Condensed Matter Physics, Physics 520

Fall 2005  L. M. Sander

455 Dennison, 01:00 PM - 02:30,Tu Th

Email: lsanderumich.edu 

Office hours Tues, Thurs, 10:30-11:30 247 West Hall

 

Grader: Hao Fu   haofuhaogmail.com

Textbook (recommended):

G. Grosso & G. Pastori Parravicini    Solid State Physics, Elsevier, 2000

References (other textbooks):

N. W. Ashcroft & N. D. Mermin       Solid State Physics, Saunders, 1976

C. Kittel           Introduction to Solid State Physics, Wiley, 1996

J. Ziman          Principles of the Theory of Solids, Cambridge, 1972

P. Taylor & O. Heinonen        A Quantum Approach to Condensed Matter Physics, Cambridge, 2002

M. Marder                               Condensed Matter Physics, Wiley, 2000

P. Chaikin & T. Lubensky      Principles of Condensed Matter Physics, Cambridge, 1995

M. Tinkham                            Introduction to Superconductivity McGraw-Hill, 1996

Some classic monographs recently reprinted:

P. W. Anderson                      Concepts in Solids  World Scientific, 1998

D. Pines                                  Elementary Excitations in Solids Perseus, 1999

D. Pines & P. Nozieres           The Theory of Quantum Liquids Perseus, 1999

Background:

You should have a working knowledge of statistical physics at the level of Physics 510, and quantum mechanics, Physics 511, 512 or equivalent. Those of you who have not taken an undergraduate course in Solid State Physics should imperatively become familiar with Kittel's Introduction to Solid State Physics. I will assume that you know this material.

This course is the first of a two-semester sequence, the other half being Physics 540. However, Physics 520 is intended to be self-contained with an emphasis on phenomena rather than formal derivations. Many of the topics treated here will be revisited next semester in more depth (notably many-body effects of electrons). Nevertheless, condensed matter physics is such a vast subject that I have been obliged to make choices. Quite a few active areas of research will not be touched at all in either semester.

Course organization

There will be around 10 homework sets, a midterm (in class) and a final (probably take home). There will be a grader for the course.

Homework assignments

PS 1. due 9/15/05

PS 2, due 9/29/05

PS 3,  due 10/13/05

Ps 4, due 10/20/05

PS 5 due 11/15/05

PS 6 due 11/22/05

PS 7 due 12/01/05

PS 8 due 12/13/05

Course Outline

I give references to Chapters in the textbook.

1. Introduction: Introduction: Nature of condensed matter; bonds; liquids and solids.
Chap. VI, sec 1.2, 2, 3

2. Periodic structures:crystals; lattices and reciprocal lattices; X-ray scattering; correlation and response functions; neutron scattering; electron scattering from surfaces.
Chap II, X (in part)

3. Lattice dynamics: elastic waves; phonons; thermal properties; Debye-Waller factor; Mossbauer effect.
Chap IX, X (in part)

4. Some notions about non-crystalline materials: alloys; quasicrystals; polymers & polymer elasticity; liquid crystals; glasses; fractals..
Notes

 5. Electrons in condensed matter: Sommerfeld theory; periodic potentials; bands; transport; disorder & localization; Hall effect; integer quantum Hall effect.
 Chap. I, III, V, VI, XI, XII, XIII, XIV

6. Introduction to the electron-electron interaction: Hartree-Fock and RPA; density functionals; screening; Fermi liquid theory.
 Chap. IV

7. Electron-phonon interaction.
 Notes, Chap. XVII App. A

8. Superconductivity: phenomenology; London equations; BCS theory; tunneling; Landau-Ginzburg theory; type II superconductors; Josephson effect.
Chap. XVIII

 

Course notes

I will post notes that I have written for the lectures as we go along. (Requires password).

http://ctools.umich.edu/