Introduction to Solid State Physics

Overview

The course deals with introducing concepts of condensed matter physics to advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students. The course will be pitched at the level of a first year course in MSc in Physics. For this course, an exposure to undergraduate level of: (a) quantum mechanics, (b) statistical and thermal physics and (c) electromagnetic theory, is expected for this course. It is hoped that through this course, the student will understand the quantum theory of solids which is used to describe the thermal and electrical properties of a solid. The student will explore the interaction of a solid with electromagnetic radiation like X-rays and how this can be used to understand the atomic crystal structure of the solid. During the course the student will be exposed to some experiments related to probing various properties of solid INTENDED AUDIENCE : Any Interested Learners PREREQUISITES : Students who have familiar with basic knowledge in quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics, thermodynamics, electromagnetism and classical mechanics

Syllabus

Week 1: Introduction to Drudes free electron theory of metals, electrical conductivity Ohms lawand Hall effectWeek 2: Introduction to Sommerfeld's modelWeek 3: Specific heat of an electron gas and the behaviour of thermal conductivity of a solid and relationship with electrical conductivityWeek 4: Periodic Arrays of Atoms, Fundamental Types of Lattices, Index System for Crystal PlanesWeek 5: Direct Imaging of Atomic Structure, Diffraction of Waves by Crystals, Reciprocal lattice, Brillouin ZonesWeek 6: Vibrations of Crystals with Monatomic Basis, Acoustic and Optical modesWeek 7: Two Atoms per Primitive Basis, Quantization of Elastic Waves, Phonon MomentumWeek 8: Phonon contribution to heat capacity, Einstein and Debye theory of specific heatWeek 9: Bloch Functions, Nearly Free Electron Model, Kronig-Penney ModelWeek 10: Wave Equation of Electron in a Periodic Potential,Band GapWeek 11: Equations of Motion, effective mass, concept of a hole, Intrinsic Carrier Concentration, Impurity ConductivityWeek 12: Superconductivity