Phase Transitions (PT | SPA7013P)

Year: 1 | Semester: A | Level: 7 | Credits: 0

Course organiser: Prof Martin Dove | Course deputy: Dr Kevin Donovan

Synopsis:

Phase transitions are so common in materials that our understanding of condensed matter is incomplete without understanding the physics of phase transitions. Furthermore, it is often the existence of phase transitions that give materials their properties that are exploited in technological applications. This module will survey the wide range of phase transitions observed experimentally, including ferroelectric and other displacive phase transitions, magnetic transitions, and atomic ordering transitions. Various models with be described to account for the existence of these phase transitions and their properties.

Aims:

Phase transitions are ubiquitous in condensed matter physics, and their existence gives rise to many important properties that are exploited in many physics-based technologies, including electronics, sensors and transducers. Many of the most important phase transitions are found in materials that are more complex than the simple materials that traditionally are covered in condensed matter physics teaching. The aim of this module is to expose students to the wealth of physics contained within the study of phase transitions, and equip students with the skills required to manipulate the theory and analyse associated data.

Outcomes:

Students will be able to construct general theories within the mean-field approximation to explain the origin of phase transitions and to account for the effect of the phase transition on the properties of the material. Students will be capable of evaluating and predicting the properties of more complex materials than are commonly encountered in traditional condensed matter physics, particularly oxides with a range of chemical composition. Students will be able to identify symmetry within complex crystal structures, and recognise and exploit the role of symmetry in determining the properties of materials that arise from phase transitions. Students will be able to link concepts from the wider fields of condensed matter physics, crystallography, thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, electromagnetism, and group theory. Students will recognise the value of a wide range of experimental measurements and be able to reconcile their results within a general theoretical framework. Students who successfully complete this module will be comfortable applying their knowledge of condensed matter physics to new and unfamiliar problems (cf. Engage Critically with Knowledge and Research Capacity). They will have revised their understanding from previous modules in light of the differences between idealised and more realistic models, and will be prepared to do so again (cf. Rounded Intellectual Development and Learn Continuously in a Changing World).

Recommended books:

Dove,  Structure and Dynamics (Oxford University Press)
Yeomans, Statistical Mechanics of Phase Transitions (Oxford University Press)
Fujimoto, The Physics of Structural Phase Transitions (Springer)
Salje, Phase Transitions in Ferroelastic and Co-elastic Crystals  (Cambridge University Press)