PHYS30151
Condensed Matter Physics
10
Semester 1
Undergraduate
Level 3
Alessandro Principi
Unit coordinator
Department of Physics & Astronomy
1
FHEQ level (Framework for Higher Education Qualifications) ' Last part of a Bachelors '
European Credit Transfer & Accumulation System Rating : 5.0
<p>Condensed Matter Physics</p>
<h4 class="ui header" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;border-style:none;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87);font-family:"Segoe UI", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:1.1rem !important;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.28571em;margin:-0.142857em 0px 1rem;orphans:2;padding:0px;scrollbar-color:auto;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;"><strong>CUIP Overview</strong></h4><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87);font-family:"Segoe UI", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.4285em;margin:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">This unit provides an in-depth introduction to the core principles of condensed matter physics, focusing on the behaviour of electrons in crystalline lattices. Students will explore interatomic bonding, crystal structures, and diffraction techniques, along with the electronic properties of materials using concepts like Bloch's theorem and the tight-binding model. The unit covers lattice vibrations and phonons, examining their role in material properties, as well as the response of materials to electric and optical fields through polarizability and dielectric functions. Additionally, students will study magnetic phenomena and quantum phases of matter, including magnetic ordering, mean-field theory, and the nature of protected boundary states and gapless excitations in condensed matter systems.</p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87);font-family:"Segoe UI", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.4285em;margin:0px 0px 1em;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">To provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the fundamental principles of condensed matter physics, including the classification of interatomic bonding and the study of crystal structures, symmetry, and diffraction to explain material properties.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87);font-family:"Segoe UI", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.4285em;margin:0px 0px 1em;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">To develop students' ability to apply Bloch's theorem and the tight-binding method in the analysis of electron motion in periodic potentials, and to assess how phonon interactions influence electronic properties.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87);font-family:"Segoe UI", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.4285em;margin:0px 0px 1em;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">To introduce students to the concepts of polarisability, dielectric functions, and electromagnetic wave propagation, and to enable them to describe material responses to electric and optical fields.</p>
<h4 class="ui header" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;border-style:none;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87);font-family:"Segoe UI", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:1.1rem !important;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.28571em;margin:-0.142857em 0px 1rem;orphans:2;padding:0px;scrollbar-color:auto;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;"><strong>CUIP ILOs</strong></h4><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87);font-family:"Segoe UI", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.4285em;margin:0px 0px 1em;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;"><i style="box-sizing:inherit;">On the successful completion of the course, students will be able to: </i></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87);font-family:"Segoe UI", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.4285em;margin:0px 0px 1em;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">ILO 1</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87);font-family:"Segoe UI", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.4285em;margin:0px 0px 1em;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Classify different types of interatomic bonding and examine how crystal structures, symmetry, and diffraction principles influence material properties.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87);font-family:"Segoe UI", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.4285em;margin:0px 0px 1em;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">ILO 2</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87);font-family:"Segoe UI", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.4285em;margin:0px 0px 1em;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Apply Bloch's theorem and the tight-binding method to determine electron motion in periodic potentials and assess the effects of phonon interactions on electronic properties.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87);font-family:"Segoe UI&qu
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87);font-family:"Segoe UI", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.4285em;margin:0px 0px 1em;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;"><strong style="box-sizing:inherit;">1. Bonding & Crystal Structure (2 lectures)</strong></p><ul><li style="box-sizing:inherit;">Interatomic forces: ionic, covalent, van der Waals interactions and other types of bonding.