This course covers an operational introduction to the dissipative quantum systems. Starting with a descriptive introduction we will introduce four essential techniques: I.Liouville Equation II.Generalized Master Equation III.Lindblad Equation and IV.Equations of motion approach, each of them will be illustrated with the help of following examples: driven quantum dot/ phonon which is an essential prototype for condensed matter systems and Jaynes Cummings model borrowed from quantum optics literature. Measurable observables relevant to experiments will be discussed. [more]

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One of the most active areas of research is to assemble rationally tailored components at molecular level, which can capture the sunlight energy and transfer it in the desired directions. Biological protein systems, such as the antenna complexes, transfer the absorbed solar energy with unit efficiency into the reaction center, where the charge separation directs the water splitting. This course will provide an introduction to the processes of energy and electron transfer with the help of examples from natural photosynthetic complexes and organic photovoltaics. [more]

The Hubbard model is the drosophila of condensed matter physics. It is perhaps the simplest possible model capturing the competition between localization of electrons in solids due to Coulomb repulsion and delocalization in energy bands due to kinetic energy lowering. Invented in the early 1960s to descibe magnetism in transition-metal monoxides, it has been generalized and applied to a host of problems in condensed matter including heavy fermions or high-temperature superconductors. Despite its apparent simplicity it shows complicated phase diagrams that depend on dimensionality and lattice coordination as well as electronic filling, with only few exact solutions in limiting cases known to this date. [more]

Nonlinear optics (NLO) is one of the most fascinating fields of modern physics. It deals with light-matter interactions at extreme electro-magnetic field strengths. Such fields are today routinely available thanks to laser technology. NLO started with the observation of second harmonic generation from a ruby laser in 1961, just 1 year after the first laser was operated. It allows producing optical pulses with durations in the femtosecond (fs, 10-15 s) and even attosecond (as, 10-18 s) order. With such sources, one can observe chemical reactions, physical and biological phenomena in real time. During the lectures, I will give a short overview of NLO. I will discuss the main physical phenomena (second harmonic generation, optical parametric amplification, difference and sum frequency generation, white light generation, third harmonic generation, high harmonic generation…) and some of their applications, and conclude with the newest trends of research like coherent pulse synthesis. [more]

Strong electronic correlations are a main driver behind many exciting phenomena in quantum many-body systems, ranging from correlated quantum materials (Mott transition, high-temperature superconductivity) to cold atoms in optical lattices. However, the strong-correlation problem still poses many challenges when it comes to a quantitative and even qualitative understanding of the relevant degrees of freedom and microscopic interactions that drive phase transitions in solids. Dynamical mean-field theory (DMFT), first developed in the late 1980s and 1990s, provides one key limit in which the correlation problem becomes tractable, namely the one of large spatial dimensions, or local self-energies. In this focus course we will discuss the basics behind DMFT and learn how this allows one to understand the paradigmatic Mott metal-to-insulator transition. [more]

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