PHY 4010U – Condensed Matter

This theoretical course focuses on expanding and applying the tools developed in the PHY 3010U – Statistical Mechanics and PHY 4020U – Quantum Mechanics II courses, concentrating on understanding solid state (also called condensed) materials, crystalline systems, and semiconductors, in particular. The course includes applications of the Maxwell-Boltzmann, Fermi-Dirac, and Bose-Einstein distributions, partition functions, and main statistical ensembles to explain crystal-line atomic structure and bonding, vibrations in solids, their heat capacity, and statistics of semi-conductors. Additionally, more advanced topics such as the Ising model of magnetism, statistical molecular dynamics, and Monte Carlo methods are covered.
Credit hours: 3
Lecture hours: 3
Prerequisite(s): PHY 3010U and PHY 4020U