260067 VO Scattering, Microscopy and Spectroscopy (2023S)

Microscopy and various types of spectroscopy are indispensable tools for materials physics, chemistry and biology, and their mastery is vital for wide areas of research. Electron microscopy in particular has become one of the most versatile techniques for materials science.

To understand these techniques, the course will provide a unified description of the scattering of both light and particles, and especially of electrons used in electron microscopy. For electron microscopy, we will give explanation of the physical concepts of wave-particle duality, image formation down to atomic resolution, as well as the interaction of such radiation with matter.

Complementary to microscopy, a wide variety of spectroscopic techniques are commonplace in materials science. Apart from electron spectroscopies including scanning tunneling spectroscopy, most of these utilize electromagnetic radiation as a probe. The course will introduce the physical principles of its interaction with matter, alongside useful practical considerations for measurement and analysis.

The course assumes basic knowledge of optics, electromagnetism and electrodynamics (Experimental and Theoretical Physics II), quantum mechanics (Experimental and Theoretical Physics III), and condensed matter physics (Experimental Physics IV).

The modules WPF 4 "Advanced Materials" and WPF 5 "Nanotechnology" or the laboratory practical course WLP4 in the Bachelor's program in Physics provide supplementary knowledge and skills.