Physics 90503 Course Information -
Fall 2008
http://www.nd.edu/~bjanko/pMB/physQP.htm
TEACHING STAFF
| Name |
In charge of |
Phone |
e-mail |
Office Hours |
| Prof. B. Janko |
Lectures &
Phys. 90503 overall |
1-8049 |
bjanko@nd.edu |
After class or by appt
@ 333d NSH |
| Albert Lin |
Grader |
1-4088 |
slin2@nd.edu |
TBA
@ NSH |
Course Description:
Physics 90503, Condensed Matter Physics (Quasiparticles in
Condensed Matter)
Prerequisites for PHYS 90503:
Quantum Mechanics I, II, III (up to and including second
quantization and some field theory),
Statistical Physics (up to and including quantum statistics of
noninteracting fermions and bosons),
Solid State Physics (up to
and including band theory), or equivalent
Ideally, Many Body Physics, or equivalent
OR reckless enthusiasm.
Topics (the list is approximate - some, but not all
applications will be discussed):
- Crystalline order and phonons (quantization of lattice
vibrations, Mossbauer efffect, inelastic neutron scattering, quantum
solids)
- Plasma Oscillations (Dielectric dispersion, screening,
excitons)
- Interacting Fermi & Bose liquids (Coulomb gas, Luttinger
liquids, 3He, ultracold atoms, quantum Hall liquids
- Symmetry breaking in Fermi & Bose systems (FM, AF, SC, SDW,
CDW)
- Interaction between elementary excitations
- Strongly correlated electrons (Metal-Insulator Transition, high
Tc superconductors, Kondo systems)
- Disordered systems (impurities, alloys, localization, spin
glass)
NOTE: This course could be quite time
intensive. Depending on your background, it could easily reach 3-4 hours of
preparation per lecture-hour, that is, 6-8 hours a week. Please plan
accordingly.
Materials: There are many good books on the subject, but none
quite adequate for a texbook for this course. I will point out the best reference
(textbooks, journal or review articles) for each subject we are going
to discuss. Here are some of the more popular texts on the subject:
S. Nakajima, Y. Toyozawa, R. Abe: The Physics of Elementary
Excitations
P.W. Anderson, Concepts in Solids; Basic Notions of Condensed
Matter Physics
A.A. Abrikosov, L. P. Gor'kov, I. E. Dzyaloshinksii: Methods
of Quantum Field Theory in Statistical Physics
A. L. Fetter, J. D. Walecka: Quantum Theory of Many-Particle
Systems
G. Rickayzen: Green's Function and Condensed Matter
S. Doniach and E. H. Sondheimer, Green's functions for solid
state physicists
J.W. Negele, H. Orland, Quantum Many Particle systems
L.D. Landau & E. M. Lifshitz: Statistical Physics Part II.
C. Kittel: Quantum Theory of Solids
G. Mahan: Many Particle Physics
Lectures: The
lectures are scheduled for Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12:30 pm - 1:45 am,
in Room 118 NSH.
Homework problems and quizzes: One homework set approximately every 7-10
days.
The homeworks are at the heart of this course, and in some sense more
important than the lectures themselves. This is a subject that you
can only master if you work through a variety of elaborate calculations
yourself. Solutions must be turned in on due date. There will be penalty
for late homework solutions. No homework will be accepted after the solution
set is handed out during class. Problems should be neatly written, in
the order assigned, on 8.5 x 11 pages stapled together (no torn edges or
paperclips).
You MUST explain your steps, and lead the reader through
your solution with sentences, phrases, etc., as if you would be writing
a scientific paper. A pile of formulae on a piece of paper is NOT an acceptable
style for the homework solutions.
Occasionally, quizzes on previously covered material will
be handed out at the beginning of the lecture. These quizzes are
intended to help you focus on the key results we obtained, and
provide you with bonus points (5 points max.) towards your current homework.
When preparing a homework please make sure you observe
the rules (see below) for collaborative work compatible with the Honor
Code of the University. Solutions will be handed out, and if
possible, posted on the web page after the due
date, and you are strongly encouraged to check your solutions against those
posted.
Exams:
There will be no formal written exam for this course. The homeworks
will practically decide your numerical final grade. However, if I
will find it necessary, at the end of the semester (before
deciding your final letter grade) I will have an informal
discussion with each one of you individually (something of an oral
exam) to have an idea of how much you learned.
Grading scheme: Your final grade will be based on your overall performance in
all the course related activities. The numerical grade is calculated at
the end of the semester is calculated as a weighted average of your scores
obtained during the following activities or exams:
| Activity/Examination |
Frequency/Date |
Weight (%) |
| Class Participation |
Lectures |
5 (see below) |
| Homework |
7-10 days (approximate) |
95 |
- NOTE: for those with
a.) SUSTAINED class participation and b.) final numerical grade close to,
but below a borderline between two letter grades, I will give the
letter grade above the borderline.
The letter grade scale will
be based on the performance of the class as a whole. Please refer to the
following table to get some idea of the correspondence between the letter
grade and the expected level of performance in the Many Body Physics
course.
|
Letter Grade
|
Performance
|
|
A
|
- Has a firm understanding of all concepts covered in
class,
- Has a global understanding of the interconnected nature
of laws and principles learned during the entire semester,
- Can solve most problems, new or similar to those discussed
in class and in homework.
|
|
B
|
- Has a firm understanding of most concepts,
- Recognizes some relationships between laws and principles
learned in different chapters,
- Can solve most problems that are similar to those discussed
in class/homework, and some of the new problems,
|
|
C
|
- Has a reasonable understanding of most concepts,
- Recognizes some relationships between laws and principles
learned in the same chapters,
- Can solve only problems that are similar to those discussed
in class/homework,
|
|
D
|
- Has a limited understanding of some concepts,
- Recognizes only a few relationships between laws and principles
learned in the same chapters,
- Can solve only the simplest problems,
- Attends all lectures, makes genuine efforts to complete all homework
problems
|
|
F
|
- Little or no understanding of the concepts and phenomena,
- Routinely misses lectures, and/or homework assignments.
|
Honor Code: As a
precondition for your admission to the University of Notre Dame, you agreed
to abide by the University's Academic Code of Honor. Specifically, you pledged
not to receive or give unauthorized aid on a exam, quiz, lab report, or homework
assignment. While collaboration is encouraged in class and during the discussion
sessions, please make sure you observe the following rules:
- During homework preparation you must
spend at least one hour working alone on a particular problem before you
can seek assistance from a friend, study group, tutor, or teaching assistant.
They should ask you guiding questions or point you towards resources that
will help you discover your own solution. You cannot ask them to show
you how to completely solve the problem, nor can you accept such extensive
help.
- Under no circumstances should you copy
or even look at someone else's solution to a problem before you have submitted
your own homework, quiz, or exam for credit.
Any suspected violation of the Honor Code
will be turned over to the Departmental Honesty Committe for investigation.
Penalties can be as severe as dismissal from the University.