Introduction of School of Physics and Astronomy

  1. Educational Tradition

School of Physics and Astronomy has a long history of astronomical research. In 1927, Sun Yat-sen University established the first astronomy department in China. In 1929, the Sun Yat-sen University Observatory was built on Yuexiu Hill in Guangzhou. During the disciplines adjustment in 1952, the astronomy department of Sun Yat-sen University was completely incorporated into Nanjing University. On December 28, 2013, the Institute of Astronomy and Space Science of Sun Yat-sen University was established, restarting the astronomy discipline at Sun Yat-sen University. On September 16, 2015, the School of Physics and Astronomy of Sun Yat-sen University was established on the Zhuhai Campus. On December 7, 2019, the Department of Astronomy held the inauguration ceremony for its re-establishment and began to enroll undergraduate students majoring in astronomy.

 

  1. Overview of the School of Physics and Astronomy

The School of Physics and Astronomy of Sun Yat-sen University is a full-fledged college located on the Zhuhai Campus and is an important part of the humanities and science discipline groups of Sun Yat-sen University. Aiming to build an international first-class science college, the School of Physics and Astronomy adopts a training model that combines general education and elite talent cultivation. It takes "cultivating future scientists" as its talent cultivation goal, promotes the academic spirit of "learning at Sun Yat-sen University and striving for excellence", and trains qualified builders and reliable successors for the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. In scientific research, guided by the ideas of facing the frontiers of basic sciences, the major strategic needs of the country, and the social and economic development, the school organically combines scientific research activities with the cultivation of innovative talents and endeavors to build two first-class disciplines, physics and astronomy. The first-class discipline of physics mainly includes research directions such as gravitational physics, precision measurement physics, atomic and molecular physics, quantum precision measurement, and space science and technology. The first-class discipline of astronomy mainly includes research directions such as gravitational wave astronomy, cosmology, theory of large-scale structure of the universe and galaxy formation, high-energy astrophysics, planetary science, and astronomical observation.

 

  1. Development Plan

 According to the positioning of "increasing quantity" for the Zhuhai Campus by Sun Yat-sen University and the overall layout of developing discipline groups in deep sea, deep space, deep earth, and deep blue, the college has initially formed a medium- and long-term development plan of "123", that is, relying on two national research platforms, the TianQin Space Gravitational Wave Detection Program and the Science Center of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area for the Space-based Survey Telescope of the Chinese Space Station, and one provincial and ministerial-level platform, the Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Quantum Precision Measurement and Sensing. It leads the "deep space" discipline group of the Zhuhai Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, supports two first-class disciplines, physics and astronomy, and focuses on developing three research directions: gravitational physics, astrophysics, and quantum physics, which are supported by theoretical physics. To this end, the college has established four research teams, namely, the theoretical physics team, the TianQin team, the astronomy team, and the quantum physics team.

 

The TianQin Program is a space gravitational wave detection program led by China proposed by LUO Jun, Academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences, and his team. Its basic plan is to deploy three identical satellites in an equilateral triangle formation with a side length of about 170,000 kilometers in an Earth orbit about 100,000 kilometers high around 2035 to build a space gravitational wave detection observatory. TianQin will open a detection window for gravitational waves in the frequency band of 0.1mHz - 1Hz. The main detection targets include stellar black holes with a mass of several solar masses to supermassive black holes at the center of galaxies with a mass of tens of millions of solar masses, a large number of compact binary stars in the Milky Way, stellar binary compact stars in the neighboring cosmic space, and gravitational waves originating from the early universe, etc., which will significantly promote the research in astronomy and physics. The TianQin Program has proposed a "0123 Program" technical roadmap to steadily promote the development of a series of core key technologies. Its implementation will promote the leapfrog development of high-precision space detection payload and satellite technology in China. The technological progress achieved at each stage also has important applications in aspects such as the measurement of the Earth's gravitational field and has great strategic value.

