Catalogue of Courses & Student Handbook - SUPA

Condensed Matter and Material Physics
Disordered Systems (SUPADOS)
Lecturer: Wilson Poon and Mats Jonson
Institution: Edinburgh
Hours Equivalent Credit: 12
Assessment: Continuous Assessment
This course is biennial and will not run in 2013/14, but will run again
in 2014/15.
Course Description
Most introductory condensed matter courses study mainly crystalline
solids. Here Bloch’s Theorem applies, all eigenfunctions are extended,
and the notion of crystal momentum applies. However, very many
materials in nature are not perfectly crystalline: either because they
contain impurities in an otherwise perfect crystal lattice, or because
they have no long-range structural order at all. This course is a short
introduction to some of the most important physics in these systems.
The syllabus includes, but is not limited to: disorder physics in soft
condensed matter and metals; photons in disordered materials; the
disorder induced metal insulator transition and Anderson localisation.
Condensed Matter and Material Physics
Interacting Electron Problems in Solids (SUPAEPS)
Lecturer: Chris Hooley
Institution: St Andrews
Hours Equivalent Credit: 22
Assessment: Continuous Assessment
This is a final year undergraduate course organised by the University
of St Andrews.
Course Description
The aim of this course is to give an overview of developments in modern
condensed matter physics. The difficulties of a full quantum mechanical
treatment of electrons with strong interactions will be discussed.
Common existing approaches such as the Hubbard and t-J models
and Fermi liquid theory will be compared. It will be shown that, although
microscopic models can explain aspects of magnetism, they have
little chance of capturing many other features of the fascinating low
energy physics of these systems. Instead, we introduce the principle of
emergence, and show how it suggests radically new approaches to the
problem of complexity in condensed matter physics and beyond.
Light Matter Interactions: Quantum Optics for Condensed Matter
Physicists (SUPALMI)
Lecturer: Jonathan Keeling
Institution: St Andrews
Hours Equivalent Credit: 16
Assessment: Continuous Assessment
This course is biennial and will run in 2013/14 but will not run in 2014/15.
Course Description
Over the last two decades an increasing range of coupled light-matter
systems have arisen in which it is now possible to begin to study
aspects of condensed matter physics, such as phase transitions and
collective dynamics. The main aims of this course are thus to discuss
the theoretical framework required to model the quantum behaviour of
coupled light and matter, and to introduce some of the simple
models that may be used to describe such systems. Due to their light
component, such systems naturally require non-equilibrium descriptions,
and so this course will also introduce some methods to deal with open
quantum systems that arise naturally in the context of coupled light
and matter. Having developed these technical tools, they will be used
to describe a number of paradigmatic experiments, and the physical
systems that these experiments involve (e.g. superconducting qubits,
Rydberg atoms, semiconductor quantum dots.) The course will assume
familiarity with second quantised notation, and basic concepts of
quantum optics such as coherent states and density matrices.
Open Quantum Systems (SUPAOQS)
Lecturer: Sabrina Maniscalco
Institution: Heriot Watt
Hours Equivalent Credit: 12
Assessment: Continuous Assessment
This course is biennial and will not run in the year 2013/14 but will run
again in 2014/15.
Course Description
The course focuses on the dynamics of quantum systems interacting
with their surroundings. Due to the inevitable interaction between
a quantum system and its environment peculiar quantum features
such as the existence of quantum superpositions and entangled
states are quickly destroyed. Using mathematical approaches of the
theory of open quantum system we will derive an equation of motion
describing the dynamics of the quantum system in presence of the
environment (master equation) and we use it to tackle two aspects of
both fundamental and applicative importance in physics: the fragility
of macroscopic quantum superpositions (Schrödinger cat states) and
the deterioration of entanglement. These two aspects are crucial both
for understanding fundamental features of quantum theory, such as
the quantum measurement problem and the quantum-classical border,
and for new quantum technologies such as quantum computation and
communication. Special emphasis will be given to fundamental models
of decoherence in condensed matter systems. Assessment will be
based on student presentations and tutorials.
MBQT 1 (Quantum Field Theory)
(SUPAQFT)
Lecturer: Jonathan Keeling
Institution: St Andrews
Hours Equivalent Credit: 27
Assessment: Continuous Assessment
This is a final year
undergraduate course organised by the University 
of St Andrews
Course Description
Quantum field theory combines classical field theory with quantum
mechanics and provides analytical tools to understand many-particle
and relativistic quantum systems. This course aims to introduce the
ideas and techniques of quantum field theory starting from many-body
quantum mechanics and second quantization and progressing to
Feynman and coherent state path integrals. Examples will be drawn
largely from condensed matter physics. About one third of the lectures
will be given over to working through problem sets. By the end of the
course, the student will be able to carry out simple calculations using
quantum field theory. Theoretical students will have a strong grounding
to attempt more complicated calculations and experimental students
an understanding of the essential physics revealed by research papers
using these techniques.

Please note that this course and SUPAEPS are
advised as prerequisites for SUPAQPT (Many-body Quantum Theory 3).
This course is an antirequisite of Quantum Field Theory Light.
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