Doctor of Philosophy in Physics Hampton University

The goals of the Ph.D. program in Physics at Hampton University are (1) to establish a research-oriented environment in which students may study advanced topics in physics beyond the master’s level, participate in state-of-the-art-research and pursue original ideas and concepts that contribute to the body of knowledge in physics; (2) to provide a source of scientifically and technologically trained personnel for local, state and national needs; and (3) to significantly impact the number of underrepresented minorities with advanced degrees in physics. High energy, medical, nuclear, optical, and plasma physics are the areas of research emphasis for the degree. Core requirements are the same for all tracks. Students are able to select the desired track by pursuing advanced courses and a dissertation in one of these areas. In all cases, the degree awarded is the Doctor of Philosophy.

Department of Physics Research Areas

Intermediate Energy Nuclear Physics

Jefferson Lab

The Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab) is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science with strong support from the City of Newport News and the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Minerva

MINERvA seeks to measure low-energy neutrino interactions both in support of neutrino oscillation experiments and also to study the strong dynamics of the nucleon and nucleus that affect these interactions.

Olympus

OLYMPUS at DESY (Deutsches Elektronensynchrotron) in Hamburg, Germany aims to measure the effect of a two-photon exchange by comparison of positron-proton and electron-proton elastic scattering.

TREK

TREK (Time Reversal Experiment with Kaons) aims to discover the violation of time reversal invariance beyond the Standard Model in the decay of positive kaons.

Optical Sciences

Advanced Center for Laser Science and Spectroscopy (ACLASS)

ACLASS merges traditionally separate disciplines by advancing the fundamental understanding of selected problems at the forefront of science and technology using laser spectroscopy as the common unifying theme.

Accelerator Physics

Low Energy Linear Accelerator (LELIA)

A new Accelerator Physics program is under development within the Physics Department and will be centered on on-campus research that will utilize a 500 keV electron linac modeled after the CEBAF injector at Jefferson Lab.