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When matter condenses into closely-packed aggregates of very large (1022) numbers of atoms or molecules, new phenomena occur. What are these emergent phenomena and how can they be manipulated and used? A central example of emergent behavior is the creation of order: the formation of crystals with symmetric packing of atoms. How do we measure such structures at the atomic scale and how can we control their growth? What is the internal dynamics of ordered atomic structures and how does this effect properties such as the specific heat capacity? What impact does the ordered and close packing of atoms have on the quantum states of electrons as their wave functions overlap and how does this affect electrical properties like conductivity? It would seem that such many-body systems would be hopelessly complex and yet, in fact, strongly predictive methods of analysis can be employed, tested, and used for practical purposes. What are these powerful insights? What, for example, do we mean by the concept of "elementary excitation" and how is this manifested in experimental observation? What happens when ordered structures are altered by impurities and imperfections and how can these effects be manipulated for practical purposes? Answers to such questions have led to a vast amount of technological development, not least of which are semiconducting devices like transistors that can be replicated by the billions at scales below 100 nanometers to create powerful and affordable computers. Other technologies involve the interaction of light with solid materials, giving rise to a wide range of electro-optic devices ranging from lasers to extremely sensitive photosensors...useful in detection and communication. Where can further insights take us in technological development? The possibilities are so numerous that it is no wonder that the Division of Condensed Matter Physics is the largest division in the American Physical Society, with an annual March Meeting that exceeds 10,000 participants.
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Currently Offered Experiments
Currently Offered Experiments
Semiconductor pn junctions
Experiments in Development
Experiments in Development
Dendritic growth
High Tc superconducting ring
Magnetic susceptibility
Piezoelectric transducer characterization
Quantized conductance
Shape memory alloy transitions and hysteresis
Surface plasmon dispersion relation
Preparatory Experiments
Preparatory Experiments
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Equipment used in condensed matter physics
Equipment used in condensed matter physics
Note: Research experiences for undergraduates (REUs) might provide opportunities to work with a major equipment installation.
Cameras and imaging systems
Clean room systems
Cryostats, dewars, and cryogenic equipment
Crystal growing systems
Diffraction and scattering systems
Dynamic light scattering
Electron diffraction
Neutron scattering
X-ray diffraction
Electron, ion, and molecular beam systems
Ellipsometers
Gas handling equipment (pumps, gauges, valves, etc.)
High pressure systems
Lasers
Leak detectors and residual gas analyzers
Magnetometers
Magnets and magnet power supplies
Microscopes - electron
Scanning electron microscopes (SEM)
Transmission electron microscopes (TEM)
Microscopes - optical
Koehler illumination
Fluorescent
Polarization
Phase contrast
Electron
Microscopes - scanned probe
Atomic force (AFM)
Magnetic
Near field scanning optical (NSOM)
Tunneling (STM)
Microscopes - ultrasonic
Ovens, furnaces, hot plates, heating tape
Sample cutting, crushing, and polishing tools
Spectrometers
Auger, photoemission
infrared, optical, ultraviolet
ultrasound resonance
Temperature controllers and sensors
Vacuum equipment (pumps, gauges, valves, etc.)
Vapor deposition systems
Spanning 7
Spanning 7
An experiment repertoire that spans the field.
An experiment repertoire that spans the field.
.S01 Crystal structure by microscopy and diffraction
.S02 Phonons and specific heat
.S03 Electron energy bands and density of states (possibly in relation to pn junctions)
.S04 Carrier types, concentrations, and mobilities over a wide temperature range
.S05 Magnetic susceptibility measurements
.S06 Surface plasmon dispersion relations
.S07 Superconducting transition in a high-Tc material
See also
02.S02 Electro-optic measurements of electric fields
04.S05 Quantized conductance
07.S07 Ellipsometry and characterization of optical thin films
Physics we might explore
Physics we might explore
Crystal structure
Amorphous solids
Order-disorder transitions
Structural phase transitions
Defects
Scanned probe microscopy (AFM, STM, etc.)
