Condensed Matter 2

Course manual 2024/2025

Course content

In this course, we will use techniques of Quantum Mechanics and Statistical Physics to the study of solid materials. After introducing some formal theoretical methods using simplified examples, we will be able to apply condensed matter theory to real-life materials consisting of an almost infinite number of constituent particles.

The main aim of the course will be to give you a basic understanding of how the formal theory of quantum mechanics can be used to describe the practical emergence of a seemingly unbounded array of possible collective properties among solid materials, with exotic, measurable  and often useful consequences that have no counterpart in individual or elementary particles.

As we will see in this course, the interactions between the nearly infinitely many electrons and atoms in solids give rise to things as diverse as rigidity, regular atomic lattices, and superconductivity. At the same time, they are also responsible for the emergence of fundamentally new particles, like phonons, fractionalised charges, Majorana fermions, Higgs modes, and even magnetic monopoles. Indeed, any piece of known physics seems to be realised in some material, somehow. From cosmic strings and black holes to relativistic particles, they can all be found within condensed matter physics.

Study materials

Syllabus

• Lecture notes

Objectives

• The student will understand and be able to explain and apply all of the basic concepts of condensed matter physics discussed in the lecture notes. These include specifically: - binding of atoms in a molecule - molecular orbitals - second quantisation - bosons, fermions, and their distribution functions - the tight-binding and nearly-free electron approximations - the thermodynamic and continuum limits - dispersion relation and band structure - energy gap and band mass - Fermi energy and Fermi momentum - particle-hole excitations - conductivity (Drude model) - metals, insulators and semiconductors - Fermi surface and density of states - crystal lattice, unit cells, Bravais lattice - symmetry in crystal lattices - reciprocal lattice and Brillouin zone - Bloch’s theorem - imaging in real and reciprocal space - phonons and other elementary excitations - specific heat - Goldstone and Mermin-Wagner theorems - spontaneous symmetry breaking
• The student will be able to understand and explain the central ideas and principles underlying the advanced topics discussed during the lectures.
• The student will be able to derive or reproduce all results in the lecture notes, including both the main text and the exercises.
• The student will be able to analyse new problems within the context of models and concepts of condensed matter physics in terms of concepts discussed in either the lecture notes or the lectures.

Teaching methods

• Lecture
• Seminar
• Self-study
• Supervision/feedback meeting

Lectures will present new materials and include interactive discussion to allow consolidation of knowledge, practicing analytic skills, and placing results in a broader context.
Tutorials provide opportunity for hands-on practice, live feedback, team-work, and discussion.
Self-study will help develop academic and analytic skills, argumentation, and retention of material.

Learning activities

Attendance

Programme's requirements concerning attendance (TER-B):

• Each student is expected to participate actively in each component of the programme that he/she signed up for. A student that does not attend the first two seminars of a course, will be administratively removed from the seminar group. A request for reregistration for the seminars can be applied to the programme coordinator.
• If a student cannot attend an obligatory component of a programme's component due to circumstances beyond his control, he must report in writing to the relevant teacher as soon as possible. The teacher, if necessary after consulting the study adviser, may decide to issue the student a replacing assignment.
• It is not allowed to miss obligatory commponents of the programme if there is no case of circumstances beyond one's control.
• In case of participating qualitatively or quantitatively insufficiently, the examiner can expel a student from further participation in the programme's component or a part of that component. Conditions for sufficient participation are set down in advance in the course manual.
• In addition to the above mentioned rules, in the first semester of the first year a student should be present in at least 80% of the seminars. Moreover, participation to midterm tests and obligatory homework is required. If the student does not comply with these obligations, the student is expelled from the resit of this course. Students in the double Bachelor's degree programme Mathematics and Physics are exempted from this requirement. In case of personal circumstances, as described in OER-A Article A-6.4, a different study plan will be made in consultation with the study advisor.

Assessment

• Reading assignments will help you to keep up-to-date with the course. These are optional but if taken, may be applied towards 10% of the final grade.
• Exercise sheets will be handed out to supplement the in-text exercises found in the lecture notes. Tutorials will cover the lecture notes, its in-text exercises, and the additional exercise sheets. Tutorials and exercises will not be graded.
• All exams will consist of exercises similar to those of the exercise sheets and problems discussed in tutorials.
• Partial exams are optional, but may be used to replace exercises about early chapters of the lecture notes in the final exam. The final exam will cover all course material, and be divided into three exercises, each worth 30% of the final grade. Exercises in the final exam about early chapters of the lecture notes may be replaced with the result of partial exams.
  The grade for the final exam should be more than 5.0 to pass the course.

Inspection of assessed work

The manner of inspection will be communicated via the digitial learning environment.

Answer and assessment models will be made available through the digital learning environment.
Additionally, the course coordinator may be contacted to make an appointment for inspection of individual work.

Assignments

Reading assignments

• Guided reading of the lecture notes

In-text exercises

• Exercises within the lecture note text

Exercise sheets

• Additional practice material

None of these assignments are mandatory, but the reading assignment may be applied towards 10% of your final grade and both types of exercises will be discussed in tutorials and will be representative of the exams.

Fraud and plagiarism

The 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' applies to this course. This will be monitored carefully. Upon suspicion of fraud or plagiarism the Examinations Board of the programme will be informed. For the 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' see: www.student.uva.nl

Course structure

Additional information

Recommended prior knowledge: Condensed Matter 1, Quantumphysics 1 en 2, Electricity and magnetism, Thermal physics. 

You can follow CM2 without having followed CM1. During the course, we will review, refresh, and elaborate on parts of CM1.

Contact information

Coordinator

• prof. dr. J. van Wezel

Staff