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PHYSICS FACILITIES

    A large number of workstations and PC's are used in the Department to support the research of graduate students, staff, and faculty. These include more than twenty Unix-based Silicon Graphics Super minicomputers, DEC stations, Sun Sparkstations as well as numerous IBM PC compatible and MacIntosh computers. The workstations generally have high speed, high resolution graphics capabilities and support many simultaneous remote users. All of the Departmental computing resources are linked via Ethernet with Novell and NFS software. The Departmental network also provides high speed access to the University Computer Center mainframes and Internet.

    The University Computer Center contains two 8-processor Silicon Graphics Super minicomputers, both of which employ RISC processors and very large core memory. These are devoted exclusively to the computer needs of researchers in the science departments. In addition, there are two AMDAHL 5860 systems.

    The GSU library houses a collection in excess of one million bound volumes plus extensive
microfilm and government document holdings. The library subscribes to more than 250 journals in the physics/astrophysics/astronomy area. An aggressive monograph acquisitions program is maintained.

    Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) and Electron-Nuclear Double Resonance (ENDOR) instrumentation includes X-band (10 GHz) and K-band (24 GHz) equipment. One spectrometer in each frequency band is equipped with apparatus for low- temperature irradiation (visible, UV and x-rays) and study of samples, specifically single crystals. Temperature control capabilities permit studies from 4 K to beyond 300 K. X-ray diffraction equipment suitable for orienting and aligning crystals is also located in the laboratory. Sample preparation facilities include a well-equipped chemistry laboratory for general purpose use and for crystal growth.

    The magnetic resonance instruments are controlled by microcomputers which can also be
used for preliminary data analysis. Other microcomputer facilities are available in the laboratory along with two graphics workstations (DecStation 3100 and Silicon Graphics Indigo2). The Silicon Graphics system includes molecular modeling and molecular display software. All computer systems are networked together and have access to Internet.

    Considerable instrumentation exists in the Department to support the GSU heavy-ion research at the Oak Ridge and Brookhaven National Laboratories (see section below in research facilities). These instruments include CAMAC and NIM bins and a wide assortment of CAMAC and NIM modules used in experiments at GSU, Oak Ridge, and Brookhaven. Computer equipment devoted to reduction and analysis of these experiments includes several high speed workstations. These include a new Silicon Graphics Indigo 2 workstation and two Vaxstations, all of which are equipped with high-density 8-mm tape drives. A number of personal computers are equipped with networking hardware and X-windows software, enabling workers to use the high speed, 8-processor Silicon Graphics computer in the GSU computer center and to use mainframe computers at Brookhaven and Oak Ridge. A detector system for discriminating between relativistic muons and pions using
"limited streamer mode" detectors is under way in the Department and at the Alternating
Gradient Synchrotron at Brookhaven.

    Nuclear Physics researchers at GSU regularly make use of the facilities at the Oak Ridge and Brookhaven National Laboratories. A 25 MV electrostatic accelerator is available at Oak Ridge, which is being developed into a radioactive beam facility. At Brookhaven the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) is under construction. When completed in 1996 this accelerator will be the premiere nuclear physics research facility in the world. Workers at GSU are involved in design and construction of one of the two large experiments that are intended to be on-line when RHIC is completed in 1996. At the present time experiments in relativistic particle and heavy ion physics are being carried out using the Alternating Gradient Synchrotron at Brookhaven. Experimental work is under way at GSU and Brookhaven to develop muon detector systems for the large RHIC detector.

    A state-of-the-art positron annihilation lifetime spectrometer allows measurements of lifetimes as short as 0.2 nsec to an accuracy of better than 0.01 nsec. Output data are automatically stored, and can be printed, plotted or transferred to the University's Mainframe Computer for analysis. This apparatus allows investigations of samples under various physical conditions.

    Other instrumentation in this laboratory includes a high resolution Ge detector and a helium
refrigeration system which can be used to perform experiments in the temperature range 10oK to 400oK. In addition, a large amount of digital nuclear instrumentation is utilized in the positron laboratory.

    The well-equipped solid state physics laboratory in the Department permits the performance of experiments on electrical, thermal, optical and acoustical properties of solids. These experiments have been important complements to research in the positron annihilation and magnetic resonance labs. Equipment in the solid state lab includes: induction furnace, high-vacuum equipment, sputtering apparatus, helium cryostats, optical spectrometers and dielectric-loss apparatus.

