PHYSICS 240B: Solid State Physics
Winter 2008, CRN 44104
- Instructor: Prof. Warren E. Pickett
- Office: Physics/Geology 427
- Phone: 530-752-0926
- E-mail: pickett@physics.ucdavis.edu
- Office Hours: to be determined
- Lecture: 10:40 - 12:00 MW, Room 416 PG
- TA: HB Rhee, hrhee@ucdavis.edu
- TA Office Hours: Fridays 9 AM, and other times on
Friday by apptment
- Text: Condensed Matter Physics,
by Michael P. Marder (Wiley, NY, 2000).
- Reference works:
Solid State Physics, Ashcroft and Mermin
Electronic Structure, Richard M. Martin
Content of the two-quarter series (3rd taught separately):
- Crystalline periodicity and unit cells. X-ray diffraction.
- Reciprocal
space and Brillouin zones.
- Electronic structure: nearly free electrons;
density functional theory; band structures.
- Lattice dynamics and
electron-phonon interaction.
- Magnetism: itinerant versus local-moment
magnets and their phenomenology.
- Superconductivity: Ginzburg-Landau theory
and BCS theory.
- Correlated electron physics.
Prerequisites: B or better in core graduate physics courses,
B or better in 240A
Materials: Some handouts, drawn from background material
that the student will be encouraged to delve into. These will
involve topics that are not covered (or covered thoroughly) in texts.
- URL for this course:
http://yclept.ucdavis.edu/course/240B/Class.html.
Syllabus, schedule, assignments, etc. will be posted at this URL.
Assignments: to be posted at this URL.
Grading : Grades will be based on homework
assignments (40%) and on midterm and final exams (30% each).
Final exam: take home.