Understand electrical, thermal, magnetic, and optical behaviors from an atomic level.
A successful physics model that accurately predicts how the heat capacity of a solid scales with temperature, especially near absolute zero.
Forces holding the solid together (Ionic, Covalent, Metallic, and Van der Waals).
A typically implies:
: Understanding wave propagation in periodic media requires "Reciprocal Space". X-ray and neutron diffraction techniques are essential for determining the actual atomic structure of materials in the lab. Phonons & Thermal Properties