TMP-TA1: Introduction to Modern Solid State Theory
(lectures and tutorials, in English)

    Information about the lecture course

Department and Chair: Department of Physics, Theoretical Solid State Physics (LS von Delft)

Teachers: PhD Oleg Yevtushenko (lecturer), Jan Heyder (tutor)


Time and venue: WiSe 2011/2012

      15 academic weeks 17/10/2011 - 10/02/2012
      NOTE: no lectures on 1/11, 15/12 and from 24/12 till 6/01, no tutorial on 23/12

      28 basic lectures, 14 tutorials + optional student seminars

    Lectures
                                 Tuesday 12:00 -13:30,  Theresienstr. 37, room A 449  (NEW TIME!)
                                 Thursday 16:00 -17:30,  Theresienstr. 39, room B 046 (NEW TIME/VENUE!)
    Tutorials
                                 Tuesday 18:00-19:30,  Theresienstr. 37, room A 249

    Time for questions and discussions
                                Wednesday 17:00-18:00,   Theresienstr. 37, room A 416

Outline:

Note that, below, "L" means "Lecture", i.e., 1 hour 30 min.

     Basic lectures

- Introduction: problems, methods, perspectives of modern Solid State Physics. (0.5L)

- Theory of crystals: Lattices and symmetries. Crystal structures. The reciprocal lattice. Diffraction. (2.5L)

- Phonons: One atomic linear chain. Acoustic phonons. Diatomic linear chain. Optic phonons. Normal modes. Quantum approach, phonons as quasiparticles. Thermodynamics. (4L)

- Noninteracting electrons in crystals: Drude theory and Sommerfeld theory. Bloch theorem. Energy bands. The model of near free electrons. Tight-binding approximation. Effective mass. Fermi surface. Semiclassical description. (4.5L)

- Semiconductors and Insulators: Band structures. Classification of conductors. (1L)

- Interacting electrons, basics of the Fermi liquid theory: the Landau theory of interacting Fermi systems. Elementary excitations. Gas model. (1.5L)

- Transport: Kinetic equation. Electron scattering. Collision integral. Scattering by impurities. Classical conductivity. Thermoelectric phenomena. (4L)

- Phase transitions: Classification of phase transitions. The order parameter. Landau functional. (2.5L)

- Superfluidity and Superconductivity: Fundamental properties. Phenomenology. Ginzburg-Landau equations. Landau criterion for superfluidity. Basic concepts of microscopic theory. Cooper pairing and BCS equations. (4L)

- Magnetism: Magnetic order. Ferromagnets and Antiferromagnets. Weiss theory. Exchange interactions. Ising model. Heisenberg model. Ground state of ferromagnets. Magnons. (3L)

- Conclusions: Hot topics of modern Solid State Physics. (0.5L)

     Additional topics (for tutorials and/or student seminars)

- Electrons in a constant magnetic field; de Haas - van Alphen effect; Shubnikov-de Haas effect; Hall effect.

- Skin effect.

- P-N junctions and semiconducting devices.

- Quantum corrections to conductivity.

- Nonlinear IV characteristics.

- Kondo effect.

     Optional topics (if time permits)

- Quantum statistics of non-interacting particles.

- Feynman diagrams.

- Phase transitions: fluctuations and the scaling theory.


Literature:
 
   Recommended basic literature:

1. N.W. Ashcroft, and N.D. Mermin. Solid State Physics. (Singapore, Brooks/Cole Thomson Learning, 2005).
2. C.Kittel. Introduction to solid state physics. (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2005).
3. J. M. Ziman. Principles of the Theory of Solids. (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1979).

   More advanced literature:

1. C.Kittel. Quantum Theory of Solids.(John Wiley and Sons, New York 1987).
2. A. Abrikosov. Fundamentals of the Theory of Metals (North-Holland, Amsterdam, 1988).

   Additional literature:

L.D. Landau and E.M. Lifshitz. Course of theoretical physics.
     vol.5, Statistical physics I;
     vol.8   (with L.P. Pitaevskii), Electrodynamics of continuous media;
     vol.9   (with L.P. Pitaevskii), Statistical physics II;
     vol.10 (with L.P. Pitaevskii), Physical kinetics.

1^st lecture: 18.10.2011

Hours per week: 4 (lectures) + 2 (tutorials)

Code of the lecture course: 17071 (lectures), 17073 (tutorials)