Phases of Matter: Solid, Liquid, Gas and Beyond

University of Colorado Boulder via Coursera

Go to Course: https://www.coursera.org/learn/phases-of-matter-solid-liquid-gas-and-beyond

Syllabus

Emergent Phenomena and Phases of Matter

This module introduces the notion of emergent phenomena, and a central application of this notion: phases of matter. We define what constitutes a phase of matter, and explain that there are many phases beyond the familiar trio of solid, liquid, and gas.

Symmetries and Symmetry Breaking

This module introduces the notion of symmetries, which provide a powerful tool for thinking about phases of matter. It also introduces the notion of spontaneous symmetry breaking.

Energy, Entropy and Phase Structure

This module introduces the concepts of energy, entropy and explains how the competition between them can drive phase transitions.

Mean Field Theory

In this module, you will learn a powerful tool for analyzing phases that are classified by symmetries, known as mean field theory. You will learn to apply this tool.

Overview

Complex systems can exhibit emergent phenomena, wherein the interplay of simple underlying rules governing the constituent parts leads to rich and unexpected behavior of the whole. Condensed matter physics is the branch of physics devoted to understanding such emergence in physical systems. It is the largest subfield of physics, and has developed a wealth of ideas and techniques for taming complexity. The course provides an introduction to this physics of emergence. The course is aimed at a ge

Skills

Reviews

Just enough complexity to keep the topic interesting and difficult.