Welcome to the master of Nanoscale Engineering of lyon Retour à l'université de Lyon

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Basics of Physics

Basics of Physics (UE S1-5)

This course provides a basic knowledge of physics and is obligatory for all students who do not have a physics bachelor, to ensure that they will be able to follow the other courses of the Master of Nanoscale Engineering.

Outline of the course

  • Vibrations and wave-propagation phenomena
    • Propagation phenomena (stationary and propagating waves)
    • Normal modes of vibration
    • Interference and diffraction of waves
    • Phonons

  • Elements of crystallography
    • Crystal lattices (in two and three dimensions, lattice planes, Bravais lattices, examples)
    • Reciprocal lattices
    • X-Ray diffraction
    • Bragg's law

  • Introduction to electrical properties of matter
    • Electric and magnetic fields, forces and dipoles in vacuum, Gauss theorem
    • Modifications in the presence of matter (metal, insulator), Drude model

  • Concepts of statistical thermodynamics
    • Statistical ensembles
    • Distribution laws (Fermi-Dirac, Bose-Einstein, Maxwell-Boltzmann)
    • Statistical entropy

  • Classical thermodynamics
    • The ideal gas and kinetic gas theory
    • Thermodynamic parameters
    • Laws of Thermodynamics

  • Introduction to quantum physics
    • Wave-particle duality
      • The wave function
      • The Schrödinger equation
      • Application to a step potential
      • The potential well

    • Energy levels in matter
      • The Energy levels of the atom
      • Electronic configurations
      • Energy bands in solids
      • Photon-electron interaction
      • The photoelectric effect

Evaluation

  • problem-based learning
  • written exam

course volume


  • lectures: 16 hours
  • tutorials: 14 hours
  • ECTS: 0 (remedial course)