscopy in Physics (pdf)
 Cundiff, Coherent Spectroscopy in Semiconductors (2008) (pdf)
Laser-based precision spectroscopy
 Lectures and Notes by J. Hall & T.
Hänsch http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/2005/
 A recent article – The size of the proton, Nature 466, 213 (8 July 2010) (pdf)
Technical Notes
Amplitude and Phase Characterization of Ultrashort Laser Pulses, by Newport (pdf)
Lecture Notes
Optical Spectroscopy: Methods and Instrumentations (link) (ebook)
References/Database
CODATA Internationally Recommended values of the Fundamental Physical
Constants, http://physics.nist.gov/cuu/Constants/index.html
NIST Atomic Spectra Database, http://www.nist.gov/physlab/data/asd.cfm
The NIST Standard Reference Data Gateway, http://www.nist.gov/ts/msd/srd/
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Microscopy
Reading Materials:
Ch. 16 Microscopy, “At the Bench”, by Barker
Selected Online Resources:
Nikon MicroscopyU, http://www.microscopyu.com/
Olympus Microscopy Resource Center, http://www.olympusmicro.com/
Figure 1. Atlas of spatially resolved spectroscopy techniques. They are organized according to their space and energy
resolution. The relation between wavelength and energy is represented by dashed curves for photons and electrons. [de
Abajo, http://rmp.aps.org/abstract/RMP/v82/i1/p209_1 (2010) ]
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Charge-particle Optics
Reading Materials:
[Moore] Ch. 5 Charge-particle Optics
Selected Online Resource:
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1986 was divided, one half awarded to Ernst Ruska "for his fundamental work
in electron optics, and for the design of the first electron microscope",the other half jointly to Gerd Binnig
and Heinrich Rohrer "for their design of the scanning tunneling microscope". (click here)
Nobel Lecture
E. Ruska, The developments of the electron microscope and electron microscopy. (pdf)
G. Binning and H. Rohrer, Scanning tunneling microscopy. (pdf)
Selected References
Zewail, Four-Dimensional Electron Microsocopy, Science 328, 187 (2010) (pdf)
Zewail, A. H. & Thomas, J. M. 4D electron microscopy : imaging in space and time. (Imperial College
Press, 2010).
Figure 2. 4D electron imaging. The resolution boundaries of ultrafast imaging are compared with those achieved in
conventional TEM, limited by the speed of video camera, and, in high-speed microscopy (HSM), defined by the rectangle
shown. The spatiotemporal scales of UEM achieved to date are outlined with possible future extensions. The approaches
of single-electron and singlepulse imaging are fundamentally different because of the limiting problem of space-charge
described in the text. [Zewail, Science (2010) ]
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Mechanical Design and Fabrication
7/19, Lecturer: Tom Palazzolo
Reading Materials
[Moore] Ch. 1 Mechanical Design and Fabrication
See also the Lecture Notes prepared by Tom Palazzolo
 Lecture 10:30 am – 11:30 pm, Machine Shop Manager, Tom Palazzolo palazzolo@pa.msu.edu
Introduction to technical drawings and the machine shop
Distributors
 McMaster-Carr, http://www.mcmaster.com
 W. M. Berg, http://www.wmberg.com/
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Vacuum Technology and Cryogenics
Reading Materials:
[Moore] Ch. 3 Vacuum Technology
Practical Cryogenics, by N. H. Balshaw, Oxford Instruments. (pdf )
Introduction to Laboratory Cryogenics, by M. N. Jirmanus, Janis Research Company. (pdf)
An Introduction to Cryogenics, http://cdsweb.cern.ch/record/1012032/files/at-2007-001.pdf
Selected Books:
F. Pobell, Matter and Methods at Low Temperatures, Springer Link (pdf)
Ventura, G. & Risegari, L. The art of cryogenics : low-temperature experimental techniques.
(Elsevier, 2008).
Ekin, J. W. Experimental techniques for low-temperature measurements : cryostat design, material
properties, and superconductor critical-current testing. (Oxford University Press, 2006).
Richardson, R. C. & Smith, E. N. Experimental techniques in condensed matter physics at low
temperatures. (Addison-Wesley Pub. Co., 1988).
