Condensed Matter Theory

Wintersemester 2019/2020
Dozent: Maurits W. Haverkort
Link zum LSF
20 Teilnehmer/innen

Lecture contents

Condensed Matter Theory I: The complexity of 1023 particles interacting with each other in a solid give rise to many emergent phenomena one would not predict from the simple interactions between two electrons. In this lecture we will, starting from simple models and theories work our way into the contemporary theory of many particle physics. 
 
The lecture follows for a large part the textbook of Ashcroft and Mermin, with one big difference. The formentioned text-book is based on a text over 50 years old. During the last decades new methods have emerged, often removing the need to know the full wave-function of the system to answer the problem, by using Green's functions. Whenever possible the later will be used within this lecture.
 
Concepts of many particle systems discused are:
  • The Drude Theory of Metals
  • The Sommerfeld Theory of Metals
  • Electrons in a periodic potential
  • Tight binding
  • Band-structure, Fermi-surface, Density of states, Metals, Insulators, Semiconductors
  • Semiconductor physics
  • Surface states
  • Phonons and disorder
  • Relativistic corrections - spin-orbit coupling
  • Phase transitions and topology
Theoretical / Mathematical tools used will be
  • Second quantization
  • Green's functions (on an independent particle level)
  • Self energy (for surface states and disorder)

Levels of theory discussed will be

  • Hartree-Fock
  • Density functional theory

Übungsgruppen

Recommended literature

  • Ashcroft / Mermin
    Solid State Physics
  • Kittel
    Introduction to Solid State Physics
  • Mattuck
    A guide to Feynman Diagrams in the Many-Body Problem
  • E.N. Economou
    Green's Functions in Quantum Physics
  • Majlis
    The Quantum Theory of Magnetism
  • Haken / Wolf
    The Physics of Atoms and Quanta

The lecturenotes will be made available as the lecture progressess, they however should not be your only source of information.

Assumed background

It is assumed students have successfully finnesed the following lectures

  • Theoretical Statistical Physics
  • Experimentalphysik V: Molekül- und Festkörperphysik
zum Seitenanfang
Condensed Matter Theory
Wintersemester 2019/2020
Haverkort
Link zum LSF
20 Teilnehmer/innen
Mo. 09:15  bis 13:00     Phil.12 / R 105 Ex.
Mi. 09:15  bis 11:00     Phil.12 / kHS Lect.
Fr. 09:15  bis 11:00     Phil.12 / kHS Lect.
News
The first lecture will be on wednesday the 16-th of October. 
Exam date
The exam will be on Wednesday the 5-th of February, From 14:00 to 17:00, Philosophenweg 12 nHS