General Information for PH575, S09

This course is intended to provide an introduction to the physics of condensed matter for graduate students and seniors in physics, chemistry and engineering areas in which materials science is important. Topics to be covered include the theoretical basis of the electronic structure of solids, viewed from the real-space perspective of the interactions between atoms; the free electron description and physical properties of electrically conducting materials; semiconductors; optical properties of materials; the origins of magnetism; lattice excitations (phonons), and nanoscience. The goal of this course is attainment of an understanding of the concepts underlying modern condensed matter physics and familiarity with some of the experimental techniques available to test those concepts.

• Class meets MWF at 3:00 pm - 3:50 pm in WGR 304
• Midterm 1 - Friday 4/24/2009; Midterm 2 - Friday 5/22/2009, both in class.
• The final exam is on Tuesday 06/09/2009 at 2 pm - 3:50 pm in WGR304.

Please note that an earlier version of this page listed the wrong date (but correct day) for the final.

• The Solid State and Optics Seminar meets W 4:00 - 4:50 pm in WGR 304. You are welcome to attend. SSO schedule

• Prof. Janet Tate, Weniger 485; 737-1700; tate at physics.oregonstate.edu
• Office hours: Mon 1-2 pm; Thu 11-12; or by appointment

• Blackboard's url is http://my.oregonstate.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp.
• I will use the official university email list in Blackboard to make general announcements. You can use it to email the class, too. I will try not to use it very much, but it is useful for clearing up things left hanging in class, fixing typos, confirming dates, etc. Please make sure email is forwarded from your onid account to the email account you normally use. Homework and test grades will be posted on Blackboard. Please inform me of any recording errors.

Homework 20%; Midterms 20% each; Paper 20%; Band structure computation & poster 20% (to be presented in final exam time slot).

There will be about 6 homework sets, due roughly every 1-2 weeks. Check the web page for assignments and due dates. Solutions will be provided. Assignments turned in after solutions are posted will earn less than full credit. Turn in partially completed assignments by the due date and the rest later for partial credit. Pay attention to your presentation - physical insight and clear explanations are even more important than the mathematical manipulation. Clarity, logical structure, spelling, grammar, and neatness contribute to the overall assessment. Make your solutions a model that a student entering PH575 could work from. Please make a copy of your solution for your own use before you turn it in. This will allow you to compare to the solutions immediately.

Pick a material of current interest in solid state physics or materials science and write a paper about it (about 2000 words, excluding figures & references). You should discuss the band structure of the material, and explain why the material it is of current interest. What features of the material are important for the application for which this material is used or for which it has attracted interest? Explain the underlying physics.

You should choose the topic by the end of week 3 (email me the title and at least 2 references including one journal article). An outline is due by the end of week 6 (with a few sentences on each heading, and a more complete reference list). The paper is due at the end of week 9. Good places to start looking: MRS Bulletin (published by the Materials Research Society, http://www.mrs.org), Physics Today (published by the American Institute of Physics, http://www.aip.org/), Nature, Science. Let the rest of the class know if you find a good source of information.

One of the goals of the course is to become familiar with modern computational software that allows one to solve difficult problems. You will use the software package Wien 2k to calculate the band structure of a semiconductor, metal, or insulator. More information about the program is under the Wien 2k link. You will work with a partner to calculate (at minimum) the dispersion relation and the total and partial densities of states of your material. Wien 2k offers other options – calculation of electron density, optical properties etc. You should try some of these advanced options, particularly if the material you choose is a simple one. Both members of the team will prepare the poster together, and you will provide independent 2-page statements that describe the program parameters, the interesting features of your material, and a description of who was responsible for what in the collaboration. The material should be different from the one that either of you has chosen for the paper.

You will present the results of your computation at a poster session in the final exam time slot. You should not go to great expense to generate the posters; 8.5” by 11” sheets pasted to thin poster board is fine. The total size is limited to the size of a whiteboard in WGR 304. Text and diagrams should explain your calculations, and provide supplementary information about your material. In the poster session, one person will remain with the poster for the first hour while the other circulates; roles are swapped for the second hour. As a courtesy, I will invite your advisors and/or representatives of your department to the poster session. I will provide coffee/juice and you can provide cookies if you are inclined or have time (cookie quality will, regretfully, not be graded!).

