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Physics 551: Introduction to Solid State Physics, Spring 2010  

Place:
Time:
Instructor:
Office:
2223 Chamberlin Hall
9:55 AM - 10:45 PM, MWF
Maxim G. Vavilov
5318 Chamberlin Hall



Textbook: "Introduction to Solid State Physics"  by Charles Kittel;
additional reading: "Solid State Physics" by Neil W. Ashcroft and N. David Mermin (will be placed on physics library reserve).

Office hours:  Friday, 2:30 pm and by appointment.

Final letter grade will be determined by the homework (approx. 1/3), two midterm exams (1/3, 1/6 for each), the final exam (1/3). Homework assignments will be biweekly, due on Mondays in the end of lectures. Each problem in homework and exams will be graded out of 10 points (unless stated otherwise), based on the following scheme: essentially correct - 10 points, strong effort - 7 points, some progress - 4 points, no progress - 0 points.


Preliminary schedule of topics

Week 1
Wed. 01/20 Introduction. What is SOLID STATE PHYSICS?
Fri. 01/22 Crystal structures. Bravais Lattice and Primitive Vectors. Primitive unit cell. Wigner-Seitz cell. Simple crystal structures.
Week 2
Mon. 01/25 Types of lattices: simple, body-centered, and face-centered cubic lattices. Point groups. Space groups. Notations.
Wed. 01/27 Types of lattices. Miller indices of lattice planes.
Fri. 01/29 Diffraction and the reciprocal lattice. The first Brillouin zone.
Week 3
Mon.
02/01
The geometrical structure factor. Examples: the reciprocal lattice and the Brillouin zone for cubic lattices.
Wed. 02/03 Crystal binding and elastic constants.
Fri. 02/05 Crystal vibrations. Phonons.
Week 4
Mon. 02/08 Partition function and free enrgy. Classical equipartition theorem. Phonon heat capacity
Wed. 02/10 Anharmonicity. Thermal conductivity by phonons.
Fri. 02/12 Free electron gas. The Fermi-Dirak distribution.
Week 5
Mon. 02/15 Fermi energy and chamical potential. Electronic heat capacity.
Wed. 02/17 Electrical conductivity. The Hall effect. Heat conductivity.
Fri. 02/19 Nearly free electron model in a periodic potential. The Bloch's theorem.
Week 6
Mon.
02/22
Band theory of solids. Density of states.
Wed.
02/24
Calculation of Energy bands and Fermi surfaces. 
Fri. 02/26 Tight-binding theory A&M:Ch10. Interaction of electrons in metals: screening K:p.403.
Week 7
Mon. 03/01 Interaction of electrons in metals: scattering rate, exchange.
Wed. 03/03 The semiclassical description of electron dynamics.
Fri. 03/05 The Boltzmann kinetic equation.
Week 8
Mon. 03/08 Introduction to Superconductivity. (away)
Wed. 03/10 Elementary properties of superconductors (phenomenology).
Fri. 03/12 Type I and II superconductors. Josephson effect and Josephson Junctions.
Week 9
Mon. 03/15 Microscopic theory of superconductivity.
Wed. 03/17 Mid-term exam I. (away) (solutions)
Fri. 03/19 High-Tc superconductors. New materials. Iron-based superconductors.
Week 10
Mon. 03/22 Superconductors in magnetic fields. Type I and II superconductors.
Wed. 03/24 Dielectric properties of insulators. Polarization.
Fri. 03/26 Dielectric susceptibility, permittivity, and dielectric constant.
Week 11
Mon. 04/05 Introduction to semiconductors.
Wed. 04/07 Intrinsic semiconductors and defects in crystals.
Fri. 04/09 Semiconductors energy bands and electrical conduction.
Week 12
Mon. 04/12 Propagation of charge carriers in semiconductors. Carrier concentration.
Wed. 04/14 Conductivity of semiconductors. Doping.
Fri. 04/16 Mid-term exam II. (away)
Week 13
Mon. 04/19 Magnetic moment. Diamagnetism and paramagnetism of electron gas.
Wed. 04/21 Langevin theory.  Magnetization. Weiss molecular field.
Fri. 04/23 Ferromagnetism. Spin waves. Antiferromagnetism. Ising model.
Week 14
Mon. 04/26 Nanostructures and mesoscopic phenomena.
Wed. 04/28 Universal conductance fluctuations. Random matrix description.
Fri. 04/30 Quantum dots and Coulomb blockade.
Week 15
Mon. 05/03 1-d systems. Luttinger liquid. Nanotubes.
Wed. 05/05 2-d systems. Quantum Hall Effect. Graphene.
Fri. 05/07 Overview. Conclusions.
Week 16


Final exam: Take-home exam

LECTURE NOTES

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS

Homework  1 due Feb. 8 (solutions)
Homework  2 due Feb. 22 (solutions)
Homework  3 due Mar. 8 (solutions)
Homework  4 due Apr. 5
(solutions)
Homework  5 due Apr. 19
(solutions)
Homework  6 due May 3
(solutions)


Final Exam due May 12