Topics in Condensed Matter Physics. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours

Catalog description

Prerequisite: Graduate standing or consent of instructor. May be repeated for credit as topics vary. Topics may include the following: Topic 1: Advanced Condensed Matter Physics. Second quantization for bosons and fermions, phonons and phonon-phonon interactions, Bloch electrons and band theory, density functional theory, electron-phonon interactions, superconductivity, critical phenomena, quantum fluids, spin glasses, quantum wells and quantum dots, quantum Hall effect. Topic 2: Nanophysics. Quantum nature of the nanostructure, quantum confinement in low-dimensional systems; single electron phenomena and electron states in nanotubes, interference in diffusive transport, nonequilibrium transport and nanodevices. Introduction to nanofabrication and cross-roads between nanotechnology and biotechnology; nanostructure transmission including quantized conductance and transport. Topic 3: Group Theory Applications in Condensed Matter. Tensors, matrices, point group, space group, and color group representations for symmetry in ferroelectric states and magnetic states, phase transitions, etc. Topic 4: Surface and Interface Physics. Thermodynamics of multicomponent systems for surface and interface segregation, crystal surface and interface structures and energy, adsorption and nucleation, electronic surface states, scanning probe microscopy, collective phenomena at interfaces, junction and heterostructures. Topic 5: Stochastic Processes in Physical and Chemical Systems. Stochastic Langevin dynamics, quantum Langevin dynamics, electronic transport and noise characteristics in nanostructures, diffusion and crystal growth, chemical reactions, statistical mechanics of laser systems. This course has Differential Tuition. Course Fee: GS01 $90.