Parallel treatments of photons, electrons, phonons, and molecules as energy carriers, aiming at fundamental understanding and descriptive tools for energy and heat transport processes from nanoscale continuously to macroscale. Topics include the energy levels, the statistical behavior and internal energy, energy transport in the forms of waves and particles, scattering and heat generation processes, Boltzmann equation and derivation of classical laws, deviation from classical laws at nanoscale and their appropriate descriptions, with applications in nano- and microtechnology.

Instructor : Prof. Gang Chen

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Courses

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Video Lectures:

Lecture 1: Intro to Nanotechnology, Nanoscale Transport Phenomena

Description: This intro lecture gives an overview of the course and the research in the field of nanoscience and technology. It starts with review of the classical laws related to energy transport processes, and introduces microscopic pictures of energy carriers.

Lecture 2: Characteristic Time and Length, Simple Kinetic Theory

Description: This lecture elaborates on the microscopic pictures of energy carriers. It explains more details on energy transfer, and compares between micro and nanoscale phenomena, including classical size effects and quantum size effects.

Lecture 3: Schrödinger Equation and Material Waves

Description: This lecture covers topics, including the basic wave characteristics, wave-particle duality in both electromagnetic waves and material waves, and also the fundamentals in the mathematical description of wave mechanics.

Lecture 4: Solutions to Schrödinger Equation, Energy Quantization

Description: This lecture provides the example solutions to Schrodinger equation. It also investigates the quantized energy in material waves with different quantum numbers and quantum states, including 1-D quantum well and 2-D quantum wire.

Lecture 5: Electronic Levels in One-Dimensional Lattice Chain

Description: This lecture investigates the electron’s energy levels in solids, including metals, insulators, and semiconductors. It also introduces the Bloch theorem to calculate the periodic potential in crystals.

Lecture 6: Crystal Bonding & Electronic Energy Levels in Crystals

Description: This lecture extends the discussion of electronic band structure, crystal structure, crystal bonding, and reciprocal space to 3-D crystals. It also explains the Bragg condition.

Lecture 7: Phonon Energy Levels in Crystal and Crystal Structures

Description: This lecture continues with reciprocal space and Bragg condition which determines the diffraction patterns in crystals. It also provides the mathematical proof of Bragg condition, and discusses the energy on atomic vibration of crystals and phonons.

Lecture 8: Density of States and Statistical Distributions

Description: This lecture emphasizes on density of (quantum mechanical) states in electrons, phonons, and photons, elaborating the topic with examples in the 2-D and 3-D structure. It also talks about quantum statistics.