White, G. K. & Meeson, P. J. Experimental technques in low-temperature physics. 4th edn, (Oxford
University Press, 2002).
Selected Distributors/ Manufacturers:
Vacuum pumps, leak detectors, and components
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Varian Inc (Agilent), http://www.varianinc.com/
Pfeiffer Vacuum, http://www.pfeiffer-vacuum.com/
Trinos/Pfeiffer Vacuum, http://us.trinos.com/vacuum_s/index.html
Oerlikon Leybold
Vacuum, http://www.oerlikon.com/leyboldvacuum/ecomaXL/oe_VACUUM_EN_home
MDC Vacuum, http://www.mdc-vacuum.com/
Kurt J. Lesker, http://www.lesker.com/
Stanford Research Systems, http://www.thinksrs.com/
Cryogenic systems and accessories
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Oxford Instruments, http://www.oxford-instruments.com/
Janis, http://www.janis.com/
Advanced Research Systems, http://www.arscryo.com/
Lake Shore Cryotronics, http://www.lakeshore.com/
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Electronics and Optoelectronics
8/2/2010
Electronics
Nearly every measurement made in a physics laboratory comes down to determining a
voltage or current, so it is important to have at least a basic understanding of electronic
circuits. It is not critical to be able to design circuits, or even to completely understand a
circuit given to you, but you do need to know enough to get some idea of how the
measuring apparatus affects your results.
Reading Materials
[Moore] Ch. 6 Electronics
[Melissinos] Ch. 3 Electronics and Data Acquisition
P. Horowitz and W. Hill, The Art of Electronics, 2nd Ed., Cambridge University Press (1989).
Electromagnetic Compatibility Engineering, by Henry W. Ott, http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgibin/bookhome/122578438 (an updated and expanded version of “Noise Reduction Techniques in
Electronic Systems”)
It is important to have useful and frequently referenced materials in the form of readily
accessible tales, graphs, and diagrams.
Textbooks and book chapters should be supplemented with manufacturers’ catalogs,
data books, applications texts, handbooks, and more specialized texts that treat the topic
of interest in depth.
Handbooks (free)
Keithley (You may request a hard copy from http://www.keithley.com/knowledgecenter. )
• Low Level Measurements Handbook: Precision DC Current, Voltage, and Resistance
Measurements (6th edition: 2004) (pdf)
• Semiconductor Device Test Applications Guide (1st edition: 2008) (pdf)
• Nanotechnology Measurement Handbook (1st edition: 2010) (pdf)
• Understanding New Developments in Data Acquisition, Measurement, and Control - A Practical
Guide to High Performance Test and Measurement (pdf)
Tektronix (http://www.tek.com/learning/ )
• XYZs of Oscilloscopes Primer (pdf), (pocket guide to oscilloscopes)
• XYZs of Signal Generators Primer (pdf), (pocket guide to signal generators)
• Understanding and Characterizing Timing Jitter (pdf)
Online website
• All about circuits: http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/
CMP/AMO Research Workshop
Selected Distributors and Manufacturers
Basic Electronic Equipment and Components:
Newark, Marlin P. Jones, DigiKey, McMasterCarr, Grainger, Fulton Radio, Allied
Electric, Mouser, All Electronics, Burr-Brown (now Texas Instruments)
Connectors and Cables:
L-Com, Microstock Inc., Times Microwave Systems
Test & Measurement
Agilent, Keithley, Tektronix, LeCroy, Anritsu, Rohde & Schwarz, Tabor Electronics,
National Instruments (LabView and more)
Case Study I: Cables and Connectors
 Times Microsystems: http://www.timesmicrowave.com/resources/
 L-com: http://www.l-com.com/content/TechnicalResources.html
Connector, Coaxial, GPIB IEEE-488, Audio/Video
Computer Interface: USB, Firewire, DIN, SCSI, SATA
Case Study II: High-pass, low-pass, and band-pass filters
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Impedance of a capacitor
Impedance of an inductor
LRC circuit
Case Study III: Measuring input and output impedance
 http://www.zen22142.zen.co.uk/Theory/inzoz.htm
Case Study IV: Noise Reduction
 [Moore] Ch. 6.8 Extraction of signal from noise
 Signal Enhancement, Application Note #6 from SRS (pdf)
Case Study V: Grounding and Ground Loop
 [Moore] Ch. 6.9 Grounds and Grounding
 [Ott] Ch. 3 Grounding (pdf)
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Case Study VI: Electronics Simulation for Physicists
Electronics simulation for physicists, Presentation slides and
examples, http://www.physics.berkeley.edu/eshop/Simulating.ppt
LT Spice, a SPICE III simulator, free from http://Linear.com/designtools/software
SPICE: a general-purpose circuit simulation program for nonlinear dc, nonlinear transient, and linear ac
analyses - http://bwrc.eecs.berkeley.edu/classes/icbook/SPICE/
Other Integrated Circuits Design Tool, http://bwrc.eecs.berkeley.edu/classes/icbook/tools.html
FPGA - Field-programmable gate array
FPGA projects and tutorials, http://www.fpga4fun.com/
CMP/AMO Research Workshop
Optical Detection/Optoelectronics
8/2/2010
Reading Materials
[Moore] Ch. 7 Detectors
[Hobbs]
Selected Distributors and Manufacturers
The following distributors/manufacturers all provide extensive application and technical
notes.