 

The Survey Telescope Center is a research entity that gives full play to the scientific value of the space-based survey telescope of the Chinese Space Station. According to the "three-step" strategy of the manned space engineering, the Chinese Space Station has been completed and constructed in orbit in 2022, and then the Chinese Space-based Survey Telescope is about to be launched. As the most important space science facility of the space station project, the space-based survey telescope is the largest and most advanced space astronomical telescope in China so far and has strong international competitiveness. The Science Center of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area for the Space-based Survey Telescope of the Chinese Space Station is built relying on the School of Physics and Astronomy of Sun Yat-sen University. It will give full play to the school's disciplinary and talent advantages, leverage the regional, economic, and policy advantages of the Greater Bay Area, take Hong Kong and Macau as the link, gather the astronomical research forces in the Greater Bay Area and outstanding scientific teams at home and abroad to efficiently carry out astronomical scientific exchanges and research, help the school's astronomical science level move towards the international first-class, and serve the national key regional development strategy.

 

Quantum physics is a major achievement of humanity's exploration of the microscopic world. The development of quantum technology has great scientific significance and strategic value. It is a major disruptive technological innovation that impacts and reconstructs the traditional technology system and will lead the direction of a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation. The quantum physics research team of the college is based on the fundamental issues of quantum mechanics and the discipline of atomic, molecular, and optical physics and is oriented towards precision measurement and information processing to develop interdisciplinary frontier sciences based on quantum mechanical coherent states and entangled states. Quantum precision measurement and quantum information measurement and control, as important research directions of the second quantum scientific revolution, will give birth to disruptive technologies in the 21st century and are expected to bring changes in fields such as quantum simulation, quantum computing, quantum networks, quantum communication, precision spectroscopy, super remote sensing, and molecular engineering. The quantum physics-related teams will be committed to building an internationally influential research highland in atomic, molecular, and optical physics, realizing the integration and intersection of atomic, molecular, and optical physics and quantum technology, achieving major original basic scientific achievements, promoting quantum technology to serve the national economy and national strategic needs, supporting the "deep space, deep earth, and deep sea" research that meets national strategic needs represented by the TianQin Program, and cultivating outstanding quantum technology talents.

 

  1. Talent Cultivation

Talent Cultivation Goal: Cultivating Future Scientists

 

The School of Physics and Astronomy offers the undergraduate major of "Physics (including Physics and Astronomy)". It attaches importance to the cultivation of professional foundation and comprehensive quality, enabling students to master a broad and solid foundation (including strong logical analysis ability and experimental analysis ability) and broad adaptability and innovation ability, and cultivating top-notch talents suitable for scientific research in physics, astronomy, space science and technology, and related interdisciplinary fields, as well as for working in cutting-edge technology fields.

We will comprehensively implement elite education and adopt a small-class, personalized, and international teaching mode. 100% of the basic and core professional courses for undergraduates are taught by professors with rich scientific research experience. We attaches importance to the cultivation of students' scientific research capabilities. Teachers who have long been on the front line of scientific research will lead senior undergraduates to conduct early scientific research training to further strengthen students' professional qualities, and scientific research personnel working on the front line of scientific research will serve as class advisors.

The Strengthening Basic Disciplines Plan for the physics major is oriented towards the major strategic needs of the country, cultivating top-notch physics talents with patriotism and firm ideals and beliefs, solid knowledge and broad academic vision, innovative thinking and profound scientific literacy. By stimulating students' interest in cutting-edge issues in physics, it guides students to enter key scientific and technological fields and transports reserve talents for major strategic fields of the country. The Strengthening Basic Disciplines Plan constructs a phased, hierarchical, and three-dimensional talent cultivation system and runs the education of patriotism and ideals and beliefs through the whole process. The cultivation goal at the undergraduate stage is "strengthening the basics, cultivating patriotism, and entering the frontier". The cultivation goal at the master's and doctoral stages is "seeking innovation, shouldering the mission, and overcoming difficulties". According to the overall arrangement of the school, the Strengthening Basic Disciplines Plan for the physics major has started enrollment since 2020.

 

  1. Major Introduction

 

The undergraduate physics major of the School of Physics and Astronomy of Sun Yat-sen University includes two majors, namely, Physics (including gravitational physics, atomic and molecular physics, precision measurement physics) and Astronomy (including astronomy, astrophysics, cosmology). In the first and second years of undergraduate study, students are cultivated in a general major. In the third and fourth years, they are divided into physics major and astronomy major and cultivated separately.  

