Graduate Program
PHYSICS DEPARTMENT
The Physics Department William and Mary offers graduate study and research which leads to the Ph.D. degree. The department consists of thirty instructional faculty members, and fifteen additional physicists in purely research positions and 60 full-time graduate students. Additions to the research areas listed below include plasma and non-linear physics and related research include accelerator physics (in cooperation with Jefferson Lab and material characterization (in cooperation with NASA-Langley Research Center). The department offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate courses of instruction. It also has strong links with the Applied
Science Department and Computational Science Cluster.
Graduate student Sarah Phillips with G0 detectors in Jefferson Lab Hall C
Atomic and Optical Physics
Experimental research areas include intense laser-matter interaction, femtosecond laser physics and the study of biological systems using AMO techniques. Several laser systems are in use within Small Hall. The theory program includes the study of classical trajectories and chaos in atomic and molecular systems and their correlation with quantum mechanics.
Computational Physics
Research in this area includes the studies of turbulence and macroscopic nonlinear systems, as well as soliton theory, wave propagation and signal processing. These theoretical studies have applications within many fields of physics, including plasma physics, laser science, wave dynamics and quantum computing.
Condensed Matter Physics 
There are active experimental and theoretical programs in superconductivity, magnetism, thin film deposition, carbon nanomaterials, nuclear magnetic resonance and ultrafast laser studies of materials. A new ultra-high field NMR facility with a 17.6 Tesla magnet, available at only a handful of other schools, provides opportunities for structure and dynamics studies in physical and biological materials.
Nuclear and Hadronic Physics
William & Mary has an active program in nuclear and hadronic physics, complemented by its proximity to Jefferson Lab. This state-of-the-art facility provides a high-energy electron beam used primarily for studying the substructure of the proton and neutron at the quark and gluon level. Current experimental and theoretical research is focused on understanding the basic properties of the nucleon, including the origin and distribution of its spin, charge and magnetic moment. Also at Jefferson Lab, the experimental nuclear physics group is preparing for an upcoming experiment that will search for physics beyond the standard model at the TeV scale.
High Energy Particle Physics
Particle physics research is aimed at possible new physics that lies beyond the current standard model of known elementary particles and their interactions. Theoretical research includes work on grand unified theories, super-symmetry, extra spatial dimensions and cosmology. The experimental high energy group is active in the search for neutrino oscillations using a neutrino beam produced at Fermilab, currently the largest proton-antiproton collider in the world. The department maintains labs for detector construction and testing, a polarized target lab and a computing farm for large-scale data analysis.
More information:
Our graduate students hail from all over. Check it out!
Graduate Admissions: Although applications will be considered at any time, it is advisable to submit all materials before 1 February to be assured of consideration for admission in the fall.
Curriculum Supplement
Graduate Studies at William & Mary and Graduate Catalog
The Graduate Center at William & Mary: The graduate center provides career advice and functions as a focal point for partnerships between the University and the surrounding community.
Guide to Writing Doctoral Dissertations
TeX Style File for W&M Physics Department PhD Theses
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