PH320: Condensed Matter Physics II

Centre for Condensed Matter Theory, Physics Department, IISc Bangalore

Semester I, 20152016
C OURSE O UTLINE
Course objective: The goal of the course is to survey various ground states of many particle
systems, explore their excitations and concomitant properties. The aim is to learn what all is
out there, attempt to classify and name things based on their structure and properties in
this sense this is a course on condensed matter taxonomy. The larger goal of the course is
to prepare the participant to know when to be surprised how/when do you know you have
discovered a new species?
0. Advertisement - Why do this course?
1. Models, hamiltonians and symmetries
2. Periodic potentials/tight-binding models (fixed lattice approximation)
3. Many particles, second quantization and field theoretic formulation
4. Metals and insulators
5. Physics of metals: transport theory
6. Phonons and electron-phonon interactions
7. Metal physics revisited
8. Disorder ideas of localization, Anderson transition
9. Electron-electron interactions (HF, RPA, Fermi liquid theory)
10. Interaction effects in semiconductors: excitons (time permitting)
11. Instabilities of fermi liquid (magnetism, CDW, superconductivity)
12. Superconductivity, GL and BCS theories
13. Magnetism (insulating magnets, itinerant magnets, spin waves)
14. Charge density wave systems (time permitting)
15. Strong correlations, ideas of Mott transition
16. Short discussion on (interacting) bosons (time permitting)
17. A brief survey of current problems (topics related to the course)

Prerequisites:
Gradate quantum, statistical mechanics and introductory condensed matter physics.
A strong desire to learn things and an aversion towards beating the system.
Workload:
About 15 hours per week 3 hours in class, 12 hours outside
People:
Instructor: Vijay B. Shenoy, C2-13 New Physical Sciences Building, x2888, Office hours:
TBA.
Course Information/Notes/Help
Course e-mail account: ph320.cm2@gmail.com, ALL communication regarding the
course must be sent to this address. The personal emails of the instructor should NOT be
used.
Course webpage https://piazza.com/iisc.ernet.in/summer2015/ph320/home.
All crediting participants MUST sign up on the webpage. Please visit https://piazza.
com/iisc.ernet.in/summer2015/ph320
Books and Reference Materials:
There is no text book for this course. You may find these sources useful.
C. Kittel, Introduction to Solid State Physics
N. Ashcroft and N. D. Mermin, Solid State Physics

H. Ibach and H. Luth,

Solid State Physics
A. A. Abrikosov, Fundamentals of the Theory of Metals
C. Kittel, Quantum Theory of Solids
J. M. Ziman, Principles of the Theory of Solids
W. Jones and N. H. March, Theoretical Solid State Physics
Evaluation:
Homeworks (40%): Homework problem sets will be provided approximately every
week, Each set will contain a number of problems. They can be of varying difficulty and
could also involve non-trivial amount of mathematical/numerical calculations. You are
very strongly encouraged use software such as M ATHEMATICA, in fact, use this opportunity to learn such tools. Homework will NOT have a due date. You are strongly
encouraged to work out each problem on separate sheets, staple them and maintain
a file of your solutions which should be brought to the exam hall. The examination
will have a section which will repeat the homework problems, you are encouraged to
remove the solution from your file and submit it along with other answers.
Mid-Term Exam (30%): 3 hour closed book exam, TBA.
End-Term Exam (30%): 3 hour closed book exam, TBA.