01
Phase transitions and critical phenomena
Why do wildly different systems behave identically near a critical point?
CourseFree
8.334 Statistical Mechanics II ↗MIT OCW
Kardar on fields, universality and the renormalization group.
Advanced · Module 14
Statistical & Condensed Matter Physics
Where quantum mechanics meets 10²³ particles and produces the entire material world — including the device you are reading this on.
By the end of this module
You can explain why a transistor works, from quantum mechanics upward.
0%0 / 5 complete
02
Crystal structure and band theory
Why is one solid a metal and the next an insulator?
03
Semiconductors and the transistor
How does doping a crystal let you build a switch with no moving parts?
04
Superconductivity and superfluidity
How can resistance be exactly zero rather than merely small?
Primary source★ LandmarkFree
Nobel Lecture — Microscopic theory of superconductivity ↗Bardeen, Cooper & Schrieffer, 1972
Nobel lectures are free, authoritative, and written to be understood.
Check yourself
End-of-module quiz
Every answer comes with the reasoning, not just a verdict. Getting one wrong and reading why is the point.
01A material conducts when:
02Universality near a critical point means:
03Cooper pairs form because:
Answer all 3 to finish the module.