In Fall 2022 I am teaching PHY 472: Solid State Physics. Syllabus

Class meetings: Mondays and Wednesdays, 4:25-5:45 in Physics B-131 (note room change!)
Office hour: Friday 3-4pm
Please send me an email if you would like to discuss and are not available at that time. I am also usually available to discuss after class.

Important announcements and homework assignments will be communicated via Blackboard.

Lecture topics (subject to change):
Lec 1 Aug 22: Drude theory
Lec 2 Aug 24: Crystal structure
Lec 3 Aug 29: Reciprocal space
Lec 4 Aug 31: Diffraction
Lec 5 Sept 7: Chemical bonding
Lec 6 Sept 12: Lattice vibrations: 1D
Lec 7 Sept 14: Lattice vibrations: 3D
Lec 8 Sept 19: Lattice vibrations: quantum theory
Lec 9 Sept 21: Lattice vibrations: specific heat
Lec 10 Sept 26: Free electron gas: Fermi energy and DOS
Lec 11 Sept 28: Free electron gas: heat capacity, transport
Lec 12 Oct 3: Nearly free electron gas
Lec 13 Oct 5: Bloch’s theorem and Kronig-Penney model
Fall Break Oct 10: No class
Lec 14 Oct 12: Midterm review
Midterm Oct 17
Lec 15 Oct 19: Semiconductors
Lec 16 Oct 24: Tight-binding models
Lec 17 Oct 26: Metals and Fermi surfaces
Lec 18 Oct 31: Graphene
Lec 19 Nov 2: Superconductivity: phenomenology
Lec 20 Nov 7: Superconductivity: BCS theory
Lec 21 Nov 9: Superconductivity: flux quantization
Lec 22 Nov 14: Diamagnetism and paramagnetism: single atom
Lec 23 Nov 16: Hund’s rules and paramagnetism in metals
Lec 24 Nov 21: Ferromagnetism and magnons
Thanksgiving Nov 23: No class
Lec 25 Nov 28: More magnons
Lec 26 Nov 30: Final Review

Notes are posted on Blackboard.