Electron microscopy
Phonons and their dispersion relations
Thermal expansion
Thermal conductivity
Phonon-mediated detection
Carrier densities and Hall effect
Carrier mobility, diffusion, and lifetimes
Energy bands, density of states and Fermi surface
Collective excitations, e.g. surface plasmons...
Metal-metal junctions and contact potentials
Dielectric properties: permittivity...
Piezoelectric and pyroelectric behavior
Magnetic properties: susceptibility...
Ferromagnets and magnetic phase transitions
De Haas van Alphen effect
Magnetoresistance
Optical absorption, reflection, and transmission
Color centers
Photoemission
Low dimensional systems
Heterostructures
Quantized conductance (see fundamental quantum behavior)
Topological materials
Quantum coherence in solid-state nanostructures
Superconductivity
Meisner effect
Josephson junctions and SQUIDs
Superfluidity
Surface adsorption
2D structures of surface adsorbates
Thin film growth
Thin film characterization
See also
Mechanics: Mechanical properties of solids
Semiconductor devices
Mesoscopic physics and nanoscience
General resources
General resources
American Physical Society organizational units
Open problems
PIRA bibliography
Physicslabrefs bibliography
Methods of Experimental Physics series of books
Academic Press:
vol. 6A Solid State Physics: Preparation, Structure, Mechanical and Thermal Properties
vol. 6B Solid State Physics: Electrical, Magnetic, and Optical Properties
vol. 11 Solid State Physics: Various topics
vol. 21 Solid State Physics: Nuclear Methods
vol. 22 Solid State Physics: Surfaces
Full citations:
Lark-Horovitz, K. and V. A. Johnson, Solid State Physics, Part A: Preparation, Structure, Mechanical and Thermal Properties, Methods of Experimental Physics, v. 6A (Academic, 1959).
Lark-Horovitz, K. and V. A. Johnson, Solid State Physics, Part B: Electrical, Magnetic, and Optical Properties, Methods of Experimental Physics, v. 6B (Academic, 1959).
Coleman, R. V., Solid State Physics, Methods of Experimental Physics, v. 11 (Academic, 1974).
Mundy, J. N., S. J. Rothman, M. J. Fluss, and L. C. Smedskjaer, Solid State: Nuclear Methods, Methods of Experimental Physics, v. 21 (Academic, 1983).
Park, R. L. and M. G. Lagally, Solid State Physics: Surfaces, Methods of Experimental Physics, vol. 22 (Academic, 1985).
Other books that include experimental methods
Ibach, H. and H. Lüth, Solid State Physics: an Introduction to Principles of Materials Science (Springer, 2009).Amazon, Auraria Library
Richardson, R. C. and E. N. Smith, Experimental Techniques in Condensed Matter Physics at Low Temperatures (Addison-Wesley, 1988).Amazon reprint 2019
Bullis, W. M., D. G. Seiler, and A. C. Diebold (1996), Semiconductor Characterization: Present Status and Future Needs (AIP Press).
Jiles, D. (1994), Introduction to the Electronic Properties of Materials (Chapman & Hall).
Kane, P. F. and G. B. Larrabee (1970), Characterization of Semiconductor Materials (McGraw-Hill).
Runyan, W. R. (1998), Semiconductor Measurements and Instrumentation, 2nd ed. (McGraw-Hill).
Schroder, D. K. (1990), Semiconductor Material and Device Characterization (Wiley).
Solymar, L. and D. Walsh (2010), Electrical Properties of Materials, 8th ed. (Oxford Univ. Press)
Stallinga, P. (2009), Electrical Characterization of Organic Electronic Materials and Devices (Wiley).
Stradling, R. A. and P. C. Klipstein (1990), Growth and Characterisation of Semiconductors (Adam Hilger).
Perkowitz, S. (1993), Optical Characterization of Semiconductors: Infrared, Raman, and Photoluminescence Spectroscopy (Academic).
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