The Department of Physics, Yuvaraja’s college has been in existence from the time the college started as an intermediate college in the year 1928. The B.Sc degree course in Physics was started in the year 1948-49 when the then existing Intermediate college was upgraded to a first grade college. In the early years, instructions in Physics were given to students of Government Medical College and to the students of pre-medical level. Facilities were also extended to the students of the I year Ayurvedic college. The students of Government Polytechnic were also given instructions for a couple of years at the department. The Department of Physics over the years has been steered by eminent scholars who have zealously ensured the department’s growth and stability.
The Department of Physics also bosts of a number of meritorious alumni such as Sri K. Srinivasan, Sri. K.N.Srinivasa Rao, Sri C.K.Venkatanarasimhaiah, Prof. B.V. Srikantan (Rtd Director TIFR), Prof A.V.Gopala Rao, Dr A K Rajagopal and Prof P Venkataramiah, former Vice –chancellor, Kuvempu University who also served this college as a lecturer. Former Vice Chancellor of UOM Prof. J Shashidhar Prasad is also an alumnus of this college.
Through the years, the department has grown in terms of student strength with the introduction of new combinations like PEM and PMCS. The department has an excellent teaching faculty. It is equipped with four separate laboratories which are run on all the week days from 7.30 am to 6.30 pm to cater to the needs of the students.
The department, over the years has been able to acquire a lot of equipment, both for routine lab experiments and demonstrations out of the generous grants from the University and University Grants Commission(UGC), India. Bays Radiometer, Aneroid barometer, constant deviation spectrometer, Fortins barometer, cathode ray tubes, apparatus for Millikan’s drop experiment are a few of the many devices available in the laboratory. However, with the changes in syllabus, some of these instruments have lost their significance. The department is provided with uninterrupted power supply to the laboratories..
The department of Physics from the beginning has maintained a small library of its own, managed by one of the staff members. In 1967-68, most of the books were transferred to the U.G library and only about two hundred books were retained which are presently being used as reference books by the staff.
Six faculty members have Ph.D degrees and are actively involved in research. The department faculty has published a number of research papers in peer reviewed journals and both Indian and foreign research students are being guided for Ph.D degree. The major areas of research are : material Science, crystallography, atmospheric physis, radiation physics, X ray diffraction analysis of fibers, spin physics, foundations of physics. Three research projects have been successively completed by the faculty members. The department has collaborations with Department of Studies (DOS) in physics, University of Mysore, Central Food Technological Research Institute(CFTRI), Central Sericulture Technological Research Institute(CSTRI), Defiance Food Research Laboratory(DFRL), Dept. of Physics of Bangalore University and Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore.