Introduction to Solid State Physics

Lecture Goals: (i) Introduction to the basic concepts, meaning that the emphasis is, in the first instance, on the single-particle aspects. (ii) Service for Experimental Solid State Physics. (iii) Emphasis on the explanation of concepts and basic ideas, not always quantitative, justification of the use of simplified model Hamiltonians'. (iv) Raise some understanding why many-body physics is mostly phenomenology. (v) Convey the following main idea: (Collective) elementary excitations are quasi-particles’ characterized by their dispersion relation $\mathbf{p}\mapsto \epsilon (\mathbf{p})$ and by certain quantum numbers like spin and charge. The most important two are the phonon' (= quantized lattice vibration) and the electron’ (= quantized charge excitation of the solid, which has as much to do with the electron of elementary particle physics as water waves have to do with water).