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NNSE 625 Quantum Processes in Solids and Nanostructures
Spring 2012

Instructor: Prof. Y. Alex Xue

Office: CESTM B230C Phone: (518) 956-7220 Email: yxue@albany.edu

Meeting Time and Location:
WF 1:30-2:50 PM CESTM Auditorium
Except for April 4th where class will be held in NFE Classroom 4402.

Office Hour: Friday 3:30-4:30 PM.

Course Description: This is a one-year course that addresses the fundamental concepts relevant to the investigation of nanomaterials and nanodevices by applying the methods of quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics to examine the atomic and electronic properties of solids, surfaces and nanosale systems. NNSE625 will focus on the fundamentals concepts and methods of thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, and in-depth discussion of the quantum mechanics of atoms and molecules. The 2nd half of the cousre NNSE626 will focus on the application to electronic, magnetic, optical and transport properties of solids and surfaces.

Prerequisite: I assume you have been exposed to the basics of quantum mechanics (at the level of Griffiths/Riboff) and some familiary with thermodynamics as were covered in the Foundation of Nanotechnology modules or equivalent.

1) D.J. Griffiths, Introduction to Quantum Mechanics (2^nd edition, Benjamin Cummings, 2004).

2) R. Liboff, Introductory Quantum Mechanics (4^th edition, Addison Wesley, 2002).

Course Text: There are five suggested textbooks.

Statistical Physics
1) D. Chandler, Introduction to Modern Statistical Mecahnics (Oxford University Press, 1987).
2) M. Kardar, Statistical Physics of Particles (Cambridge University Press, 2007).
3) L.D. Landau and E.M. Lifshitz, Statistical Physics, 3rd edition (Elsevier, 1980).

Quantum Mechanics

1) C. Cohen-Tannoudji et al., Quantum Mechanics (2 vol. set), Wiley-Interscience, 2006. Note that this is the republication of the original Wiley 1977 text, for which you may get a better bargain as used books at Amazon.com.

2) P. Atkins and R. Friedman, Molecular Quantum Mechanics, 4th edition (Oxford University Press, 2005).
You may also find it handy to have Griffiths or Liboff within reach.

Grades: They will be based on a term paper and a comprehensive written exam. The term paper consists of a 2-3 pages report summarizing in your own language (scientific please) the main findings of selected literature (topics TBD). Grade distribution: 20% midterm paper, 80% written exam. The homeworks will be assigned, collected but not graded. The written exam will be based on homeworks. You can also get extra credit up to 20% for the final take-home exam.

Course Website: http://www.albany.edu/~yx152122/NNSE625-12.html.
Lecture notes and homework solutions can be found at the course website.

Weekly Course Materials:
You should study the reading materials beforehand and come to the lecture with questions and read them again after the lectures!

Weeks Lecture Topic Reading Materials Homework

Week 1 1/18 1/20	Fundmentals laws of thermodynamics Thermodynamic potentials	Chandler Ch. 1 & Kardar Ch. 1.1-1.7 Week1.pdf	Chandler Exercise 1.2
Week 2 1/25 1/27	Maxwell relations Thermodynamic equilibrium and stability	Chandler Ch. 2.1-2.3 & Kardar 1.8-1.10 Week2.pdf	Chandler Exercise 1.8, 2.9
Week 3 2/1 2/3	Random variables Probability distributions	Kardar Ch. 2.1-2.3 Week3.pdf	Kardar Ch.2 Problem 1 (a), (b), (c) and (d)
Week 4 2/8 2/10	Many random variables and Central limit theorem Rules for large numbers; Information and entropy	Kardar Ch. 2.4-2.7 Week4.pdf	Kardar Ch.2 Problem 2(a)
Week 5 2/15 2/17	Kinetic theory; Liouville's theorem The Microcanonical Ensemble	Kardar Ch.3.1-3.2, Ch. 4.1-4.2 and Chandler 3.1-3.2 Week5.pdf	Chandler Exercise 2.19
Week 6 2/22 2/24	Two-level systems; The idea gas Gibbs paradox; Harmonic Oscillator	Kardar Ch. 4.3-4.5 and Chandler Ch 3.4 Week6.pdf	Kardar Ch.2 Problem 4
Week 7 2/29 3/2	Canonical Ensemble Gibbs Canonical Ensemble and Grand Canonical Ensemble	Kardar Ch. 4.6-4.9 and Chandler Ch. 3.3-3.5 Week7.pdf	Chandler Exercise 3.8, 3.18, 3.19.
Week 8 3/7 3/9	Quantum Statistical Mechanics of Polyatomic Gases, Phonons and Photons	Kardar Ch. 6.1-6.3 and Chandler Ch. 4 Week8.pdf	Chandler Exercise 4.24, 4.26(a)-(c). FYI: STP means Standard Temperature and Pressure: T=273.15K, P=100 kPa
Week 9 (3/14-3/16)	Spring Break (No Class!)
Week 10 3/21 3/23	Wavefunction space, Delta function and Dirac notation Representations and observables	Cohen-Tannoudji Ch. II.A-E Week10.pdf	Cohen-Tannoudji Complement H.II Excise 1
Week 11 3/28 3/30	Fundamental postulates of quantum mechanics Spin and Pauli matrices; Quantum Microsates and Macrostates	Cohen-Tannoudji Ch. III.B, Ch. IV.A-B Week11.pdf	Kardar Ch.6 Problem 3(a),3(b),3(c),3(d).
Week 12 4/4	Systems of Identical Particles; Quantum Statistics	Kardar Ch.6.4,6.5,7.1, 7.3 Week12.pdf
Week 13 (4/11-4/13)	Written Exam
Week 14 (4/18-4/20)	The variational method	Cohen-Tannoudji Ch. XI Complement E,G Week14.pdf
Week 15 (4/25-4/27)	Stationary perturbation theory	Cohen-Tannoudji Ch. XI.A-C Week15.pdf
Week 16 (5/2-5/4)	Quantum Theory of Scattering	Cohen-Tannoudji Ch. VIII.A-C Week16.pdf
	Term Paper (20%) & Take-Home Exam (Optional/Extra Credit) (Due Thursday, May 10, 2012)