Solid State Physics - 4PMNPSO3

Goal(s)

This set of lectures elaborates on or deepens notions already dealt with during the first year at Phelma. All aspects are now acompanied by complete demonstrations, which was not always the case during the previous year, and deepened. The points discussed during the course are notions essential to the understanding of solid state physics. They allow the students to get prepared to more specialized courses, such as, for instance, semiconductor physics or nanophysics. New points are also introduced and detailed (such as the phonons and their interaction with electrons).

Content(s)

1/ Reminders.
2/ Electron bands structure; tight binding method.
3/ Phonons.
4/ electrons interactions with phonons and the rest of the world.
5/ introduction to how to go beyond, or electron interactions between themelves (exchange effects)

All demonstrations rely on the use of quantum mechanics as taught during years 1 and 2. Consequently, mastering the concepts and rules of quantum mechanics is required to put to good use the points dealt with during that course. To take but one example, to learn the tight binding method requires to know the atomic and orbital structure of the atoms. As the courses are led in parallel, some quantum mechanical results are sometimes used just before their first mention during the course of quantum mechanics.