</li><li style="box-sizing:inherit;">Lattice concepts: basis, unit cell, and symmetry considerations</li><li style="box-sizing:inherit;">Wave diffraction in crystals: Bragg’s Law and applications</li></ul><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87);font-family:"Segoe UI", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.4285em;margin:0px 0px 1em;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;"><strong style="box-sizing:inherit;">2. Electrons in Periodic Potentials (6 lectures)</strong></p><ul><li style="box-sizing:inherit;">Bloch's theorem and electronic band structure</li><li style="box-sizing:inherit;">Metals, semiconductors, and insulators</li><li style="box-sizing:inherit;">Tight-binding model: applications to materials </li><li style="box-sizing:inherit;">First Brillouin zone and its significance</li><li style="box-sizing:inherit;">Effective mass and energy dispersion relations in semiconductors</li><li style="box-sizing:inherit;">Electron dynamics under external fields, Drude model of electrical conductivity</li></ul><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87);font-family:"Segoe UI", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.4285em;margin:0px 0px 1em;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;"><strong style="box-sizing:inherit;">4. Lattice Vibrations and Phonons (2 lectures)</strong></p><ul><li style="box-sizing:inherit;">Vibrations in one-dimensional atomic chains: monatomic and diatomic cases</li><li style="box-sizing:inherit;">Optical and acoustic phonon modes</li><li style="box-sizing:inherit;">Extension to three-dimensional lattices: transverse and longitudinal modes</li><li style="box-sizing:inherit;">Electron-phonon coupling</li></ul><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87);font-family:"Segoe UI", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.4285em;margin:0px 0px 1em;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;"><strong style="box-sizing:inherit;">5. Electrodynamics and Electric Polarisation (5 lectures)</strong></p><ul><li style="box-sizing:inherit;">Polarizability and dielectric function</li><li style="box-sizing:inherit;">Dielectric dispersion and AC conductivity</l
<h4 class="ui header" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;border-style:none;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87);font-family:"Segoe UI", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:1.1rem !important;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.28571em;margin:-0.142857em 0px 1rem;orphans:2;padding:0px;scrollbar-color:auto;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;"><strong>CUIP Teaching Methods</strong></h4><div class="ui grid" style="-webkit-box-align:stretch;-webkit-box-direction:normal;-webkit-box-orient:horizontal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;align-items:stretch;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87);display:flex;flex-flow:wrap;font-family:"Segoe UI", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin:-1rem;orphans:2;padding:0px;scrollbar-color:auto;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;"><div class="five wide column" style="box-sizing:inherit;display:inline-block;padding:1rem;position:relative;vertical-align:top;width:333.854px;"><figure class="table" style="width:305.854px;"><table class="ui table" style="background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);border-collapse:separate;border-radius:0.285714rem;border-spacing:0px;border:1px solid rgba(34, 36, 38, 0.15);box-shadow:none;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87);font-size:1em;margin:0px;scrollbar-color:auto;text-align:left;vertical-align:middle;" id="teaching_table"><thead class="mobile hidden" style="box-shadow:none;box-sizing:inherit;text-align:inherit;vertical-align:inherit;"><tr style="box-sizing:inherit;"><th style="background-color:rgb(249, 250, 251);border-bottom:1px solid rgba(34, 36, 38, 0.1);border-left-style:none;border-radius:0.285714rem 0px 0px;border-right-color:!important;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87);cursor:auto;padding:0.928571em 0.785714em;text-align:inherit;text-transform:none;transition:background 0.1s, color 0.1s;vertical-align:inherit;"><strong>Activity</strong></th><th class="right aligned" style="background-color:rgb(249, 250, 251);border-bottom:1px solid rgba(34, 36, 38, 0.1);border-left-style:none;border-radius:0px 0.285714rem 0px 0px;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87);cursor:auto;padding:0.928571em 0.785714em;text-align:right;text-transform:none;transition:background 0.1s, color 0.1s;vertical-align:inherit;"><strong>Hours</strong></th></tr></thead><tbody style="box-sizing:inherit;counter-reset:numdivcounter 0;text-align:inherit;vertical-align:inherit;"><tr style="box-sizing:inherit;"><td style="border-right-color:!important;border-top-style:none;box-sizing:inherit;padding:0.785714em;text-align:inherit;transition:background 0.1s, color 0.1s;">Lectures</td><td class="right aligned" style="border-top-style:none;box-sizing:inherit;padding:0.785714em;text-align:right;transition:background 0.1s, color 0.1s;">22</td></tr><tr style="box-sizing:inherit;"><td style="border-right-color:!important;border-top:1px solid rgba(34, 36, 38, 0.1);box-sizing:inherit;padding:0.785714em;text-align:inherit;transition:background 0.1s, color 0.1s;">Independent study</td><td class="right aligned" style="border-top:1px solid rgba(34, 36, 38, 0.1);box-sizing:inherit;padding:0.785714em;text-align:right;transition:background 0.1s, color 0.1s;">78</td></tr></tbody></table></figure></div><div class="eleven wide column" style="box-sizing:inherit;display:inline-block;padding:1rem;position:relative;vertical-align:top;width:734.479px;"><p style="box-sizing:inherit;line-height:1.4285em;margin:0
1
Written exam
100%
<p>Feedback will be offered by examples class tutors based on examples sheets, and model answers will be issued.</p>
PHYS20352
Statistical Mechanics
Pre-Requisite
Compulsory
PHYS20302
Quantum Mechanics 2
Pre-Requisite
Compulsory
N
<h4 class="ui header" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;border-style:none;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87);font-family:"Segoe UI", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:1.1rem !important;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.28571em;margin:-0.142857em 0px 1rem;orphans:2;padding:0px;scrollbar-color:auto;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;"><strong>CUIP Reading List</strong></h4><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87);font-family:"Segoe UI", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.4285em;margin:0px 0px 1em;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Charles Kittel Introduction to Solid State Physics, 8th ed., Wiley, 2004.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87);font-family:"Segoe UI", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.4285em;margin:0px 0px 1em;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Michael P. Marder Condensed Matter Physics, 2nd ed., Wiley, 2010.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87);font-family:"Segoe UI", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.4285em;margin:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">B. Andrei Bernevig and Taylor L. Hughes Topological Insulators and Topological Superconductors, Princeton University Press, 2013. </p>
Assessment written exam
1.5
Lectures
22
0
76.5