Postgraduate Courses

This course aims to provide students training with a convergence of the two disciplines of Materials Science and Machine Learning (ML). We will start from machine learning basics, its mathematical foundations, then move on to modern machine learning methods for materials science problems and hands-on study with Python. Particularly, students will learn about how to combine the data-driven ML techniques with existing knowledge of materials science to give reliable physical predictions. Various case studies will be discussed, with real-world materials science applications.

Abstracting the essential components and mechanisms from a natural system to create a mathematical model, capable of being analyzed using various formal mathematical methods, is arguably the most crucial yet least comprehended task in applied mathematics. This course tackles a range of problems without any preconceived notions of applying a specific solution method. The topics will cover areas from materials and physical sciences, biology, economics, engineering, and social sciences.

This course will provide practial knowledge on metamaterials and metasurfaces to graduate students. We will start from the physics of acoustic and electromagnetic waves, and then we will discuss conventional materials. From the discussion, we will understand the limits of conventional materials due to the weak wave-matter interactions. Then, we will discuss how we can customize the wave-matter interactions and bypass natural limits through various metamaterials and metasurfaces. In particular, students will learn how to design interesting metamaterial and metasurface devices, such as "invisable" cloaks, negative-refraction metalens, and absorbing “black holes”, especially with the finite element method.

This course will focus on mathematical methods, with specific concern about construction, analysis, and interpretation of mathematical models that shed light on significant problems in materials science and engineering. There are many courses that present collection of math techniques, but this course will be different: typically, we will use a “case-study” approach, i.e., select a series of important scientific problems, whose solution will involve some useful mathematics. We will start with the scientific background, then formulate relevant mathematical problem with care. The formulation step is usually more challenging than just learning the mathematics. Through the case studies, useful math techniques will be introduced naturally. Some typical case studies include: collective motions and aggregations, heat conduction and elasticity of materials, charge transport, plasmonic effects and bio-chemical kinetics, etc.

This is an introductory course about computational methods for physical systems such as quantum physics, spin glass et al. It requires knowledge about linear algebra and familiarity of any programming language. The course covers not only computational methods related to matrix/tensor computation, differential programming, and combinatorial optimization, but also techniques related to CUDA programming and the Julia programming language.

This course will provide practical knowledge about finite element modeling and various wave-matter interactions to postgraduate students. We will start from the basic aspects of finite element modeling, then we will discuss how to use finite element modeling to treat various wave-matter interactions. From the discussion, we will understand the limits of using natural conventional materials to control waves. Then, we will discuss how we can customize the wave-matter interactions and bypass natural limits through metamaterials, with the help of finite element modeling. In particular, students will learn about how to analyze and replicate various interesting metamaterial devices in recent published works, such as metalens, “black holes”, and topological metamaterials, with finite element modeling. Finally, students will also have the opportunities to design their own metamaterial devices under guidance.

Soft matter encompasses a diverse class of materials, including polymers, colloids, surfactants, and liquid crystals, which are characterized by their ability to be easily deformed by thermal fluctuations or weak external forces. This course offers an introduction to the field of soft matter, with a particular emphasis on the physics approach to understanding these materials. Key topics include the thermodynamics and dynamics of soft materials, phase transition, and the interplay between microscopic interactions and macroscopic properties. The course will also delve into the role of entropy, elasticity, hydrodynamic, and electrostatic forces in soft matter.

This course provides an introduction to the fascinating field of photonic crystals, which are artificial structures that manipulate and control the flow of light. Students will learn about the fundamental principles of photonic crystals, and also their design, fabrication, and characterization. The course will cover the theoretical and experimental aspects of photonic crystals, as well as their practical applications in various industries. Topics to be covered include the electromagnetic theory of periodic structures, band structure and photonic band gaps, optical properties of photonic crystals, fabrication techniques, and the latest advancements in the field. Students will also have the opportunity to explore case studies and practical design of photonic crystals. By the end of the course, students will have a solid understanding of the principles and applications of photonic crystals, and will be equipped with the knowledge to pursue further studies or careers in this exciting and rapidly evolving field.

