Welcome to Phys 155!
| Textbook |
Introduction to Solid State Physics, by C. Kittel, eighth edition |
| Instructor |
Gey-Hong (Sam) Gweon |
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Solid state physics concerns quantum mechanics realized in our ordinary world, and is built on two fundamental theoretical frameworks. On one hand, a large part of solid state physics is built on a quantum mechanical description of a particle in a periodic potential. Formulating and understanding this beautiful problem made one of the main contributions to the foundation of quantum mechanics, and underlies most of our understanding of modern solid state devices. On the other hand, a solid contains a collection of very many particles, and novel and exotic states, e.g. magnetism and superconductivity, occur due to interactions between particles. Thus understanding these emergent phenomena is also of crucial importance in solid state physics, as well as for present and future technology. Furthermore, many researchers see that this understanding has far-reaching influences to our general understanding of the world, ranging from fundamental particles to sociology. This course will cover very basic concepts of solid state physics from these two important perspectives, with an emphasis made, when possible, on simple connections to contemporary activities, which will be particularly emphasized in lectures near the end.
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This course strongly encourages student participation and discussions. It will have regular student-led discussions on core principles. It will end with short student presentations of subjects that they are (interested in) working on, in place of a final exam.
