Learning objectives
To know and understand 1) the phenomena which brought to the classical electromagnetism crisis, 2) the simplest formalisms of quantum mechanics, 3) their application to systems of relevance to electronic and telecommunication engineering, 4) the electrons behaviour in solids, and
5) the derived technological applications.
Being able to relate the topics learned, not only one to each other, but also to those of the basic and related disciplines.
Being able 1) to apply the knowledge and understanding of the above issues related to simple, but basic systems, to the study of electronic
devices, 2) to extend them to more complex systems which will be encountered by the engineer in view of new technological developments, and 3) to understand and use properly and profitably the results offered by the experimental techniques for material characterization.
Being able to update the acquired skills by consulting the scientific papers published in the specific area.
Prerequisites
Mathematics. General Physics.
Course unit content
Introduction to modern physics topics and their applications, including a) the experiments which brought to the quanta theory, b) the quantum-and wave-mechanical approach. The quantum-mechanics is applied to simple systems, but of relevance to understand the microscopic mechanisms which 1) determine the properties of materials and 2) originate the experimental investigation techniques of specific interest to electronic and telecommunication engineering.
Full programme
A. Experiments which brought to the quanta theory (about 18 hours), with reference to the following topics.
Gas discharge. Mass spectrometry. Compton and photoelectric effects. Atomic and X-ray spectra. Stern-Gerlach experiment. X-ray and particle
diffraction experiments. Electron microscope (SEM and TEM). Blackbody emission.
B. Quantum Mechanical approach to simple systems (about 30 hours), with reference to the following topics.
Uncertainty, correspondence, and complementarity principles. Vibrating string equation. Eigenfunctions and eigenvalues.
Quantum mechanics postulates.
Free particle in a box: Schrödinger equation. Energy levels. Probability density. Application to free electrons in metals, quantum wells, colour
centres.
Harmonic oscillator: Schrödinger equation. Energy levels. Probability density. Application to vibrational spectra of heteronuclear molecules and
lattice vibrations in solids. Anharmonicity.
Hydrogen and hydrogenoid atoms: Schrödinger equation. Energy levels. Probability density. Rigid rotor, as simplified case. Application to
rotational spectra of heteronuclear molecules.
Potential wall and tunnel effect. Tunnel junctions. Tunnel microscope (STM).
Energy bands in crystalline solids. Kronig-Penney model. Classification of solids according to band theory. Electron dynamics. Effective mass. Fermi-Dirac statistics. Electrical conductivity. Photonic crystals. Optical properties of semiconductors and insulators.
Bibliography
Eisberg R., Resnick R. Quantum Physics of Atoms, Molecules, Solids and Nuclei, John Wiley ed. (New York), 1985.
Halliday D., Resnick R., Walker J. Fondamenti di Fisica: Fisica Moderna, V edizione, Casa Editrice Ambrosiana, Milano (in italian), 2002.
Capelletti R., Fisica Moderna, Notes of the course (in italian), 2022.
Teaching methods
Lectures integrated by a limited number (2-3 hours) of exercises presented by the teacher to clarify some mathematical issues.
If necessary, the lectures will be provided in distance teaching form, as already done in 2020. The related material will be made available to
students on Elly platform.
The teacher is available for further explanations on demand of the student by means of e-mail.
Assessment methods and criteria
The test is verbal.
The student is required to expose in concise, but comprehensive way, the program subject proposed by each question. The presentation should
prove that the student has assimilated the related basic concepts and is able to present them in autonomous, clear, and correct manner. The recitation of the argument learned by heart in uncritical way is not admitted. As a rule two subjects are proposed by the teacher to the student, each of them related to one of the two main topics of the program (A and B items of the extended program, respectively), see below.
Other information
The Power Point presentation of the lectures of the whole course will be
available to students. The related pdf files will be uploaded on Elly platform before each lecture, allowing the student to download and print them.
