PHY 505: Advanced Topics in Condensed Matter Physics (4)
Pre-requisites: PHY 403 : Condensed Matter Physics
Learning Objectives:
This course aims to provide a blend of theoretical background with experimental observations covering the recent trends in condensed matter physics.
Initially, some basic concepts of condensed matter physics will be revised. This will be followed by the current trends in condensed matter physics covering special topics, such as; oxide electronics, emergent phenomena at the oxide interfaces and heterostructures. Later, novel properties of 2D materials (graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs)) will also be discussed.
An important goal of this course is to prepare the participants to know when to be surprised – that is - how/when do you know you have discovered a new species or something remarkably new?Course Contents:
Review of basic concepts: Free electron and tightly bound electrons, electron-electron interaction, band structure, Bloch electrons and transport phenomena, metal-insulator transition, semiconductors and dilute magnetic semiconductors, magnetism and superconductivity; phonons, quasi-particle couplings (electron-phonon, spin-phonon).
Recent trends in condensed matter physics:
(a) Oxide electronics: Novel properties of complex oxides; oxide thin films, interfaces and heterostructures; emergent phenomena at the interfaces - two dimensional electron gas, magnetism, superconductivity; experimental techniques to grow and probe interfaces / heterostructures; experimental observations and relevant theoretical models; etc.
(b) 2D materials: Graphene and TMDCs; lattice structure and band diagram; lattice vibrations, Landau levels; novel electronic, optical and magnetic properties as well as superconductivity.Suggested Books:
- Solid State Physics by Ashcroft & Mermin (Harcourt College Publishers).
- Condensed Matter Physics by Michael P. Marder (Wiley-Interscience Publications).
- Emergent phenomena at oxide interfaces, Nature Materials vol-11, pp-103, 2012 (and reference therein).
- Two-Dimensional Electron Gases at Complex Oxide Interfaces, Annual Review of Materials Research vol-44, pp-151, 2014 (and reference therein).
- Grahene-like Two-Dimensional Materials, Chemical Review vol-113, pp-3766, 2013 (and reference therein).
- Graphene vs MoS2, arXiv:1408.0437v1 (and reference therein).
- Beyond Graphene: Progress in Novel Teo-Dimensional Materials and van der Waals Solids, Annual Review of Materials Research vol-45, pp-1, 2015 (and reference therein).
- MoS2: Materials, Physics and Devices; Zhiming M. Wang (Editor), Lecture Notes in Nanoscale Science and Technology 21 (Springer, 2014).
![]() |
Back to Course List | Next ![]() |