The Department of Physics as an independent department was created in 1971. In the same year  B.Sc. (Hons.) course was introduced.

 

The Department of Physics introduced M.Sc. (Physics) course in the year 1985 with specialization in Physics of Materials. Further in 1995-96, the Department started two more specializations in M.Sc. Physics, viz. Laser & Spectroscopy and Theoretical Physics. Thus, the following three specializations now exist at M.Sc. Physics level:

(iii)             Theoretical Physics.

 

Instrumentation was introduced in 1996 as one of the subjects in B. Sc Pass Course. This includes various applied topics such as micro processors, transducers, optical, vacuum & Mechanical instrumentations, Metrology and Entrepreneurship etc. The Department also started a self financing course, M. Tech. in Nanotechnology, in the year 2007 in tune with the rising demand of strengthening research in nanotechnology as well as its commercial utility. The laboratory facility for the course was provided with the available equipments/instruments present in the Department.

 

Thirty five students are admitted every year to the M.Sc. course in physics. The intake of students per year for B.Sc. (Hons.) is 40, for B.Sc.(Pass) is 50 and that for B.Sc. with Instrumentation is 20.

 

 

            In 1994, the Department of Physics received the Departmental Research Support Scheme (DRS) status under the SAP Programme of UGC. The thrust areas identified under the programme were

 

I)  Theoretical Nuclear and High Energy Physics
II) Condensed Matter Physics

 

During 1994-1999 the DRS programme provided the Department with a research grant of Rs. 35.00 lakhs. In 2005, the DRS was extended into Phase II for which Rs. 40.25 lakhs were allocated to the Department. Currently, the III phase (2006-2011) of the Departmental Research Support Scheme (DRS) is undergoing for which an amount of Rs.33 lakhs was sanctioned for equipments and 2.4 lakhs per year as recurring grant.  The Department also received additional Infrastructure grant of Rs. 40. Lakhs from UGC under SAP programme during 2008-2010.

 

Earlier, UGC, under COSIST Programme, funded Rs. 67.5 lakhs for strengthening the research programme of the Department by providing funds for the purchase of high end research equipments.   In addition to this, the Department also received Rs. 67.0 Lakhs under FIST Scheme of DST for strengthening the research and PG Labs.

 

                       

The research areas which are in progress in the Department are: (a) Nanomaterials, (b) Growth and characterization of single crystals (c) High Tc Superconductivity, (d) X-ray Diffraction, (e) Molecular and Laser Spectroscopy, (f) Laser Materials, (g)  Amorphous Semiconductors (h) Nonlinear Optics and Quantum Optics, (i) Theoretical Nuclear and Condensed Matter Physics, (j) Theoretical High Energy Physics, and (k)  Polymer Materials

 

Over the year faculty members of the Department have been actively involved in research and completed a number of research projects funded by various agencies and produced more than 50 Ph.Ds, besides a large number of research papers in international journals and some text books which are used internationally. Active involvement of faculty members of the Department could be judged from the research projects currently undertaken by them which have been sponsored by DIT/UGC/DST/DRDO/AICTE and are listed in the table given below.