Laszlo Mihaly
Department Chair

Jacobus Verbaarschot
Director

The Department of Physics and Astronomy in the College of Arts and Sciences offers courses of study and research that normally lead to the Ph.D. degree. The M.A degree is awarded either to exchange students or to students on the way to the Ph.D. degree. A Master of Science in Scientific Instrumentation program is provided for those interested in instrumentation for physical research. A Master of Arts in Teaching program, from the School of Professional Development, is available for students seeking to teach physics in high schools.

Physics research is conducted in the areas of particle, nuclear, condensed matter, mesoscopic, nanoscale, device, and atomic, molecular, and optical physics on campus and at research facilities elsewhere. Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), located only 20 miles away, offers many unique research opportunities. A number of institutes dedicated to specific fields of research are associated with the Department.

A new Simons Center for Geometry and Physics initatiated by a significant private donation to the University is now in the planning stage. It will build on the historic close interaction between mathematicians and physicists at Stony Brook.

Astronomical research is conducted on both theoretical and observational topics. The group uses DOE supercomputing facilities as well as an on-site Beowulf cluster for extensive simulations of astronomical objects and nuclear astrophysical processes. Observational research investigates extragalactic and cosmological parameters, molecular clouds, stellar properties, star formation regions, and neutron stars.