Ursinus physics majors work with state of the art equipment both on campus and at national facilities.
Advanced Laboratories
Our advanced laboratory spaces in the basement of Pfahler Hall enable students to …
measure the speed of light
demonstrate discrete atomic energy levels via the Franck-Hertz experiment
use gamma-ray detectors to study collisions between photons and electrons (Compton scattering)
measure the flux and angular distribution of muons produced by cosmic rays in the upper atmosphere
study atomic systems through spectroscopy of visible and ultraviolet light
measure the elementary unit of charge (Millikan oil-drop experiment)
measure crystal structure via X-ray diffraction
investigate quantum optics with entangled photons
study analog and digital electronics
Marsteller Observatory
Located on the roof of Pfahler Hall, Marsteller Observatory houses two modern telescopes with tracking and astrophotography capabilities. Students use these telescopes in astronomy and astrophysics courses. There are also observing nights open to campus.
Multivac supercomputer
The department is home to a 256-core supercomputer funded by the National Science Foundation. Students pursue research in atomic and nuclear physics on the machine. Recent work includes simulations of particle detectors and models of many atom quantum mechanical interactions.
External Laboratories
As part of their work with research groups at Ursinus, students travel to several external laboratories, including
the ultracold atomic physics lab at Bryn Mawr College.
NSF XSEDE
Ursinus also uses National Science Foundation supercomputers for research. These machines are located across the country but we use them from Ursinus. Time on these machines is provided through grants within the XSEDE program.
