Selected chapters from physics of matter *

Enrollment into the program.
Successfully completed first cycle academic study of physics or equivalent study.

Atomic structure and interatomic bonding (atomic structure – fundamental concepts, atomic models, electron configurations, the periodic table; atomic bonding in solids – ionic bonding, covalent bonding, metallic bonding)

The structure of crystalline solids (crystal structures – fundamental concepts, unit cell, metallic crystal structures; crystal systems; crystallographic points, directions and planes; close-packed crystal structures; crystalline and noncrystalline materials)

Electrical properties (electrical conduction – Ohm’s law, ionic conduction, electronic band structures in solids; insulators and semiconductors; resistivity of metals; superconductivity; dielectrics, ferroelectrics, piezoelectricity)

Magnetic properties (basic concepts – magnetic dipoles, magnetic field vectors; diamagnetism and paramagnetism, ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism; hard and soft magnetic materials; Meissner effect in superconductors)

Absorption of light: classical and quantum treatment, excited states of ions and molecules, absorption coefficient and cross section, absorption saturation, color of matter.
Fluorescence: Condon's rule, Stokes shift, quantum efficiency, selection rules and lifetimes, phosphorescence and bleaching of organic dyes, typical examples from everyday life and technical applications (native fluorescence of minerals and biological tissue, fluorescence labeling in biomedicine and security technology, forensic analyses), fluorescent proteins and nanostructures.

Basics of lasers: inverse occupancy, stimulated radiation, optical resonator, characteristic properties of laser light (longitudinal and transverse coherence), most important examples of implementation (gas, crystal and semiconductor lasers) and applications (telecommunications, memory units, material processing, laser therapy), typical hazards and protective measures when working with lasers.

Optical fibers: Principle of light guides, single- and multi-mode fibers, spectral and mode dispersion, technologically important applications (telecommunications).

Elastic scattering of light: Classical and quantum treatment, scattering coefficient and cross section, phase function and anisotropy coefficient, Rayleigh and Mie scattering regime, polarization properties of scattered light, influence on the appearance (color) of matter - examples from nature (sky, water, clouds, snow, biological tissues).

Transport of light in multiple-scattering regime: diffuse light, diffuse reflection spectroscopy, application examples (diffuse optical tomography for medical diagnostics, functional brain imaging).

Raman scattering: Classical and quantum treatment, Raman spectroscopy in materials science and biomedicine (instrumentation, examples of use in medical diagnostics)

Photoacoustic effect: Origin and basic properties, typical applications (photoacoustic cytometry, microscopy and tomography)

W.D. Callister, Materials Science and Engineering: An Introduction

M.P. Marder, Condensed matter physics, (Wiley, New York 2000)
C. Kittel, Introduction to Solid State Physics (Wiley, New York, 2004).
N. W. Ashcroft in N. D. Mermin, Solid State Physics (Saunders College, Philadelphia, 1976).
P. Chaikin in T. C. Lubensky, Principles of condensed matter physics (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2000).

P. N. Prasad,  Introduction to Biophotonics (John Wiley & Sons, 2003)

 To present most important physical phenomena in solid and soft matter with a balanced emphasis on technologically most important applications, phenomena encountered in everyday life, and methods for material research.

Knowledge and understanding: Understanding of basic principles of solid state and soft matter physics,  including biological tissues. Contact with fundamental concepts in research of materials and living matter.

Application: Students learn to use theoretical physics knowledge to explain more advanced effects, which emerge from structure of non-living and living matter from daily life.

Reflection: Students realise that many important properties of solid, soft and living matter can be explained with basic concepts from thermodynamics, statistical physics, elasto-mechanics, electromagnetic field and solid state physics.

Transferable skills: Students acquire physics basics of selected modern devices and structure of molecular biological systems, which establishes further insight into the role of physics in natural and technological sciences and expands their interdisciplinary horizon

Lectures, seminars, and consultations

Written exam.
Homework, seminar and participation in class
5 - 10, a student passes the exam if he is graded from 6 to 10

Janez Dolinšek:

1. P. Koželj, S. Vrtnik, A. Jelen, M. Krnel, D. Gačnik, G. Dražić, A. Meden, M. Wencka, D. Jezeršek, J. Leskovec, S. Maiti, W. Steurer, J. Dolinšek, Discovery of a FeCoNiPdCu high-entropy alloy with excellent magnetic softness. Adv. Eng. Mater. 21 (2019) 1801055.
2. M. Wencka, M. Krnel, A. Jelen, S. Vrtnik, J. Luzar, P. Koželj, D. Gačnik, A. Meden, Q. Hu, C. Wang, S. Guo, J. Dolinšek, Electronic transport properties of the Al0.5TiZrPdCuNi alloy in the high-entropy alloy and metallic glass forms. Sci. Rep. 12 (2022) 2271.
3. M. Krnel, A. Jelen, S. Vrtnik, J. Luzar, D. Gačnik, P. Koželj, M. Wencka, A. Meden. Q. Hu, S. Guo, J. Dolinšek, The effect of scandium on the structure, microstructure and superconductivity of equimolar Sc-Hf-Nb-Ta-Ti-Zr refractory high-entropy alloys. Materials 15 (2022) 1122.
4. M. Wencka, M. Bobnar, T. Apih, Q. Hu, S. Guo, J. Dolinšek, 27Al NMR local study of the Al0.5TiZrPdCuNi alloy in high-entropy and metallic glass forms. Phys. Rev. B 105 (2022) 174208.
5. P. Koželj, S. Vrtnik, A. Jelen, S. Jazbec, Z. Jagličić, S. Maiti, M. Feuerbacher, W. Steurer, J. Dolinšek, Discovery of a superconducting high-entropy alloy, Phys. Rev. Lett. 113 (2014) 107001.

Boris Majaron:

1. A. Kavčič, M. Garvas, M. Marinčič, K. Unger, A. M. Coclite, B. Majaron, M. Humar, Deep tissue localization and sensing using optical microcavity probes. Nature Commun. 13, 1269 (2022)
2. B. Višić, L. Pirker, M. Opačić, A. Milosavljević, N. Lazarević, B. Majaron, M. Remškar, Influence of crystal structure and oxygen vacancies on optical properties of nanostructured multi-stochiometric tungsten suboxides. Nanotechnol. 33, 275705 (2022)
3. N. Verdel, A. Marin, M. Milanič, B. Majaron, Physiological and structural characterization of human skin in vivo using combined photothermal radiometry and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. Biomed. Opt. Expr. 10, 944–60 (2019)
4. J. M. Burns, R. Saager, B. Majaron, W. Jia, B. Anvari, Optical properties of biomimetic probes engineered from erythrocytes. Nanotechnol. 28, 035101 (2017)
5. M. Ličen, B. Majaron, J. Noh, C. Schütz, L. Bergström, J. Lagerwall, I. Drevenšek-Olenik, Correlation between structural properties and iridescent colors of cellulose nanocrytalline films. Cellulose 23, 3601 (2016)
6. B. Majaron, M. Milanič, J. Premru, Monte Carlo simulation of radiation transport in human skin with rigorous treatment of curved tissue boundaries. J. Biomed. Opt. 20, 015002 (2015)