Chapter 1

1 Crystal Structure
The left hand side of Fig. 1 shows a two-dimensional hexagonal lattice of atoms.

1. Draw the smallest possible unit cell of the lattice into the figure.

2. The right hand side of Fig. 1 shows four possible solutions for the corresponding reciprocal
lattice. Which is the correct one? Answer: C

B
A
a

C D

Figure 1: Two-dimensional hexagonal lattice and candidates for the corresponding reciprocal lattice.

2 Crystal Structure
Figure 2 shows two two-dimensional lattices of atoms.

1. Draw the vectors that describe the structures’ Bravais lattices into the figure.

2. How many atoms do the smallest unit cells (or the basis of the two structures) contain?

A ( ) The left unit cell contains 2 atoms and the right unit cell contains 4.
B (x) The left unit cell contains 1 atom and the right unit cell contains 2.
C ( ) The left unit cell contains 1 atoms and the right unit cell contains 4.
D ( ) The left unit cell contains 2 atoms and the right unit cell contains 6.
 Figure 2: Two-dimensional crystals.

3 Crystal Structure
Figure 3(a) shows a two-dimensional crystal.

1. Which marked area in Figure 3(a) is the correct unit cell? Answer: C

2. Which set of reciprocal lattice vectors in Figure 3(b) corresponds to the correct unit cell in
Figure 3(a)? Answer: C

(a) crystal structure (b) reciprocal lattice

A B A B

a C
C D E
d

b b/2

Figure 3: (a) A two-dimensional crystal. (b) Possible reciprocal lattice vectors with their length.
4 Crystal Structure
1. Figure 4 shows a two-dimensional lattice with different grey areas lined out.

(a) Which of these grey areas IS NOT a unit cell of the lattice? Answer: D
(b) Which unit cell is the Wigner-Seitz cell, i.e. the area of points closer to a given lattice
point than to any other? Answer: B
(c) How many lattice point does the cell C contain?
• ()1
• (x) 2
• ()4
• ()6

A B

F D

Figure 4: Two-dimensional Bravais lattice.

5 Unit cell of a lattice
Fig. 5 shows the unit cell of a crystal lattice. The unit cell contains three different atoms, so that
the chemical formula for the material is Ax By Cz . The white atoms are on the faces of the cube.
What are x, y, z?

A (x) 1,1,3

B ( ) 1,4,6

C ( ) 1,4,8

D ( ) 1,6,8

Figure 5: Unit cell of a lattice

6 The reciprocal Lattice
Figure 6(a) shows a two-dimensional crystal. Which set of reciprocal lattice vectors in Figure 6(b)
corresponds to the correct unit cell in Figure 6(a)? Answer: A

(a) crystal structure (b) reciprocal lattice

A B C

a D E

Figure 6: (a) A two-dimensional crystal. (b) Possible reciprocal lattice vectors with their length.

7 The Reciprocal Lattice

Figure 7 shows a two-dimensional crystal and the possible choices of the corresponding reciprocal
lattice. Which is the correct one? Answer: D

a
A B C D
a

E F G H

Figure 7: Left: A two-dimensional crystal. Right: The corresponding reciprocal lattice.

8 The Reciprocal Lattice

Suppose you have X-rays travelling through a three-dimensional crystal. X-rays can be described by
plane waves (if the source is far enough away) and the amplitude of the electric field E can thus be
written as
E ∝ eik·r , (1)
where k is the wave vector and r a position in the crystal.
 1. Suppose now that you choose the wavelength of the X-rays such that k = G, where G is a
reciprocal lattice vector of the crystal. It is clear that the direction of the X-ray beam has to
be chosen such that it propagates along the direction G/|G| with respect to the crystal, but
what wavelength λ do you have to choose to achieve the right length of k?

