Engineering Quantum Matter by Light
​Xinwei Li Lab @ NUS Physics
Solid-State Physics II
(PC 4240)
Offering semesters:
AY 23/24 Sem 1
AY 24/25 Sem 2
Crystalline solids play an essential role in a diverse range of daily applications. To understand why certain electrical, magnetic, and optical properties of solids manifest on macroscopic scales, one needs to enter the microscopic realm and investigate properties of electrons, atoms, and their interactions in a periodic lattice environment. This course aims at deepening the student’s understanding over the physical properties of solids, including their phenomenology, microscopic mechanism, open questions, and emergent strategies from the research forefront that can potentially address rising challenges.
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Topics include: energy bands of the nearly free electron model, tight binding method, Fermi surfaces and their experimental determination, plasmons, polaritons and polarons, optical processes and excitons. We will also cover dielectrics and ferroelectrics, diamagnetism, paramagnetism, ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism, magnetic resonance, and superconductivity. This course is targeted at physics majors, and is suitable for science and engineering students who already have background knowledge of solid state physics on par with PC3235 Solid State Physics I.
Electricity and Magnetism I
(PC 2031)
Offering semesters:
AY 24/25 Sem 1
The subject of electricity and magnetism forms one of the most crucial pillars in physics. Among the four fundamental forces in nature, the electromagnetic force is not only most ubiquitous but most relevant to understanding and engineering our surrounding world. Being accepted as a well-established theoretical framework in modern physics, the subject can naturally be extended to advanced theoretical frontiers including the theory of special relativity and quantum field theory. On the technological front, developing a solid understanding of electric and magnetic phenomena is also crucial for a wide range of engineering disciplines and emerging technical areas with important applications. For these reasons, the course is mandatory for Physics majors and highly recommended for all Engineering majors.
Topics include: vector calculus; electrostatic fields, Coulomb’s law, and electric potential; electric fields in matter; magnetostatic fields, Biot-Savart’s law, and magnetic vector potential; magnetic fields in matter; time-varying electric and magnetic fields, Faraday’s and generalised Ampere’s laws; Maxwell’s equations and electromagnetic waves in vacuum. Knowledge from PC2032 is desirable.