Chapter 1
About Condensed Matter Physics
This chapter is just my personal take on vzhy this topic is interesting. It seens unlikely to nme
any exam would ask you why you study this topie, so vou should that
to be not examinable. Nonetheless, you might want to read it to probably consider this section
figure out why vou should thnk
this course is interesting if that isn't otherwise obvious.
1.1 What is Condensed Matter Physics
Quoting Wikipedia:
Condensed matter physics is the field of physics that deals with the macro
scopic and microscopic physical properties of matter. In particular, it is
concerned with the "condensed" phases that appear whenever the num
ber of constituents in a system is extremely large and the interactions be
tween the constituents are strong. The nost familiar examples of condensed
phases are solids and liquids, which arise frou the electromagnetic forces
between atons.
The use of the tern1 "Condensed Matter" being more general th¡n just solid state was coined
and promoted by Nobel-Laureate Philip W. Anderson.
1.2 Why Do We Study Condensed Matter Physics?
There are several very good answers to this questio
1. Because it is the world around us
Almost all of the physical world that we see is in fact condensed matter. Questions such as
" why are nnetals shiny and why do they feel cold?
" why is glass transparent?
PUYSICS
CHAPTER I. ABOUT CONDENSED MATTER
does fluid focl wet?
" why is water a fluid, and why
why is rubber soft and stretchy?
condensed matter physics. In fact almost every
These questions are all in the domain ofaround vou, short of asking about the sun or stars,
question youmiglht ask about the world
is probably related to condensed matter phvsics in someway.
2. Because it is useful
matter phvsics has enabled us humans to
Over the last century our command of condensed
doremarkable things. \We have used our knowledge of plhvsics to engineer new materials and
completely. Perhaps the most
exploit their properties to change our world and our society enabled new invent1ons
remarkalble example is how our understanding of solid state physics industry, which enabled
enabled the electronics
exploting semiconductor technology, which
computers, iPhones, and everything clse we now take for granted.
3. Because it is deep
those you migt lind
The questions that arise in condensed matter physics are as deep as
In fact, many of the idcas that ac now uscd in other ficlds of physics can traCe
anywhere.
their origins to condensed matter physics.
A few examples for fun:
The fannous HigÊs boson, which the LHC is searching for. is no
ditferent from a phe
superronductors (the domain of condlensed matter physicists).
nomenon that occurs in
The Higs mechanisun, which gives maSS to elementary particles is frequently called the
"Anderson-Higgs" mechanism, after the condensed mat ter physicist Phil Anderson (the
described much of the same
same guy who coined the term "condenseed matter)who
physics before Peter Higgs., the high energy theorist
kenneth Wilson in 1982) waS
" The ideas of the renoralization group (Nobel prize to
developed simultaneously in both hugh-eergy atd condesed matter physies.
mvented by strig theorists as
" The ideas of topological quantun tield theories, wule laboratory by condensed matter
theories of quantum gravity, huve been discovevd in the
physicists!
Cxodus of string theorists applving black
" In the last few years there has been a maS
hole physies (in N-dimensions!) to phise traIsit ions in real materials. The very same
souewhere out in the cosmos!
structures exist in the lab that are (mavbe!)
ny opinion The Nobel comnittee agrees with
That this type of physics is deep is not just work of tio fewer than 50 Nobel laureates!
(See
the
me. During this course we will disuss hotes).
set of
the index of scientists at the end of this
doesn't work
4. Because reductionism
you continually ask "what is it made
begin{rant) People frequently have the feeling that if knowledge is known as reductiontsIL.
approach to
of vou learn more about sonnething. This someone may tell vou it is made fronn molecules.
ade of,
For example, asking what water is of quarks, and
then molecules are made of aton1s, ato1s of electrous and protons, protons anything about
But noue of this information tells you
quarks are made of who-knows-what. bind to form nuclei, why the atoms
protons and neutrons
why water is wet, about why Understanding phvsics inevitatbly involves
understanding
bìnd to form water, and so forth. things get difficult verv
each other. And this is where
how mauy objects all interact with
IWY DO WESTUD (OVDENSED AATTER DTSZCS
A e IStaud the Schuoeiluger cqwation extrecly well tor one pticle, ht e
Sthingr exqations lor four or Noe aticles, while in piwiple solvable, in pctice are
lwsolvlboulse the wtoo litticult (ven or the wol's biggest computes Physies
wos tgwing out whut lo du theu lloy ale we to undestand ow many quuks lomm
t i s , oT hON auy electrous ud uotony fou an atom if we cnnot solve he many
|nrtice Scuohgor quatio?
