Syllabus

Fall 2014

Instructor

• Dr. Branislav K. Nikolic
  • Email: bnikolic@udel.edu
  • Web: http://www.physics.udel.edu/~bnikolic
  • Phone: (302) 831-2943
  • Fax: (302) 831-1637

Teaching Assistant

• Po-Hao Chang
  • Email: phchang@physics.udel.edu
  • Web: http://web.physics.udel.edu/about/directory/graduate-student/po-hao-chang
  • Phone: (302) 831-6381
  • Fax: (302) 831-1637

Calendar

• TR 3:30PM-4:45PM in 223 Gore Hall.
• Computational Lab: M 9:00AM-10:00PM in Pearson Hall 305.
• DPA seminars related to Nanophysics:
• Poster session for the final project: ? in 225 Sharp Lab.
• Office hours: Thursday 1:30-2:30 PM in 234 Sharp Lab, or by appointment (send me an email).
• Classes start on Wednesday, August 29 and terminate on Thursday, December 6.
• Breaks:
  • Labor Day, September 3.
  • Thanksgiving Holiday, November 21-23.
  • Instructor's travel schedule:

Requirements

Lectures: The goal of class time is to emphasize important concepts covered in the textbook, introduce topics not in the text, and highlight common conceptual and problem-solving pitfalls. It is my responsibility to present this material for your coherently and create an environment in which you will feel comfortable participating. It is your responsibility to take me up on my offer to participate and to prepare yourself for the class by reading the material and working sample problems. Attendance for all lectures and discussions is strongly recommended.

Quizzes: Short quizzes (albeit with open ended questions) will be given in the middle or at the end of the class to test student class participation.

Homeworks: Homework will be assigned on Tuesdays and it is due by next Tuesday (can be handed in the class or emailed as PDF).

Exams: There will be no traditional exams.

Research Projects: Instead of traditional exams, two research projects will be assigned dealing with modeling of transport in nanostructures of contemporary interest. The first project will be reported on in the form of a journal article (two column style with text and equations, see Example), while the second one will be presented in the form of the poster session at the end of the semester.

Academic Honesty: The policy on academic honesty as stated in the Student Guide to University Policies will be followed during this course. In particular: collaboration on homework assignments and in-class activities is permitted and encouraged (unless your instructor explicitly indicates otherwise).

Grading

• The final score will be determined as a weighted average of different class activities listed above using the following formula:
  • Homework - 40%,
  • Quiz - 10 %,
  • Midterm and final Research Project - 50%.

• Here is a guideline for your final letter grade, as a percentage of the total number of points:
  • 93 - 100 -> A
  • 90 - 92 -> A-
  • 85 - 89 -> B+
  • 80 - 84 -> B
  • 75 - 79 -> B-
  • 70 - 74 -> C+
  • 65 - 69 -> C
  • 60 - 64 -> C-
  • 57 - 59 -> D+
  • 53 - 56 -> D
  • 50 - 52 -> D-
  • < 50 -> F

These numbers may be lowered, depending upon numerous factors, but will not be raised (i.e., if you have 90 average you are assured of at least an A-). The course grades are not curved.

• Grading of overdue homework: Homeworks submitted after the deadline will incur a penalty 5 points for each 24 hour period. After eight days, the maximum possible grade is set at 60 points.

Study Guides

• Main textbooks + reviews:
  • S. Datta, Quantum Transport: Atom to Transistor (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2010). [publisher Website]
  • S. Datta, Nanoscale device modeling: The Green's function method
  • F. Mahfouzi and B. K. Nikolić, How to construct the proper gauge-invariant density matrix in steady-state nonequilibrium: Applications to spin-transfer and spin-orbit torques, SPIN 3, 1330002 (2013). [PDF]

• Supplementary material:
  • T. T. Heikkilä, The Physics of Nanoelectronics: Transport and Fluctuation Phenomena at Low Temperatures (Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2013).
  • K. Varga and J. A. Driscoll, Computational Nanoscience: Applications for Molecules, Clusters, and Solids (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2011). [publisher Website]
  • Review articles from Reviews of Modern Physics, Physics Reports, American Journal of Physics, ... (see References).

• Advanced material:
  • G. Stefanucci and R. van Leeuwen, Nonequilibrium Many-Body Theory of Quantum Systems: A Modern Introduction (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2013).