Princeton University - Physics

st golden age of science in America. Physics addresses the material universe at its most fundamental levels. The laws revealed by careful study and experiment should apply from subatomic to cosmological scales. With currently-understood physical law and mathematics as a foundation, the goals of physics are to push to still deeper levels of understanding and to push upward, extending our understanding to more complicated systems: molecules, fluids, solids, galaxies, living things. The Physics Department maintains an active research program with equal emphasis on theoretical and experimental studies. Besides our traditional strengths in theoretical and experimental elementary particle physics, theoretical and experimental gravity and cosmology, experimental nuclear and atomic physics, mathematical physics, and theoretical condensed matter physics, we have newer strong and growing groups in experimental condensed matter physics and biophysics. The Physics Department's main teaching and research center is the Joseph Henry Laboratories in Jadwin Hall. There is a well-equipped student machine shop in Jadwin Hall intended to give students and faculty hands-on capability for fabricating scientific apparatus and teaching aids. There is also a vacuum laboratory, a chemical laboratory, a glass-blowing shop, and electronics design facilities. Also part of the Physics Department is the Elementary Particles Laboratory which houses a machining center, a class 100 clean-room, and particle detector fabrication areas.