FYS4400 – Condensed Matter Physics and Quantum Materials

Course content

The course provides a broad introduction to the physics of condensed matter. You will explore different types of materials and how their properties are influenced by their microscopic structures. The course offers insights into current issues in materials science, focusing on how the crystal structure of materials contributes to various electronic properties and lattice vibrations. Ultimately, this knowledge will be applied to investigate how metals and semiconductors can be used to develop components for quantum technology.

Learning outcome

After completing the course:

  • you will have knowledge of different types of solids (crystals, glass, soft materials) and an understanding of how their microscopic structure affects their mechanical, thermal and electrical properties.
  • you can describe crystalline and disordered structures, and you understand the interrelation between ordering and different interactions in materials.?
  • you can explain how the periodicity controls electrical, thermal and mechanical properties in crystals; in particular, you can calculate phonon spectra and their contribution to thermal capacity and thermal conductivity in simple crystals; you can explain how such models break or change with increasing degree of disorder.
  • you can explain the electrical properties of crystals in terms of the free-electron gas model as well as electronic band structure, and calculate these properties for simple crystals in the reciprocal space.
  • you can explain the key properties of metals and semiconductors and relate this to their electronic structure under different conditions.?
  • you can use the diffusion theory to describe crystalline, amorphous and self-similar structures and interpret the results of different scattering experiments.
  • you can numerically model disordered materials and explain how the properties change with varying degrees of disorder.
  • you can explain how the material properties of metals and semiconductors can be utilized in quantum technological components, for example in the form of Josephson Junction qubits or localized defect states.

Admission to the course

Students admitted at UiO must?apply for courses?in Studentweb. Students enrolled in other master's degree programmes can, on application, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme.

Nordic citizens and applicants residing in the Nordic countries may?apply to take this course as a single course student.

If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about?admission requirements and procedures for international applicants.

Overlapping courses

Teaching

The course is taught over a whole semester, with 5 hours of teaching per week:

  • 3 hours of lectures

  • 2 hours of group lectures

This?course has 3 assignments during the semester that must be submitted. All of them must be approved before you can sit the final exam.

Regulations for mandatory activities can be found here.

Examination

  • Final oral exam which counts 100 % towards the final grade.

?

This course has mandatory exercises that must be approved before you can sit the final?exam.

When writing your exercises make sure to familiarize yourself with the?rules for use of sources and citations.?Breach of these rules may lead to suspicion of?attempted cheating.

It will also be counted as one of the three attempts to sit the exam for this course, if you sit the exam for one of the following courses: FYS3400 – Condensed Matter Physics and Quantum Materials and FYS3410 – Condensed matter physics (continued)

Grading scale

Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.

Resit an examination

Students who can document a valid reason for absence from the regular examination are?offered a postponed examination at the beginning of the next semester.

Re-scheduled examinations are not offered to students who withdraw during, or did not pass the original examination.

More about examinations at UiO

You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.

Last updated from FS (Felles studentsystem) Oct. 30, 2025 3:38:04 AM

Facts about this course

Level
Master
Credits
10
Teaching
Spring

If the course is offered, a minimum of four students is required for ordinary lectures to take place. If less than four students participate, an exam will be given, but one should not expect ordinary teaching.

Examination
Spring
Teaching language
Norwegian (English on request)

Contact

Department of Physics