Learning objectives
The aim of the course is to provide basic knowledge and understanding of condensed matter phenomena and their physical models Targets such as individual learning, understanding, and being able to apply the models to simple cases will be pursued and verified by means of specific homeworks, and final papers. Judgement will be encouraged and soft skills developed by assigning short pubblic presentations to each student.
Prerequisites
Undergraduate level courses in classical and statistical physics, quantum mechanics and condensed matter. Students are supposed to have attended the master course in Statistical Physics and, possibly, to have passed the exam.
Course unit content
Cristalli e simmetrie - crystals and symmetries
Teoria delle Bande - Band Theory
Ordine ed eccitazioni _ Order and Excitations
Metalli e transizione metallo-isolante - Metals and Metal-Insulator Transition
Calcolo delle bande, Hands-on Density Functional Theory - Band computation, hands-on Density Functional Theory
Superfluidi, condensazione e superconduttività, Superfluids, Condensates and Superconductivity
Full programme
This is the first year the course is taught. For an updated version see https://elly.smfi.unipr.it/2018/enrol/index.php?id=173
Table of contents (tentative)
I. Recap on crystals (4 hours)
I.1 Crystal symmetries, CIF, The Bilbao Crystallographic Server
I.2 Reciprocal lattice, diffraction, VESTA (jmol, xcrystden, ...)
II. Band Theory (10 hours)
II.1 Recap of Tight-Binding and the manybody problem
II.2 Hartree
II.3 Slater determinants, Hartree Fock, phase diagram of electron gas
II.4 Kohn-Hohemberg-Sham theorems, LCAO, OPW
II.5 Pseudopotentials, APW Simple examples
III. Orders and Excitations. (12 hours)
III.1 Recap of Born Oppenheimer approximation linear chains, Einstein e Debye.
III.2 3d phonons, density of states
III.3 Magnetic orders
III.4 Experimental techniques: thermodynamical, neutrons, X rays, magnetic resonance
III.5 Spin waves
III.6 Experimental techniques
IV. Metals and Metal-Insulator Transitions (8 hour)
IV:1 Drude and Sommerfeld models
IV.2 Dielectric response function: Thomas Fermi and Lindhard (RPA), charge screening
IV.3 The Landau Fermi liquid
IV.3 Heavy fermions
IV.4 The Metal-Insulator Transition (hints on quantum phase transitions)
V. DFT (4 ore di lezione 4 ore di esercitazione)
V.1 Practical aspects of DFT
V.2 Installation of a DFT suite.
V.3 Hands-on
V.4 Hands-on
VI Superfluids, Condensates and Superconductors (9.5 ore lezione, 4.5 di esercitazione)
V.1 Bose-Einstein Condensation, van del Waals classical and quantum fluid
V.2 Macroscopic wave function, properties, flux quantization, vortices, Moment Distribution
V.3 Zero resistance, Meissner effect, susceptibility, classification and critical fields
V.4 London Equations, penetration depth,
V.5 Ginzburg-Landau Equations, coherence length and gap, macroscopic coherence, Josephson effect
V.6 BCS model, the gap and coherence length
V.7 Non-conventional superconductors and future research
Bibliography
Lectures are based on four main textbooks, in decreasing order of use
plus selected readings provided by the lecturer
U. Rössler Solid State Theory, An Introduction. Springer Verlag
J.F. Annett Superconductivity, Superfluids and Condensates. Oxford Master Series
G. Grosso G Parravicini Solid State Physics. Academic Press
D. Khomskii Basic Aspects of the Quantum Theory of Solids, Order and Elementary Excitations. Cambridge Press
Teaching methods
Lecturs
Use of software applications
Tutorials
Homeworks
Student presentations on individually assigned topics
Assessment methods and criteria
An initial self evaluation tests doesn't contribute to the marks
Marking of homeworks (50% weight) and student presentation (50% weight) cumulatively marked in 0-15/30 range.
Final papers with 0-15/30 marks.
The registered marks are the sum of these two.
Other information
see the Elly webpage of the course from the webpage of the Master Degree in Physics.
http://elly.smfi.unipr.it/2017/course/index.php?categoryid=23