A ( ) λ = |G|
B ( ) λ = 2π|G|
C ( ) λ = 1/|G|
D (x) λ = 2π/|G|

2. Still assuming k = G, what statement holds for these plane waves?

A (x) The plane waves always have the periodicity of the lattice, i.e. one gets the same
value when moving the position by one lattice vector.
B ( ) The plane waves do not necessarily have the periodicity of the lattice.
C ( ) The plane waves always have the periodicity of the reciprocal lattice, i.e. one gets
the same value when moving the position by one reciprocal lattice vector.
D ( ) The plane waves do not necessarily have the periodicity of the reciprocal lattice.

9 X-ray diffraction
Figure 8 shows a cut through a reciprocal lattice and an arrow denoting the wave vector of the in-
coming X-rays. Draw the direction(s) in which you would expect to observe constructive interference
as additional arrows into the figure.

Figure 8: Cut through a three-dimensional reciprocal lattice with the wave vector of incoming X-rays
denoted by an arrow.
Chapter 2
10 Cohesive energy and lattice energy
The table gives the cohesive energy and lattice energy for a couple of ionic crystals in eV per pair of
atoms. Based on this information, which crystal would you expect to be most susceptible to being
dissolved in water? Answer: KCl
Answer Substance cohesive energy lattice energy
A LiF 9.01 11.00
B NaCl 6.70 8.24
C KCl 6.75 7.48
D KF 7.70 8.65

11 Cohesive energy
What is a typical value for the cohesive energy in a covalently bonded solid per atom?

A ( ) 0.5 meV

B ( ) 50 meV

C (x) 5 eV

D ( ) 500 eV
Chapter 3
12 Mechanical Properties
The yield strain y of a metal is typically

A (x) y ≈ 0.01

B ( ) y ≈ 1

C ( ) y ≈ 10

13 Mechanical Properties
Consider a graphite crystal as in Figure 9. Considering the bonding in graphite, in which direction
do you expect to have a higher Young’s modulus? (Note that this is not about shearing the crystal.
It’s about either expanding the sp2 bonds in the planes or increasing the distance in between the
planes.) :

A (x) in the direction parallel to the sp2 -bonded planes.

B ( ) in the direction perpendicular to the sp2 -bonded planes.

C ( ) roughly the same in both directions.

Figure 9: Structure of graphite.

14 Mechanical Properties
1. Consider the following materials: Rubber, Diamond, Lead. When ordering the materials with
respect to their Young’s modulus (from lowest to highest value), what is the correct order?

A ( ) Rubber, Diamond, Lead

B (x) Rubber, Lead, Diamond
C ( ) Lead, Diamond, Rubber
D ( ) Lead, Rubber, Diamond
E ( ) Diamond, Lead, Rubber
F ( ) Diamond, Rubber, Lead
Chapter 4
15 Thermal energy
What is the energy corresponding to kB T at room temperature?

A ( ) 2.5 meV.

B (x) 25 meV.

C ( ) 250 meV.

16 Vibrations
1. Fig. 10 shows the instantaneous displacements of atoms in a one-dimensional chain with one
atom per unit cell and lattice constant a. What is the wave vector k corresponding to these
vibrational modes?

A (x) k ≈ 0 for mode 1 and k = π/a for mode 2.

B ( ) k ≈ 0 for mode 1 and k = a/π for mode 2.
C ( ) k ≈ 0 for mode 1 and k = a for mode 2.
D ( ) k ≈ 0 for mode 1 and k = 2π/a for mode 2.
E ( ) k = −π/a for mode 1 and k = π/a for mode 2.

Figure 10: Instantaneous displacement (denoted by arrows) of atoms in a one-dimensional chain for
two different vibrational modes.

2. What is the shortest possible wavelength λ for this chain?

A (x) λ = 2a.
B ( ) λ = 2π/a.
C ( ) λ = a/2.
17 Vibrations
Fig. 11 shows the phonon dispersion of a material. This material has

A ( ) 1 atom per unit cell.

B ( ) 2 atoms per unit cell.

C (x) 3 or more atoms per unit cell.

frequency (arb. units)

K M

Figure 11: Phonon dispersion of a material.

