Profile of the Department
The department of Physics was started with BA Physics programme in 1881 and was renamed to BSc Physics (Honours) in 1906. A new nomenclature was offered to the hitherto BA Physics as BSc Physics Course in 1930. An additional section was initiated in 1963. MSc Physics programme was introduced in 1961 followed by Doctor of Philosophy in 1971 and MPhil programme in 1977. To cater the needs of the students, BSc and MSc (Physics) programmes in Self-financing section (shift II) were established in 1982 and in 2004 respectively. An additional section for BSc programme was started functioning in shift II from the academic year 2018-19. Presently there are 30 teaching faculties and 9 nonteaching staff in the department. The department was honoured with DST-FIST in 2009 and DBT-STAR status in 2018. Over a period of 138 years, the alumni of the department have served and are still serving the nation in various capacities. Notable among them are Bharat Ratna Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, the former President of India and Dr G N Ramachandran, an Indian physicist who was known for his work, "The Ramachandran Plot" for understanding peptide structure, nominated for noble prize (Doctoral student of Nobel laureate Sir C. V. Raman). Besides that the department has also produced notable alumnus like Tamil writer Sujatha Rangarajan and R.S Krishnan, an Indian experimental physicist, who was known for the 'Krishnan effect'.
The Department gave birth to BSc Computer Science in 1983, Master of Computer Applications (MCA) and Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Science and Applications (PGDCSA) in 1984.These Programmes were nurtured and developed by the physics department before they became as individual in 1989. Similarly, BSc (1993) and MSc Electronics (1998) and Post Graduate Diploma in Microprocessor and Computer Hardware (PGDMCH) programmes were the masterminds of the department of physics which later enrooted as a separate department in 2002.
Infrastructures:
The PG and Research Department of Physics is housed in an exclusive heritage building called DIGBY hall. The Department has nine Class rooms; four of them equipped with ICT facilities and an air conditioned smart class room. The department has very unique and well equipped individual Laboratories for first UG and allied, second and third year students. UG students are specially trained with skill oriented workshop practices at the graduate level. This has been one of the unique features of the department right from its birth. A well equipped PG laboratory for general and electronics experiments is the pride of the department. M.Sc. students are given hands-on training with advanced experiments (both general and electronics), and they also do research projects as part of the curriculum. The photo studio of the department gives hands-on skills and experience in photography for UG and PG students that inspire many students to become professional photographers. Department has an exclusive library for the faculties and students for immediate reference.
The department has four dynamic clubs for problem solving skill, Innovation, Lab instruments fabrication and repairing, Quiz programme to enrich students with potential talent. In addition, internship programmes is also mandatory as part of the curriculum.
Presently, the department offers M.Phil and PhD programmes aiming at product based research outcomes and there are 7 research supervisors for PhD and 12 M.Phil guides. The latest research focused on the 6 specialization fields on Thin Film, Crystal Growth, Materials Science, Ultrasonics, Nano Materials and Luminescence.
The Department has in house DST-FIST funded library for the faculty and students for immediate reference.
