FYSS5300 Condensed Matter Physics (8 cr)

• Bonding in solids

• lattice types, amorphous materials

• Reciprocal lattice, diffraction

• Defects in solids

• Introduction to elasticity and acoustic waves

• Phonons, thermal properties of insulators

• Dielectrics

• Electron density and electronic heat capacity

• Bloch’s theorem, band structure

• SImplest models of interacting electrons, conductors, insulators

• electrical conductivity

• semiconductors, magnetism, superconductivity  

At the end of this course, students will be able to

• describe the main bonding mechanisms is solids

• know the concept of a lattice and the most important lattice and defect types and the difference between crystalline and amorphous materials

• explain the concept of reciprocal lattice, and use it in solving diffraction problems

• solve the phonon dispersion relations of the simplest lattices, define the concept of phonon and understand, how they explain the thermal and sonic properties of insulators

• describe how dielectrics influence the propagation of EM fields

• understand the concept of the free-electron model and to use it to calculate electron density and heat capacity

• explain Bloch's theorem and tell how it determines the band structure

• describe the nearly-free electron and tight-binding models and explain why some materials are metals and others insulators

• describe the concepts of a hole and effective mass and explain how electrical conductivity arises

• describe the basic principles of semiconductors, magnetism and superconductivity

• solve simple problems of condensed matter physics 

• FYSA2031-FYSA2032 Quantum Mechanics, parts A&B or equivalent

• FYSA2041-FYSA2042 Statistical Physics, parts A&B or equivalent