# computations in EE?



## BG7 (Oct 1, 2010)

I'm mostly interested in solid-state, lasers, and optics. I've looked at some research done by EE professors in those areas, but it seems mostly experimental, with not much computational work. I heard that one area of computational work in EE is computational electromagnetics. I was hoping there were comp. methods used for the quantum mechanics side (other than for quantum computing)

Are N-body simulations, molecular dynamics, density functional theory, and/or other computational tools used in EE, in particular in lasers and solid-state? Or some area in EE that utilizes numerical analysis, numerical PDEs, and such for those areas, as I know those are used for other areas of physics, like CFD


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## benbo (Oct 1, 2010)

BG7 said:


> I'm mostly interested in solid-state, lasers, and optics. I've looked at some research done by EE professors in those areas, but it seems mostly experimental, with not much computational work. I heard that one area of computational work in EE is computational electromagnetics. I was hoping there were comp. methods used for the quantum mechanics side (other than for quantum computing)
> Are N-body simulations, molecular dynamics, density functional theory, and/or other computational tools used in EE, in particular in lasers and solid-state? Or some area in EE that utilizes numerical analysis, numerical PDEs, and such for those areas, as I know those are used for other areas of physics, like CFD


I thought you mostly interested in Aeronautical Engineering. What happened to that?

You can find all types of math in all areas of engineering. And since the real world is largely non-linear you will be able to find opportunities to model equations no matter what field you choose. If I was primarily interested in the mathematical tools I used to solve complex physical problems rathere than the actual physical problems themselves I would go into Applied Math or Computer Science.


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## BG7 (Oct 1, 2010)

benbo said:


> BG7 said:
> 
> 
> > I'm mostly interested in solid-state, lasers, and optics. I've looked at some research done by EE professors in those areas, but it seems mostly experimental, with not much computational work. I heard that one area of computational work in EE is computational electromagnetics. I was hoping there were comp. methods used for the quantum mechanics side (other than for quantum computing)
> ...


well I was, but things have changed since my last job that ended a few months ago. In my last job, I worked mostly with thermal analysis and thought it was boring. Also, in the last few months I've just been doing some reading in the news in physics and engineering, and alot of the cool stuff I've been reading about were EE-related - lasers, solid-state, and optics. I then looked over my quantum mechanics notes from a year ago (I did my undergrad in physics, not AE), and remembered that I really liked quantum mechanics and linear algebra. I guess the reason why I thought physics wasn't for me was because I was never a big fan of E&amp;M.

Anyways, I thought AE was a good fit for me simply because I like using alot of computational methods for physical problems and I heard that CFD uses it the most. Plus, I always had an interest in working in the aerospace/defense area. However, my last job there was boring so as a result I began to look elsewhere

In regards to my last thread, where you thought I was interested in AE .. I haven't heard back from the hiring manager even though a few days have passed since he said he would return from his business trip. I was never all that excited about the offer anyways because I wasn't sure if I should do grad studies in AE or another field


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## BG7 (Oct 1, 2010)

benbo said:


> You can find all types of math in all areas of engineering. And since the real world is largely non-linear you will be able to find opportunities to model equations no matter what field you choose. If I was primarily interested in the mathematical tools I used to solve complex physical problems rathere than the actual physical problems themselves I would go into Applied Math or Computer Science.


Oh ok. I'm more interested in the problems than the tools, but would like to use the tools alot, so thats why I think physics or engineering is better for me. I just didn't think there was much computational tools used in EE as I mostly see just experimental research in EE. I just want to do lots of computational work, and avoid experimental work at all costs


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## benbo (Oct 1, 2010)

BG7 said:


> In regards to my last thread, where you thought I was interested in AE .. I haven't heard back from the hiring manager even though a few days have passed since he said he would return from his business trip. I was never all that excited about the offer anyways because I wasn't sure if I should do grad studies in AE or another field


It's not only that I thought you were interested in it. I understood you had applied and been accepted to UCLA grad school and were thinking of getting a PhD in it - or Mechanical engineering, one or the other of those.

Now a couple weeks later you're talking about EE.

Add to this your undergrad is in Physics, and everything you talk about being interested in is basically Math.

It's all a little weird, frankly. Why not stay in Physics?

Maybe somebody here can help you, and you are of course free to post a question wherever you want. But you might get better responses posting to more academic websites.


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## benbo (Oct 1, 2010)

One other thing - I don't think whether your emphasis is experimental or theoretical (read "computational") is that closely tied to what department you are in. Especially if you are looking at cutting edge stuff. Granted, engineers tend more toward the practical, but there are physicists who do a lot of experimentation and EEs who primarily do theory and computation.

Case in point - my father was involved in early microwave and laser communication. His degrees were in physics and applied math, but the other folks on his team had all sorts of degrees- primarily EEs. My dad was a math guy. I look at the old papers he wrote and they are full of Bessel functions and Legendre polynomials. The only time I think he ever saw a travelling wave tube was when he went down to the lab to hand his guys their paychecks. But there were other people, with the same education, doing more hands on work.


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## BG7 (Oct 1, 2010)

benbo said:


> BG7 said:
> 
> 
> > In regards to my last thread, where you thought I was interested in AE .. I haven't heard back from the hiring manager even though a few days have passed since he said he would return from his business trip. I was never all that excited about the offer anyways because I wasn't sure if I should do grad studies in AE or another field
> ...


Yes its weird, and thats why its giving me a ton of stress! I originally thought physics wasn't for me because I had trouble with some of the very theoretical concepts, especially in E&amp;M. Also, I guess I had some misconceptions about the unemployment rates for physics phD's, but recently got that clarified. Plus, after working in industry for a bit, I'm willing to sacrifice that to do a phD in something I really love.

As for the phD in AE at UCLA, well I know that I want to have a research career, but am just unsure of what field. I only considered UCLA for this upcoming year since it was the only school I applied to as they had a very late deadline. It was more of a backup insurance plan more than anything. I was never dead set on accepting it


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## BG7 (Oct 1, 2010)

benbo said:


> One other thing - I don't think whether your emphasis is experimental or theoretical (read "computational") is that closely tied to what department you are in. Especially if you are looking at cutting edge stuff. Granted, engineers tend more toward the practical, but there are physicists who do a lot of experimentation and EEs who primarily do theory and computation.
> Case in point - my father was involved in early microwave and laser communication. His degrees were in physics and applied math, but the other folks on his team had all sorts of degrees- primarily EEs. My dad was a math guy. I look at the old papers he wrote and they are full of Bessel functions and Legendre polynomials. The only time I think he ever saw a travelling wave tube was when he went down to the lab to hand his guys their paychecks. But there were other people, with the same education, doing more hands on work.


I guess I'm more towards the middle - I don't like the very abstract stuff in say string theory, but have a general dislike towards practical stuff, other than products in aerospace/defense. I guess EEs doing theory and computation serves me best. So did your dad have a phD? In physics or applied math? Or just BS in physics and math? Sounds like he did work I would like to do in that he got to work on EE and physics but never had to do hands-on work


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## benbo (Oct 1, 2010)

BG7 said:


> I guess I'm more towards the middle - I don't like the very abstract stuff in say string theory, but have a general dislike towards practical stuff, other than products in aerospace/defense. I guess EEs doing theory and computation serves me best. So did your dad have a phD? In physics or applied math? Or just BS in physics and math? Sounds like he did work I would like to do in that he got to work on EE and physics but never had to do hands-on work


My dad had a Master's in Applied Math, and a PhD in Physics, or vise versa. Can't remember.

Like I said, you're probably better off checking on an academic website.


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