PY4T02

Module PY4T02 Electron and Photon Physics

Cohort: SS Theoretical Physics

Credits: 5

Lecturer: Professors J. Donegan, J.M.D. Coey

Duration: Hilary Term, Optical Properties of Materials, 12 lectures, Metal Physics and Superconductivity, 12 lectures

Assesment: End of Year Exam.

Description: Part I: Optical Properties of Materials: Electron oscillator model of the propagation of light in insulators and metals, complex refractive index, absorption coefficient and dispersion. Effect of energy bands on optical properties, direct and indirect bandgap semiconductors. Exciton absorption in semiconductors and insulators. Optical properties of defects and dopants in semiconductors and insulators.

Part II: Metal Physics and Superconductivity: This course provides a basic account of the phenomena and theory of superconductivity and its applications, including high-Tc oxide superconductors. Resistivity of normal metals: impurity scattering, temperature dependence of resistivity due to electron-phonon scattering. Superconductivity: zero resistance, Meissner effect, thermodynamic treatment of the phase transition. Energy gap from specific heat and tunneling. Type I and II superconductors. Phenomenological Ginzburg-Landau theory. Penetration depth. Cooper pairs. Correlation length. Results of BCS theory Flux quantization, tunneling, ac and dc Josephson effects.