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Phys 460 Lecture 1

( pdf - 6 slides/page )
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Lecturer: Richard Martin 		No Homework

Reading:
None

Overview of Course - Outline

  1. What is a solid?
    • Difference from a liquid
    • Difference from a gas
  2. Properties of solids:
    • Metals - insulators (different from molecules)
    • Non-magnetic - Ferromagnetic below a critical temperature
    • Surfaces - how are different surfaces different?
    • More --- discussion in class
  3. Crystals: special structures
    • One of the first pieces of evidence of atoms (in ancient Greece)
    • Characteristic of particular materials
  4. We study crystals because:
    • They are simple (Glasses, liquids, etc., are much more complex)
    • They are the structure of most solids (polycrystals)
    • They useful
  5. Idealized perfect crystals are the basis of understanding of crystals
    • Understanding of electrons in lattices allows real predictions to be made
    • Properties carry over (with understandable changes) to imperfect crystals
  6. Defects determine many of the most interesting properties
    • Control electrical properties of semiconductors
    • Control limits of mechanical properties of all materials
  7. Types of materials -- properties ultimately determined by electrons
    • Insulators (ionic; rare gas)
    • Metals (metallic bonds)
    • Semiconductors (covalent bonds)
  8. Outline of Course
    • Crystal structures; mechanical properties
    • Electrons in crystals - bands
    • Metals; insulators; semiconductors
    • Introduction to superconductivity
    • Selected Topics:
      Magnetism, phase transitions, surfaces, nanostructures, ...
Email question/comments/corrections to rmartin@uiuc.edu .