# Applied Physics and Materials Science

**Source**: https://www.aphms.caltech.edu/
**Parent**: https://aph.caltech.edu/

The Department of Applied Physics and Materials Science unites two disciplines with a shared vision: to understand and control matter and light across multiple spatial and temporal scales, and to design new materials and devices with unprecedented functionality. Our faculty, postdoctoral scholars, graduate and undergraduate students, and researchers collaborate across nanoscience, photonics, quantum materials, and advanced materials synthesis and characterization — advancing discoveries that unite fundamental research with transformative technologies.

Research in the department spans an extraordinary breadth — from nanomechanics, nanophotonics, optomechanics, space and fusion plasma physics, to materials physics and chemistry, plasmonics, photonics, and device physics, to biophysics, mechanical properties of materials, additive manufacturing, nanofabrication, and the synthesis and characterization of quantum materials. This integrated approach empowers us to reveal the fundamental principles of how materials and emergent materials systems behave, and to build upon them to engineer breakthroughs in quantum science, energy technologies, biomedical applications, and beyond.

## Events

[All Events](https://www.aphms.caltech.edu/events)

Ongoing

### [Spring Recess](https://www.aphms.caltech.edu/events/spring-recess-87940)

March 23, 2026

9:00 am

### [Due Date for Instructors' Final Grade Reports](https://www.aphms.caltech.edu/events/due-date-for-instructors-final-grade-reports-87944)

March 25, 2026

7:30 pm

### [POSTPONED: Watson Lecture - Katie Bouman: Illuminating the Hidden Universe with Physics and AI](https://www.aphms.caltech.edu/events/watson-lecture-katie-bouman)

[Beckman Auditorium](https://www.caltech.edu/map/campus/beckman-auditorium)

March 30, 2026

12:00 am

### [Beginning of Instruction of Spring Term](https://www.aphms.caltech.edu/events/beginning-of-instruction-of-spring-term-2)

March 31, 2026

9:00 am

### [Undergraduate Academic Standards and Honors Committee Meeting](https://www.aphms.caltech.edu/events/undergraduate-academic-standards-and-honors-committee-meeting-87966)

March 31, 2026

10:00 am

### [Science Journey - Smarter AI for a More Sustainable World: Building an AI Model You Can Trust](https://www.aphms.caltech.edu/events/science-journey-smarter-ai-for-a-more-sustainable-world)

## News

[All News](https://www.aphms.caltech.edu/news)

March 17, 2026

[Engineering Tiny 3D Metallic Parts](https://www.aphms.caltech.edu/news/engineering-tiny-3d-metallic-parts)

March 4, 2026

[Using Tiny Ripples at Skin Level to Monitor for Possible Health Problems Below](https://www.aphms.caltech.edu/news/using-tiny-ripples-at-skin-level-to-monitor-for-possible-health-problems-below)

February 4, 2026

[Extending Optical Fiber's Ultralow Loss Performance to Photonic Chips](https://www.aphms.caltech.edu/news/extending-optical-fibers-ultralow-loss-performance-to-photonic-chips)

January 16, 2026

[Untangling Entanglement and More](https://magazine.caltech.edu/post/untangling-entanglement-and-more)