FY509: Thermal physics (10 ECTS)

STADS: 07008001

Level
Bachelor course

Teaching period
The course is offered in the spring semester.

Teacher responsible
Email: ipsen@memphys.sdu.dk
Email: paolo.sibani@sdu.dk

Additional teachers
lyngs@memphys.sdu.dk
svt@sdu.dk
mlomholt@sdu.dk

Timetable
Show entire timetable
Show personal time table for this course.

Comment:
1.del samlæses med FY523 og FY810, 2.del samlæses med FY524 og FY811

Prerequisites:
None

Academic preconditions:
FY521 Introductory Quantum Mechanics I or KE524 Quantum Chemistry must be followed simultaneously at the latest.

Course introduction
The course gives an introduction to the fundamental concepts of thermodynamics and statistical mechanics and shows their applications to selected physical and chemical systems and to the interpretation of experiments.

Expected learning outcome
After having attended the course, the students are expected to be able to:

1. Explain and apply the laws of thermodynamics
2. Apply Maxwell's relations
3. Formulate and use equilibrium conditions
4. Explain and apply thermodynamic potentials
5. State the conditions of thermodynamic stability
6. Set up statistic mechanical probability measures by the maximum entropy method
7. Calculate average and dispersion values of thermodynamic variables
8. Explain and apply the statistical basis of the laws of thermodynamics
9. Apply the relationships betwen thermal response functions and statistical correlations
10. Formulate and use equilibrium conditions in statistical mechanics
11. Apply the most common ensembles for calculations of average and dispersion values of standard variables
12. Calculate thermodynamics functions for classical and quantum gases
13. Write down partition sums for molecules and solids and calculate the appropriate thermodynamic variables
14. Apply the mean field approximation for strongly interacting systems
15. Understand theories for the mechanisms behind electronic components (semiconductors, diodes, transistors, and solar cells)
16. Use the theories to practical applications of these electronic components.

Subject overview
The course consists of two parts, of 5 ECTS points each.

Part 1 Thermal Physics:
The main topics are thermodynamics and basic statistical mechanics

• The basic concepts of thermodynamics (state functions, first and second law of thermodynamics, thermodynamics potentials and response functions) are derived and discussed using simple examples e.g. the ideal gas.
• The thermodynamic fundament of the description of structural stability, chemical equilibrium and fase transition
• The basic principles of statistics are introduced and related to the thermodynamic description.
• Examples considered: surface absorption, piezo- and pyroelectricity, real gases, mixtures, rubber elasticity and evaporation, Ising paramagnetic model.
• An obligatory report on the relation between thermodynamics and statistical mechanics is to be written.

Part 2 Statistical mechanics:
The topics are applications of statistical mechanics to simple, realistic systems, e.g. quantum systems, phase and chemical equilibria, and the mean field theory of interacting systems.

• The theory behind the electronic properties of semi-conductors, diodes, transistors and solar cells.
• Experimental exercises illustrate the importance of Fermi-Dirac statistics for the description of the properties of solids (diodes, transistors and solar cells). A report is prepared, which must contain: the needed theory, the measured data, and an interpretation of the data.
• Vibration and rotation spectra for diatomic molecules.
• Einstein’s and Debye’s theories of lattice vibrations
• Black body radiation and Bose-Einstein condensation
• Phase changes are discussed on a statistical mechanical basis.
• Mean field theory of interacting systems: Ising model of ferro-magnetism and Debye-Hückel theory of diluted ionic solutions.

Literature

• S.J. Blundell og K.M. Blundell: Concepts in Thermal Physics, (second edition) 2010, Oxford University Press.ISBN 978-0-19-956210-7 (paperback) findes også i Hard-udgave.

Website
This course uses e-learn (blackboard).

Prerequisites for participating in the exam
None

Assessment and marking:
After appro. 7 weeks:

1. Written project report followed by a short oral exam (15 minutes) with the project report as a starting point, 7-point grading scale, internal examiner (5 ECTS).

At the end of the course:

1. Two written project reports followed by a short oral exam (15 min.) with the project report as a starting point, 7-point grading scale, external examiner.
   The marks from the 2 parts each accounts for 50% of the total grade.

If the total grade is below 2, the student must take a reexam in the part(s) which is below 2. However is the total grade -3, partexaminations must always be retaken.

Re-examination in the same exam period or immediately thereafter. The mode of exam at the re-examination may differ from the mode of exam at the ordinary exam.

Expected working hours
The teaching method is based on three phase model.
Intro phase: 37 hours
Skills training phase: 47 hours, hereof:
 - Tutorials: 35 hours
 - Laboratory exercises: 12 hours

Educational activities

Language
This course is taught in Danish.

Course enrollment
See deadline of enrolment.

Tuition fees for single courses
See fees for single courses.