Physics 556 Spring 2007

Instructor: Philip B. Allen
MWF 10:40-11:35 in room P-119 Physics
Schedule -- look here for links to HW assignments and due dates
text by LaxThe main topic for Spring 2007 will be group theory, as applied to molecules, solids, and nanosystems.  The text for this part of the course will be Melvin Lax, Symmetry Principles in Solid State and Molecular Physics (Dover, 1999)
List price $24.95  Sale price at Amazon $17.71
LUMO of ZnO nanowireThis is the LUMO -(1,2) state
of a tiny model of a ZnO nanowire.  "LUMO" means lowest unoccupied molecular orbital;  this orbital is one of a doublet lying just below the singly degenerate HOMO ("highest unoccupied molecular orbital.)  Simple ideas of molecular orbitals plus symmetry (group theory) allow you to predict things like this.  (Figure from Xiao Shen cond-mat/0610002)

syllabus
book list
character tables   (courtesy of 
Achim Gelessus, International University Bremen)

The last 1/3 of the course is not yet fixed.  Possible topics include
Nanoparticles and Nanowires
Quantum Hall Effects
Anderson Localization
grading will be based on homeworks (approximately 6 during the semester)
plus a term paper or oral report to the class
prerequisites are (1) one semester of solid state physics (undergraduate or graduate level)
one semester of quantum mechanics (graduate level)