 

Curriculum

 

Basic Professional Courses

 

Courses for the General Major:

 

Advanced Mathematics (I), Linear Algebra, Probability and Statistics (Science and Engineering), Mechanics, Preliminary Experiments, Thermodynamics, Electromagnetism, Optics, Atomic Physics, Error Analysis and Data Processing, Basic Astronomy, Mathematical Methods in Physics, Electronic Technology, Basic Physics Experiments, Computational Methods, Electronic Technology Experiments, Modern Physics Experiments, Introduction to Scientific Research, Thesis Topic Selection, Teaching and Production Practice, Graduation Thesis.

 

For Physics Major:

 

Physics Professional Experiments.

 

For Astronomy Major:

Astronomical Observation Practice, Astronomical Observation Technology and Processing.

 

Core Professional Courses

 

Courses for the General Major:

Theoretical Mechanics, Electrodynamics, Quantum Mechanics, Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics.

 

For Physics Major:

Solid State Physics, Computational Physics.

 

For Astronomy Major:

Introduction to Astrophysics, Basics of Celestial Mechanics and Astrometry.

 

Optional Basic Professional Courses:

 Programming in Physics and Astronomy, Mechanical Drawing,  Group Theory I, Classical Field Theory, Introduction to Quantum Technology.

 

Optional Professional Courses

 

For Physics Direction:

Introduction to Precision Measurement Physics, Quantum Optics, Frontiers of Physics, Introduction to Nuclear Physics, Electronic Technology Experiments II, Laser Principles, Gravitational Wave Physics, Innovation Experiments in Precision Measurement Physics, General Relativity, Precision Optical Measurement Technology, Advanced Atomic and Molecular Physics I, Advanced Quantum Mechanics, etc.

 

For Astronomy Direction:

 Introduction to Astrophysics, Galaxy Cosmology, Frontiers of Astronomy and Space Science, Astrophysical Fluid Mechanics, Observational Astrophysics, Introduction to Space Science and Engineering, High-Energy Astrophysics, Computational Physics, Stellar Physics, High-Energy Astrophysics.

 

Honor Courses

 

For Physics:

 

Quantum Information, Advanced Statistical Physics, Quantum Field Theory I, Quantum Precision Measurement, Elementary Particle Physics I, Measurement Data Analysis and Modeling, Astrophysical Radiation Mechanisms, Quantum Frequency Standards.

 

For Astronomy: Physics of the Interstellar Medium, Galaxy Astronomy, Dark Matter in Galaxies and Galaxy Clusters, Elementary Particle Physics I, Astrophysical Radiation Mechanisms, Machine Learning in Astronomy, Particle Astrophysics, Large-Scale Structure of the Universe, Early Universe, Formation and Evolution of Galaxies.

 

  1. Faculty

We attaches importance to the construction of the talent team and has attracted many outstanding experts and scholars at home and abroad to join, and the faculty has grown rapidly. The college currently has more than 80 full-time teachers (33 professors), including 1 academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences or Chinese Academy of Engineering, 3 recipients of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, 2 recipients of the National Science Fund for Excellent Young Scholars, more than 20 person-times of national high-level talent programs, more than 80 introduced talents, and nearly 50 full-time researchers (including postdoctoral fellows).

 

  1. Graduation Destinations

It is expected that the proportion of graduates entering first-class universities or research institutes at home and abroad to study for master's or doctoral degrees will exceed 80% (20 - 30% of them will go abroad for further study) every year. The college will take effective incentive measures to strongly recommend and help students pursue further studies at world-class universities and research institutions. In addition to official channels (including the study abroad program of the China Scholarship Council, the student dispatch program of the "10 + 10" University Presidents Forum in the Sino-US Astronomy Field, the joint training program of the European Organization for Nuclear Research, etc.), there are also independent recommendation channels by professors. At the same time, the implementation of the TianQin Program requires a large number of qualified talents, and outstanding undergraduate graduates will have great opportunities for further study. The School of Physics and Astronomy has great development potential. We sincerely invite high-quality talents and research teams from home and abroad to join the teaching and research teams of the college to jointly build a "big team, big project, and big platform" facing the academic frontier, the major strategic needs of the country, and the national and regional economic and social development.

 

Tel: 0756 - 3668982

Address: 2nd Floor, No. 3 Hanlin, Zhuhai Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Tangjiawan, Xiangzhou District, Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, China

Postcode: 519082