PHYS 40352 Solid State Physics
- Recommended textbooks: Mainly Kittel Introduction to
Solid State Physics and Hook & Hall Solid State Physics.
- Kittel is encyclopaedic in scope, though the depth of coverage
can be quite uneven.
- Hook & Hall Solid State Physics is readable and at
about the right level, but it doesn't cover everything.
- Ashcroft & Mermin Solid State Physics is a useful but
more advanced text for anyone who requires more depth,
especially for the quantum mechanics of electrons in
solids.
- Lecture notes (PDF) are an on-going
project. Check back occasionally for
updates.
Last line of notes now
reads: Total energy and heat capacity in the mean-field
approximation -- This was not covered in the lectures in 2017, so the topic
is not examinable this year. The rest of Sec. 3.7 is examinable.
- Lecture notes, by J. Pearson, from an
earlier version of this course given by Mike Moore. The syllabus
has changed since then, but you might find the different treatment
of some topics helpful. J. Pearson's notes also contain some
material on free electrons. Although free electron theory is no
longer directly examinable in PHYS40352, it is essential
background for understanding (and explaining) the properties of
nearly-free electron materials. This background information (now
taught in second year and in PHYS30151 Bose & Fermi Gases) is used
frequently in my own notes.
- For more practice on crystallography/diffraction, see past
papers, e.g. Q1a in 2009/10 (with worked
solution) and Q2 for years 2004/05, 2006/07, 2007/08,
2008/09. These are all helpful.
- Examples sheets and worked solutions:
The "previews" are last year's examples sheets. They probably won't
change this year.
- There are likely to be errors in the lecture notes and examples
sheets, so please
let me know when
you find something that seems unreasonable.