18 Vibrations
The phonon dispersion of the semiconductor Bi2 Se3 has

A ( ) only acoustic branches.

B (x) acoustic and optical branches.

C ( ) only optical branches.

19 Vibrations
Consider a one-dimensional chain of atoms with an equilibrium distance a between the atoms and
nearest neighbour atoms connected by springs of force constant γ. Let the mass of the atoms be
M.

1. Figure 12 shows different possibilities for the dispersion of the vibrational frequencies for this
case. Which dispersion is correct? Answer: C

2. When using periodic boundary conditions for a finite chain of atoms, the number of allowed
k-points in reciprocal space is restricted. If the total length of the chain is L = N a, where N
is the total number of unit cells, what is the shortest and longest possible wave length for a
vibrational mode when you apply periodic boundary conditions?

A ( ) Shortest: a, longest L.
B ( ) Shortest: a/2, longest L/2.
C ( ) Shortest: a, longest L/2.
D ( ) Shortest: 2a, longest L/2.
E (x) Shortest: 2a, longest L.

A B
ω (arb. units)
ω (arb. units)

0 0
-2π 0 2π -π 0 π
a a a a
k k

C D
ω (arb. units)
ω (arb. units)

0 0
-2π 0 2π -π 0 π
a a a a
k k

Figure 12: Dispersion of vibrational modes in a one-dimensional chain of atoms.

20 Heat capacity
Consider the heat capacity of a crystal. An approximate expression for the lattice contribution is
3
12π 4

T
C= N kB (2)
5 ΘD

This expression is

A (x) representing the Debye model at low temperatures.

B ( ) representing the Einstein model at low temperatures.

C ( ) representing the Debye model at high temperatures.

D ( ) representing the Einstein model at high temperatures.

21 Heat capacity
What material has the highest molar heat capacity (the heat capacity for a solid made of NA atoms)
at 200 K?

A ( ) Diamond (Debye temperature ≈ 2200 K).

B ( ) Beryllium (Debye temperature ≈ 1440 K).

C (x) Lead (Debye temperature ≈ 100 K).

D ( ) The heat capacity is roughly the same in all three cases.

Chapter 6
22 Heat capacity of the electrons
In a typical metal, what fraction of the electrons contributes to the heat capacity at room temper-
ature?

A ( ) all the electrons contribute.

B ( ) only half of the electrons contribute.

C (x) only a few percent of the electrons contribute.

23 Heat capacity
At very low temperatures, far below the Debye temperature, which type of solid typically has the
highest heat capacity:

A (x) a metal.

B ( ) a semiconductor.

C ( ) an insulator.

24 Heat capacity
The free electrons in a metal give the highest relative contribution to the total heat capacity

A (x) at very low temperatures.

B ( ) at very high temperatures.

C ( ) near room temperature.

D ( ) never.

E ( ) for all temperatures.

25 Heat capacity
Consider the temperature-dependent heat capacity of a three-dimensional solids in Fig. 13. Note
that what is plotted is C/T vs. T 2 ! What kind of solid does the curve correspond to?

A ( ) An insulator.

B ( ) A semiconductor.

C (x) A metal.
 6

C/T (arb. units)

4

0
0 5 10
T2 (arb. units)

Figure 13: Temperature-dependent heat capacity of a solid.

26 Bloch wave functions

The electronic states in periodic solids can be described by Bloch wave functions. Does a Bloch
wave function have the periodicity of the underlying Bravais lattice?

A (x) A Bloch wave can have the periodicity of lattice but it does not have to.

B ( ) A Bloch wave does always have the periodicity of lattice.

C ( ) A Bloch wave does never have the periodicity of the lattice.

27 Bloch theorem
Consider the wave function ψk (r) of an electron moving in a three-dimensional lattice with the
Bravais lattice points given by the vectors R = ma1 + na2 + oa3 . A Bloch wave function can have
the form

A ( ) ψk (r + R) = eik·R ψk (r).

