Physics, Geophysics Labs

Several impressive research laboratories are housed in Connecticut College's department of physics, astronomy and geophysics. You can work with faculty members on exciting research projects. Much of our research equipment is designed and fabricated right here at the College, giving you unique and boundless opportunities to design, construct and test different systems.

• The laser laboratory, a state-of-the-art facility, utilizes tunable diode lasers to conduct spectroscopic research on molecules of atmospheric interest, both terrestrially and in atmospheres of the outer planets. Supported by several NASA-sponsored programs, our students are involved in recording data at collaborating laboratories, including Kitt Peak and the University of Pierre and Marie Curie in Paris, France, with opportunities to participate in research projects at both facilities.
• The Daghlian accelerator laboratory houses a 1-million volt positive ion accelerator, Pelletron-designed and built by National Electrostatics Corporation. The beams from the accelerator are used in two different research projects in the areas of atmospheric physics, comets and planetary physics, and archaeology and environmental studies research.
• The 20 inch Ritchey-Cretien Cassegrain telescope in the Olin Observatory is equipped with a modern CCD camera, on which students conduct differential photometry projects on various celestial objects ranging from active galactic nuclei to comets and asteroids.
• The state's largest recirculating hydraulic flume used to replicate flow in natural rivers. This system circulates more than 10 gallons a second to produce patterns of erosion and deposition. Turbulence can be measured with an acoustic Doppler velocimeter.A photonics laboratory that hosts a fully-automated semiconductor device characterization setup, a high-speed optoelectronic system for generation of high power and short optical pulses for free-space optical communication applications.
• The photonics research focuses on the invention of new semiconductor device concepts, the practical realization of those devices, and their integration into subsystems.