Department of Physics, Himachal Pradesh University was established in the year 1969 as part of the Regional Centre of Punjab University, Chandigarh. Later with the establishment of Himachal Pradesh University in 1970, it came into existence as a full-fledged State University Department. Since then it is the only Post Graduate Department in the state of Himachal Pradesh offering courses leading to M.Sc. in Physics, M.Phil. in Physics and a research programme leading to Ph. D. in Physics. Being the only University Physics Department of the affiliating University of the state, it has the responsibility of Planning Physics Education at Undergraduate and Post Graduate level in the Himachal Pradesh. In the last about 45 years, Department has produced more than 175 Ph.D.’s. At present Department has 10 faculty members against the sanctioned strength of 15, with one faculty member under UGC Faculty Recharge Programme. Department offers specialization in following courses at M.Sc. level:

To get intensive training and learning, students do a project spread over one semester in Department has active research groups in Theoretical, Computational as well as Experimental Physics. Four out of seven faculty members are working in various branches of Theoretical Physics and Computational Physics and the rest working in experimental material science/microwave and electronic science. Focus of research is in following

• Neutrino Physics
• Astro-particle Physics
• Nuclear Structures and Transfer Reactions
• Quantum Fluids and Electron Correlations
• Transport properties of Mesoscopic Systems
• Molecular Dynamics Simulation Studies of Classical Fluids
• Static and Dynamic Properties of Liquid Metals and Alloys
• Electronic Band structure calculations of novel mono and multi layered materials
• Physics Education Research (Development of Concept Inventories and Epistemological Studies)
• Computational Physics
• Ferro-electric Thin Film Studies
• Magnetic Properties of Ferrites
• Multiferroic Systems
• Chalcogenide glasses

In the last five years faculty has published in refereed national and international journals more than 104 papers and 25 students have been awarded Ph.D. degrees. Department has a very good record of National Eligibility Test qualifiers. At present about 40 Ph.D. Students are working in the department. Students are excelling at National level selections for admission to IITs, BARC, and CSIR laboratories across the length and breadth of the country. Department is also involved in collaborative research with scientists and researchers in national and international laboratories and other universities. Department has very good research and teaching laboratories which have been upgraded through FIST (Funds for Infrastructure in Science and Technology) programme of Department of Science and Technology, Government of India through two grants of Rs. Sixty Five Lac in 2004 and Rs 150 Lakh in 2009 .

Under these programmes following facilities have been raised:

Physics Department is a UGC SAP Department and it has just completed University Grants Commission Special Assistance Programme (SAP) level I. In the month of August 2014, Department has gone into second cycle of SAP funding. And after review by UGC expert committee Department has been tentatively recommended further a SAP DRS grant of Rs.145 Lakh. Enhancement of Advanced Computational Facility, Books, two project Fellows, organisation of seminars in identified thrust area and funds for fieldwork and inviting visiting fellows for a period of five years from 2009 to 2015. Under the second FIST funding Department has received a grant of Rs. 150 Lac, out of which, Rs. 50 Lac is for creating High Performance Computing (HPC) facility and Rs. 90 Lac for the purchase of VSM. Under UGC, Development Grant for 11th plan and 12th Plan Department provides following facilities as central facilities as part of University Science Instrumentation Centre:

X-Ray Diffractometer

Besides above facilities Department has following state of the arts instruments for Materials characterization, which are available to researchers from outside the department as well:

Department has played a proactive role in the up gradation and modernization of undergraduate and postgraduate physics curricula through Physics Education Research by conducting workshops and refresher courses. Department has also held national and international schools and conferences in the research areas of interest.

Department has contributed significantly in the enhancement of computational facilities in the University and in providing inputs for establishing campus wide optical fiber connectivity.