There will be two in-class midterm exams on topics covered in the course. These topics may be discussed in lectures, assigned for homework, or for reading. We will discuss details closer to the time. An equation sheet, agreed upon by the class, will be provided.

Science is inherently a social and collaborative effort, each scientist building on the work of others. Nevertheless, each student must ultimately be responsible for his or her own education. Therefore, you are expected to abide by a number of ground rules:

• We encourage students to work with classmates, other students, and the faculty. However, you are expected to do this in a professional and responsible fashion. Each student is expected to turn in assignments that have been independently synthesized and written. This applies also to, and especially to, computer assignments. Ask questions and discuss, but never simply copy answer without providing your own synthesis and interpretation. Likewise, help your peers by discussing and explaining, not simply providing an answer to be copied. The obvious exception to this rule is the band structure assignment where you are explicitly required to turn in a single assignment. Here the issue of professional integrity is very important. You must each contribute maximally to the joint project and resolve (with the instructor's help if necessary) any issues of lack of communication, lack of co-operation, exclusion by one partner, etc.
• Homework solutions from previous years are very strictly off-limits. You are on your honor not to use them, and never to share your homework solutions with other students, now or in the future. Likewise, the solutions are for your personal use only. You may keep one copy in your personal files.
• Sources must be appropriately documented. If you follow a line of reasoning from another text, reference it properly (it will help you locate the resource later, too). If someone else helps you solve a problem, reference that too. In a research paper, the appropriate reference would be: Jane Doe, (private communication).
• Plagiarism - representing someone else's work as your own - is unethical, but collaboration and exchange of ideas is healthy. You can avoid collaborative efforts taking on the look of plagiarism by acknowledging sources and by writing up your work independently.
• It is very important to be constantly aware that your behavior is in strict compliance with the letter and the spirit of the rules concerning professional conduct. OSU has a webpage devoted to the topic of student conduct and you should in particular pay attention to the sub-link on academic dishonesty and hold yourself to even higher standards than listed there.

Older editions of listed textbooks are usually OK (check with instructor), but the reading lists and homework assignments may not correspond to the syllabus.

• (S) Sutton, A.P., Electronic Structure of Materials, Oxford, 1993. ISBN 0-19-851754-8 (Required)

EITHER

• (K) Kittel, C., Introduction to Solid State Physics, 8th edition (Recommended) 7th edition on reserve.

OR

• (AM) Ashcroft and Mermin, Solid State Physics (graduate text; the standard)

If you choose not to purchase either recommended book, some other equivalent text must be used. Talk to me to see if the one you have in mind is suitable.

On reserve: see http://oasis.oregonstate.edu/

• (AM) Ashcroft and Mermin, Solid State Physics (graduate text; the standard)
• (H) Harrison, W.A., Electronic Structure and the properties of solids (Graduate level)
• (K) Kittel, C., Introduction to Solid State Physics, 7th ed
• (M) Marder, M. P., Condensed Matter Physics (graduate, more modern than AM)
• (YV) Yves, J and Voltatron, F (translated by J. Burdett), An introduction to molecular orbitals,
• (R) Rosenberg, H., The Solid State (Undergraduate level)

Other

• An Introductory Modern Physics text (e.g. Krane, Modern Physics, used for PH314). (review and summary of quantum waves)

The library is a vital resource - use it! Alternative text books, journals, and more are housed in the shelves or are available online if you use your orst.edu account. The reference section is a helpful starting point.

Normal OSU add/drop and final exam procedures apply in this class. Click on the links to access the official university webpages for the dates.

Students with documented disabilities who may need accommodation, who have any medical information which the instructor should know of, or who need special arrangements in the event of evacuation, should make an appointment to discuss their needs with the instructor as early as possible, and no later than the first week of the term.

Accommodations are collaborative efforts between students, faculty and Disability Access Services (DAS). Students with accommodations approved through DAS are responsible for contacting the faculty member in charge of the course prior to or during the first week of the term to discuss accommodations. Students who believe they are eligible for accommodations but who have not yet obtained approval through DAS should contact DAS immediately at 541-737-4098.