Syllabus of PHZ5491 Condensed Matter Physics I, Fall 2009

Description and Goals for the Course: This is the first semester of a two-semester graduate level sequence on the fundamental concepts and phenomenology of modern condensed matter physics; three graduate credit hours. Condensed matter physics is the most active area of research in modern physics, whose scope is extremely broad. The ultimate goal of this course is to introduce its central ideas and methodology to the students, and get them prepared for thesis research in both experimental and theoretical condensed matter physics. 

Course Objectives: By the end of the semester the students are expected to have become familiar with a broad range of phenomena in condensed matter physics, learned to use a number of approximation schemes to calculate physical properties of various condensed matter systems based on quantum mechanics, and appreciate the physical ideas behind these approximation schemes, as well as their limitations.

Prerequisites: PHY5645/5646, and PHY5524, or other equivalent graduate level Quantum and Statistical Mechanics Courses.

Textbook: N.W. Ashcroft and N.D. Mermin, Solid State Physics, Holt, Rinegart and Winston, 1976. In addition, copies of lecture notes will be distributed to the students.

Grading: Two Midterm Exams: 40%; Homework/Class Attendance: 60%. Tentative Grade Dividing Lines: A/A-: 80; A-/B+: 75; B+/B: 70; B/B-: 60; B-/C+: 55; C+/C: 50; C/D: 40.

Student Responsibilities: Active student participation is crucial to the success of this course. Specifically, they are expected to:

• Attend lectures on time, and contribute to class discussions.
• Finish and submit homeworks in time. Unless approved by the instructor in advance, late homeworks will not be accepted.
• Participate in the in-class exam. 

ADA Statement: Students with disabilities needing academic accommodation should: (1) register with and provide documentation to the Student Disability Resource Center; (2) bring a letter to the instructor indicating the need for accommodation and what type. Please do this during the first week of classes.

Honor Code: Students are expected to uphold the Academic Honor Code published in the Florida State University Bulletin and the Student Handbook. The Academic Honor Systems of Florida State University is based on the premise that each student has the responsibility to (1) uphold the highest standards of academic integrity in the student's own work, (2) refuse to tolerate violations of academic integrity in the university community, and (3) foster a high sense of integrity and social responsibility on the part of the university community.

Course Topics:

• Spatial Structures of Condensed Matter Systems.
• Crystalline Lattices and Symmetries.
• Dynamics of Lattice Vibrations and Quantum Theory of Harmonic Crystals.
• Electronic Structure of Crystals.
• Drude-Sommerfeld Theory of Metals.
• Semiclassical Transport Theory.
• Nonlocal Transport in Mesoscopic Systems (Time permits).

Logistic Information:

• Lectures: Tu., Th. 9:30 – 10:45, UPL 107.
• Lecturer: Kun Yang; Office: 404 Keen and A306 Magnet Lab; Tel.: 4-5373 (magnet lab); 4-5208 (physics department); Homepage: magnet.fsu.edu/~kunyang; E-mail: kunyang@magnet.fsu.edu
• Office hours:  By appointment. The easiest time to reach me is right before or after the classes.
• Course home page: www.physics.fsu.edu/courses/fall09/phz5491.
• Home Work: There will be approximately six homework problem sets, and the students will be given at least two weeks to work on each set. Grader: Mr. Wenxin Ding; wenxinding@gmail.com.
• Exams: There will be two midterm exams. The first will be on 9/24. The 2^nd will be in November. There is no final exam.

Suggested Further Reading (not required): The following are textbooks that are widely used for graduate courses similar to this one. We may refer to materials in them, and use some of their problems for homework:

• Michael P. Marder, Condensed Matter Physics, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2000.
• P. M. Chaikin and T. C. Lubensky, Principles of Condensed Matter Physics, Cambridge, 1995.