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Lecturer:
Prof. Eva Y. Andrei
Email:
eandrei AT physics.rutgers.edu
Office
Hours: by appointment
Overview:
This one-semester course
introduces the physics of matter that we encounter in everyday
life. You will learn how the
arrangement of atoms and their chemical properties
are responsible for whether a material feels cold or hot, whether it
conducts
electricity, whether it is transparent or opaque, how it can conduct
heat, and
many other phenomena you may have wondered about but never dared to
ask. We
will study the statics and dynamics of crystal lattices, electron
transport in
electric and magnetic fields, the band theory of solids and
its realization in graphene, and the
emergence of superconductivity as an example of quantum collective
phenomena. We
will see how
understanding the behavior of matter at microscopic scales led to
amazing
technological applications that too often we take for granted. We will
spend
roughly the first two-thirds of the course developing the pillars of
condensed
matter physics: electronic transport, crystals, and band structure. We
will
then highlight basic ideas underlying several areas of current
research: graphene, semiconductors,
and superconductors. The course will primarily provide an introduction
and
overview. If you continue in physics, you will see these topics in more
depth
in further undergraduate and graduate courses.
Course
Objectives:
- Provide
an introduction to the physics of quantum materials
- Provide
a
solid grounding for more advanced courses
on the properties
of
condensed matter
- Provide
the background and tools to
understand publications and research articles in this field
- To
demonstrate
the links with Quantum Mechanics, Thermal and Statistical Physics.
- Inspire
you to delve deeper into the subject
Texbooks:
- <>S.H.Simon,
The Oxford Solid State Basics (Oxford
University Press 2013).
- <>C.
Kittel, Introduction
to Solid State Physics, 8th
edition (John
Wiley & Sons 2005)
- N. W. Ashcroft and N. D. Mermin, Solid State Physics (Saunders College Publishing)
- H.
Ibach and H Luth. Solid-State
Physics. 4th edition (Springer 2009)
| Pre-requisites
and grading |
- Familiarity
with basic principles of quantum mechanics (Schroedinger equation,
energy
quantization, tunneling, spin).
- A
quantum mechanics course (361, 417 or similar) and electromagnetism
(386 or similar).
- Knowledge of basics of statistical
physics
(classical statistics, Bose-Einstein and Fermi-Dirac statistics).
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Homework
(30%)
Assignments
due weekly at
the beginning of Monday's class
In
class participation and quizzes (10%)
- Reading
Quizzes: After each reading assignment
there may be a short
quiz at the beginning of class covering the reading assignment
- In-class
clicker questions: During class there
will be questions for which you
enter your response using clickers. Your answers will be recorded
and you will receive 1 point towards your in-class grade per class for
submitting any answer to all of the questions, whether or not your
answers are correct. There may also be a few graded quizes during
the
semester. Such graded questions will usually be
late in the class and ones that nearly all students get correct if they
have been paying attention.
Midterm ( 30% )
Reading
project and Oral presentation (30%)
A
reading project of your choice on a topic of
contemporary solid state physics.
Each student will chose an independent study topic
and present it to the class at the end of the semester. Students will
have 20 minutes to present (about ~15 ppt slides) and 10 minutes to
respond to questions.
With
this grading
system, the most
important requirement for getting a good grade is to do all the
homework assignments
and participate in class! Missing class
and
homework could put you in danger of failing, no matter how well you do
on the
exams! Your lowest weekly homework score and your lowest
in-class
participation scores will be thrown out, so you can miss one
week of homework and one class without penalty. There will be
no
make-up homework or exams. These throw-outs are made to cover
illness, car trouble, forgotten
clickers,
participation in athletic events, etc... There will be no other
corrections made to grades other than for major medical or personal
emergencies. Also, try not to waste your homework or class
exemptions
early in the semester, because you may need them later if you get sick,
forget
your clicker, or for other reasons.
Required:
- All course materials
and announcements will be posted on Canvas
- We will use i-clicker in class. Follow this
link
for purchasing and
registering your i-clicker.
.
Code of conduct:
- Students are required to arrive to class on time
- NO cellphones, no newspapers, no
non-course-related computer activities allowed in
class
- Course materials are proprietary -
no sharing outside of class, no publishing on line any of
the course materials
- All students are responsible for knowing and
adhering to the academic
integrity policy.
Violations of
this policy may include: cheating, plagiarism, aid of academic
dishonesty,
fabrication, lying, bribery, and threatening behavior. All
incidents of
academic misconduct shall be reported.
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Efficient learning practices
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1. People understand concepts by seeing,
discussing,
and applying them, not by passively listening to explanations.
2. Understanding physics (& solving
problems that
develop understanding) is a learned
skill, like swimming or playing basketball or violin.
It takes time, effort,
and practice. Research says better retention if
sustained effort rather than cramming.
3. People learn best by sharing and getting
feedback
on their thinking
-- Student-student more
often than student-faculty.
4. Students learn most when they take the
responsibility for what is learned.
We
provide you with opportunities to help you learn
But
ultimately Learning only comes as a result of your own effort!
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The
amount you will learn depends on how much thought and practice you put
in,
distributed sensibly over the semester.
Before class
- Read assigned chapter before class
-
Attempt
end of chapter questions
In class
- Beginning
of class there may be Reading
Quizz - no makeup
- Arrive
a few
minutes
EARLY to class and don't leave before end of class.
- In
class participation, explore, analyze new concepts, develop basic ideas
and understanding.
- NO cellphones,
no
newspapers, no non-course-related computer activities allowed in
class
After
class
- Master and
retain ideas through extensive use. Expect to spend ~ 6 hrs/week on Homework
and reading.
- Discuss concepts, ideas,
problems with peers. Collaboration
GOOD but submit your OWN homework
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Student
are expected to maintain the highest level of academic integrity. You should be familiar with the university
policy on academic integrity: http://academicintegrity.rutgers.edu/academic-integrity-policy/ Violations will be reported and enforced
according to this policy.
Use of
external sources to obtain solutions to homework assignments or exams
is cheating and a violation of the University Academic Integrity
policy. Cheating in the course may result in penalties ranging from a
zero on an assignment to an F for the course, or expulsion from the
University. Posting of homework
assignments, exams, recorded lectures, or other lecture materials to
external sites without the permission of the instructor is a violation
of copyright and constitutes a facilitation of dishonesty, which may
result in the same penalties as explicit cheating.
Not only
does the use of such sites violate the University policy on
Academic
Integrity, using such sites interferes with your achievement of the
learning you are paying tuition for. Assignments, quizzes, and exams
are given not simply to assign grades, but to promote the active
learning that occurs through completing assignments on your own.
Getting the right answer is much less important than learning how
to get the right answer. This learning is critical to your
success in subsequent courses and your careers.
Student
wellness services
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Student Counseling, ADAP
&
Psychiatric Services (CAPS) wellness for non-emergency psychological
health issues services (848) 932-7884, 17 Senior Street, New Brunswick,
NJ 08901 http://health.rutgers.edu/medical-counseling-services/counseling/
Violence Prevention & Victim Assistance (VPVA), (848) 932-1181, 3
Bartlett Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, http://www.vpva.rutgers.edu/
Office of Disability Services (848) 445-6800, Lucy Stone Hall, Suite
A145, Livingston, 54 Joyce Kilmer Avenue, Piscataway, NJ 08854, https://ods.rutgers.edu/
Scarlet Listeners for confidential peer counseling and referral hotline, (732) 247-5555, http://www.scarletlisteners.com
https://rutgers.instructure.com/courses/213560
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