Optics as one of the key branches of physics, plays an essential role in our daily life. In this course, we will present comprehensive aspects of modern optics, covering geometrical optics, wave optics, crystal optics, quantum optics and metasurfaces optics. We will highlight novel optical applications in quantum information science, atomic and molecule physics, precision metrology and materials sciences.

Atomic physics provides a foundation for understanding the fundamental nature of matter and the physical processes that govern our world. This course will introduce a broad range of topics in atomic physics, including atomic structures, atomic spectra, laser cooling and trapping, atomic collisions and applications of atomic physics in other fields, such as quantum metrology, quantum simulation and quantum information.

This course explores the frontier of physics where temperature meets the quantum world. We will delve into the principles and techniques used to cool atoms to temperatures a billionth of a degree above absolute zero, where quantum mechanical effects dominate. The course bridges fundamental science with cutting-edge technology, examining how ultracold systems are engineered to build the next generation of quantum devices, including atomic interferometers, optical clocks, quantum simulators, and quantum computers.

This course emphasizes the critical role of nanotechnology in the modern technology, focusing on the distinctive properties of low-dimensional nanomaterials and nanostructures across one to three dimensions. It encompasses their classification, fabrication methods, and varied applications in photonics, sensors, catalysis, energy storage, etc. By offering a comprehensive overview, the course will help students to conduct research in nanotechnology.

This course presents a survey of experimental and theoretical methods of optical spectroscopy and microscopy, as used in modern materials research. The course topics include classical and quantum descriptions of the interaction of radiation and matter, experimental methods of optical spectroscopy and microscopy. Qualitative and quantitative aspects of the subject are illustrated with examples, including application of linear and nonlinear spectroscopies and microscopies to the study of molecular dynamics and solid-state physics.

This course provides a comprehensive overview of spectroscopic techniques used to investigate dynamic processes across a wide range of timescales, from seconds down to the ultrafast regime of attoseconds. The course will emphasize practical guidance for implementing various methodologies, including high-speed detection, stroboscopic measurements, pump-probe spectroscopy, and single-molecule techniques. For each technique, we will delve into the selection of appropriate light sources, detectors, data acquisition and processing strategies, illustrating their application through real-world research examples in chemical dynamics, biophysics, condensed matter physics, and other relevant fields.

This is an introductory course for postgraduate students with materials science background. Basic topics of solid state physics including electronic band structure, phonons, electron interactions and spin correlations will be covered. In addition, modern topics of high temperature superconductors, topological electrons, spin liquids and low dimensional systems will be introduced, providing a beginner’s guide to quantum materials.

This is an introductory course for postgraduate students with materials science background. The development of advanced spectroscopy techniques for materials physics and condensed matter physics research will be introduced. This course will cover four major topics: X-ray spectrscopy, neutron and electron scattering, photoemission spectroscopy and scanning probe spectroscopy. The fundamental physics of each technique together with the research frontier will be introduced. This course will serve as a beginner’s guide for modern spectroscopic methods.

This is an introductory course for postgraduate students to grasp the essential basic notions of quantum many-body physics, being applied to the modern quantum matter and quantum information processing. The topics include the many-body Hilbert space and entanglement; the concepts of phase of matter and phase transition – from the aspect of symmetry and topology; the subtlety of geometry phase and the gauge theory behind; the out-of-equilibrium entanglement dynamics in closed and open quantum systems, etc. The most essential concepts will be conveyed, with the most representative examples, relevant to the latest progress of quantum simulation and quantum computation.

Surfaces and Interfaces not only determine the properties of many systems but also provide opportunities to create new structured materials for advanced applications. This course is designed for students to understand the origin of interfacial phenomena (e.g., wetting, spreading, emulsification, capillary action, electric double layer, and heterojunction) and their impact on material structure and properties.

