(Zur Webseite der Vorlesung "Einführung in die Struktur der Materie 2", WS 2025/2026)

Advanced Solid State Physics

Days and hours:

• Lecture:
  • Tuesdays and Fridays 12:15–14:00 hrs.
  • Room: Lecture Hall B (R. 0.1.01), Arnimallee 14.
  • First Lecture: 13. October 2026

• Exercises:
  • In small groups, Wednesdays either 08:15–10:00 or 14:15–16:00 hrs.
  • Start of exercise groups: 21. October 2026
  • Rooms: Group A (Sangeeta Thakur, 08:15–10:00): seminar room T3 (room no. 1.3.48), group B (Junyoung Sim, 14:15–16:00): seminar room T2 (room no. 1.4.03)

Target Group:

Students in the Master's course "Physics" or related Master's courses. Knowledge of fundamental solid-state physics, such as it is typically covered in introductory courses on solid-state physics, is of advantage, but not a strict prerequirement for the course. Subjects from fundamental solid-state physics necessary for the course will be briefly repeated during the lecture, such that students may use the opportunity to acquire any missing basic knowledge from textbooks. This will, of course, require more time of self studies compared to students with a good knowledge in fundamental solid-state physics. The latter will still benefit from the brief repeats, which will roughly amount to three times one week in the entire semester.

Type of Study:

Lecture with accompanying exercises (Examination) (Details).

Lecturers: 

• Sangeeta Thakur
• Wolfgang Kuch

Registration:

Important! Students in the Master course "Physics" have to register until 30. October 2026 in the Campus Management System for both, the lecture and the exercises, in order to take the module.

Registration to the exercise groups: In addition, please register until 17. October for one of the two exercise groups. Please be aware: This registration is only for organizational purposes and does not substitute the registration in the Campus Management System! Registration for the exercise groups is done through Learn@FU.

Exercises:

The condition for the successful active participation in the module is the successful completion of practice assignments. This requires completing both of the two assignment types of practice assignments described below:

1. In-presence assignments: One task is issued each week during the exercise group and solved during the session. You may work collaboratively and the tutor will provide assistance. At the end of each session every student must hand in their own solution on paper. Across the semester you must achieve at least 50% of the total points available for these tasks. For the in-presence assignments, the use of AI tools is not permitted.
2. Homework assignments: One or two tasks are posted weekly on Learn@FU and must be solved before the exercise group. You should be prepared to present your solution in class; presentations are selected by lottery. Solutions do not need to be handed in. Presentations must meet the tutor’s approval in order to pass the module. You may opt out of the presentation lottery for up to ten homework tasks during the semester. For the homework assignments, the use of AI tools is permitted. 

Successful completion of the whole module includes, in addition, passing the written exam. 

Master students who have fulfilled the active participation in this module already in a previous semester do not need to participate in the exercises again, but may do so.

Examination:

The grade for the module is determined by a written exam.

• Date of the exam: 18. February 2027. Time for the exam: 90 minutes (10:15 until 11:45 hrs.). Please be present at 10 o'clock sharp!
• Allowed resources (please bring with you): Non-programmable calculator, 2 sheets (four pages) of A4 paper with hand-written notes.
• Place: Großer Hörsaal (R. 0.3.12), Physics Building, Arnimallee 14
• Please do not forget to bring an official personal document (passport, ID card) for the exam!

A repeat exam is offered on April 8, 2027 at 10:15 hrs. Please see the announcements in Learn@FU for further details. Everyone who is taking the exam in February for the first time can participate in the repeat exam, even if the first exam is already successfully passed. In that case, the exam with the better grade counts.

Students other than master students of physics who cannot register in the Campus Management System and who want to participate in the exam have to send an e-mail before October 30th to kuch@physik.fu-berlin.de, stating their name, matriculation number, and course of study.

Credit Points:

• Ten credit points are awarded for the successful completion of the module "Advanced Solid State Physics". 
• Students of the master course in physics and students of other courses who can register for the module through the Campus Management System will get the certification about the exam and the regular and active participation in the exercises directly there. All other students will get a paper certificate. 
• If you need a paper certificate in addition to the certification in the Campus Management System, please send an e-mail to kuch@physik.fu-berlin.de.

Material:

The lecture notes, some lecture videos, material for the lecture, and the homework exercise tasks will be provided online via Learn@FU. Login to Learn@FU requires a valid FU computer account. To get access, please register for the module in the Campus Manegement System (registration may be revoked later until October 30th). All students who are registered in the Campus Management System for the course automatically have access to the course material on Learn@FU.

Contents:

The lecture aims to establish a link between the fundamentals of solid state physics and specialized lectures on actual research topics. The following topics will be covered:

• Structure of solids, thin films, and surfaces
  • Examination of crystalline structure by diffraction techniques (X-ray diffraction, neutron diffraction, low-energy electron diffraction)
  • Influence of temperature, disorder, and finite sample size on diffraction patterns
  • Microscopic imaging of crystalline structure (electron microscopy, scanning probe microscopy)
• Electronic states in 3, 2, and 1 dimensions
  • Electronic band structure in 3, 2, and 1 dimensions
  • Examination of electronic states by photoelectron spectroscopy
  • Quantum well states
  • Quantum stability
• Magnetism, phase transitions
  • Magnetic order and phase transitions
  • Examination of magnetic properties by magnetometry and magnetic spectroscopy
  • Critical behavior, critical exponents
  • Magnetic anisotropies
  • Magnetic domains, micromagnetism
  • Coupling phenomena, magnetoresistance, principles of spin electronics

The course program will cover the basics of each topic but likewise discuss current methods and problems of solid-state physics. The relevant experimental techniques will be introduced and discussed, using examples from actual research.

Literature:

• S. Hunklinger and Ch. Enss, "Solid State Physics", De Gruyter
• J. R. Hook and H. E. Hall, "Solid State Physics", Wiley
• Ph. Hofmann, "Solid State Physics", Wiley
• C. Kittel, "Introduction to Solid State Physics", Wiley
• N. W. Ashcroft and N. D. Mermin, "Solid state physics", Holt, Rinehart and Winston
• J. S. Blackmore, "Solid State Physics", Cambridge University Press
• Hans Lüth: "Solid surfaces, interfaces and thin films", Springer
• Th. Fauster, L. Hammer, K. Heinz, and M. A. Schneider, "Surface Physics", De Gruyter
• D. P. Woodruff and T. A. Delchar, "Modern techniques of surface science", Cambridge University Press
• Andrew Zangwill, "Physics at surfaces", Cambridge University Press
• J. A. C. Bland and B. Heinrich (Eds.), "Ultrathin magnetic structures", Springer

Several of the books from this list are available online for students of Freie Universität Berlin. Please see the information on Learn@FU on how to gain access.