Syllabus
1. structure of condensed matter (lattices, crystal planes, crystal projections, the reciprocal lattice)
2. crystal binding (Van der Waals bonding, ionic bonding, covalent bonding, metallic bonding, halogen bonding)
3. X-ray diffraction (theoretical background, Laue, Bragg, the atomic form factor, the structure factor, the Ewald construction, experimental methods, electron and neutron diffraction)
4. defects in crystals (point defects, dislocations, dislocation reactions, dislocation energy, jogs, sources, stacking faults, twins)
5. deformation of crystals (elastic, anelastic, plastic, creep), hardening, softening
6. thermodynamics of solids
7. lattice vibrations (the Einstein model, the Debye model, the linear lattice, counting modes, phonons and quantization, Brillouin zones, thermal properties)
8. electrons in solids (fundamental properties of the free electron gas, the periodic potential, the energy gap, electrical properties, semiconductors)
9. thermal, electric and magnetic properties of solids (heat capacity, thermal conductivity, the hall effect, diamagnetism, paramagnetic, ferromagnetism)
10. superconductivity (the Meissner effect, perfect diamagnetism, the London equations, the BCS theory)
11. new materials and technology
Annotation
The lecture is designed to serve as a first course on the physics of condensed matter for pre-service physics teachers. The emphasis is on crystalline solids, going from the crystal lattice to the ideas of reciprocal space and
Brillouin zones, and these ideas are developed for lattice vibrations, for the theory of metals and for semiconductors. Other parts deal with major aspects of solid state physics controlled by other phenomena, such as superconductivity, dielectric and magnetic properties and so on.