B ( ) ψk (r − R) = e−ik·R ψk (r).

C ( ) ψk (r) = eik·r uk (r), with uk (r) = uk (r + R).

D ( ) both A and C are correct but B is not.

E (x) A and B and C are all correct.

28 Effective mass
The electronic dispersion of a semiconductor near the conduction band minimum can be approxi-
mated by
~2 |k|2
Ec (k) = Eg + , (3)
me
where Eg is the band gap energy and me is the free electron mass. What is the effective mass of
the electrons in this band? Answer: The effective mass is equal to the free electron mass me .
29 Electronic Structure
Consider the electronic structure of a one-dimensional solid in the quantum mechanical nearly free
electron model, as shown in Fig. 14. The point with the highest group velocity of the Bloch electrons
is, answer: A

energy (arb. units)

A C

0
-2π 0 2π
a k a

Figure 14: Band structure in the nearly free electron model.

30 Electronic Structure
The lattice-periodic potential U (x) in a one-dimensional crystal with lattice constant a can be
expressed by the Fourier series
X∞
U (x) = Un eixn2π/a , (4)
n=−∞

If the potential is to have real values (as opposed to complex values), the complex coefficients must
fulfill
A ( ) U−n = Un
∗
B (x) U−n = Un
∗
C ( ) U−n = −Un
D ( ) U−n = −Un

31 Electronic Structure
Consider the electronic structure of a one-dimensional solid in the so-called quantum mechanical
free electron model. In this case, a lattice-periodic potential is present but it is negligibly small.
1. Which of the electronic structures in Fig. 15 describes this situation? Answer: C
2. What is the effective mass of the electrons in the free electron model? Give your result here
in units of kg. Answer: 9.1 × 10−31 kg
 A B

energy (arb. units)

energy (arb. units)

0 0
-2π 0 2π -2π 0 2π
a k a a k a

energy (arb. units) C D

energy (arb. units)

0 0
-2π 0 2π 0
a k a k

Figure 15: Free electron model.

32 Metals and Insulators

Is the statement “A three-dimensional crystal with an even number of electrons/unit cell is always
an insulator” true?

A ( ) Yes

B (x) No

33 Metals, semiconductors and insulators

Figure 16 shows the electronic band structure of a single, two-dimensional sheet of TaS2 (the
structure is also shown in the inset). This material is

A (x) a metal.

B ( ) a semiconductor.

C ( ) an insulator.

34 Metals, semiconductors and insulators

Figure 17 shows the density of occupied states (shaded area) of a material, i.e. the density of states
(dashed line) times the Fermi Dirac distribution at a very low temperature. This material is

A (x) A metal.

B ( ) A semiconductor.

C ( ) An insulator.

D ( ) There is not sufficient information to decide which of the above is correct.

 4

energy (eV)
μ=0

-2

-4
M Γ K M M Γ K M
Figure 16: Band structure of a single layer of TaS2 . The structure is shown in the inset with the Ta
atom in the centre and the S atoms above and below.
Density of occupied states
f(μ,T) g(E)

0
0
Energy

Figure 17: Density of occupied states of a material.

35 Metals, semiconductors and insulators
Figure 18 shows two possible structures of a single layer of MoS2 and the corresponding band
structures. The structures are called 1H and 1T and only differ by the relative orientation of the two
sulphur triangles above and below the Mo ion. What can you learn about the electronic structure
by inspecting the band structures?

A ( ) Both structures are metallic.

B ( ) Both structures are non-metallic.

C (x) The 1T structure is metallic and the 1H structure is not.

D ( ) The 1H structure is metallic and the 1T structure is not.

1H 1T

binding energy (eV)

binding energy (eV)

M K M M K M

Figure 18: Structure and band structure of 1H and 1T modifications of MoS2 .

36 Metals and semiconductors

Figure 19 shows the band structure of an unspecified material. This material is

A ( ) a metal.

B ( ) a direct band gap semiconductor.

C (x) an indirect band gap semiconductor.

