Specialized and Applied Physics - Complete Resource Guide 2026
Medical physics, geophysics, optics, biophysics, and all applied physics areas
🔬 8 Major Specializations | 🏥 Medical Physics | 🌍 Geophysics | 💡 Optics
🏥 MEDICAL PHYSICS
Professional Societies
| Society | Region | Members | URL |
|---|---|---|---|
| AAPM | American Association of Physicists in Medicine | 8,000+ | aapm.org |
| IOMP | International Organization for Medical Physics | 80+ countries | iomp.org |
| EFOMP | European Federation of Organisations for Medical Physics | 34 countries | efomp.org |
| AFOMP | Asia-Oceania Federation of Medical Physics | 18 countries | afomp.org |
| CAMRT | Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists | Canada | camrt.ca |
| ACPSEM | Australasian College of Physical Scientists & Engineers | Australia/NZ | acpsem.org.au |
Medical Physics Subspecialties
| Subspecialty | Description | Key Techniques |
|---|---|---|
| Radiation Therapy Physics | Cancer treatment planning | IMRT, VMAT, SBRT, proton therapy |
| Diagnostic Imaging Physics | Quality assurance for imaging | CT, MRI, PET, SPECT, ultrasound |
| Nuclear Medicine Physics | Radioisotope imaging & therapy | PET/CT, SPECT/CT, radiopharmaceuticals |
| Health Physics | Radiation protection | Dosimetry, shielding, regulatory compliance |
| MRI Physics | Magnetic resonance imaging | 3T, 7T, functional MRI, spectroscopy |
| Ultrasound Physics | Medical ultrasound | Doppler, elastography, contrast imaging |
Certification Boards
| Board | Country | Certification |
|---|---|---|
| ABR | American Board of Radiology | Medical Physics (Therapy, Diagnostic, Nuclear) |
| ABMP | American Board of Medical Physics | Comprehensive medical physics |
| CAMRT | Canada | Medical Imaging/Therapy Physics |
| IFMBE | International | Medical physics standards |
Major Medical Physics Programs
USA:
- Duke University (MP)
- University of Wisconsin-Madison (MP)
- University of Texas MD Anderson (MP)
- Johns Hopkins University
- University of Michigan
UK:
- King's College London
- University of Surrey
- University of Leeds
Canada:
- University of Toronto
- McGill University
- University of British Columbia
🌍 GEOPHYSICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE
Major Societies
| Society | Region | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| AGU | American Geophysical Union | Global, 60,000+ members |
| EGU | European Geosciences Union | Europe, 20,000+ members |
| SSA | Seismological Society of America | Seismology |
| SEG | Society of Exploration Geophysicists | Exploration geophysics |
| GSA | Geological Society of America | Geology/geophysics |
Research Institutions
USA:
- USGS - United States Geological Survey
- IRIS - Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology
- EarthScope - National geophysical facility
- NOAA - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
- NASA Planetary Science - JPL, Goddard, Ames
Europe:
- GFZ - German Research Centre for Geosciences (Potsdam)
- IPGP - Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris
- INGV - Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (Italy)
- British Geological Survey
Oceanography:
- WHOI - Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
- GEOMAR - Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research (Germany)
- AWI - Alfred Wegener Institute (Germany)
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Subdisciplines
| Field | Description | Applications |
|---|---|---|
| Seismology | Study of earthquakes | Hazard assessment, Earth's interior structure |
| Volcanology | Volcanic physics | Eruption prediction, hazard mapping |
| Planetary Science | Physics of planets | Space missions, exoplanet studies |
| Atmospheric Physics | Physics of atmosphere | Weather, climate modeling |
| Ocean Physics | Ocean dynamics | Circulation, waves, tides |
| Glaciology | Physics of ice | Climate change, sea level rise |
| Geomagnetism | Earth's magnetic field | Paleomagnetism, space weather |
| Hydrology | Water physics | Water resources, flood prediction |
🔊 ACOUSTICS
Societies
| Society | Region |
|---|---|
| ASA | Acoustical Society of America |
| IOA | Institute of Acoustics (UK) |
| EAA | European Acoustics Association |
| I-INCE | International Institute of Noise Control Engineering |
Subdisciplines
- Architectural Acoustics - Concert halls, room acoustics
- Underwater Acoustics - SONAR, marine mammal communication
- Medical Ultrasound - Imaging, therapy
- Audio Acoustics - Sound reproduction, recording
- Noise Control - Environmental noise, industrial noise
- Musical Acoustics - Physics of instruments
- Speech Acoustics - Speech production and recognition
💡 OPTICS & PHOTONICS
Major Societies
| Society | Description |
|---|---|
| Optica (formerly OSA) | 24,000+ members worldwide |
| SPIE | International Society for Optics and Photonics |
| IEEE Photonics Society | Technology focus |
Major Conferences
| Conference | Focus |
|---|---|
| CLEO | Lasers and electro-optics |
| OFC | Optical fiber communication |
| SPIE Photonics West | Biomedical optics, lasers |
| EOSAM | European Optical Society |
Research Centers
| Center | Location | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light | Erlangen, Germany | Quantum optics |
| Fraunhofer IOF | Jena, Germany | Applied optics |
| Institute of Optics | Rochester, USA | Education and research |
| Laboratoire Charles Fabry | Paris, France | Optics and photonics |
Subdisciplines
| Field | Applications |
|---|---|
| Laser Physics | Manufacturing, medicine, communications |
| Fiber Optics | Telecommunications, sensors |
| Quantum Optics | Quantum computing, cryptography |
| Biomedical Optics | Imaging, therapy, diagnostics |
| Nanophotonics | Plasmonics, metamaterials |
