All students are required to carry out a research project, as specified in the Plan of Graduate Studies, prepare a thesis, and pass an oral exam. There are current research projects in the Department of Physics in fields such as Condensed Matter/Materials Science, Laser Spectroscopy, High Energy Physics, Astrophysics and Radioastronomy, Theoretical Physics and Mathematical Modeling for Biological Applications, and Atmospheric Physics. Department facilities for research include well-developed laboratories for experimental research in laser spectroscopy and condensed matter/materials science, and facilities for computational work. For laser spectroscopy and nonlinear-optical studies, the Department of Physics research laboratories are equipped with a wide variety of laser sources producing beams from continuous wave to femtosecond pulses, and advanced spectroscopic equipment including double spectrometers and photon counting systems. Thin film and crystal growth facilities include systems for pulsed laser deposition, DC and RF sputtering, metal- organic chemical vapor deposition, and sol-gel techniques, high temperature furnaces and other sample preparation equipment. Materials characterization facilities include a high-resolution x-ray diffractometer specially equipped for thin film studies, atomic force/scanning tunneling microscope, systems for low-temperature electronic, optical, and magneto-optical studies of solids, multiple wavelength ellipsometer, and an electron spin resonance spectrometer. Additional facilities are available to researchers through other UPRM facilities and the UPR Materials Characterization Center. Experimental research in high energy Physics is conducted in close collaboration with Fermilab, in Illinois, and advanced data analysis and transmission facilities to aid this effort are located in the Department of Physics. Distributed computational resources sustaining research are available through several laboratories, and the computer room for use by students and faculty, and through communication connections to campus and external facilities. The Department also has a precision machine shop supporting research activities.