Undergraduate Course: Condensed Matter Physics (PHYS10028)
Course Outline
| School |
School of Physics and Astronomy |
College |
College of Science and Engineering |
| Course type |
Standard |
Availability |
Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) |
SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Credits |
10 |
| Home subject area |
Undergraduate (School of Physics and Astronomy) |
Other subject area |
None |
| Course website |
None |
|
|
| Course description |
The course covers three main topics: the structure of condensed systems, lattice dynamics, and electrons in condensed matter. The aim is to give a firm grounding in these core concepts, and the motivation is to provide a basic understanding of the electrical, optical, thermal and mechanical properties of condensed matter. Given the enormous diversity of condensed systems, the emphasis is on a qualitative understanding of the key ideas. |
Entry Requirements
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
Diffraction Physics (PHYS09047)
|
Co-requisites |
|
| Prohibited Combinations |
|
Other requirements |
At least 80 credit points accrued in courses of SCQF Level 9 or 10 drawn from Schedule Q.
|
| Additional Costs |
None |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Delivery period: 2010/11 Semester 1, Available to all students (SV1)
|
WebCT enabled: No |
Quota: None |
| Location |
Activity |
Description |
Weeks |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
| King's Buildings | Lecture | | 1-11 | 09:00 - 09:50 | | | | | | King's Buildings | Lecture | | 1-11 | | | | 09:00 - 09:50 | | | King's Buildings | Tutorial | | 2-11 | | 16:10 - 17:00 | | | |
| First Class |
Week 1, Monday, 09:00 - 09:50, Zone: King's Buildings. JCMB |
|
| Delivery period: 2010/11 Semester 1, Part-year visiting students only (VV1)
|
WebCT enabled: No |
Quota: None |
| Location |
Activity |
Description |
Weeks |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
| King's Buildings | Lecture | | 1-11 | 09:00 - 09:50 | | | | | | King's Buildings | Lecture | | 1-11 | | | | 09:00 - 09:50 | | | King's Buildings | Tutorial | | 2-11 | | 16:10 - 17:00 | | | |
| First Class |
Week 1, Monday, 09:00 - 09:50, Zone: King's Buildings. JCMB |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course it is intended that a student will be able to:
1)discuss the phases of condensed matter and demonstrate an understanding of how their structures can be described;
2)state and explain the properties of the reciprocal lattice and apply its general definition to particular lattices;
3)state the various forms of the diffraction condition for waves in a crystal and demonstrate their equivalence;
4)explain the dependence of the atomic form factor on scattering vector, derive expressions for the scattering amplitude for specific crystal structures, and discuss scattering in vibrating crystals and non-crystalline matter
5)derive the dispersion relations for deformation waves of 1D systems, state the main features of these relations and discuss their physical origin, and understand the extension to 3D systems
6)describe the general form of the heat capacity of solids and explain the need for quantum mechanical descriptions based on the Einstein and Debye models
7)state the eigenstates of the free electron gas, sketch the free electron band structure, describe the occupation of the electronic states in 1, 2 and 3D for T=0 and T>0, and derive an intuitive estimate of the electronic contribution to the heat capacity;
8)explain the response of free and Bloch electrons to an external force and appreciate the utility of the hole and effective mass concepts;
9)discuss the mechanisms for electrical conduction in metals and semiconductors, state the sources of electron scattering in solids and explain their relevance to thermal and electrical resistance;
10)demonstrate a grasp of the orders of magnitude of the central quantities and develop confidence with "intuitive" estimates. |
Assessment Information
Degree Examination, 100%
Visiting Student Variant Assessment
Degree Examination, 100% |
| Please see Visiting Student Prospectus website for Visiting Student Assessment information |
Special Arrangements
| Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser |
Dr Robin Perry
Tel:
Email: Robin.Perry@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary |
Mrs Linda Grieve
Tel: (0131 6)50 5254
Email: linda.grieve@ed.ac.uk |
|
copyright 2010 The University of Edinburgh -
1 September 2010 6:34 am
|
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