Phys 311: Modern Physics 2023

Description

Physics is finished, young man. It’s a dead-end street.
Unknown teacher of Max Planck, late nineteenth century

In this course by the term “modern”, we mean important work that was done after the “Physics is finished” period. We will discuss mainly fairly old subjects, only some parts of the course can be considered as an introduction to current problems in physics. The basic plan will be to cover several important topics in Solid state, Atomic, and Elementary particle physics. In order to discuss these topics in this course, one needs to know some important subjects from thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, and quantum mechanics, therefore part of the lectures will be devoted to studying them as well.

Course Assistants

  • Lecturer: Ilmar Gahramanov (office KB 331 H)
  • Assistants: Taha Ayfer, Osman Ergeç, Merve Kaftan, Yağız Eren Kiremit, Sinan Ulaş Öztürk

Lectures notes (18.11.2023)

Problem Sessions: PS-1, PS-2, PS-3, PS-4 PS-6, PS-7

Exams: MT-1

  • About the Problem 6 (PS-2): C.M.Bender and S.Boettcher,“Real spectra in non-Hermitian Hamiltonians having PT symmetry,” Phys. Rev. Lett. 80, 5243-5246 (1998), arXiv:physics/9712001
  • Solution of the Problem 7 (PS-2): Maslov, V.P. Transition of the Heisenberg equation for h→o to the dynamic equation of a monoatomic ideal gas and quantization of relativistic hydrodynamics, Theor Math Phys 1, 289–293 (1969)
  • About the Problem 13 (PS-4): Section 46 in L.D. Landau, L. M. Lifshitz, Quantum Mechanics
  • About the Problem 14 (PS-4): Kohmoto, Mahito, Leo P. Kadanoff, and Chao Tang. “Localization problem in one dimension: Mapping and escape.” Physical Review Letters 50.23 (1983): 1870.

Literature

There is a huge number of textbooks for the course of Modern Physics. We will study roughly the same topics mentioned in those textbooks, however, I am not going to follow any specific book. There is also a list of papers (mainly on popular level) suggested for reading.

Literature

  • I.V. Savelyev, Physics – A General Course, Volume 3
  • Additional literature
  • L.D. Landau, L. M. Lifshitz, Mechanics
  • L.D. Landau, L. M. Lifshitz, Quantum Mechanics
  • L.D. Landau, L. M. Lifshitz, Statistical Physics
  • A.A. Abrikosov, Fundamentals of the Theory of Metals
  • L.B. Okun, Leptons and Quarks
  • V.V. Schmidt, The Physics of Superconductors

Papers