Study the fundamental properties of energy, matter and the universe using some of the most advanced equipment available to undergraduate students.
Our innovative curriculum explores topics ranging from “the six ideas that shaped physics” and the physics of music to general relativity and cosmology. Theses are required, and majors are encouraged to elect independent research projects.
A highlight of our department is the incredible access students have to research-grade equipment including the Table Mountain 1-meter telescope, a scanning electron microscope and a tunneling microscope.
To meet diverse interests, the physics major includes multiple tracks: physics, astrophysics, astronomy, and Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences.
Our graduates are problem-solvers and include research scientists, astronomers, doctors, lawyers, teachers, entrepreneurs, computer programmers and movie technicians.
What You’ll Study
- Current models in both Classical and Quantum Mechanics
- Topics in Electricity and Magnetism, and Statistical Mechanics
- A broad range of experimental and data-analysis techniques
- Design and construction of circuits and experimental devices
- Research methods for conducting and presenting research clearly, logically and ethically
Researching at Pomona
Toroidal Air Plasma Project
Rohan Lopez ’22 [pictured] and Jeremy Adams ’21 have been working on a toroidal air plasma project for the past few years. Last year, they determined the optimal configurations for vortex ring formation and maximum thrust for applications in small spacecraft propulsion.
Speckle Imaging
Christina Dong ’22 participated virtually in an NSF REU at Harvey Mudd College with Professor Josh Brake at the Biophotonics Lab. With other REU and HMC students, they started a project to create a speckle imaging system that could image through scattering media. Speckle imaging is a type of computational imaging system, which images things without a lens and utilizes a computer to reconstruct an image of an object.
As an FLI student, I deeply care about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), particularly towards making this field accessible to students of minority backgrounds, and this is a value that the Physics Department shares. It’s really easy to feel daunted by such a white- and male-dominated field like physics and self-select out of it, but I have felt supported by department-wide curriculum and student-driven initiatives that seek to acknowledge these issues of DEI in physics.