37 Metals and semiconductors

1. Silicon is the most well-known semiconductor. It has the same structure as diamond with two
atoms per unit cell and four electrons per atom. These 8 electrons per unit cell exactly fill four
bands and this gives rise to the semiconducting character. In another structural modification,
could Si be metallic?

A (x) Yes.
B ( ) No.

2. Figure 20 shows the band structure of some material. This material is

 5

energy (eV)
1
μ
0

-1

-2

Figure 19: Band structure of a material.

A ( ) a metal.
B ( ) a direct band gap semiconductor.
C (x) an indirect band gap semiconductor.

Figure 20: Band structure of a material.

38 Metals, semiconductors and insulators

Figure 21 shows the band structure and Brillouin zone of a material. The material is
A (x) a metal.
B ( ) a semiconductor.
C ( ) an insulator.
 2
X
0=EF W
-2 K

Energy (eV)
L
-4 Γ
-6
-8
-10

Γ X W K L Γ
k

Figure 21: Band structure and Brillouin zone of a material.

Chapter 7
39 Intrinsic and doped semiconductors
In an intrinsic semiconductor, the chemical potential is found

A ( ) in the middle of the band gap.

B ( ) closer to the valence band maximum.

C ( ) closer to the conduction band minimum.

D (x) somewhere within the band gap but there is insufficient information in the question to
determine where.

40 Metals and Semiconductors

1. How does the resistivity of a metal and a semiconductor typically change as the temperature
is raised?

A ( ) The resistivity increases in both cases.

B ( ) The resistivity decreases in both cases.
C ( ) The resistivity increases in the semiconductor and decreases in the metal.
D (x) The resistivity decreases in the semiconductor and increases in the metal.

2. How does the mobility of electrons in a metal and in the conduction band of a semiconductor
change as the temperature is raised?

A ( ) The mobility increases in both cases.

B (x) The mobility decreases in both cases.
C ( ) The mobility increases in the semiconductor and decreases in the metal.
D ( ) The mobility decreases in the semiconductor and increases in the metal.
41 Semiconductors
Consider a one-dimensional model for the electronic band structure in a semiconductor. The disper-
sion of the electronic states shall be given by

E(k) = E0 − γ cos ka, (5)

where E0 is an energy offset, γ is a positive parameter with the dimension of an energy, k is the
one-dimensional wave vector and a the lattice constant. Calculate the effective mass close to k = 0.
The effective mass is

A (x) ~2 /(a2 γ)

B ( ) ~2 /(a2 γ 2 )

C ( ) ~2 /(2a2 γ)

D ( ) ~2 /(4πa2 γ)

E ( ) ~2 /(2πa2 γ)

F ( ) ~2 /(2πa2 γ 2 )

42 Intrinsic and doped semiconductors

When a doped semiconductor has fewer free holes than the same materials in its intrinsic form, it is
called

A (x) n-doped.

B ( ) p-doped.

C ( ) pn-junction.

D ( ) np-junction.

43 Hall effect
The Hall effect can be used to determine:

A ( ) the carrier concentration in a semiconductor.

B ( ) the type of carriers present (electrons or holes).

C ( ) the effective mass of the carriers.

D (x) A and B

E ( ) B and C
44 Semiconductors
Consider an ideal intrinsic semiconductor in thermal equilibrium. No external forces or fields are
applied to this semiconductor. Let n denote the concentration of electrons in the conduction band
while p denotes the concentration of holes in the valence band. At room temperature, we have

A (x) n = p.

B ( )n ≈ p but p 6= n.

C ( )n  p.

45 Semiconductors
Figure 22 shows the electronic band dispersion near the fundamental gap of a semiconductor.

1. This material has

A (x) a direct band gap.

B ( ) an indirect band gap.

2. The following statement describes the band structure correctly:

A ( ) The effective mass of the electrons is higher than that of the holes.
B (x) The effective mass of the holes is higher than that of the electrons.
C ( ) The effective masses of the electrons and the holes are equal.
Energy (arb. units)

E=Eg

E=0

0
k (arb. units)

Figure 22: Band structure of a semiconductor.