PMTs, Photodetectors, CCDs
• Hamamatsu, http://sales.hamamatsu.com/
o PMT Handbook and modules
o Application Notes
• Roper Scientific (Princeton Instruments), http://sales.hamamatsu.com/
• Andor Technology, http://sales.hamamatsu.com/
Sensors and Amplifiers
• Analog Modules, http://www.analogmodules.com/ (sensors, amplifiers, and laser electronics)
• DL Instruments, http://www.dlinstruments.com/ (amplifiers and preamplifiers)
• Judson Technologies, http://www.teledynejudson.com/ (IR detectors)
• Femto, http://www.femto.de/ (current, voltage, & lock-in amplifiers, and photoreceivers)
Lock-in amplifiers
• Stanford Research Systems, http://www.thinksrs.com/
• Signal Recovery, http://www.signalrecovery.com/
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Data Acquisition and Computer Interface
8/2/2010
Introduction to the LabView Platform, http://zone.ni.com/wv/app/doc/p/id/wv-411/
Matlab Data Acquisition, http://www.mathworks.com/data-acquisition/
Selected Books on LabVIEW
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LabVIEW for Everyone, by Travis and Kring
Learning with LabVIEW 2009, by Robert H. Bishop
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CMP/AMO Research Workshop
Computing
8/9/2010
Topics: Scientific Computing, Data Analysis & Plotting (Information Graphics),
Instrument Automation & Data Acquisition, Internet and Operation Systems (Windows,
Mac OS, & Unix/Linux).
P-A Computing Services
Computer support: George Perkins perkins@pa.msu.ed & Ehren Benson bensoneh@pa.msu.edu
Web site: http://support.pa.msu.edu/
 Search P-A Computer Support Knowledgebase
Case Study I: BPS Printer Database  http://thing.pa.msu.edu/printer/
Case Study II: Connecting to network drives & P-A VPN (virtual private network)
http://support.pa.msu.edu/howto.php?s=vpn
Case Study III: SSH and XMing
Installing and Using XMing, http://support.pa.msu.edu/howto.php?id=125
Installing SSH, http://support.pa.msu.edu/howto.php?id=66
Scientific Computing
 Numerical Recipes – The Art of Scientific Computing: http://www.nr.com/
o
E-book can be viewed (partially) at http://www.nrbook.com/nr3/
Data and Error Analysis
Reading Materials
Experimental Data Analysis Documentation, by Wolfram Research,
http://reference.wolfram.com/applications/eda/
Introduction to Error Analysis (significant figure, error classification, and error propagation)
http://teacher.pas.rochester.edu/PHY_LABS/AppendixB/AppendixB.html
Error Analysis Tutorial, http://phys.columbia.edu/~tutorial/
References
[Taylor] J. R. Taylor, An Introduction to Error Analysis, University Science Books (2nd ed, 1997)
[Melissinos] Ch. 10 Elements from the Theory of Statistics
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Information Graphics Software
8/9/2010
A list of information graphics software can be found at Wikipedia (click here).
Use the tutorials, guides, and file exchange service to user communities.
