Course information

Optical and Dielectric Properties of Insulators: Static fields. Review of basic macroscopic theory relations. The local electric field. Atomic polarizability, Clausius – Mossotti relation. Sources of polarizability. Electronic, ionic and dipolar polarizability. The static dielectric constant of solids. Alternating fields. Macroscopic theory. Classical theory of electronic polarizability and optical absorption. Quantum theory of electronic polarizability. Ionic polarizability. The polariton. Dipolar polarizability. Piezoelectricity. Ferroelectricity. Thermodynamics of ferroelectric transitions (Landau Theory). Magnetic Properties of Matter Diamagnetism and Paramagnetism: Macroscopic theory, basic concepts, diamagnetism. Permanent atomic dipole moment, transition of atomic magnetic moment. Review of quantum theory of atomic angular momentum. Classical and quantum theory of paramagnetism. Calculation of atomic magnetic susceptibility from the Hamiltonian. Comparison with experimental results for paramagnetic materials. Magnetism in metals: Landau diamagnetism and Pauli paramagnetism. Magnetic cooling. Ferromagnetism, Antiferromagnetism, Ferrimagnetism: Phenomena of collective magnetic ordering. General description and classical theory of the phenomenon of ferromagnetism. Weiss s molecular field theory. Quantum interpretation of the origin of the Weiss field. Heisenberg s theory of ferromagnetism. Spin waves. Magnons. Change of spontaneous magnetization due to thermal excitation of magnons. Ferromagnetism. Antiferromagnetism. Ferromagnetic domains. Magnetic resonance phenomena: Electronic magnetic resonance. Relaxation mechanisms. Bloch equations and their steady-state solutions. Nuclear magnetic resonance. Superconductivity: General characteristics of superconductivity (critical temperature, electrical resistance at low temperatures, critical current, critical magnetic field, Meissner effect, perfect diamagnetism). Type I and Type II superconductors. Thermodynamic consideration of the superconducting transition. Specific heat and energy gap. Two-fluid model. London s theory of superconductivity. Microscopic theory of superconductivity (B. C. S.). Quantization of magnetic flux. The Josephson effect. Quantum interference.