Alessandro Alabastri

Research conducted by a visiting student scholars. Repeatable for Credit.

This is a required course for first-year students in the Applied Physics Graduate Program (APP), introducing them to the multidisciplinary research field of applied physics and facilitating their laboratory affiliation process. Through a series of tutorial lectures, students will acquire familiarity with cutting-edge research topics in various subfields of applied physics, including quantum information engineering, low-dimensional materials, ultracold atoms, nanophotonics, plasmonics and metamaterials, and neuroengineering. Furthermore, students will gain hands-on research experience in trial projects provided by different laboratories in APP through mini-rotations (3 weeks per laboratory). The primary goal of this course is to assist first-year APP students to find Ph.D. advisors by the end of the fall semester so they can start Ph.D. research in the spring semester. Additionally, this course aims to provide first-year APP students with an opportunity to develop a genuine camaraderie within the cohort by spending time together. Furthermore, each first-year student will be mentored by a senior APP student throughout the semester to get fully integrated into the program and the Rice community. This graduate-level seminar-based course is also part of the interdisciplinary BRIDGE C-QED NRT program at Rice University, including the departments of Physics&Astronomy, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Materials Science & NanoEngineering, and Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering. The course is designed to promote interaction between all Applied Physics students and active faculty and to provide broad exposure to the latest advancements in the fields of quantum science, nanophotonics, and energy harvesting, integrating fundamental quantum principles with applications in nanomaterials. The course also includes professional development seminars to promote teamwork and improve students’ writing and presenting skills. Recommended Prerequisite(s): Understanding of undergraduate-level classical and quantum mechanics, electromagnetism, statistical mechanics, and solid-state physics

Thesis research under the supervision of faculty. Repeatable for Credit.

Research conducted by visiting student scholars. Repeatable for Credit.

Theoretical and experimental investigations under staff direction. A research project plan should be prepared and approved by the faculty member advising the project. Information about ELEC 490 project plans is available on the ECE Web site on the Academics section under ECE forms. May be repeated for a total of 6 credit hours for undergraduates. Repeatable for Credit.

This course will provide a hands-on experience on the modeling of micro and nano systems based on the mutual interaction among different physical phenomena. COMSOL Multiphysics, based on the Finite Element Method (FEM), will be utilized as flexible modeling tool to learn how to design a wide range of devices or describe coupled physical mechanisms including electromagnetic waves, heat transfer, fluid dynamics and mass transport. The course will focus in particular on the interaction between light and nanomaterials and how electromagnetic heat dissipation can play a major role in different applications Recommended Prerequisite(s): Basic electromagnetism and basic calculus

Repeatable for Credit.