46 Semiconductors
Figure 23 shows the qualitative formation of electronic bands in silicon: When the atoms are very
far away from each other (large lattice constant a), the atoms have discrete s and p levels. As a is
decreased, these levels turn into energy bands (grey shaded areas). Based on this figure, how would
you expect the band gap to change as you increase the temperature of a silicon crystals? Hint: How
would you expect the lattice constant to change as a function of temperature?

A ( ) The band gap stays the same.

B ( ) The band gap increases.

C (x) The band gap shrinks.

Energy (arb. units)

3p

3s

0
0 a
Atomic separation (arb. units)

Figure 23: Band formation in silicon.

47 Semiconductors
The “ionization energy of a donor in a semiconductor” refers to the difference between:

A ( ) the energy of an electron bound to the donor and the top of the valence band.

B (x) the energy of an electron bound to the donor and the bottom of the conduction band.

C ( ) the energy of an electron bound to the donor and the bottom of the valence band.

D ( ) the energy of an electron bound to the donor and the top of the conduction band.
48 Intrinsic semiconductors
Consider an intrinsic semiconductor with the typical situation of the hole effective mass being higher
than the electron effective mass. For temperatures of 0 < T  Eg /kB , the chemical potential is
found

A ( ) in the middle of the band gap.

B ( ) closer to the valence band maximum.

C (x) closer to the conduction band minimum.

D ( ) somewhere within the band gap but there is insufficient information in the question to
determine where.

49 Semiconductor Devices
Figure 24 shows a pnp metal oxide field effect transistor. What has to be the sign of the gate voltage
needed to establish a conductive channel between source and drain?

A ( ) positive.

B (x) negative.

Source Gate Drain

Metal
Oxide
p p
n substrate

Figure 24: Sketch of a pnp field effect transistor with doping type (p/n) indicated.

50 Semiconductor Devices
Figure 25 shows the band energies near the junction of a p-type and n-type semiconductor. We
assume that the semiconductor material on both sides is Si with a band gap of 1.1 eV. Just the
doping is different.

1. The p-doped side is

A ( ) on the left hand side.

B (x) on the right hand side.

2. Let’s assume that you connect a 4.5 V battery to this device.

A ( ) If you connect the “+” side of the battery to the left hand side of the device and the
“-” side of the battery to the right hand side, a higher current would flow than if you
connect it the other way round.
 B (x) If you connect the “-” side of the battery to the left hand side of the device and the
“+” side of the battery to the right hand side, a higher current would flow than if you
connect it the other way round.

Conduction
band

μ Valence
Eg band

Figure 25: Valence band and conduction band near the junction between two semiconductors of
different doping type.

51 Semiconductor Devices
Figure 26 shows the band structures of two semiconductors.
A ( ) The material X has a direct band gap and the material Y has an indirect band gap.

B (x) The material Y has a direct band gap and the material X has an indirect band gap.

C ( ) Both materials have an indirect band gap.

D ( ) Both materials have a direct band gap.

X Y
10
10

5
5
Energy (eV)

0
0

-5
-5

-10
-10

L Γ X WK Γ L Γ X W K Γ
k

Figure 26: Band structures of two semiconductors

52 Semiconductor devices
Consider a pn-junction in thermal equilibrium and without an applied bias voltage. The chemical
potential is
A ( ) at a higher energy on the p-side than on the n-side.

B ( ) at a higher energy on the n-side than on the p-side.

C (x) the same on both sides.

Chapter 8
53 Magnetism
The magnetic susceptibility for a paramagnetic material is

A ( ) negative

B ( ) zero

C (x) positive

54 Pauli paramagnetism
When an external magnetic field is applied to a metal, the alignment of the free electrons’ spin
magnetic moments with the field leads to a strong paramagnetic susceptibility (χ > 0.5) for

A ( ) very low temperatures.