This course is designed for understanding the correlation between molecular structure, chain conformation, condensed structure, physical properties, and mixing thermodynamics. The knowledge learned in the course will equip students with the rationale to design polymer materials for various applications with advanced mechanical, optical, thermal, electrical, and/or magnetic properties.

This course provides a systematic introduction to superconductivity – the phenomenon of current flow without dissipation – which goes from phenomenological descriptions, microscopic quantum theories to cross-disciplinary applications in physical realization of qubits. Specific frontier superconducting materials, such as Kagome metals, doped semiconductors, and twisted double-layers of 2D materials, are surveyed in detail.

Molecular dynamics simulation provides the evolution of the system at the atomistic level. As a computational microscope, molecular dynamics simulation has attracted unprecedented attention and rendered a wide range of applications in current scientific and industrial research, particularly for biomolecular systems. This course will introduce an overview of the molecular dynamics simulation, then describe the principles underlying this advanced technique, and discuss its applications in studying the structure and dynamics of biomolecules, such as proteins and nucleic acids.

Biophysics lies at the interface among biology, physics and chemistry. The physical properties of biomolecules are responsible for the molecular characteristics of biological processes. Understanding how these biomolecules operate in life activities demands investigations through multidisciplinary approaches, including determinations of the atomic structures, characterizations of the kinetics and energy, constructions of the theories and models, etc. This course will offer an overview of the biomolecular structures and the physicochemical mechanisms for organizing these structures, then describe the methods for characterizing the structure and dynamics of biomolecules, and discuss the “structure-function” relationship in molecular biology.

This course will cover the physics of the electronic structure of pi-conjugated materials and their neutral, excited and charged states (excitons, polarons), their optical properties (absorption, emission), photophysical processes, photochemistry, energy transfer and charge transport. It will introduce the principles of design and operation of molecular based light emitting devices, solar cells etc. as well as providing an introduction to device fabrication and device engineering for maximum performance and lifetime.

Compound semiconductor materials have been deeply integrated in various gadgets nowadays, shaping the new world in an unimaginable way. Understanding compound semiconductor materials is critical as one of the first steps towards understanding how the advanced technology evolves continuously, from the past to the future. This course aims to introduce an overview of compound semiconductor materials, linking the fundamental physics, materials and devices to the point where the students can specialize and assist them in their supervised research. The course contains fundamentals of semiconductor physics and semiconductor specifics including technologically relevant materials and their properties, doping and defects and heterostructures. General and detailed discussions on linking materials and devices for applications will be covered at the later stage in the course.

Photon energy conversion is a key research area of renewable energy which produces electricity and chemical fuel from the sunlight or artificial light and photo sensing. However, this research area presents major material challenges, both in terms of electronic kinetics and thermodynamics. This course will introduce the major research area of photon energy conversion applications: photovoltaic, photochemical fuels and photodetectors; then introduce the operation of solar cells, solar fuels and photodetectors, and their underlying mechanisms in terms of device physics, photophysics and related quantum physics.

Quantum mechanics is considered the most fundamental theory for understanding our world. It has been used in many areas, including the prediction of material properties, the establishment of quantum computing devices, and the prediction of phase transitions. This course introduces quantum mechanics with modern language, which covers Chapters 1-5, 7 of J.J. Sakurai's famous book "Modern Quantum Mechanics": fundamental concepts, quantum dynamics, theory of angular momentum, symmetry in quantum mechanics, and approximation methods and identical particles.

Selected topics in advanced materials of current interest in emerging areas and not covered by existing courses. May be repeated for credit if different topics are covered.

An independent study on selected topics carried out under the supervision of a faculty member.

Master's thesis research supervised by co-advisors from different disciplines. A successful defense of the thesis leads to the grade Pass. No course credit is assigned.

Original and independent doctoral thesis research supervised by co-advisors from different disciplines. A successful defense of the thesis leads to the grade Pass. No course credit is assigned.