Undergraduate Course: Frontiers of Condensed Matter Physics (PHYS11039)
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 11 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Credits | 10 |
| Home subject area | Undergraduate (School of Physics and Astronomy) |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | The first half of the course will continue to develop the modern tools introduced in the Condensed Matter with the emphasis on the electronic structure of the solids.
In the second half we will cover selected topics of modern condensed matter physics such as Bose-Einstein condensates, superfluidity and superconductivity. |
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
It is RECOMMENDED that students have passed
Physical Mathematics (PHYS09015)
It is RECOMMENDED that students have passed
Condensed Matter Physics (PHYS10028)
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | At least 80 credit points accrued in courses of SCQF Level 9 or 10 drawn from Schedule Q, including Physical Mathematics or equivalent. |
| Additional Costs | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | Yes |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Delivery period: 2012/13 Semester 2, 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 | | 10:00 - 10:50 | | | | | King's Buildings | Lecture | | 1-11 | | | | | 10:00 - 10:50 | | King's Buildings | Tutorial | | 1-11 | 17:10 - 18:00 | | | | |
| First Class |
First class information not currently available |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours:Minutes |
|
|
| Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | Frontiers of Condensed Matter Physics | 2:00 | | |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to:
1) Draw Brillouin zones for given structures and sketch the Fermi surface and identify the circumstances under which a substance is a metal or an insulator and contrast their properties
2) Write down Bloch's theorem and use it to formulate the equations of the nearly free electron theory of metals
3) Write the equations underlying the most common approximations used in the quantum theory of solids, such as the Born-Oppenheimer and Hartree-Fock approximation and explain the assumptions behind such approximations
4) Describe the jellium model and identify the limits of strong versus weak electron correlations
5) State the fundamental equations of the Thomas-Fermi model and relate it to Density Functional Theory
6) Describe the physics of the Bose-Einstein condensates and derive some of its thermodynamical properties
7) Describe the phenomenology of superconductivity in type I and II superconductors
8) Explain the microscopic BCS theory of superconductivity and derive some of the basic equations
9) Explain the superfluidity in He4 and its connection to
conventional superconductivity
10) Explain the superfluidity in He3 and its connection to
unconventional superconductivity |
Assessment Information
25% Continual Assessment,
75% Degree Examination |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Not entered |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Not entered |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | FofCM |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Eugene Gregoryanz
Tel: (0131 6)51 7223
Email: |
Course secretary | Miss Paula Wilkie
Tel: (0131) 668 8403
Email: |
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