Fundamentals Of Condensed Matter Physics

Based on an established course and covering all the fundamentals, central areas and contemporary topics of this diverse field, Fundamentals of Condensed Matter Physics is a much-needed textbook for graduate students. Coverage of concepts and techniques ensures that both theoretically and experimentally inclined students gain the strong understanding needed for research and teaching.

This undergraduate textbook merges traditional solid state physics with contemporary condensed matter physics, providing an up-to-date introduction to the major concepts that form the foundations of condensed materials. The main foundational principles are emphasized, providing students with the knowledge beginners in the field should understand. The book is structured in four parts and allows students to appreciate how the concepts in this broad area build upon each other to produce a cohesive whole as they work through the chapters. Illustrations work closely with the text to convey concepts and ideas visually, enhancing student understanding of difficult material, and end-of-chapter exercises varying in difficulty allow students to put into practice the theory they have covered in each chapter and reinforce new concepts.

Now in paperback, this book provides an overview of the physics of condensed matter systems. Assuming a familiarity with the basics of quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics, the book establishes a general framework for describing condensed phases of matter, based on symmetries and conservation laws. It explores the role of spatial dimensionality and microscopic interactions in determining the nature of phase transitions, as well as discussing the structure and properties of materials with different symmetries. Particular attention is given to critical phenomena and renormalization group methods. The properties of liquids, liquid crystals, quasicrystals, crystalline solids, magnetically ordered systems and amorphous solids are investigated in terms of their symmetry, generalised rigidity, hydrodynamics and topological defect structure. In addition to serving as a course text, this book is an essential reference for students and researchers in physics, applied physics, chemistry, materials science and engineering, who are interested in modern condensed matter physics.

This is volume 1 of two-volume book that presents an excellent, comprehensive exposition of the multi-faceted subjects of modern condensed matter physics, unified within an original and coherent conceptual framework. Traditional subjects such as band theory and lattice dynamics are tightly organized in this framework, while many new developments emerge spontaneously from it. In this volume,? Basic concepts are emphasized; usually they are intuitively introduced, then more precisely formulated, and compared with correlated concepts.? A plethora of new topics, such as quasicrystals, photonic crystals, GMR, TMR, CMR, high Tc superconductors, Bose-Einstein condensation, etc., are presented with sharp physical insights.? Bond and band approaches are discussed in parallel, breaking the barrier between physics and chemistry.? A highly accessible chapter is included on correlated electronic states ? rarely found in an introductory text.? Introductory chapters on tunneling, mesoscopic phenomena, and quantum-confined nanostructures constitute a sound foundation for nanoscience and nanotechnology.? The text is profusely illustrated with about 500 figures.

This text includes coverage of important topics that are not commonly featured in other textbooks on condensed matter physics; these include surfaces, the quantum Hall effect and superfluidity. The author avoids complex formalism, such as Green's functions, which can obscure the underlying physics, and instead emphasizes fundamental physical reasoning. This text is intended for classroom use, so it features plenty of references and extensive problems for solution based on the author's many years of teaching in the Physics Department at the University of Michigan. This textbook is ideal for physics graduates as well as students in chemistry and engineering; it can equally serve as a reference for research students in condensed matter physics. Engineering students in particular, will find the treatment of the fundamentals of semiconductor devices and the optics of solids of particular interest.

Derived from lectures at the University of Freiburg, this textbook introduces solid-state physics as well as the physics of liquids, liquid crystals and polymers. The five chapters deal with the key characteristics of condensed matter: structures, susceptibilities, molecular fields, currents, and dynamics. The author strives to present and explain coherently the terms and concepts associated with the main properties and characteristics of condensed matter, while minimizing attention to extraneous details. As a result, this text provides the firm and broad basis of understanding that readers require for further study and research.

Comprehensive and accessible coverage from the basics to advanced topics in modern quantum condensed matter physics.

This revised edition continues to provide the most approachable introduction to the structure, characteristics, and everyday applications of soft matter. It begins with a substantially revised overview of the underlying physics and chemistry common to soft materials. Subsequent chapters comprehensively address the different classes of soft materials, from liquid crystals to surfactants, polymers, colloids, and biomaterials, with vivid, full-color illustrations throughout. There are new worked examples throughout, new problems, some deeper mathematical treatment, and new sections on key topics such as diffusion, active matter, liquid crystal defects, surfactant phases and more. • Introduces the science of soft materials, experimental methods used in their study, and wide-ranging applications in everyday life. • Provides brand new worked examples throughout, in addition to expanded chapter problem sets and an updated glossary. • Includes expanded mathematical content and substantially revised introductory chapters. This book will provide a comprehensive introductory resource to both undergraduate and graduate students discovering soft materials for the first time and is aimed at students with an introductory college background in physics, chemistry or materials science.