Fundamentals of Condensed Matter and Crystalline Physics: An Introduction for Students of Physics and Materials Science

by David L. Sidebottom

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781139508155
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	07/05/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	20 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

David L. Sidebottom is Associate Professor in the Physics Department at Creighton University. He is an experienced teacher and has taught a wide variety of courses at both undergraduate and graduate level in subject areas including introductory physics, thermodynamics, electrodynamics, laser physics and solid state physics. He has taught a course on solid state physics since 2003, adapting and revising its content to reflect the broader themes of condensed matter physics beyond those of the conventional solid state. This textbook stems from that course.

Table of Contents

Part I. Structure: 1. Crystal structure; 2. Amorphous structure; 3. Bonds and cohesion; 4. Magnetic structure; Part II. Scattering: 5. Scattering theory; 6. Scattering by crystals; 7. Scattering by amorphous matter; 8. Self-similar structures and liquid crystals; Part III. Dynamics: 9. Liquid dynamics; 10. Crystal vibrations; 11. Thermal properties; 12. Electrons: the free electron model; 13. Electrons: band theory; 14. Bulk dynamics and response; Part IV. Transitions: 15. Introduction to phase transitions; 16. Percolation theory; 17. Mean field theory and renormalization; 18. Superconductivity; Appendices; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"This book provides a superb and much-needed introduction to contemporary condensed matter physics, emphasizing that the solid phase covers much more than the perfect crystals of traditional textbooks. Liquids and selected topics of soft matter are also covered. In a pedagogical tour-de-force Sidebottom explains the concepts in the simplest possible terms, without compromising accuracy. I highly recommended this book."
Jeppe Dyre, Roskilde Universitet, Denmark

"Sidebottom presents the key concepts of condensed matter physics at an introductory level, and does a great job of relating different areas of condensed matter to one another, notably electronic properties of solids, and statistical mechanics of hard and soft materials. This book is an excellent choice for a senior-level introduction to condensed matter physics."
John F. Marko, Northwestern University

"Like the wind sweeping across the prairie, Sidebottom's Fundamentals of Condensed Matter and Crystalline Physics refreshes the entire landscape of solid state physics with a much-needed paradigm shift away from the past fifty years. Here we find a holistic approach to contemporary condensed matter physics which seamlessly integrates the crystalline and amorphous states. Sidebottom's style is engaging, straightforward and lucid. The book will serve our students very well and deserves a prominent place on all our bookshelves as a ready reference."
Chris Sorensen, Cortelyou-Rust University Distinguished Professor, Kansas State University

"Fundamentals of Condensed Matter and Crystalline Physics succeeds at covering many fundamental concepts of solid-state and soft-matter physics and at combining them in an approachable manner. If only one undergraduate elective course slot is available for solid-state and soft matter, this text is clearly the best available option. It will also serve another important purpose: as a starting point for people who do not take such an undergraduate course."
Ivan Smalyukh, Physics Today

"I was instantly attracted to this book … [it] has a lot to commend it."
Moreton Moore, Crystallography Reviews

From the Publisher