This book focuses on phonons and electrons, which the student needs to learn first in solid state physics. The required quantum theory and statistical physics are derived from scratch. Systematic in structure and tutorial in style, the treatment is filled with detailed mathematical steps and physical interpretations. This approach ensures a self-sufficient content for easier teaching and learning. The objective is to introduce the concepts of phonons and electrons in a more rigorous and yet clearer way, so that the student does not need to relearn them in more advanced courses. Examples are the transition from lattice vibrations to phonons and from free electrons to energy bands.The book can be used as the beginning module of a one-year introductory course on solid state physics, and the instructor will have a chance to choose additional topics. Alternatively, it can be taught as a stand-alone text for building the most-needed foundation in just one semester.

There have been few books devoted to the study of phonons, a major area of condensed matter physics. The Physics of Phonons is a comprehensive theoretical discussion of the most important topics, including some topics not previously presented in book form. Although primarily theoretical in approach, the author refers to experimental results wherever possible, ensuring an ideal book for both experimental and theoretical researchers. The author begins with an introduction to crystal symmetry and continues with a discussion of lattice dynamics in the harmonic approximation, including the traditional phenomenological approach and the more recent ab initio approach, detailed for the first time in this book. A discussion of anharmonicity is followed by the theory of lattice thermal conductivity, presented at a level far beyond that available in any other book. The chapter on phonon interactions is likewise more comprehensive than any similar discussion elsewhere. The sections on phonons in superlattices, impure and mixed crystals, quasicrystals, phonon spectroscopy, Kapitza resistance, and quantum evaporation also contain material appearing in book form for the first time. The book is complemented by numerous diagrams that aid understanding and is comprehensively referenced for further study. With its unprecedented wide coverage of the field, The Physics of Phonons will be indispensable to all postgraduates, advanced undergraduates, and researchers working on condensed matter physics.

This book focuses on the theory of phonon interactions in nanoscale structures with particular emphasis on modern electronic and optoelectronic devices. The continuing progress in the fabrication of semiconductor nanostructures with lower dimensional features has led to devices with enhanced functionality and even novel devices with new operating principles. The critical role of phonon effects in such semiconductor devices is well known. There is therefore a great need for a greater awareness and understanding of confined phonon effects. A key goal of this book is to describe tractable models of confined phonons and how these are applied to calculations of basic properties and phenomena of semiconductor heterostructures. The level of presentation is appropriate for undergraduate and graduate students in physics and engineering with some background in quantum mechanics and solid state physics or devices. A basic understanding of electromagnetism and classical acoustics is assumed.

This is a classic text of its time in condensed matter physics.

This two-volume treatment grew out of lectures the author gave at the "Ecole Poly technique Federale de Lausanne" during the years 1975-1980 for graduate students in experimental physics in their last year of study. It is written by an experimentalist with some interest in theory and is ad dressed mainly to experimentalists, but also to theoreticians interested in experiments. This treatment tries to bridge the gap between theory and experiments; it should assist experimentalists in the interpretation of their data in the vast field of lattice dynamics. An attempt has been made to provide not only the basic concepts but also a working knowledge in this field of solid-state physics. In this first volume, the basic concepts of the physics of phonons are developed and illustrated by many examples; it provides the background necessary for the interpretation of most experimental results. The second volume, which is in preparation, is devoted to experimental techniques, the interpretation of experiments, and discussion of phenomena which are directly related with phonons. The book is designed for introductory courses at the graduate level. It is believed that the book will also prove useful to those graduate students starting research in this or related fields, as well as to many workers already active in this branch of solid-state physics.

A highly illustrated introduction to the physics of acoustic phonons - for researchers.

This volume contains the proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Phonon Scattering in Condensed Matter held from August 22-26, 1983 at the University of Stuttgart. The preceding conferences were organized at Saint Maxime and Paris in 1972, at the University of Nottingham in 1975, and at the Brown University Providence/Rhode Island in 1979. The Stuttgart conference, like the preceding conferences, was mainly con cerned with "propagating" high-frequency acoustic phonons, mechanical waves and heat up to the lattice limiting frequency. Lattice dynamics, optical pho nons, phase transitions, etc., were included as far as they are involved in acoustical phonon scattering, propagation and generation. In this context the conference covered all aspects of acoustical phonon physics, especially generation of phonons, propagation, scattering and detection. Since acoustic phonons participate in most energy-transfer processes in solids and liquids, the field of interest is growing rapidly. Therefore exciting new developments of acoustic phonon physics could be presented at the Stuttgart conference as well as important progress with respect to well-known problems, as, for example, the Kapitza resistance. Two hundred and six scientists from 21 countries attended the conference. Thirteen invited papers and 105 contributed papers, with 34 as posters, were presented. The discussions are included in this volume. A discussion session on large wave vector phonons was organized and chaired by V. Narayanamurti. A discussion session on phonon scattering at interfaces was organized and chaired by R.O. Pohl.