A Track-Based Advanced Physics Laboratory Course

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This proposal aims to develop and implement a new "track-based" advanced physics laboratory course, where students undertake a series of related experiments in a single area of physics. The experiments in a given track begin simply, and expand into greater levels of sophistication as the course progresses. Although the experiments themselves cover only one area, the experimental techniques used apply to many other areas of physics. A comprehensive tutorial is to accompany and describe the experiments, providing the necessary background and motivation for the laboratory investigations. It is believed that such a track-based lab course is more effective than traditional physics laboratory courses at teaching students experimental physics, and at instilling in students a higher level of confidence and competence in the laboratory.Two tracks will be created: 1) laser-based atomic/molecular/optical physics, and 2) acoustics. The first track makes use of new and significant advances in semiconductor diode laser technology. Applying recently-developed techniques, visible 670-nm diode lasers are being made into tunable narrow- linewidth laser light sources, which emit at the wavelength of the D-lines of lithium. Using these laser tools, fundamental phenomena in atomic and optical physics are being demonstrated. The second track explores several aspects of classical and modern acoustics, with special attention paid to recent advances in quantum and non-linear acoustics.