Advanced Physics Laboratory: Project

Have you ever wanted to dream up a research question, then design, execute, and analyze an experiment to address it, together with a small group of your fellow students? This is an accelerated, guided experimental research experience, resembling real frontier research. Phenomena that have been studied include magnetization of ferromagnets, quantum hall effect in graphene, interference in superconducting circuits, loss in nanomechanical resonators, and superfluidity in helium. But most projects pursued (drawn from condensed matter and recently also particle physics) have never been done in the class before. Our equipment and apparatus for Physics 108 are very flexible, not standardized like in most other lab classes. We provide substantial resources to help your team. Often, with instructors' help, students obtain unique samples from Stanford research groups. Prerequisite: PHYSICS 105, or other experience in electronics. Suggested but less critical: Physics 130 (many phenomena you might study build on quantum mechanics) and Physics 107 (experience with data analysis and useful measurement tools: lock-in amplifier, spectrum analyzer.) We recommend taking this class in junior year if possible, as it can inform post-graduation decisions and can empower the professor to write a powerful letter of recommendation.