Module Information
Course Delivery
| Delivery Type | Delivery length / details |
|---|---|
| Lecture | 10 x 2 hour lectures |
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Exam | 2 Hours Examination | 70% |
| Semester Assessment | Two example sheets | 30% |
| Supplementary Exam | 2 Hours Examination | 100% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
Explain and apply the concept of reciprocal space.
Describe experimental techniques such as phonon spectroscopy and diffraction.
Distinguish material classes such as crystals, polymers, liquids, and glasses according to their structure.
Analyse crystallographic data and interpret them in terms of structural symmetry.
Describe the interaction of solids with magnetic fields and distinguish dia-, para- and ferromagnetism.
Analyse the magnetic and electric properties of solids in terms of collective magnetic and electric phenomena.
Interpret the thermal properties of crystal lattices using the Einstein and Debye models and predict their dispersion relations and heat capacities.
Aims
This module will equip students with the concepts needed to interpret and predict the properties of solids in terms of their structure. They will be introduced to a number of experimental techniques to determine structure and will be able to interpret structural data in terms of crystal symmetry. Different states of magnetism in solids are discussed and collective magnetic phenomena explained.
Brief description
This course will provide the physics behind the structural and magnetic properties of materials. Starting from descriptions of crystal structures and symmetry, the thermal properties of lattices ae discussed. the magnetic properties of materials will be discussed in detail. The module includes sections about relevant experimental techniques such as x-ray diffraction and phonon spectroscopy.
Content
General description of crystal structures
Important crystal structures
Lattice planes and Miller indices
General Diffraction theory
The reciprocal lattice
Bragg and Laue theory
The Ewald contrstuction
Symmetry elements and space groups
Thermal properties of crystal lattices
Lattice vibrations
A simple oscillator
Infinite chains of atoms
The Brillouin zone
Heat capacity
The Debye model
The Einstein model
Phonon spectroscopy
Magnetic states of matter
Magnetism
Magnetic effects in atoms
Diamagnetism
Paramagnetism
Magnetic ordering
Ferromagnetic domains
Other collective phenomena
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 6