Phy 509:
Quantum Nanophysics

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For this year (2017), the course is organized around 5 topics:
  1. Scanning probe microscopy
    Scanning tunneling microscopy opened a window onto nanoscale phenomena of unprecedented resolution and flexibility. Basic theory and brief survey of some of the discoveries.

  2. Graphene and carbon nanotubes
    Why does graphene produce "massless Dirac fermions"? What are the exotic electronic properties that result? Basic properties of electrons in a periodic potential (i.e. band structure) presented. Idea of effective low energy theory. Symmetry of the crystal.

  3. Quantum transport in quantum point contacts and quantum dots
    Coulomb blockade. Conduction by single electrons. Quantization of the conductance. Scattering theory approach to conduction of electrons, which is particularly useful in the ballistic regime of nanostructures. Basic ideas of conduction of electrons.

  4. Quantum Hall effect
    Behavior of two-dimensional electrons in a magnetic field. The simplest example of non-trivial topology in electronic solid state. Extremely precise quantization of the Hall conductance-- used in determining values of fundamental constants.

  5. Giant magnetoresistance and spintronics
    Layered magnetic structures allow control of electron flow by tweaking the spin of the electron. Methods to produce spin currents. Spin pumping.

Last modified 8/26/2017 by Harold Baranger