After a long break, here we come again with an exciting new talk, this time on Condensed Matter Physics! We are trying to arrange for a series of talks in this field and this talk happens to be first in the series!

Speaker: Archisman Panigrahi; 4th year UG Title: Introduction to Solid State and Condensed Matter Physics. Date and Time: 28th February 2021, 5:30PM IST

This talk on introductory Condensed Matter Physics is primarily intended for 1st and 2nd year UG students (who have not credited CMP1 or Solid State Physics yet).

The speaker will discuss the basics of statistical mechanics and the equipartition theorem, the specific heat of solids (insulators and metals) - why it deviates from the value, predicted by the equipartition theorem.

He will then proceed to discuss the mean field theory of ferromagnetism, its similarities with the Van der Waals theory of gases, and the universality of critical exponents in certain phase transitions.

Prerequisites: Quantum Mechanics and thermodynamics in the level of UC 101 will be more than enough.