Electrical, Optical, and Magnetic Properties of Materials
Origin of electrical, magnetic and optical properties of materials. Focus on the acquisition of quantum mechanical tools. Analysis of the properties of materials. Presentation of the postulates of quantum mechanics. Examination of the hydrogen atom, simple molecules and bonds, and the behavior of electrons in solids and energy bands. Introduction of the variation principle as a method for the calculation of wavefunctions. Investigation of how and why materials respond to different electrical, magnetic and electromagnetic fields and probes. Study of the conductivity, dielectric function, and magnetic permeability in metals, semiconductors, and insulators. Survey of common devices such as transistors, magnetic storage media, optical fibers.
Fall 2007
Topics
- From particles to waves: the Schrödinger equation
- The mechanics of quantum mechanics: operators, expectation values
- The hydrogen atom and the periodic table
- Periodicity and phonons
- Electrons in a lattice: Bloch’s theorem
- The nearly-free electron model
- Semiconductors and insulators
- Band structure engineering
- Transport of heat and electricity
- Inhomogeneous and hot carriers in semiconductors
- The p-n diode
- Optical materials and refractive index
- Electromagnetism in dielectric media
- Classic propagation of waves
- Interband absorption
- Fundamental of ferromagnetic materials
- Hysteresis loop and driving energies
- Hard materials and permanent magnets
- Spin valves, spin switches, and spin tunneling
- Excitons
- Luminescence
- Semiconductor quantum wells
Readings
- Singleton, John. Band Theory and Electronic Properties of Solids . New York, NY: Oxford University Press USA, 2001. ISBN: 9780198506447.
- Kittel, Charles. “Physical Theory of Ferromagnetic Domains.” Reviews of Modern Physics 21 (October 1949): 541-583.
- Blundell, Stephen. Magnetism in Condensed Matter . New York, NY: Oxford University Press USA, 2001. ISBN: 9780198505914.
- Ashcroft, Neil W., and N. David Mermin. Solid State Physics . Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, 1976. ISBN: 9780030839931.
- Kittel, Charles. Introduction to Solid State Physics . Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2004. ISBN: 9780471415268.
- Bransden, B. H., and C. J. Joachain. Quantum Mechanics . 2nd ed. San Francisco, CA: Benjamin Cummings, 2000. ISBN: 9780582356917.
- ———. Physics of Atoms and Molecules . 2nd ed. San Francisco, CA: Benjamin Cummings, 2003. ISBN: 9780582356924.
- Jiles, David. Introduction to Magnetism and Magnetic Materials . New York, NY: Chapman and Hall, 1998. ISBN: 9780412798603.
- Cullity, B. D., and C. D. Graham. Introduction to Magnetic Materials . New York, NY: Wiley-IEEE Press, 2008. ISBN: 9780471477419.
- Morrish, Allan H. The Physical Principles of Magnetism . New York, NY: Wiley-IEEE Press, 2001. ISBN: 9780780360297.
- Spaldin, Nicola A. Magnetic Materials: Fundamentals and Device Applications . Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2003. ISBN: 9780521016582.
- O’Handley, Robert C. Modern Magnetic Materials: Principles and Applications . New York, NY: Wiley-Interscience, 1999. ISBN: 9780471155669.
- Singleton, John. Band Theory and Electronic Properties of Solids . Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 2001. ISBN: 9780198506447.
- Kittel, Charles. “Physical Theory of Ferromagnetic Domains.” Reviews of Modern Physics 21 (October 1949): 541-583.
Prerequisites & course information
Prereq: 8.03 and 18.03 G (Spring) Not offered regularly; consult department 4-0-8 units
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026–2027
- MIT OpenCourseWare ↗Fall 2007
- MIT OCW calendar ↗
- MIT OCW readings ↗
- MIT OCW syllabus ↗
- Historical MIT OpenCourseWare offering. Named reading entries and schedule topics are automatically extracted from the linked source pages.