OTe mtesing is the pussilbility that we uuderstand very well the microscopie theory
St,bat then we discovr that macUNCOpir roperties Cerge rom he SVstem that
t Ot (Npert. My persOnal tuvorite (xamle iswuoe puts together mauy electrous
(uch with charge -)one can sonetimes tind uew purticles cnerging, cach having ome thud
the charg of an clcton!! Rductionism would never meoveor this it misss the point
completely. end{rant}
5. Because it is a
Laboratory
Concdenser natter plysics is perhups the best laboratory we uve (or stulying quaut m
phrsics and statistical physics, Those of us who are fasciated by what quantuu uechancs
nd statistical mechanics cau do otten end up studviug coudensed mattor physics which is
deeply grounded in both of thus topics. (nlensed matter is au intinitely varied plavgromd
tor physicists to test strange quantum and statistical otlects.
l view this entire course as an extesiou of what vou luveuleady learuelinqutm ad
statistical physics, If you enjovel those coss, vou will likely cnjoy this as well. " you did
not do well in those courses, vou might waut to go back and study them agan because any
of the same ides will arise here.
'Yes, this truly happens The Nobel i e in 2S was aNatnt tw an (tIi, lost Stotw ad ub aghm,
for discoery of this phenvwhon knowu as the hartimal qtattun Hall t t
1. Introduction and the reaisatioD of
qu1antum
" MesoscOpic physics University of Oulu)
he
purpose of this comse is to Compulntion (research done in the
tion on condensed mattor physies. give the basie introxue
Tange nd many interestig
The subject has a wide Fomi liuil theory (Oulu)
phenomena
(onTse5, Or to be leared from tlhe
are left lor ote
litCrature. " Graphene
" Topological insulators
History
The ten Condensed mattcr includes all sucl
large
Hroups of particles that Condense into one phase. lEspe Many-Body Problem
cially, he istancos betwcen particles have lo be small explaiming
compared with the interactions betwveen them. Examples: All known matter is fornned by atous. The
be done with quan
of the propertics of single atoms can
tum mechanics, with an astounding accuracy. When one
" solhds number of the relevant
adds more alons to the system, the
" anorphous materials degrees of frccdom in Schrödinger equa'ion grows exponen
system
tially. In principle, all properties of the many aton
" liquids can still be foundl by solving the Schrödinger cquation, but
" soft naterials (foams, gels, biological systems) in practise the required computational power grows very
rapidly out of reach. As an example: the computers in
" white dwarfs and neutron stars (astrophysics) 1980s could solve for the eigenvalues of the system con
" uclear matter (nuclear physics) sisting of 11 interacting electrons. Two decades later the
coniputational power had increased hundred-fold but it al
extraelectrons! A typical many
Condensedl matter physics orieinates from tlhe stswlr ot lowed to include only two
NOidls. Previously, the field was called solid state nhveics body problem in condensed matter physics includes 10
describe the bohavir af or so, electrons. Therefore, it is clear that it is extremely
n 1 Was notiCed that one can
liquid metals, Helium and liquid crystals with sanne col impractical to study such physics starting from the basic
cepts and models. This Course concentrates mainly on per principles.
fect crystals, mainly due to the historical development of Based on the above, the condensed matter theories are
the field and the simplicity of the related theorctical mod- so-called rffective theories. In principle, they have o be
els. results of averaging the Schrödinger eqation properly, but
Approxinately, one third of the plvsicists in the S in practise their form has been guessd based on symme
tries and experinnental results. In this way, the theories of
cor siders themselves as researchers of condensed matter
become simple, beautiful, and
physics. In the last 50 years (in 2011). herp has been 9) the condenscd matter have
Condensed-matter related Nobel rizes in plhvsics and also one can Ise them to obtain results that are precise (an
5 in chenistry: effective theory does not have to be imprecise) and give
detailed explanations.
" Bardeen, Cooper and Schriefler, I'heory of low tem The modest goal of condensed matter physics is to ex
perature superconductivity (1972) plain the whole material world. It overlaps with statistical
physics, material physics and liquid and solid mechanics.
" Josephson, Joseplhson effect (1973) Due to its diversity, the coherent treatient of the sulbject
. Conell, Ketterle and Wienan, Bose-Einstein conden is blurred.
sation in dilutegases of alkali atons (2001) "The abil1ty to reduce cverything to smple fundumentul
" Geim and Novosclov, Graphene (2010) laws does not innply the abilty to start from those laus
and reconstruct the unverse. The constructioust
The hcld has been the soturcc of maly practical applica- hypotllests breaks doun when confront d bu the twm dlli
Lions: culliesof scale and complerty. The behavnour of large and
compler aggregates of clementary partces, it turns ou,
" Transistor (1948) is not to be understood in termns of a sinple ertrapolal 1on
of the propertics of a few partices. Instead, al cach
"Magnetic recording level of complerity cnt1rely ncw properties appeaT, nd
the understand1ng of the new bchaviours require rescarch
" Liquid erystal displays (LCDs)... which Ithnk as as fundamental in its nature as any other."
Therefore, condensed matter physics is both interesting
P. W. Anderson, 1972
and benelicial for basic p1ysics research and also for ap
plications!
Finally, a short listing on "lhot topics" in the current
condensed matter rescarch:
)
ssid state Paysics i:Ss tmchre andA. Wahab
psþgties Naterdas - M.M A.
2 Sstid state Paysice, 4et by t. Tbach
H. Lth
3. Sdid stte Phyics by N.n.
D. N Memin
4. Dntoduchion to Sol:d &tate fhyie
b chae kitel.
5. Elememtay said state Pysics
