To give the student a basic understanding of the fundamental concepts of condensed matter physics and of nanometer scale materials physics with the goal of establishing a systematic basis for the development of advanced engineering materials and functional structures.

• Describe condensed matter qualitatively.
• Operate with the energy concept and the crystal momentum in condensed matter.
• Operate with crystal lattices, symmetries and in point groups both in real space and in the reciprocal space (momentum space).
• Apply quantum mechanics on condensed matter to describe scatttering of waves in crystals and to describe the eigen-states and the eigen-energies in systems with periodic boundary conditions.
• Construct theoretical models of the electromagnetic, mechanical and thermal properties both in the single-particle picture and in systems with electron-electron correlations (magnetism).
• Apply the theoretical models to calculate the characteristic properties of materials (e.g. elastic moduli, sound velocity, specific heat, electrical and themal conductivities, magnetic and dielectric susceptibilities).
• Apply the theoretical models on a number of semiconductor devices of technical interest to calculate the electrical and optical properties.
• Analyze problems in condensed matter and select and apply the appropriate models.
• Ananlyze, select and apply condensed matter methods and quantum mechanics on nanoscale systems which exhibit size quantization and/or self-organisation.
• Recognize and apply professional terminology in English.

Crystal lattices, reciprocal space, and X-ray diffraction, Phonons, heat capacity, heat conduction, and anharmonic effects. Electronic structure, free-, nearly-free-, and tight-binding models. The diatomic molecule, metallic binding, and the Friedel model. Boltzmann's equation, transport theory and optical properties of metals and semiconductors. Semiconductor nanostructures: Quantum wells, wires and dots. Itinerant
magnetism and mean-field approximation.

Textbook: Charles Kittel, Introduction to Solid State Physics, 8th edition. ISBN: 0-471-41526-X.