Topics for bachelor and master thesis works

Topics of bachelor, master, and PhD theses in the AG Statistische Physik involve the theory of strongly coupled quantum systems and interaction of light and matter. The following topics are of special interest and are being supported by the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgesellschaft, DFT) and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, BMBF):

  1. Combined ab initio simulations and molecular dynamic simulations for matter under extreme conditions: density functional theory, equation of state, and kinetics
  2. Description of phase transitions and metal-nonmetal transitions: light elements and complex mixtures at high pressures
  3. Planetary physics: composition, evolution, and magnetic fields of solar and extrasolar planets as well as brown dwarfs
  4. Theory of light-matter interaction: Green's functions, particle-in-cell simulations, radiation hydrodynamics
  5. Theory of Thomson scattering and diagnostic of dense plasmas: experiments at free-electron lasers

Lectures

Some of the following lectures are held in alternation with collegues. Please find relevant information at the LSF Online-Portal - the university portal for students, guests, teachers and employees.

Bachelor of Physics

Theoretical Physics V: Thermodynamics (Prof. Dr. Redmer)

Theoretical Physics V: Thermodynamics (Prof. Dr. Redmer)

(3 semester periods per week [lecture], 1 semester period per week [seminar], 6 credit points, winter semester)

 

Teaching contents:

  • Laws of thermodynamics: state function, thermodynamic processes, 1st law of thermodynamics and internal energy, cycle processes, 2nd law of thermodynamics and entropy, fundamental thermodynamic relations: Gibbs fundamental equation, thermal and caloric equation of state, Gibbs-Duhem relation, absolute value of entropy and 3rd law, chemical potential
  • Main laws of thermodynamics: state variables, thermodynamic processes, 1st law and internal energy, cycle processes, 2nd law and entropy, basic thermodynamic relations: Gibbs fundamental equation, thermal and caloric equation of state, Gibbs-Duhem relation, absolute value of entropy and 3rd law, chemical potential
  • Thermodynamic potentials: free energy and enthalpy, Planck-Massieu functions, Maxwell relations, equilibrium and stability conditions, phase diagram of single-component systems, van der Waals model and Maxwell construction, phase transitions and Ehrenfest equations, critical exponentials
  • Thermodynamics of multicomponent systems: Gibbs phase rule, mixtures, osmotic pressure, Raoult's laws, chemical reactions, law of mass action.
Theoretical physics VI: Statistical physics (Prof. Dr. Redmer)

Theoretical physics VI: Statistical physics (Prof. Dr. Redmer)

(3 semester periods per week [lecture], 1 semester period per week [seminar], 6 credit points, winter semester)

 

Teaching contents:

  • Quantum statistics: statistical totals, density operator, entropy and equations of state
  • Ideal quantum gases: Fermi and Bose statistics, Pauli principle, 2nd quantization and population number representation, special Fermi and Bose systems, Bose-Einstein condensation, basics of density functional theory (real systems)
  • Theory of real gases: Mayer's cluster evolution, fugacity and density evolution, pair distribution function and structure factor, thermodynamics, simulation methods
  • Theory of phase transitions and critical phenomena: thermodynamics in the magnetic field, paramagnetism, Ising model, mean-field method, Heisenberg model

 

Master of Physics

Physics of Dense Plasmas (Prof. Dr. Ronald Redmer & Prof. Dr. Dominik Kraus)

Physics of Dense Plasmas (Prof. Dr. Ronald Redmer & Prof. Dr. Dominik Kraus)

(4 semester periods per week [lecture], 2 semester periods per week [seminar], 9 credit points, winter semester)

 

Teaching contents:

  • Introduction: basic plasma parameters, plasma waves, laser-matter interaction, high-energy lasers, shock waves, optical diagnostics
  • Plasmas as Fermi systems: screening, bound states and Mott effect, partially ionized plasmas, MD simulations, basics of DFT, application to WDM
  • Interaction of X-rays with matter: FELs and diagnostics
  • Transport and optical properties: transport coefficients and dielectric function
  • Application of theory and experiments to
    • Planetary physics
    • Inertial Confinement Fusion
    • Stellar astrophysics