Physics of Materials: Essential Concepts of Solid-State Physics
ISBN: 9788126557875
268 pages
eBook also available for institutional users
For more information write to us at: acadmktg@wiley.com
 
Description
This book examines essential concepts in Solid-State Physics. The accompanying DVD, containing 40 lectures of approximately an hour each, provides the student with the classroom experience. Animations are also included in the DVD to enable a more visual experience to understand the discussed concepts. Significant effort has been put in to present the material at the right level of detail such that it can be accessed and utilized by undergraduate and postgraduate students with a wide range of backgrounds. A conscious effort has been made to ensure that the level of detail used in the presentation enables students to stay with the content throughout.
Preface
Chapter 1 Introduction – Use and Study of Materials 
1.1 Introduction 
1.2 Materials and the Engineer 
1.3 Materials and a Scientist 
1.4 Modeling a Material 
1.5 Approach Used in This Book
Chapter 2 Properties of Materials 
2.1 Introduction 
2.2 Mechanical Properties 
2.3 Chemical Properties 
2.4 Electrical Properties 
2.5 Thermal Properties 
2.6 Magnetic Properties 
2.7 Optical Properties 
2.8 Understanding Material Properties
Chapter 3 Thermal Expansion 
3.1 Introduction 
3.2 Use of Thermal Expansion / Contraction 
3.3 Model for Thermal Expansion
Chapter 4 Electrical Conductivity 
4.1 Introduction 
4.2 Charge Carriers 
4.3 Direct Current Conductivity Measurement 
4.4 Alternating Current Conductivity Measurement 
4.5 Short Note on Superconductivity
Chapter 5 Free Electron Gas and The Ideal Gas 
5.1 Introduction 
5.2 The Free Electron Gas 
5.3 Packing Fraction in Solids 
5.4 Reasons for Caution with the Free Electron Model 
5.5 The Kinetic Theory of Gases
Chapter 6 The Drude Model 
6.1 Introduction 
6.2 Electrical Conductivity 
6.3 Thermal Conductivity 
6.4 The Wiedemann–Franz Law 
6.5 Shortcomings of the Drude Model
Chapter 7 Large Systems, Statistical Mechanics and The Maxwell–Boltzmann Statistics 
7.1 Introduction 
7.2 Systems with Large Collections of Particles 
7.3 Statistical Mechanics 
7.4 The Maxwell–Boltzmann Statistics
Chapter 8 A Brief History of Quantum Mechanics; Its Use in the Drude–Sommerfeld Model 
8.1 Introduction 
8.2 Classical Particles and Quantum Mechanical Particles 
8.3 A Brief History of Quantum Mechanics 
8.4 The Drude–Sommerfeld Model
Chapter 9 Fermi–Dirac Statistics 
9.1 Introduction 
9.2 The Fermi–Dirac Statistics 
9.3 Features of the Fermi–Dirac Distribution 
9.4 Comparing Maxwell–Boltzmann and Fermi–Dirac Distributions
Chapter 10 Anisotropy, Periodic Potential, Confinement and Quantization 
10.1 Introduction 
10.2 Anisotropy in Crystalline Solids 
10.3 Periodic Potential in a Crystalline Solid 
10.4 Confinement and Quantization – Waves on a String Analogy 
10.5 Confinement and Quantization – Quantum Mechanical Approach
Chapter 11 Density of States, Fermi Energy and The Electronic Contribution to Specific Heat at Constant Volume 
11.1 Introduction 
11.2 Density of States 
11.3 Aspects Associated with Electrons Filling Energy Levels 
11.4 Fermi Energy 
11.5 Fermi Surface 
11.6 Fermi Temperature 
11.7 Estimating the Electronic Contribution to Specific Heat at Constant Volume 
11.8 Further Improving the Model of the Solid
Chapter 12 The Reciprocal Space 
12.1 Introduction 
12.2 Defining Reciprocal Space 
12.3 Properties of Reciprocal Space 
12.4 Diffraction in Reciprocal Space 
12.5 The Ewald Sphere 
12.6 Crystal Lattices in Reciprocal Space 
12.7 Reciprocal Lattice as the Fourier Transform of the Real Lattice 
12.8 Another Way to Define or Describe Reciprocal Space
Chapter 13 Wigner–Seitz Cell, Brillouin Zones and The Origin of Bands 
13.1 Introduction 
13.2 The Wigner–Seitz Cell 
13.3 The Brillouin Zone 
13.4 Significance of Bragg Planes 
13.5 Interaction of Electron Waves with Brillouin Zones 
13.6 The Origin of Bands
Chapter 14 Bands, Band Gaps, Free Electron Approximation and Tight Binding Approximation 
14.1 Introduction 
14.2 Analytical Approach to The Band Structure – Free Electron Approximation 
14.3 Band Structure and Types of Materials 
14.4 Band Structure – The Tight Binding Approximation 
14.5 Effect of Pressure on Band Structure 
14.6 Comparison of Free Electron and Tight Binding Approximations 
14.7 Conventions Regarding Representing Band Diagrams
Chapter 15 Material Phenomena Explained using Theories Developed 
15.1 Introduction 
15.2 Semiconductors 
15.3 Types of Semiconductors 
15.4 Effect of Temperature on Semiconductors 
15.5 Optical Properties of Semiconductors 
15.6 The Utility of E versus k Diagrams 
15.7 Phonons 
15.8 Magnetism 
15.9 Electron Compounds
Chapter 16 Superconductivity and The Bose–Einstein Statistics 
16.1 Introduction 
16.2 Superconductivity 
16.3 The Meissner Effect 
16.4 The BCS Theory 
16.5 The Bose–Einstein Statistics 
16.6 The Bose–Einstein Condensate
Chapter 17 Physics of Nano-Scale Materials 
17.1 Introduction 
17.2 The Exciton 
17.3 Confining the Exciton 
Summary 
Practice Questions 
Answers 
Bibliography 
Index  
"Core of a good materials engineer is built around a sound understanding of atomic structure of materials. Since electrons are the primary building blocks of atoms

