Fundamentals of Condensed Matter Physics

Based on an established course and covering the fundamentals, central areas and contemporary topics of this diverse field, Fundamentals of Condensed Matter Physics is a much-needed textbook for graduate students. The book begins with an introduction to the modern conceptual models of a solid from the points of view of interacting atoms and elementary excitations. It then provides students with a thorough grounding in electronic structure and many-body interactions as a starting point to understand many properties of condensed matter systems - electronic, structural, vibrational, thermal, optical, transport, magnetic and superconducting - and methods to calculate them. Taking readers through the concepts and techniques, the text gives both theoretically and experimentally inclined students the knowledge needed for research and teaching careers in this field. It features 246 illustrations, 9 tables and 100 homework problems, as well as numerous worked examples, for students to test their understanding. Solutions to the problems for instructors are available at www.cambridge.org/cohenlouie.

Table of Contents:
Part I. Basic Concepts: Electrons and Phonons: 1. Concept of a solid: qualitative introduction and overview; 2. Electrons in crystals; 3. Electronic energy bands; 4. Lattice vibrations and phonons; Part II. Electron Intercations, Dynamics and Responses: 5. Electron dynamics in crystals; 6. Many-electron interactions: the interacting electron gas and beyond; 7. Density functional theory; 8. The dielectric function for solids; Part III. Optical and Transport Phenomena: 9. Electronic transitions and optical properties of solids; 10. Electron-phonon interactions; 11. Dynamics of crystal electrons in a magnetic field; 12. Fundamentals of transport phenomena in solids; Part IV. Superconductivity, Magnetism, and Lower Dimensional Systems: 13. Using many-body techniques; 14. Superconductivity; 15. Magnetism; 16. Reduced-dimensional systems and nanostructures; Index.

About the Author :
Marvin L. Cohen is University Professor of Physics at the University of California, Berkeley, and Senior Faculty Scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. His research covers a broad spectrum of subjects in theoretical condensed matter physics. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society. He has received numerous awards, including the US National Medal of Science, the Buckley Prize and the Lilienfeld Prize of the American Physical Society, the von Hippel Award of the Materials Research Society, and the Dickson Prize in Science. He has received honorary degrees from the University of Montréal, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and the Weizmann Institute of Science. He is a past President of the American Physical Society. Steven G. Louie is Professor of Physics at the University of California, Berkeley, and Senior Faculty Scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. His research spans a broad spectrum of topics in theoretical condensed matter physics and nanoscience. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and an academician of the Academia Sinica of the Republic of China, Taiwan. He has won numerous awards and prizes for his work, including the Rahman Prize and the Davisson–Germer Prize of the American Physical Society, the Materials Theory Award of the Materials Research Society, and the Sustained Outstanding Research in Solid State Physics Award of the US Department of Energy. He and Marvin L. Cohen shared the Foresight Institute Richard P. Feynman Prize in Nanotechnology (Theory).

Review :
'At the same time modern and classic, a text in the grand tradition of Kittel, and Ashcroft and Mermin, proposed by two great masters of condensed matter physics.' Erio Tosatti, SISSA and the International Centre for Theoretical Physics 'An elegant and pedagogical journey into the basic foundations, concepts and techniques of condensed matter physics.' John D. Joannopoulos, Director of The Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology 'This book, written by two physicists who have done groundbreaking work in the field, elegantly explains complex condensed matter physics concepts in a way that anyone with an average undergraduate education in mathematics and physics can read and understand. Such a book will be valuable not only for those who are theoretically inclined, but also for those who are going to pursue experimental or computational research in condensed matter physics or materials science. Even graduate students in engineering will find this book a useful text and reference.' Che Ting Chan, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology '[Fundamentals of Condensed Matter Physics] is based on lectures given as part of the condensed matter physics graduate course at the University of California, Berkeley since 1965. This course was taught over the years by one of the authors, either Marvin L. Cohen or Steven G. Louie. More than one thousand students have followed the lectures. It also includes 100 homework problems … There are sixteen chapters, each very well written, that give a good insight into important models in solid state physics. There are many books at the undergraduate level but at the graduate level books generally focus on specific topics. The Fundamentals of Condensed Matter Physics fills a much needed gap.' Yves Petroff, Laboratório Nacional de Luz Síncrotron (LNLS) 'Cohen and Louie do an admirable job of guiding the reader gradually from elementary concepts to advanced topics … The first two parts are required reading for the beginner planning to perform DFT calculations. The advanced student interested in conducting research in condensed-matter physics will benefit from continuing on to the last two parts. The narrative is aided by appropriate equations and detailed figures. References at the end of the book direct the reader to relevant books and review articles for each chapter. The authors present the underlying mathematics elegantly, which makes the textbook quite readable for those with a good mathematical background … This book covers new ground by explaining Feynman diagrams and by making a foray into the low-dimensional world of carbon nanotubes and graphene nanostructures. It fills the need for a rigorous graduate-level textbook, and is a required addition to the bookshelf of every condensed-matter physicist.' Ram Devanathan, MRS Bulletin 'Is there room in this crowded market for yet another textbook? Having reviewed this book, I would say that the answer is an emphatic YES! … Move aside A&M - here at last comes a worthy successor! …This is clearly a book by two leading theoretical/computational scientists … the focus is on the underlying theory and the computational methods used to explore these ideas. … The many hours of 'road testing' the explanations shows through, and so all of the concepts are clearly explained in words, equations and figures, and the overall feel is very fresh and readable. At long last, there is now an excellent graduate-level textbook that covers all of modern condensed matter physics at a reasonable level. This book is a 'must-have' for every researcher in this field - whether a new graduate student or a seasoned 'old hand' - there is something for everyone in this book.' Matt Probert, Contemporary Physics