THE ACADEMIC Board at Birkbeck College has recommended the closure of the institution's physics department by the end of this academic year and its transfer to neighbouring University College. A college spokeswoman said that board members, who met on Tuesday, decided that the physics department was no longer viable. The college, part of the University of London, must cut costs and raise income in the face of a Pounds 2.7 million projected deficit by 1999/2000.