Condensed Matter in a Nutshell

Description

Condensed Matter in a Nutshell is the most concise, accessible, and self-contained introduction to this exciting and cutting-edge area of modern physics. This premier textbook covers all the standard topics, including crystal structures, energy bands, phonons, optical properties, ferroelectricity, superconductivity, and magnetism. It includes in-depth discussions of transport theory, nanoscience, and semiconductors, and also features the latest experimental advances in this fast-developing field, such as high-temperature superconductivity, the quantum Hall effect, graphene, nanotubes, localization, Hubbard models, density functional theory, phonon focusing, and Kapitza resistance. Rich in detail and full of examples and problems, this textbook is the complete resource for a two-semester graduate course in condensed matter and material physics. * Covers standard topics like crystal structures, energy bands, and phonons * Features the latest advances like high-temperature superconductivity and more * Full of instructive examples and challenging problems * Solutions manual (available only to teachers)

Gerald D. Mahan is Distinguished Professor of Physics at Pennsylvania State University. His books include "Quantum Mechanics in a Nutshell" (Princeton) and "Many-Particle Physics".

"Don't skip the introduction. It will not only re-energize those synapses which remember the history of chemistry, geology, and crystal growth, but it also poses some apparently simple questions which reveal the thrust of modern material research--all in eight pages."--Bruce L. Dietrich, Planetarian