The following table lists chapters in the course textbook that cover each session's lecture materials. These readings are supplemented by assigned papers in the weekly homework.
A list of recommended books to supplement the assigned readings is given after the table.
Course Textbook: Chen, Gang. Nanoscale Energy Transport and Conversion: A Parallel Treatment of Electrons, Molecules, Phonons, and Photons. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005. ISBN: 9780195159424.
Readings from the course textbook
| 1 | Introduction to Nanotechnology and Nanoscale Transport Phenomena; Microscopic Pictures of Heat Carriers | Chapter 1 |
| 2 | Characteristic Time and Length, Simple Kinetic Theory, Characteristic | Chapter 1 |
| 3 | Schrödinger Equation | Chapter 2 |
| 4 | Quantum Wells, Harmonic Oscillators, Rigid Rotors, and Hydrogen Atoms | Chapter 2 |
| 5 | Rigid Rotors, Hydrogen Atom, Electronic Levels in One-dimensional Lattice Chain | Chapter 3 |
| 6 | Electronic Energy Levels in Crystals | Chapter 3 |
| 7 | Phonon Energy Levels in Crystals, Crystal Structures | Chapter 3 |
| 8 | Reciprocal Lattice, X-ray | Chapter 3 |
| 9 | Energy Spectrum in Nanostructures, Density of States, Statistical Distributions | Chapters 3 and 4 |
| 10 | Specific Heat of Molecules, Electrons, Phonons; Blackbody Radiation | Chapter 4 |
| 11 | Effects of Nanostructures on Energy Storage, Energy Transfer by Waves, Electron Waves | Chapter 5 |
| 12 | Electromagnetic Waves, Reflection of Waves at a Single Interface | Chapter 5 |
| 13 | Acoustic Waves, Interference and Tunneling | Chapter 5 |
| 14 | Laudauer Formalism | Chapter 5 |
| 15 | Midterm 1 | |
| 16 | Transport in Carbon Nanotubes (Guest Lecture by Prof. Mildred Dresselhaus, MIT.) | |
| 17 | Transition to Particle Description, Louiville Equation | Chapters 5 and 6 |
| 18 | Boltzmann Equation, Relaxation Time Approximation | Chapter 6 |
| 19 | Fourier Law and Newton's Shear Stress Law | Chapter 6 |
| 20 | Ohm's Law and Thermoelectric Effect | Chapter 6 |
| 21 | Nanostructured Thermoelectrics (Guest Lecture by Prof. Mildred Dresselhaus, MIT.) | |
| 22 | Take Home Exam 2 | |
| 23 | Thermoelectric Effect | Chapter 6 |
| 24 | Classical Size Effects, Parallel Direction | Chapter 7 |
| 25 | Classical Size Effects, Perpendicular Direction | Chapter 7 |
| 26 | Liquid, Brownian Motion, Forces and Potentials, Electrokinetics, Surface Tension | Chapter 9 |
Recommended Books
Microscale Heat Transfer
Tien, C. L., A. Majumdar, and F. Gerner, eds. Microscale Energy Transport. Washington, D.C.: Taylor and Francis, 1997. ISBN: 9781560324591.
Quantum Mechanics
Griffiths, D. J. Introduction to Quantum Mechanics. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall, 1994. ISBN: 9780131244054.
Solid-State Physics
Kittel, C. Introduction to Solid State Physics. 7th ed. New York: Wiley, 1996. ISBN: 9780471111818.
Electromagnetism
Born, M., and E. Wolf. Principle of Optics. 7th ed. Cambridge University Press, 1999. ISBN 9780521642224.
Electronics
Sze, S. M. Physics of Semiconductor Devices. 2nd ed. New York: Wiley, 1981. ISBN: 9780471056614.
Thermal Physics
Kittel C., and H. Kroemer. Thermal Physics. 2nd ed. San Francisco: Freeman and Company, 1980. ISBN 9780716710882.
Kinetic Theory
Vincenti, W. G., and C. H. Kruger, Jr. Introduction to Physical Gas Dynamics. Melbourne, FL: Krieger, 1975. ISBN: 9780882753096.