B ( ) very high temperatures.

C (x) never.

D ( ) for all temperatures.

55 Magnetism
What is the fraction of the conduction electrons in a metal that contribute to its paramagnetism
(the so-called Pauli paramagnetism)?

A ( ) all the electrons contribute.

B ( ) only roughly 50% contribute.

C (x) less than 10% contribute.

56 Magnetism
In our quantum mechanical treatment of magnetism for free electrons, we found a contribution to
the first order energy perturbation of

e2 2
B hψ|(x2 + y 2 )|ψi. (6)
8me 0
This contribution gives rise to

A ( ) paramagnetism.

B (x) diamagnetism.

C ( ) ferromagnetism.

D ( ) anti-ferromagnetism.
57 Magnetism
Consider the temperature dependent magnitization of a ferromagnetic material (without externally
applied magnetic field). This is

A ( ) Constant below the Curie temperature and zero above.

B (x) Decreasing from T = 0 to the Curie temperature and zero above.

C ( ) Increasing from T = 0 to the Curie temperature and zero above.

D ( ) Constant and large up to the Curie temperature and much smaller above the Curie tem-
perature.
Chapter 9
58 Dielectrics
1. We have modelled the frequency-dependence of the dielectric function (ω) in an ionic crystal
by a single harmonic oscillator that can couple to electromagnetic radiation. Figure 27 shows
the result. Can you identify the real and imaginary parts of (ω)?

A (x) The left side shows the real part and the right side the imaginary part.
B ( ) The right side shows the real part and the left side the imaginary part.

2. At what frequency does the system absorb most energy of the incoming radiation?

A ( ) at very low frequencies

B (x) at ω0 , the resonance frequency of the oscillator
C ( ) at very high frequencies

20
10
15
5 εstat
10
0
εopt
5
-5
0
0 ω0 0 ω0
Frequency

Figure 27: Real and imaginary part of the dielectric function for a single harmonic oscillator.
Chapter 10
59 Superconductivity
Superconducting materials loose the property of being superconducting above the critical temper-
ature TC . There are other factors that can cause the superconductivity to break down. Name one
example. Answer: current density, magnetic field

60 Superconductivity
Suppose that you could change the vibrational energies in a superconducting material without chang-
ing anything else. What would you expect to happen to the superconducting transition temperature
when you increase all the vibrational energies? It would
A (x) increase.
B ( ) decrease.
C ( ) remain the same.

61 Superconductivity
Compare the absolute magnitude of a superconductor’s magnetic susceptibility |χSm | to that of the
diamagnetic material graphite |χgr
m |.

A (x) |χSm |  |χgr

m | (i.e. orders of magnitude different)

B ( ) |χSm |  |χgr
m | (i.e. orders of magnitude different)

C ( ) |χSm | ≈ |χgr
m | (i.e. similar order of magnitude)

62 Superconductivity
Suppose that you could change the mass of the atoms in a superconductor without changing anything
else. How would an increased mass affect the superconducting transition temperature TC ?
A ( ) TC would not be affected.
B ( ) TC would increase.
C (x) TC would decrease.

63 Superconductivity
Suppose that you could change the force constants between the atoms in a superconductor without
changing anything else. How would a higher force constant affect the superconducting transition
temperature TC ?
A ( ) TC would not be affected.
B (x) TC would increase.
C ( ) TC would decrease.
64 Superconductivity
What role plays the density of states at the Fermi energy of a metal with respect to the supercon-
ducting transition temperature TC ? Increasing the density of states at the Fermi energy causes TC
to

A (x) increase.

B ( ) decrease.

C ( ) remain more or less the same.

65 Superconductivity
The magnetic susceptibility of a superconductor in the superconducting state is

A ( ) positive.

B ( ) zero.

C (x) negative.

66 Superconductivity
In the superconducting state, a superconductor is

A ( ) paramagnetic.

B (x) diamagnetic.

C ( ) ferromagnetic.

D ( ) anti-ferromagnetic.