A Solid State Physics Laboratory for Intermediate and Advanced Majors

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This project allows the development of condensed matter physics experiments to be used in conjunction with the courses offered in the sophomore through senior years of the undergraduate physics curriculum. The equipment is easy to use, flexible in its ability to support a wide variety of solid state physics experiments, and fairly free of maintenance. The solid state physics laboratory utilizes two temperature control systems: (1) a home-made liquid nitrogen cryostat for experiments between 77 K and room temperature, and (2) a closed cycle liquid helium refrigerator for experiments between 10 K and room temperature. The second, acquired for this project, allows for low temperature experiments without the need for purchasing, storing, and transferring liquid helium. A laboratory computer system is used for experimental control, data acquisition, and data analysis in some of the more advanced experiments, and additional pieces of modern instrumentation are used to instrument fully the experiments.