PHY-850: Special Topics in Condensed Matter

Forces acting at nanometer range differ qualitatively from those in covalent bonds that create molecules and differ too from the forces on other scales usually covered in the physics curriculum. Their consequences are felt in the behavior of nanometer- to micrometer-size structures such as colloids, membranes, large polymers, and the many components of living systems. More practically, they underlie phenomena many students will encounter in their own research not only in soft matter and bio-molecules but also in critical phenomena such as the spreading of films near critical points. Intended for those grounded in thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, and electrodynamics at the advanced undergraduate level but open to any willing to make the effort to learn. **NOTE: Course size to be limited to 18 people, priority to physics graduate students, then graduate students from outside physics and advanced physics undergraduates.