Physics is a well-established and exciting discipline that continuously propels new advances in science and technology. Discoveries and interpretations of basic concepts in Physics have led to advances in technology and sometimes to the emergence of new subjects. The relevance of Physics is now recognised in diverse fields including medicine, materials, communication etc. Besides applications it also helps on one hand in the understanding of the micro-world of elementary particles and on the other hand in explorations into deep ocean as well as space and large-scale structure of the universe.
The Department of Physics at D.D.U. Gorakhpur University was started in 1958 under the visionary leadership of Prof. Devendra Sharma, a renowned spectroscopist of his time. He encouraged growth of the department in several fields till he was called upon to take up the charge of the Vice-Chancellor of the University in 1973. The headship of the department was then taken up by Prof. Nitish K. Sanyal and later by Prof. Radhey Mohan Misra, who continued the tradition of the department towards academic achievement through teaching and research. The department offers quality education at undergraduate (B.Sc.) and postgraduate (M.Sc.) levels. The faculty members are well known and recognized for their research contributions in various fields. The emphasis on teaching is among the hallmarks of the department. The undergraduate and postgraduate laboratories are well equipped and aim at giving the students hands on experience to develop their faculties of observations and measurements.
M.Sc. Physics is a four-semester course. To familiarize the students with modern research areas, in the 3rd and 4th semester, specializations are offered in Astrophysics, Biophysics, Electronics, Solid-State Physics, Spectroscopy and Lasers. It is noteworthy that Astrophysics and Biophysics specializations at M.Sc. level are offered at very few universities in India. These specializations have gained importance today but were started in this department in the late nineteen sixties. The department has been recognized under DST-FIST program by Government of India. The students of the department frequently qualify national level tests and get selected for higher studies in the top institutes of India, e.g., IISc, TIFR, IITs, IISERs, etc. The alumni of the department are highly placed in both academic and administrative fields. Several research projects undertaken by the faculty members in recent years are in the areas of Materials Science, Biophysics and Astrophysics. Among the ongoing projects ISRO project on aerosol monitoring is adding new dimensions to the department’s research activities. The department has collaborations with several national institutes and has signed a memorandum of understanding with ARIES, Nainital since 2009.
Thrust areas of research of the Department are:
1: Astrophysics
2: Atmospheric Physics
3: Biophysics
4: Experimental Condensed Matter Physics
5: Computational Materials Science
6: Electronics
7: Liquid Crystals
