The primary research facilities are, of course, those of the individual scientists. These range from nano-kelvin laser cooling chambers to high energy particle detectors and everything in between. They are discussed in detail in the group and individual research descriptions that follow. However, the department has a number of shared research facilities available for use by all. These include our library, computing and machining resources.
The Physics and Astronomy Library is housed in the department and is managed by full-time staff. It keeps the full complement of books and journals needed to support the research and teaching efforts of the Department. There are also the nearby ancillary library holdings in the Chemistry/Mathematics and Engineering Libraries and in the internationally known History of Science Collection.
The Department maintains modern computing facilities. It currently houses an eight node IBM SP2 parallel supercomputer, for exclusive use by OU researchers. This is supplemented by a network of over 30 UNIX workstations. Graduate students have exclusive access to a bank of workstations and Xterminals. Hardware and software upgrades are continuously being implemented by our full-time computer staff. On-line access is available to the NSF supercomputer network as well as other supercomputers for those groups with approved projects. Researchers also have access to supercomputer time at Livermore, San Diego, Los Alamos, Pittsburgh, and NCSA. The Natural Sciences Computer Lab houses 30 Pentium-based PC's; it is used for teaching and to meet students' routine email needs.
There is also a well-equipped student machine shop and a staffed in-house instrument shop, with three full-time machinists. The shop staff have experience with a wide variety of exotic materials and techniques. Instruments and equipment are developed in a team approach, involving students, faculty and machinists. Using computer aided design and numerically controlled milling machines, they regularly produce state-of-the-art instrumentation. There is also a full-time electronics technician available for maintenance and repair of all the Department's research equipment and to assist in circuit design.