Physics Department

The Physics Department builds the ability to apply fundamental physics — elastic wave theory in anisotropic media, Maxwell's electromagnetic field equations, thermodynamic modeling of subsurface fluids, and gravitational potential theory — to geophysical phenomena. Students apply each of these four pillars to real geophysical problems; by graduation, quantitatively interpreting geophysical phenomena on solid physical grounds has become a habit of mind.

⚙️ GeoAcademy System Administration College 🖥️ AI & Computing Sciences College 🔬 Basic Sciences College ⚡ Intelligent Geophysical Exploration College 🛢️ Resource & Energy Engineering College 🌍 Applied Geoscience Solutions College 💼 Economics, Policy & Strategy for the Future College 🎓 Education & Training Development College 🚀 Innovation & International Collaboration College

Mathematics Department Physics Department Chemistry Department Biology Department Atmospheric Sciences Department Stratigraphy & Sedimentology Department Structural Geology & Tectonics Department Petrology & Mineralogy Department Geochemistry Department Paleontology & Evolutionary Biology Dept Remote Sensing & Earth Observation Dept Hydrogeology & Soil Science Department Physical Oceanography Department Marine Geology & Geophysics Department Chemical Oceanography Department Marine Biology & Ecology Department

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⭐ Maxwell

Chair

💡 Electromagnetic Theory & Statistical Mechanics

Researchers (real GeoVerse Lab members) 12

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1635–1703

Robert Hooke

Researcher

💡 Formulated Hooke's law of elasticity, the fundamental linear stress-strain relationship underlying elastic wave theory

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1795–1870

Gabriel Lamé

Researcher

💡 Introduced the Lamé parameters, the two elastic moduli that fully characterize isotropic elastic wave propagation

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1811–1863

Auguste Bravais

Researcher

💡 Classified the 14 possible crystal lattice structures (Bravais lattices), founding the mathematical theory of crystalline anisotropy

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1878–1945

Eugene C. Bingham

Researcher

💡 Founded rheology, coining the term and characterizing Bingham plastic materials that require a yield stress before flowing

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1819–1903

George Gabriel Stokes

Researcher

💡 Co-formulated the Navier-Stokes equations governing viscous fluid flow, foundational to modeling subsurface fluid transport

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1853–1928

Hendrik Lorentz

Researcher

💡 Extended Maxwell's electromagnetic theory with the Lorentz force law and electron theory, bridging classical EM theory to relativistic physics

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1788–1827

Augustin-Jean Fresnel

Researcher

💡 Established the wave theory of light through rigorous mathematical diffraction theory, founding modern wave optics

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1580–1626

Willebrord Snellius

Researcher

💡 Formulated Snell's law of refraction, the fundamental relationship governing how waves bend at interfaces between media of different velocities

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1805–1865

William Rowan Hamilton

Researcher

💡 Reformulated classical mechanics through Hamiltonian dynamics and developed the characteristic function theory of optical rays, precursor to the eikonal equation

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1756–1827

Ernst Chladni

Researcher

💡 Founded modern acoustics, visualizing vibration patterns with 'Chladni figures' and measuring the speed of sound in various gases

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1889–1969

Léon Brillouin

Researcher

💡 Advanced wave scattering and dispersion theory, discovering Brillouin scattering and developing the WKB approximation for wave propagation in varying media

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1858–1947

Max Planck

Researcher

💡 Founded quantum theory by proposing energy quantization to explain blackbody radiation, and made foundational contributions to statistical thermodynamics