MSc Thesis
A research project involving the preparation and defence of a thesis which will demonstrate a capacity for independent work. The research shall be carried out under the supervision of a faculty member and the thesis defended at an oral examination.
Quantum Chemistry: Theory
(also offered as CHEM 5P00)
Self-consistent-field (SCF) method: configuration interaction; basis functions; electron correlation; physical properties of atoms, diatomic and polyatomic molecules.
Advanced Electromagnetism
Electromagnetic wave propagation in vacuum, dielectrics, conductors and ionized gases; wave guide and transmission line propagation; dipole and quadrupole radiation fields; relativistic transformation of the electromagnetic fields; radiation by moving charges.
Advanced Statistical Physics
Statistical ensembles, mean field and Landau theory, critical phenomena and the renormalization group; quantum fluids; superfluidity; linear response theory; selected topics on disordered systems.
Advanced Quantum Mechanics I
Angular momenta, relativistic Schrodinger equation, Dirac equation, positron theory and many electron problems.
Advanced Quantum Mechanics II
Symmetry, collision theory, Green's function, S-matrix, field quantization.
Advanced Condensed Matter Physics
Topics to be selected.
Many Body Theory
Green's functions at zero and finite temperature; perturbation theory and Feynman diagrams; linear response theory; electron- electron interaction; electron-phonon interaction; electrons in disordered systems; Fermi liquid theory; BCS theory of superconductivity.
Superconductivity
Overview of basic experimental facts. Introduction to the BCS theory, effects of disorder, symmetry of the order parameter and the Ginzburg-Landau theory, magnetic properties of superconductors, macroscopic phase coherence phenomena, quasiparticle excitations in superconductors: thermal and optical properties; unconventional superconducting materials: HTSC, heavy fermions, organic superconductors.
Optical Properties of Solids
Measurement techniques; reflectivity, the dielectric function and the optical conductivity; Lorentz-Drude oscillator model; Kramers-Kronig transformations and sum rules; properties of metals, insulators and superconductors.
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
Density matrix formulation of NMR theory; spectroscopy of simple spin systems and spin-dependent interactions, relaxation theory; spin temperature; dipolar broadening in solids; NMR of soft condensed matter systems; practical aspects of high-fidelity solid-state NMR; NMR spectrometer design; NMR imaging and microscopy.
Prerequisite: PHYS 5P50, PHYS 2P31 and PHYS 3P92 for the technical part - if given; strong background in quantum mechanics will be assumed.
Graduate Seminar Course
Independent study and presentation of major research papers in the area of specialization. A list of up to five papers is assigned by the supervisory committee and the student presentations are both in written and seminar form. Each student is required to attend and participate in all seminars given by students registered in the course. The course must be completed in first or second semester of graduate program.