12/09/2017

Condensed Matter Physics

Normal and Advanced
 19 lectures (Mon 10am; Tues 1pm; Fri 12pm)
 2 Assignments (12.5% each; common and separate N and
A questions)
 Home work/Tutorial questions (not marked; common and
separate N and A questions)
 Exam (75%; common and separate N and A questions)
 Tutoring Friday 10am, LT5 (help with course material,
assignments, homework/tutorial questions)
 Tutors also answering questions on Piazza
 Lectures on eLearning
 Handout Notes in Lecture – from The Oxford Solid State Basics 1st
Edition by Steven H. Simon (2013)

Aim of Condensed Matter

Physics
 Condensed Matter Physics (also known as Solid
State Physics) explains the properties of solid
materials. It is the study of the behaviour of atoms
when they are placed in close proximity to one
another.
 The properties are expected to follow from
Schrödinger’s eqn. for a collection of atomic nuclei
and electrons interacting with electrostatic forces.
 The fundamental laws governing the behaviour of
solids are known and well tested.
 “Condensed Matter” being more general than just
solid state was coined by Nobel-Laureate Philip W.
Anderson.

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Condensed
Matter
Physics

Crystalline Solids
 We will deal with crystalline solids, that is solids with
an atomic structure based on a regular repeated
pattern.

 Many important solids are crystalline.

 More progress has been made in understanding the

behaviour of crystalline solids than that of non-
crystalline materials since the calculation are easier
in crystalline materials.

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What is the point?

 Understanding the electrical properties of solids is
right at the heart of modern society and technology.

 For example, the entire computer and electronics

industry relies on tuning of a special class of
material, the semiconductor, which lies right at the
metal-insulator boundary. Condensed matter
physics provides a background to understand what
goes on in semiconductors.
 New technology for the future will inevitably involve
developing and understanding new classes of
materials (e.g. superconductors, spintronic,
topological insulators etc)

Properties of matter depend upon how the

atoms are put together:
Electrical resistivity of three states of solid
matter

graphite Buckminster
diamond
-fullerene

They are all just carbon!

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Lectures
 1-3 Physics of solids without considering microscopic structure:
Drude Theory, Free Electron Theory
 4 Types of matter and chemical bonding
 5-6 Crystal structure and reciprocal lattice
 7 Scattering by crystals
 8-9 Tight binding and nearly free electron model
 10-11 Band structure and semiconductor physics
 12-13 Quantum theory of phonons
 14 Magnetic properties of atoms
 15 Magnetism in solids
 16 Nanostructures
 17 N and A separate
 18 N and A separate
 19 N and A separate

The electronic properties of metals

• A metal conducts electricity (but some non-metals also

do).
• A metal is opaque and looks shiny (but some non-metals
also do).
• A metal conducts heat well (but some non-metals also
do).

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Classical approach (Drude theory)

In this lecture, learn about ....

• Basic assumptions of the classical theory

• DC electrical conductivity in the Drude model
• Hall effect
• thermal conduction / Wiedemann-Franz law
• Shortcomings of the Drude model: heat capacity...

A&M Ch1,pg 2-15;20-25

Drude picture of atom

Isolated atom Atoms in metal

Fig. 1.1 A&M

Valence atoms move freely through metal

Ions remain intact, act as immobile positive particles
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Drude’s classical theory

• Theory by Paul Drude in 1900, three years after

the electron was discovered.
• Drude treated the (free) electrons as a classical
ideal gas but the electrons should collide with the
stationary ions, not with each other.
average rms speed

so at room temp.

Drude’s classical theory

3 assumptions:
1) electrons have a scattering/ relaxation time
(average time between scattering events)
2) scattered, electron returns to momentum=0
3) In between scattering events the electrons respond
to E and B-fields
mean free path

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Drude theory: electrical conductivity

Electrons in an Electric field
In steady state the equation of motion is

integration gives

and if is the average time between collisions then the

average drift speed is

for we get

remember:

Concept of drift velocity

(a) Zero and (b) non-zero electric field

In E-field the start S and finish F positions differ –
net flow of charge
Drift velocity versus time; average
time between collisions is 
the relaxation time

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Drude theory: electrical conductivity

n=N/V =N/(A.dl) density of electrons

number of electrons passing in unit time

N/t =
current of negatively charged electrons

i=
i=Q/t =N(-e)/t
current density
j=i/A
Ohm’s law

and with we get

Drude theory: electrical conductivity

Ohm’s law

and we can define

the conductivity

and the
resistivity

and the
mobility

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Electrical conductivity of materials

Drude theory: electrical conductivity

line

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Drude theory: electrical conductivity

• Drude’s theory gives a reasonable picture for the

phenomenon of resistance.
• Drude’s theory gives qualitatively Ohm’s law (linear
relation between electric field and current density).
• It also gives reasonable quantitative values of
conductivity, at least at room temperature.

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The Hall Effect

Electrons in electric and magnetic fields

• Accumulation of charge leads to Hall field E . H

• Hall field proportional to current density and B field

is called Hall coefficient

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The Hall coefficient

and definition
for the steady
state we get

electron density form Ohm’s law?

The Hall coefficient

Ohm’s law contains e2

But for RH the sign of e

is important.

Drude theory predicts wrong sign for Be, Mg, Al

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What would happen for positively charged

carriers?

Questions
The following data is given for copper
i) Density = 8.92 × 103 kgm–3
ii) Resistivity = 1.73 × 108 m
iii)Atomic weight = 63.5 kg
Calculate the mobility and the average time collision of
electrons in copper obeying classical laws

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Questions
A uniform silver wire has a resistivity of 1.54×10–8 m at
room temperature. For an electric field along the wire of 1
volt cm–1, compute the average drift velocity of electron
assuming that there is 5.8 × 1028 conduction electrons /m3.
Also calculate the mobility.

The Wiedemann-Franz law


 constant


• Wiedemann and Franz found in 1853 that the ratio of thermal and
electrical conductivity for ALL METALS is constant at a given
temperature (for room temperature and above). Later it was found by
L. Lorenz that this constant is proportional to the temperature.

• Let’s try to reproduce the linear behaviour and to calculate L here.

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The Wiedemann Franz law

estimated thermal conductivity
(from a classical ideal gas)

or using rms value

average speed

Comparison of the Lorenz number to

experimental data
at 273 K
metal 10-8 Watt Ω K-2
Ag 2.31
Au 2.35
Cd 2.42
Cu 2.23
Mo 2.61
Pb 2.47
Pt 2.51
Sn 2.52
W 3.04
Zn 2.31

Drude prediction: 0.98 – 1.11 Watt K -2

off by a factor of 2, but still very good!

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Question

The thermal conductivity of a metal is 123.92 Wm –1 K –1.

Find the electrical conductivity and Lorentz number when
the metal posses relaxation time 10–14 sec at 300 K.
(Density of electron = 6×1028 per m3)

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Failures of the Drude model

• Despite this correct prediction, there are some serious problems with
the Drude model.

• It is fortuitous – since the measured specific heat is not close to

per electron

Due to two mistakes that roughly cancel

– specific heat far too large, velocity far too small !
(Due to not taking Fermi statistics of the electron into account)

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Failures of the Drude model

The Drude model predicts a roughly 100 times larger value of the Peltier
coefficient

The Peltier effect is that running a current through a material also

transports heat

thermal current

electrical current

The ratio known as the

thermopower or
“Seebeck coefficient”

For most metals value is 100 times smaller

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