58勛圖

PH4039 Introduction to Condensed Matter Physics

Academic year

2026 to 2027 Semester 1

Further information on which modules are specific to your programme.

Key module information

SCOTCAT credits

15

The Scottish Credit Accumulation and Transfer (SCOTCAT) system allows credits gained in Scotland to be transferred between institutions. The number of credits associated with a module gives an indication of the amount of learning effort required by the learner. European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) credits are half the value of SCOTCAT credits.

SCQF level

SCQF level 10

The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) provides an indication of the complexity of award qualifications and associated learning and operates on an ascending numeric scale from Levels 1-12 with SCQF Level 10 equating to a Scottish undergraduate Honours degree.

Availability restrictions

Not automatically available to General Degree students

Module coordinator

Dr B H Braunecker

This information is given as indicative. Staff involved in a module may change at short notice depending on availability and circumstances.

Module description

This module explores how the various electrical and thermal properties of solids are related to the nature and arrangement of their constituent atoms. Emphasis is given to crystalline solids. The module covers: the composition of crystals; quantum-mechanical description of electron motion in crystals; the origin of band gaps and insulating behaviour; the reciprocal lattice and the Brillouin zone, and their relationships to X-ray scattering measurements; the band structures and Fermi surfaces of simple tight-binding models; the Debye model of phonons, and its thermodynamic properties; low-temperature transport properties of insulators and metals, including the Drude model; the physics of semiconductors, including doping and gating; screening effect of electron-electron interactions; examples of the fundamental theory applied to typical solids.

Relationship to other modules

Pre-requisites

BEFORE TAKING THIS MODULE YOU MUST PASS PH3081 OR PASS PH3082 OR ( PASS MT2506 AND PASS MT2507 ) AND ( PASS PH3061 OR PASS CH3712 )

Co-requisites

YOU MUST ALSO TAKE PH3061 OR TAKE PH3082 OR TAKE PH3081

Assessment pattern

2-hour Written Examination = 80%, Coursework = 20%

Re-assessment

Oral Re-assessment, capped at grade 7

Learning and teaching methods and delivery

Weekly contact

3 lectures or tutorials

Scheduled learning hours

30

The number of compulsory student:staff contact hours over the period of the module.

Guided independent study hours

120

The number of hours that students are expected to invest in independent study over the period of the module.

Intended learning outcomes

  • be familiar with the magnitude and the temperature-dependence of common experimental observables in solids: specific heat capacity; magnetic susceptibility, electrical resistivity.
  • be able to account for these using the Sommerfeld and Drude models.
  • understand the physical significance of the Fermi surface, and calculate its shape for various filling factors and various real-space lattice geometries.
  • understand the importance of the periodic lattice potential for the creation of electronic bands, and the significance of the Bloch theorem.
  • understand how to determine the energy spectrum of the phonon modes of a solid, and the meaning of the Debye temperature.
  • have a notion of doping and gating in semiconductors and of the concept of screening of electron-electron interactions in metals.

Additional information from school

For guidance on AS and PH modules please consult the School Handbook at /physics-astronomy/students/ug/timetables-handbooks/