Computer Algebra Systems
Mathematica, http://www.wolfram.com/
 Hands-on Start to Mathematica: http://www.wolfram.com/broadcast/screencasts/handsonstart/
 Tutorials: http://url.wolfram.com/6X95h8s/, http://www.physics.mun.ca/beaulieu_lab/Tutori
als/ .
 Guides, http://reference.wolfram.com/mathematica/guide/Mathematica.html
 Learning Center, http://www.wolfram.com/learningcenter/
 Library (Demo, Book, Technical Notes, and more
: http://library.wolfram.com/infocenter/BySubject/
 Demonstrations, http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/
 Examples in AMO: http://budker.berkeley.edu/Tutorials/index.html, Check Demos:
Polarization, Superluminal
Maxima (GPL), http://maxima.sourceforge.net/
Maple, http://www.maplesoft.com/
MathCAD, http://www.ptc.com/products/mathcad/
Numerical Software
Matlab, http://www.mathworks.com/
 Matlab Central – An open exchange for the Matlab and Simulink user
community, http://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/ .
 Extending Matlab with Numerical Recipes, http://www.nr.com/nr3_matlab.html .
 Example :
Ultrashort pulse propagation code, http://www.physics.gatech.edu/gcuo/propagation.html
GNU Octave, http://www.gnu.org/software/octave/
Scilab, http://www.scilab.org/
CMP/AMO Research Workshop
Plotting Programs (Graphing Programs)
Origin Pro, http://www.originlab.com/
 Video Tutorial, http://www.originlab.com/index.aspx?go=Support/VideoTutorials
 Documentation and Help
Center, http://www.originlab.com/index.aspx?go=Support/DocumentationAndHelpCenter
IGOR Pro, http://www.wavemetrics.com/
SigmaPlot, http://www.sigmaplot.com/
Gnuplot, http://www.gnuplot.info/
IDL, http://www.ittvis.com/ProductServices/IDL.aspx
Statistical Software
(most experimental physicists do not need such a program)
SPSS, http://www.spss.com/software/statistics/
GNU PSPP, http://www.gnu.org/software/pspp/
Spreadsheets
Check Office Software Package
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Scientific Writing and Presentation
8/9/2010
Good communication skills are as important as a specific technical competency.
I: Science and Technical Writing
References (provided by Dr. Ruby Ghosh)
AIP Style Manual: http://www.aip.org/pubservs/style/4thed/toc.html
Prepared by the American Institute of Physics this manual offers a concise guide to all aspects of
publishing a paper in a physics journal. It is brief with references on every topic. Free download.
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary Merriam-Webster; 11th edition (July 2003)
Robert A. Day & Barbara Gastel, How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper, 6th ed (Greenwood
Press, 2006) Main Library T11 .D33 2006
A classic book that will guide you through writing a scientific paper, writing your thesis, writing a
conference proceedings…, with a special section for non-native speakers. I recommend purchasing a
personal copy.
Edward R. Tufte, The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, (Graphics Press, Connecticut,1983)
Eng. Lib QA 276.3 T84
A masterpiece on the graphical representation of data, read it for instruction and come away inspired.
