Progress
8/31/04
9/2/04
9/14/04
9/16/04
9/21/04
9/23/04
9/28/04
9/30/04
10/5/04
10/7/04
10/12/04
10/14/04
10/19/04
10/21/04
10/26/04
10/28/04
11/2/04
11/4/04
11/9/04
11/11/04
11/16/04
11/18/04
11/23/04
11/30/04
12/2/04
12/7/04
Crystal structure: definition of lattice and examples
Reciprocal lattice: definition, application in X-ray diffraction, Ewald sphere,
Bragg condition, “the first Brillouin zone”
X-ray diffraction intensity
Cohesive energy, dipole-dipole interaction, Lennard-Jones potential, covalent
bond, metallic bond
Phonon: linear chain with Hook’s law
Phonon: dispersion relation of a one dimensional array of single atoms, and a
variation of having two atoms per basis, TA, LA, TO, LO modes, group velocity,
number of allowed k states, Brillouin zone, standing wave at zone boundary
Quantum picture of phonons
Planck distribution, quantum harmonic oscillator model, vibration amplitude
Heat capacity: high temperature limit and low temperature limit
Thermal conductivity: calculation and interpretation
“Free electron” model of metals: Drude model, dc electrical conductivity,
relaxation time, mean free path
ac electrical conductivity, 3D plasmon mode, and optical transmission coefficient
band structure, Bloch theorem
tight binding model, effective mass
wave packet as a connection between the classical picture and the quantum
description; “Bloch oscillation,” effective mass, group velocity, etc.
discussion of homework 3 on the Brillouin zone and the KP model
classical treatment of cyclotron orbitals
quantum mechanical treatment of Landau levels (in chapter 9)
Landau level degeneracy, semiconductor physics, intrinsic semiconductors
intrinsic semiconductor, statistics, and the important concepts/equations
midterm exam
semiconductor statistics, doping by “donors” and “acceptors” and the hydrogenic
picture for shallow impurities
semiconductor statistics showing how to calculate for the Fermi level in thermal
equilibrium in doped semiconductors; approximation in obtaining electron
concentration
semiconductor statistics: dynamics --- generation and recombination of carriers
toward thermal equilibrium based on single time constant approximation and
calculation of the G/R rate
optical properties of metal: longitudinal mode, dielectric constant near the plasma
frequency; TEM (transverse) dispersion relation in metals; reflectance of metal
(as a function of frequency); Thomas-Fermi screening, screening length; how
acoustic phonon is modified by electrons; how 3D electron plasma frequency
modified by phonons
optical property of insulators: the dispersion relation of the “phonon-photon
coupled polariton” and the accompanied dielectric function and reflectance (both
as a function of frequency); derivation of the dispersion relation, the LST relation,
12/9/04
the Clausius –Mossotti relation, the three contributions to the polarizability in a
solid
exciton (dispersion relation), photoluminescence intensity explained by first the
“joint density of states” and the then time-dependent electron-hole recombination
rate, the derivation of Kramers-Kronig relations, its physical meaning and
application in the analysis of reflectance spectrum