Note from June 29, 2020
Although we do not yet know how long the social distancing related to the Covid-19 pandemic will last, and regardless of the changes that had to be made in the evaluation of the June 2020 session in relation to what is provided for in this learning unit description, new learnig unit evaluation methods may still be adopted by the teachers; details of these methods have been - or will be - communicated to the students by the teachers, as soon as possible.
Although we do not yet know how long the social distancing related to the Covid-19 pandemic will last, and regardless of the changes that had to be made in the evaluation of the June 2020 session in relation to what is provided for in this learning unit description, new learnig unit evaluation methods may still be adopted by the teachers; details of these methods have been - or will be - communicated to the students by the teachers, as soon as possible.
5 credits
37.5 h + 22.5 h
Q2
Teacher(s)
Charlier Jean-Christophe; Gonze Xavier (coordinator); Piraux Luc; Rignanese Gian-Marco;
Language
French
Prerequisites
LMAPR1491, LMAPR1805
The prerequisite(s) for this Teaching Unit (Unité d’enseignement – UE) for the programmes/courses that offer this Teaching Unit are specified at the end of this sheet.
The prerequisite(s) for this Teaching Unit (Unité d’enseignement – UE) for the programmes/courses that offer this Teaching Unit are specified at the end of this sheet.
Main themes
This course presents the basics of material physics (particularly periodic solids). The covered topics include: the basics of crystallography and diffraction, electronic band structures and its simple models, lattice vibrations and anharmonic effects, distinction between metals and semiconductors, basics of magnetism (particularly ferromagnetism), charge and heat transport phenomena.
Aims
At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to : | |
| 1 |
Contribution of the course to the program objectives
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The contribution of this Teaching Unit to the development and command of the skills and learning outcomes of the programme(s) can be accessed at the end of this sheet, in the section entitled “Programmes/courses offering this Teaching Unit”.
Content
-
Geometrical crystallography
(point lattice; lattice systems ; lattice symmetry ; point symmetry ; space symmetry ; lattice plane ; reciprocal lattice ; Brillouin zone) -
Structural crystallography
(binding strength ; rare-gas crystals ; ionic crystals ; covalent crystals ; metallic crystals ; hydrogen-bonded crystals) - Basics of X-ray crystallography
-
Born-Oppenheimer approximation and independent electron approximation
(splitting of the dynamics of nuclei and electrons, screening, exchange and correlation effects) -
Periodic potential and band structure.
(review of crystallography and symmetry, reciprocal space, Brillouin zone, Bloch theorem, density of states, Fermi surface, metals, insulators) -
Nearly-free electron approximation
(Born-Von Karman method, folding of the free electron parabola in the first Brillouin zone, Bragg reflections, gap opening, sodium, magnesium, aluminum) -
Tight-binding approximation
(monoatomic linear chain, s-p bonding in semiconductors and carbon compounds, d bonding in transition metals, ionic compounds) -
Thermal properties of solids
(harmonic approximation; normal modes of vibration ; monoatomic and diatomic chains ; acoustic and optic modes; transverse and longitudinal modes ; the concept of phonons; examples of phonon band structures for different solids ; lattice specific heat ; anharmonic effects ; thermal expansion ; lattice thermal conductivity) -
Dynamics of electrons in the periodic solid
(equations of motion ; electric and magnetic field effects ; effective mass ; currents in bands : electrons and holes) -
The free electron gas
(occupation of states ; Fermi energy ; influence of temperature ; electronic specific heat) -
Semiconductors
(band structure; computation of electron and hole densities ; doping and impurity levels ; semiconductor devices : p-n junction, LED, transistor) -
Transport phenomena in metals
(electric conductivity ; electron-phonon collisions ; Hall effect and magnetoresistance ; electronic thermal conductivity) -
Magnetic properties
(introduction and overview of magnetic properties ; paramagnetism of the free electron gas ; band model of ferromagnetism ; magnetic anisotropies ; hysteretic cycles) -
Superconductivity
(introduction : experimental characteristics and theoretical approaches)
Teaching methods
Exercice sessions are proposed in parallel to the ex-cathedra lectures, allowing the student to apply the theoretical concepts presented during the lectures, and to allow them to develop associated competences. A written homework is also requested to the students as well as the correction of the homework of other students.
Evaluation methods
The students individually undergo a written evaluation (examination and homework) on the basis of the above-mentioned learning outcomes.
Online resources
Bibliography
Cours magistraux : les documents du cours (slides, énoncés des séances d'exercices, syllabus) sont disponibles sur icampus.
Quelques livres sont disponibles à la BST.
Quelques livres sont disponibles à la BST.
Faculty or entity
FYKI