Selected Online Resources:
•
•
•
•
•
MSU Writing Center, http://writing.msu.edu/
Online Dictionary & Thesaurus, http://dictionary.reference.com/
Common Errors in English Usage, http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/index.html
The Elements of Style, by Strunk and White, http://www.bartleby.com/141/
Technical Writing, by R. Standler, http://www.rbs0.com/tw.htm
Selected Books:







The Art of Scientific Writing, by Ebel, Bliefert, & Russey (Wiley-VCH)
Science & Technical Writing – A Manual of Style, by P. Rubens
How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper, by R. Day & B. Gastel
The Craft of Scientific Writing, by M Alley
(For non-native speakers)
Introduction to Technical Writing – Process & Practice, by L. J. Rew
Technical Writing and Professional Communication for Nonnative Speakers of English,by
Huckin & Olsen
 The Random House Hanbook, by F. Crews
 Grammatically Correct, by A. Stilman
CMP/AMO Research Workshop
p. 22
II: Presentation
Online Resources
Advice to Beginning Physics Speakers, by J. Garland, (Physics Today 1991) (pdf)
The Woman Physicist’s Guide to Speaking, http://www.rpi.edu/~newbeh/WIPcommText.htm
Crafting an Impressive Presentation, by Naturejobs.com, http://www.nature.com/naturejobs/careertoolkit/presentation/crafting-presentation.html
Selected Books




The Craft of Scientific Presentations, by M. Alley
The Art of Lecturing, by P. Aarabi
Loud and Clear, by Morrisey, Sechrest, & W. Warman
Communicating Effectively, by L. Arredondo
CMP/AMO Research Workshop
CMP Research Groups and Facilities at P-A MSU
8/9
Facilities
KMF W. M. Keck Microfabrication Facility, http://kmf.pa.msu.edu/Facility/KMFAbout.asp
ERC Cleanroom, http://www.egr.msu.edu/erc-cleanroom/
P-A Machine Shop, 1213 BPS, http://www.pa.msu.edu/services/machine-shop/
P-A Electronic Shop, 1230 BSP, http://www.pa.msu.edu/services/elec-shop/
Glassblowing Facility, 39
Chemistry, http://www2.chemistry.msu.edu/Facilities/GlassBlowing/glass.shtml
CMP Research Groups at MSU
Wanted – website manager for a new cmp Wikipedia site http://cmp.pa.msu.edu/
Gases, Chemicals, and Utilities
8/9
See presentation slides by Reza Loloee.
p. 23
CMP/AMO Research Workshop
p. 24
Searching and Managing Scientific Literature
8/16
Keeping Current with Scholarly Literature
Selected online guides
Keep Current with Research, http://libraries.mit.edu/esl/current.html
Email Subscriptions
Sign up at the websites of journals. You will need a good email filtering and reading habit to keep track of
the emails.
RSS Feeds
What is RSS? RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is an XML-based format for sharing and distributing
content. The Virtual Journals' feeds are refreshed upon publication of new issues, with the latest additions
appearing at the top of the list.
Where do I get a reader? There are a number of different news readers available, many of which are
freely available. A list of the most popular RSS readers is available for various OS platforms
at http://feeds.aps.org/readers.html. Note also that Thunderbird and MS Outlook can both serve as an
RSS reader. Google also provides a good reader - http://www.google.com/reader/.
Example Physics Journals
APS Journals, http://publish.aps.org/
 Physical Review Series
RSS Feeds, http://feeds.aps.org/
Physics, PRL Editors’ Suggestions, PRB Editors’ Suggestions, Topical Cross-journal Feeds (eg.
grapheme, magnetic semiconductors, metamaterials, spintronics, topological insulators, ultracold bose
and Fermi gases, and many others), and Journal Feeds of Physical Review series
 AIP Journals, http://journals.aip.org/
 AIP Virtual Journals, http://vjs.aip.org/vjs/
Email Alerts for Virtual Journals, http://vjs.aip.org/vjs/notification
RSS Feeds for Virtual Journals, http://vjs.aip.org/vjs/rss
Virtual Journal of Applications of Superconductivity
Virtual Journal of Atomic Quantum Fluids
Virtual Journal of Biological Physics Research
Virtual Journal of Nanoscale Science & Technology
Virtual Journal of Quantum Information
Virtual Journal of Ultrafast Science
 Journals from OSA, http://www.opticsinfobase.org/
CMP/AMO Research Workshop
Reference/Bibliography Management
Databases of Scientific Literature
Google Scholar, http://scholar.google.com/ & Google Books, http://books.google.com/
 Example: How to Customize “Scholar Preference”
http://scholar.google.com/scholar_preferences?hl=en&as_sdt=80000000
Set Bibliography Manager to “Show links to import citations into” Endnote or BibTeX.