    The major equipment in the optoelectronics laboratory includes a very low background computer controlled cryogenic monochromator, a continuous flow cryostat, a closed cycle refrigerator system, a CO2 laser system, a Fourier Transform Infrared spectrometer (FTIR), a wedge wire bonder, high vacuum system, a 32-channel (25 MHz) logic analyzer with a 2-channel 400MHz (4K memory) digital scope, a circular variable Infrared filter system and a liquid helium cooled bolometer/dewer setup. The data acquisition systems in the laboratory are fully computer controlled via CAMAC (Computer Automated Measurement, Acquisition and Control) and/or IEEE-488 (GPIB--General purpose Interface Bus) interfaces. Some of the CAMAC modules in the system include Gate delay generators, Transient recorders, Scalars, A/D and D/A converters, multiplexers, and LAM generators. The DMA (direct memory access) crate controller in this system permits very fast data
transfer. In addition to the optoelectronic research, these systems are used for time interval
measurements in connection with non-linear dynamics and neural network research. The modelling and data acquisition is carried out using 386 and 486 (50, 66, 100 MHz) microcomputers with graphic displays and peripherals (plotters, laser printers and a scanner) with a high speed link to a Silicon Graphics computer and the GSU main computer. AutoCAD (a drawing program), QuattroPro (a spreadsheet program), and LaTex (a typesetting program) are used in drawing and document preparation.

Labs for Physics 1111K, 1112K meet in rooms 210, 222, and 226 in the New Science Building. Physics 2211K and 2212K labs usually meet in room 210. Physics 3500/8800 labs meet in room 232.

Directions

From the Five Points Marta Transit Station, exit on the Peachtree Street side, go north on Peachtree one block to Decatur Street. Then, go East on Decatur Street approximately 2 blocks. Before you reach the end of the 2nd block, you will see the GSU Science Annex Building on the North side of Decatur Street across the street from   Mc Donalds. Enter the Science Annex Building and go to the 2nd floor. There you will find the labs as well as .
the Physics lab coordinator, Carola Butler's office in room 214. Her phone number is (404) 413-6030. There is an answering machine. Bring her your problems or concerns with the labs.

Starting dates

Labs will start meeting the week of August 30. Monday labs will meet on August 30. Tuesday labs will meet for the first time on August 31 and so forth.

Required supplies

Manuals for Physics 1111K, 1112K, 2211K, 2212K, 3500, and 8800 are only available at the printshop, which is located at 6 Decatur Street. The phone number is (404) 523-2679. The manuals are required. 1111K, 1112K, 2211K, and 2212K students also need a clear plastic metric ruler and a calculator.

2211K, 2212K, 3500, and 8800 students must also have a bound quadrille ruled notebook. Composition ruled notebooks are not acceptable. The Park Place Bookstore is a good source for notebooks.

Lab Procedures

Labs for Physics 1111K, 1112K, 2211K, and 2212K begin with a fifteen minute quiz covering the required readings for the current experiment and review questions from previous experiments. Yes, there is a quiz on the first day. Students who arrive late will not be given extra time to finish the quiz. You must take the quiz and do the experiment in the same period.

Lab attendance

When you registered for a course you also registered for a specific lab section. You must attend that section. You may not permanently change lab sections without the lab supervisor's permission.

Physics 1111K, 1112K, 2211K, 2212K labs consist of thirteen experiments. At the end of the semester the top twelve grades are averaged. The average lab grade makes up 25% of the final grade for the course. If you miss more than one experiment the missing grade is averaged in as a zero.

If you miss your lab

If you miss your regular lab section you may attend another section if space is available. Before the quiz ask the instructor if you may attend his or her lab. Please note on the quiz and the experiment that you are a visitor and write down your usual day, time, and room. This is the only way you can make up missed work.

Please note that each experiment runs from Monday to Thursday. Once the week is over there is no chance of making up the experiment. No special make up sessions are available, ever. If you miss more than one experiment due to illness, military service, or some other hardship, discuss the problem with your course professor.

Labor Day make up labs

Monday, September 6 is the Labor Day holiday. The labs that would meet that day will meet at the usual time and room on Friday, September 3. If you cannot make it to a Friday lab you have two options:

One: Go to another section that meets during the following week. Be sure to write on the quiz and experiment that you are a visitor and write down your usual lab day, time, and room number.

Two: You may use this as your drop grade. This is not a good idea; you don't want to use your drop this early in the semester.

Lab Schedule

Sometimes a lab section has to be cancelled. Cancellations will be posted here. If your lab section is cancelled you may go to any other section. If you have a problem, consult the lab coordinator
 
 

 

ASTRONOMY FACILITIES

Observatories

 For detailed information, please visit The Astronomy Program Website.
 

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