Catalogue of Courses & Student Handbook - SUPA

More documents

Recommendations

Info

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. 13
Condensed Matter and Material Physics Advanced Condensed Matter (SUPAACM) Lecturer: Santiago Grigera Institution: St Andrews Hours Equivalent Credit: 15 Assessment: Problem Sheets Course Description This course aims to cover some of the more advanced concepts in condensed matter physics. An introductory section deals with materials, energies, potentials, and structures (including fractal structures and glasses as well as conventional periodic crystals). This is followed by discussion of defects and excitations; low-dimensional systems, and magnetism and frustration. The course closes with some analysis of experimental results on real metals, including the heavy-fermion compounds. The emphasis throughout is on rigorous understanding of the general principles of symmetry, energy, and topology that determine the behaviour of real-world condensed matter systems. MBQT 1a (Quantum Field Theory Light) (SUPAFTL) Lecturer: Chris Hooley Institution: St Andrews Hours Equivalent Credit: 20 (including 5 whole class tutorials) Assessment: Problem Sheets This course comprises a subset of lectures from the complete SUPAQFT course and is a core course for DTC students undertaking an experimental research (rather than theoretical research) PhD. Course Description The topics covered will include: quantisation of field theories by analogy to quantisation of harmonic oscillators, chains of harmonic oscillators and the continuum limit. Feynman path integrals for propagators and thermal averages. Many body field theory and second quantisation, 2nd quantised operators and bookkeeping. Harmonic theories and Unitary/Bogoliubov transformations – theory of superconductors and Bose Einstein Condensates. Interacting spins and quantum magnetism, bosonic (spin-wave) representations of spins. Please note that this course is a prerequisite for SUPAMAG, SUPASUP, SUPARFN (Many-body Quantum Theory 2), SUPAQPT (Many-body Quantum Theory 3). This course is an antirequisite of SUPAQFT. Semester 2 MBQT 2 (Response Functions) (SUPARFN) Lecturer: Chris Hooley Institution: St Andrews Hours Equivalent Credit: 13 Assessment: Continuous Assessment Course Description Response functions and Green’s functions provide a powerful mathematical language in which to describe the physics of manybody quantum systems. This course is a short introduction to them. The first few lectures define the various Green’s functions of interest, and calculate them explicitly for a few very simple systems at zero temperature. The remaining lectures give brief introductions to several more advanced topics, including Green’s functions at non-zero temperature and Green’s functions out of equilibrium. The lectures are supplemented by several problem sheets, in which the emphasis is on a strong grasp of the basics. The course is designed to be accessible to any graduate student (theoretical or experimental) who has a decent undergraduate education in quantum mechanics. Some - though not much - knowledge of the formalism of second quantisation (creation and annihilation operators) is required. Experimental Nanophysics (SUPAENP) Lecturer: Brian Gerardot Institution: Heriot-Watt Hours Equivalent Credit: 24 Assessment: Continuous Assessment This is a final year undergraduate course organised by Heriot-Watt University. Course Description This course will focus on the emerging techniques and ideas of nanophysics where the small size of systems plays a crucial role in determining their properties and behaviours. The fundamental aim is to provide the students with a working knowledge of contemporary nanophysics. The course explains how such structures can be fabricated, characterized, manipulated and understood. The focus is on the quantum aspects of the behaviour, properties not shared with more conventional condensed matter systems. The course will cover quantisation effects, fabrication of nanostructures, optical and electron microscopy, scanning tunnelling and atomic force microscopy, and quantum dots. On completion of this course, the learner will be able to: achieve a critical knowledge and understanding of nano-scale devices, their fabrication and characterization; demonstrate a detailed knowledge and understanding of advanced concepts and applications in the nano-scale regime; integrate previous knowledge from physics courses with the topics discussed in the module; analyse advanced problems in nanophysics. Magnetism (SUPAMAG) Lecturer: Chris Hooley Institution: St Andrews / Edinburgh Hours Equivalent Credit: 20 Assessment: Continuous Assessment For information only. This course is biennial and will not run in 2013/14. It will run again in 2014/15. Course Description This course deals with the theory of the origins, properties, and measurement of magnetism in condensed matter systems. Elementary models of magnetic response; Bohr-van Leeuwen theorem, diamagnetism and paramagnetism; Landau theory of ferromagnetism, symmetry breaking; exchange interactions; the Heisenberg model and spin wave theory; magnetic frustration; crystal fields; magnetic ordering in insulators and metals; giant magnetoresistance and experimental techniques. 14
Page 2 and 3: Introduction to the Scottish Univer
Page 4 and 5: Table of Contents SUPA Contacts Pag
Page 6 and 7: SUPA Graduate School Basics Course
Page 8 and 9: Frequently Asked Questions What is
Page 10 and 11: Astronomy and Space Physics Semeste
Page 12 and 13: Astronomy and Space Physics Semeste
Page 16 and 17: Condensed Matter and Material Physi
Page 18 and 19: Energy Semester 2 Energy is a new t
Page 20 and 21: Nuclear and Plasma Physics Nuclear
Page 22 and 23: Particle Physics Group Theory (SUPA
Page 24 and 25: Particle Physics Lattice QCD (SUPAL
Page 26 and 27: Photonics Semiclassical Theory of A
Page 28 and 29: Physics and Life Sciences Semester
Page 30 and 31: Core Skills Courses Semester 1 C++/
Page 32 and 33: Core Skills Courses Semester 2 Adva
Page 34 and 35: Student Funding This page details t
Page 36 and 37: Getting Started with Videoconferenc
Page 38: Notes

Catalogue of Courses & Student Handbook - SUPA

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?