 Get the most out of Google Scholar
o
o
READ “Help” http://scholar.google.com/intl/en/scholar/help.html
& “Advanced Search Tips”, http://scholar.google.com/intl/en/scholar/refinesearch.html
A tutorial video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-GfFI2TCQ4
Web of Science, http://www.isiknowledge.com/
 Require subscription, use VPN if you need to access it off-campus
How to setup VPN via PA at MSU? http://support.pa.msu.edu/howto.php?s=vpn
 Tutorial, http://science.thomsonreuters.com/tutorials/webofscience/
Reference Management Software
EndNote, http://www.endnote.com/
 ~$100 through the MSU computer store
 Free classes on EndNote X4 and EndNote Web provided by LCTTP at MSU
EndNote X4, http://lcttp.msu.edu/classinfo/detail.asp?course=82364
EndNote Web, http://lcttp.msu.edu/classinfo/detail.asp?course=66447
Biblioscape, http://www.biblioscape.com/
Comparison of Reference Management
Software http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_reference_management_software
p. 25
CMP/AMO Research Workshop
On Being a Scientist and a Graduate Student
8/16
On Being a Graduate Student
Selected Resources at Michigan State University
Graduate School at MSU, http://grad.msu.edu/
Graduate Wellness, http://grad.msu.edu/wellness/
Physics Graduate Program at MSU, http://www.pa.msu.edu/grad/
Reading Materials
 “On Being a Scientist”, NAS, http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12192
 Guides developed by S. A. Koblinsky, University of Maryland:
1.
2.
“Mentoring - Advice for Doctoral Students”
“Completing Your Dissertation: Strategies for Success”
 “How to do research at the MIT AI lab”, http://www.cs.indiana.edu/mit.research.how.to.html
 “How to Succeed in Graduate School”, Marie Des
Jardins, http://www.cs.umbc.edu/~mariedj/papers/advice-summary.html
Beyond Academy
Ken Robinson’s Talk on
Ted, http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html
Selected Books
 A Ph.D. is not Enough! A Guide to Survival in Science, by Peter Feibelman
Teaching (not covered in this workshop)
 comPADRE – Physics and Astronomy Education Communities, http://www.compadre.org/
The ComPADRE Digital Library is a network of free online resource collections supporting faculty,
students, and teachers in Physics and Astronomy Education.
 PhysTEC – Physics Teacher Education Coalition, http://www.phystec.org/
The PhysTEC project is led by the American Physical Society, in partnership with the American
Association of Physics Teachers and with continued support from the American Institute of Physics.
p. 26
CMP/AMO Research Workshop
p. 27
Professional Development and Career Planning
Networking – Professional Societies
•
 Professional societies you should consider join:
APS, American Physical Society, http://www.aps.org/
Membership: http://www.aps.org/membership/join.cfm
Membership is free for the first year for students in physics, related science, and engineering graduate and
undergraduate programs.
•
OSA, The Optical Society, http://www.osa.org/
Membership: http://www.osa.org/membership/default.aspx
•
MRS, Materials Research Society, http://www.mrs.org/
Selected online resources
Berkeley Career Center,
Academic Job Search & Career beyond the Academy: https://career.berkeley.edu/PhDs/PhDs.stm
Online workshops: https://career.berkeley.edu/MM/Workshops.stm
Stanford Career Development Center,
Resources for PhD/post docs http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/cdc/phd-post-doc
Wisc: Graduate Student Professional Development Career
Planning, http://www.grad.wisc.edu/education/gspd/careerplanning.html
Physics Today jobs, http://www.physicstoday.org/jobs/seek/resources.html
Nature Career Toolkit, http://www.nature.com/naturejobs/career-toolkit/index.html
Science Careers (from the journal Science), http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/
CMP/AMO Research Workshop
p. 28
Appendix A – Handbooks and Database
Fundamental Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics
CRC Handbook of Chemistry & Physics Online, http://www.hbcpnetbase.com/
Laser and Light Sources
Encyclopedia of Laser Physics and Technology, http://www.rp-photonics.com/encyclopedia.html
Materials
The Landolt-Börnstein Database (Springer Materials), http://www.springermaterials.com/navigation/
New Semiconductor Materials. Characteristics and Properties. (Ioffe Physico-Technical
Institute), http://www.ioffe.ru/SVA/NSM/
Semiconductor Properties, http://cleanroom.byu.edu/semiconductor_properties.phtml
CMP/AMO Research Workshop
Appendix B – Laboratory & Research Notebook/Journal
 http://www.vendian.org/mncharity/dir3/research_notebook/
 http://otl.stanford.edu/inventors/resources/inventors_labnotebooks.html
p. 29