M. Sc. (Physics):Liquid Crystals:Advanced Condensed Matter Physics

First Semester


Classical Mechanics
Statistical Mechanics
Quantum Mechanics
Mathematical Physics
Physics Lab I
Fundamentals of Computer Science and C Programming


Second Semester

Condensed Matter Physics
Experimental Techniques in Physics
Atomic and Molecular Physics
Electrodynamics
Electronics
Physics Lab II


Third Semester

Particle Physics
Nuclear Physics
Semiconductor Physics
Physics Lab III
Seminar


Fourth Semester

Dissertation


Advanced Condensed Matter Physics

Transport Properties of Solids: Boltzmann transport equation, Resistivity of metals and semiconductors, Thermoelectric phenomena,

Energy Band and Fermi Surface: Construction of Fermi Surface. Calculation of energy band: Tight bonding method, Weigner Seitz method, Pseudopotential method. Experimental methods of Fermi surface determination: Quantization of Orbits, Landau Levels, De Haas-van Alphen effect and its application for determination of Fermi surface of copper, Cyclotron resonance method for semiconductors and metals, Magnetoresistance method.

Physics of Low Dimensional solids: Electrons in high magnetic field: magnetic quantization and Landau Levels, Integral quantum Hall effect (QHE). Laughlin;s Theory and Fractional quantum Hall effect.Low dimensional conducting system: Classical, Ballistic and Diffusive transport regimes, Ballistic transport in constriction and nanowires: Conduction as transmission, quantization of conductance and Landuer Formalism.Coulomb blockade and single electron tunneling transistor (SET).

Plasmon, Polariton and Polaron: Dielectric function of electron gas, dispersion relation of electromagnetic wave and transverse optical mode of plasma, Pasmons, Electrostatic screening: Screened Coulomb potential, Screening of phonon in metals. Polariton: Theory of polariton and Lyddane-Sach-Teller(LST) relation. Electron-phonon interaction and polaron. Pierls insulator and instability of linear metals.

Optical process and Exciton: Optical Reflectance, Krammer-Kroning relation, Conductivity of collisionless electron gas, Electronic interband transition. Excitons: Frenkel exciton, Mott-Wanier exciton, Exciton condensation into electron-hole drop, Raman effect in crystals.

Ferroelectrics and Antiferroelectrics: Ferroelectrics: Ferroelctric crystals and it,s classification. Theory of ferroelectric displacive transitions; polarization catastrophe and frozen in soft optical phonons. Landau theory of Phase transition, First order and second order transition and their examples. Ferroelectric domains and Antiferroelctricity.

Superconductivity: Gaiver and Josephson tunneling, AC and DC Josephson effect, SQIDS and it’s application. Failure of BCS theory of superconductivity, Ginzburg-Landau theory: magnetic flux quantization and coherence length. Ginzburg-Landau-Abrikosov theory for type-II superconductors and the concept of flux pinning.