| Photonic Integrated Circuits | Optical computing, communications |
⚡ PLASMA PHYSICS
Societies & Organizations
| Organization | Description |
|---|---|
| APS-DPP | Division of Plasma Physics (American Physical Society) |
| EPS | European Physical Society - Plasma Physics Division |
| IAEA | International Atomic Energy Agency - fusion research |
Major Facilities
| Facility | Location | Type |
|---|---|---|
| ITER | France | Tokamak fusion reactor |
| Wendelstein 7-X | Germany | Stellarator |
| JT-60SA | Japan | Superconducting tokamak |
| NSTX-U | Princeton, USA | Spherical tokamak |
| DIII-D | San Diego, USA | Tokamak |
| EAST | China | Superconducting tokamak |
| KSTAR | Korea | Superconducting tokamak |
| NIF | Livermore, USA | Inertial confinement fusion |
| LMJ | France | Laser fusion |
| Z Machine | Sandia, USA | Z-pinch |
Research Institutes
- PPPL - Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
- GA - General Atomics (DIII-D)
- IPP - Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (Germany)
- EUROfusion - European fusion consortium
- Kurchatov Institute - Russia
🧊 CRYOGENICS
Societies
| Society | Description |
|---|---|
| CSA | Cryogenic Society of America |
| IIR | International Institute of Refrigeration |
Applications
| Application | Temperature Range |
|---|---|
| MRI magnets | 4K (liquid helium) |
| Particle accelerators | 1.9K - 4K (LHC) |
| Space telescopes | < 10K (JWST) |
| Quantum computing | Millikelvin range |
| Superconducting devices | 4K - 77K |
Major Facilities
- LHC cryogenics - CERN (largest cryogenic system)
- NIST cryogenic standards - Boulder, USA
- Low Temperature Laboratory - Aalto University (Finland)
🔬 NANOPHYSICS & NANOTECHNOLOGY
Flagship Programs
| Program | Description |
|---|---|
| Graphene Flagship | EU program, 126 partners, €1 billion investment |
| National Nanotechnology Initiative | USA multi-agency program |
| Quantum Flagship | EU quantum technologies program |
2D Materials Beyond Graphene
| Material | Properties |
|---|---|
| TMDCs | Transition metal dichalcogenides (MoS₂, WSe₂) - semiconductors |
| h-BN | Hexagonal boron nitride - insulator, substrate |
| MXenes | Transition metal carbides - conductive |
| Phosphorene | Black phosphorus - tunable bandgap |
Research Centers
| Center | Location | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| National Graphene Institute | Manchester, UK | Graphene research |
| Graphene Centre | Cambridge, UK | Applications |
| 2D-EPL | Europe | Pilot line for 2D materials |
| Kavli Institute for Nanoscience | Delft, Netherlands | Quantum nanoscience |
🧬 BIOPHYSICS
Societies
| Society | Description |
|---|---|
| Biophysical Society | 7,000+ members worldwide |
| IUPAB | International Union for Pure and Applied Biophysics |
| SOBRAFA | Brazilian Biophysical Society |
| PAB | Chinese Biophysical Society |
Subdisciplines
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Molecular Biophysics | Structure and function of biomolecules |
| Cell Biophysics | Physical properties of cells |
| Membrane Biophysics | Lipid bilayers, ion channels |
| Neurophysics | Physics of neural systems |
| Bioenergetics | Energy transfer in biological systems |
| Mechanobiology | Mechanical forces in biology |
Major Research Centers
| Center | Location |
|---|---|
| MRC-LMB | Cambridge, UK (12 Nobel Prizes) |
| EMBL | Heidelberg, Germany (European Molecular Biology Laboratory) |
| HHMI Janelia | Virginia, USA |
| Institute of Molecular Biology | Mainz, Germany |
| Salk Institute | California, USA |
| Rockefeller University | New York, USA |
Key Techniques
| Technique | Application |
|---|---|
| Cryo-EM | High-resolution structure determination |
| NMR Spectroscopy | Protein structure, dynamics |
| X-ray Crystallography | Atomic structures |
| Optical Tweezers | Single-molecule manipulation |
| Patch Clamp | Ion channel studies |
| FRET | Molecular interactions |
| Super-resolution Microscopy | Beyond diffraction limit imaging |
🌡️ METROLOGY & STANDARDS
National Metrology Institutes
| Institute | Country | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| NIST | USA | National Institute of Standards and Technology |
| PTB | Germany | Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt |
| NPL | UK | National Physical Laboratory |
| LNE | France | Laboratoire National de Métrologie |
| NMIJ | Japan | National Metrology Institute of Japan |
| KRISS | Korea | Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science |
| NIM | China | National Institute of Metrology |
| INRIM | Italy | Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica |
SI Base Units (Redefinition 2019)
All seven SI base units are now defined by fundamental physical constants:
| Unit | Symbol | Definition Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Second | s | Cs-133 hyperfine transition |
| Meter | m | Speed of light (c) |
| Kilogram | kg | Planck constant (h) |
| Ampere | A | Elementary charge (e) |
| Kelvin | K | Boltzmann constant (k) |
| Mole | mol | Avogadro constant (Nₐ) |
| Candela | cd | Luminous efficacy (Kcd) |
📊 PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION
Physics Licensure (USA)
| Organization | Certification |
|---|---|
| NCEES | PE (Professional Engineer) - Nuclear engineering |
| ABR | Medical physics board certification |
| ABHP | Health physics certification |
International Standards
| Organization | Standards |
|---|---|
| IUPAP | International physics standards |
| IUPAC | Chemistry/physics interfaces |
| IUCr | Crystallography standards |
| ISO | Various physics-related standards |
Last Updated: February 1, 2026
Applied physics connects fundamental research to real-world solutions in medicine, energy, environment, and technology.