LECTURE SCHEDULE PHY971

Spring 2009
 

L

DATE

DAY

TOPICS, READING AND GROUP ASSIGNMENTS

REMARKS

1

Jan 12

Mon

Syllabus, Drude model

L1

2

Jan 14

Wed

Drude Model: Hall effect, AC Conductivity

L2

3

Jan 16

Fri

Problems 1.1 and 1.4 A&M

L3

 

Jan 19

Mon

MLK Day

 

4

Jan 21

Wed

Thermal conductivity

L4

5

Jan 23

Fri

 Problems 1.2 and 1.3 A&M

L5

6

Jan 26

Mon

Seebeck effect, Sommerfeld Model

L6

7

Jan 28

Wed

Sommerfeld expansion

L7

8

Jan 30

Fri

A&M Problems 2.1 and 2.3 (a and b only)

L8

9

Feb 2

Mon

Bravais Lattices

L9, M1

10

Feb 4

Wed

Lattices with a basis

L10

11

Feb 6

Fri

A&M Problems 4.1 and 5.2

L11

12

Feb 9

Mon

X-ray scattering. Bragg planes

L12

13

Feb 11

Wed

Structure form. Bloch theorem

L13

14

Feb 13

Fri

Mihaly & Martin. Problems 1.4, 1.5 and 1.6

L14, Fleming

15

Feb 15

Mon

Nearly Free electron Approximation

L15

16

Feb 18

Wed

Metals and Insulators

L16

17

Feb 20

Fri

Mihaly & Martin Problem 3.7 Ashcroft & Mermin 9.3

L17

18

Feb 23

Mon

No Class

L18

19

Feb 25

Wed

Tight Binding

L19

20

Feb 27

Fri

Mihaly & Martin Problems  3.11, 3.12, 3.13

L20

21

Mar 2

Mon

Review: Midterm 08 + Semiclassical approximation

L21

22

Mar 4

Wed

Midterm I

L22, MT1

23

Mar 6

Fri

Correction Midterm I, Bloch Oscillations

L23, SOLMT1

 

 

 

Spring Break (Mon Mar 9- Fri Mar 13)

 

 

 

 

No class: March Meeting (Mon Mar 16- Wed Mar 18)

Makeup class on May 8th

 

24

Mar 20

Fri

Mihaly & Martin Problem 8.8 on Bloch Oscillations

L24

25

Mar 23

Mon

Beyond Independent Electron Approximation

L25

26

Mar 25

Wed

Hartree-Fock in free electron gas

L26

27

Mar 27

Fri

Ashcroft and Mermin Problems 17.1 and 17.2

L27

28

Mar 30

Mon

Screening, Thomas-Fermi Approximation

L28

29

Apr 1

Wed

Density Functional Theory,

Reading material: Sec 13.5

(from L.J. Sham, Notes on Quantum Mechanics)

L29

30

Apr 3

Fri

Ashcroft and Mermin: Problem 17.3 on screening

L30

31

Apr 6

Mon

Classical Theory of the Harmonic Crystal

L31

32

Apr 8

Wed

Acoustic and optical modes

L32

33

Apr 10

Fri

Mihaly and Martin Problem 2.10

L33

34

Apr 13

Mon

Review

L34

35

Apr 15

Wed

Midterm II

L35

36

Apr 17

Fri

Einstein and Debye Models for the specific heat

L36

37

Apr 20

Mon

Correction Midterm II

Anharmonic effects

Thermal conductivity (ionic contribution)

L37

38

Apr 22

Wed

Electron-phonon interaction, Temperature dependence

 of resistivity in metals

L38

39

Apr 24

Fri

Dielectric properties of Insulators

L39

40

Apr 27

Mon

Project presentations (2 students):

spintronics, magnetism

L40

41

Apr 29

Wed

Project presentations (2 students):

superconductivity, electron diffraction

L41

42

May 1

Fri

Project presentations (2 students):

graphene, quantum Hall effect

L42

43

May 8

 Makeup class

Fri 10:00am-12:00pm

Project presentations (4 students)

nanotubes, quantum dots, quantum wells, fullerenes

 

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