PHYSICS 602, FALL 2025

Solid State Physics II

Instructor:

Prof. David Vanderbilt Office: Serin E291 Email: dhv@physics.rutgers.edu Phone: 848-445-9049 Office Hours: By arrangement

Welcome to Physics 602!

This is nominally the second semester of a two-semester sequence covering the essentials of condensed matter ("solid state") physics at the graduate level. However, condensed matter students are strongly encouraged to enroll, regardless of whether they have taken Physics 601. A basic knowledge is expected concerning

• Quantum mechanics including second quantization
  • At the level of Physics 501-502
• Crystal structures and symmetries
• Ionic, covalent, and metallic bonding
• X-ray (Bragg) diffraction
• Electronic band structure and Bloch's theorem
• Nearly-free-electron and tight-binding limits
• Lattice vibrations (phonons)

Syllabus: The topics to be covered tentatively include

• Screening; Dielectric and optical response
• Fermi liquid theory
• Density-functional theory
• Electron dynamics and Boltzmann transport
• Magnetism
• Electron-phonon interaction
• Superconductivity
• Quantum Hall effect
• Introduction to topology in CM (if time permits)

Lectures: Lectures are Mondays and Thursdays, 12:10-1:30pm, in ARC 206. Lecture should be as interactive as possible; you are definitely encouraged to ask questions, or express what is confusing you, in the lecture. Also, I strongly recommend that you read the corresponding textbook material before lecture, so that you can come prepared to ask questions about the points that you find unclear.

Textbook: The primary text will be Fundamentals of Condensed Matter Physics, by M.L. Cohen and S.G. Louie (Cambridge University Press, 2016). As far as I know, this book is only available in hardcover, so there is no e-book version. However, I strongly encourage students to own some actual physical textbooks, and this is an excellent one. I encourage you to order it online. (I did not act in time to get the bookstore to order it.)

Course management: I am in the process of setting up a Canvas page for posting announcements, assigning and collecting homeworks, posting homework solutions, etc.

Homeworks: Since people usually "learn by doing," the homeworks are an extremely important part of the course experience. Homeworks will be due approximately every two weeks. Some discussion among yourselves and some browsing through books is encouraged in the early stages of attacking homework problems, but the write-up must be your own work.

Final paper: My plan is to have no midterm and no final. In place of exams, I plan to have a final paper due at the end of the semester. It should be approximately 10 pages, on a topic of your choice. I will help people choose topics and give further guidance about this as the time draws closer.

Grades: The final grade will be based mainly on the homework assignments and the final paper, but attendance and participation can make a difference at the margin. Homework grades will be recorded on the Canvas site.

Communication: I prefer direct email over Canvas messaging. I haven't decided whether to post regular office hours, but in any case you are free to see me at other times. If it is a quick question, just drop in. Otherwise, make an appointment by email for an in-person or Zoom meeting. Always fee free to contact me by email about any aspect of the course.

Course Policies and Student Resources: Please read here for departmental and university information on services for students with disabilities, student wellness services, the university honor policy, etc.