"Quantum Physics of the Solid State: an Introduction" Draft foreword: 26/09/03 If only this book had been available when I was starting out in science! It would have saved me countless hours of struggle in trying to apply the general ideas of the standard solid-state text-books to solve real problems. The fact is that most of the texts stop at the point where the real difficulties begin. The great merit of this book is that it describes in an honest and detailed way what one really has to do in order to understand the multifarious properties of solids in terms of the fundamental physical theory of quantum mechanics. University students of the physical sciences are taught about the fundamental the ories, and know that quantum mechanics, together with relativity, is our basis for understanding the physical world. But the practical difficulties of using quantum mechanics to do anything useful are usually not very well explained. The truth is that the application of quantum theory to achieve our present detailed understand ing of solids has required the development of a large array of mathematical tech niques. This is closely analogous to the challenge faced long ago by theoretical astronomers in trying to apply Newton's equations of motion to the heavens -they too had to develop a battery of theoretical and computational techniques to do cal culations that could be compared with observation.

Aimed at graduate students and researchers, this book covers the key aspects of the modern quantum theory of solids, including up-to-date ideas such as quantum fluctuations and strong electron correlations. It presents in the main concepts of the modern quantum theory of solids, as well as a general description of the essential theoretical methods required when working with these systems. Diverse topics such as general theory of phase transitions, harmonic and anharmonic lattices, Bose condensation and superfluidity, modern aspects of magnetism including resonating valence bonds, electrons in metals, and strong electron correlations are treated using unifying concepts of order and elementary excitations. The main theoretical tools used to treat these problems are introduced and explained in a simple way, and their applications are demonstrated through concrete examples.

This book treats the major problems of the quantum physics of solids, ranging from fundamental concepts to topical issues. Rather than use a deductive method of exposition, the authors consider and analyze simple empirically established properties of solids and employ more complicated models only as the need arises. Detailed treatment is given of classical problems such as chemical bonding in crystals, the one-dimensional Schrödinger equation with a periodic potential, the metal-insulator criterion, and the quantum theory of band electron motion in external fields. Consideration is also given to topical problems such as neutron scattering by the crystal lattice, plasma and Fermi liquid effects, the theory of disordered systems, and the polaron. The reader is expected to know only the fundamentals of quantum mechanics and statistical physics. Compared with the Russian edition (Nauka, Moscow 1983), the book has been substantially revised and enlarged, new sections have been written and recent results have been incorporated.

Quantum Theory of the Solid State, Part B describes the concepts and methods of the central problems of the quantum theory of solids. This book discusses the developed machinery applied to impurities, disordered systems, effects of external fields, transport phenomena, and superconductivity. The representation theory, low field diamagnetic susceptibility, electron-phonon interaction, and Landau theory of fermi liquids are also deliberated. This text concludes with an introduction to many-body theory and some applications. This publication is a suitable textbook for students who have completed a one-year course in quantum mechanics and have some familiarity with the experimental facts of solid state physics.

DIVThorough, modern study of solid state physics; solid types and symmetry, electron states, electronic properties and cooperative phenomena. /div

This book contains advanced subjects in solid state physics with emphasis on the theoretical exposition of various physical phenomena in solids using quantum theory, hence entitled "A modern course in the quantum theory of solids." The use of the adjective "modern" in the title is to reflect the fact that some of the new developments in condensed matter physics have been included in the book. The new developments contained in the book are mainly in experimental methods (inelastic neutron scattering and photoemission spectroscopy), in magnetic properties of solids (the itinerant magnetism, the superexchange, the Hubbard model, and giant and colossal magnetoresistance), and in optical properties of solids (Raman scattering). Besides the new developments, the Green's function method used in many-body physics and the strong-coupling theory of superconductivity are also expounded in great details.

Quantum Theory of the Solid State, Part A, describes the concepts and methods, and introduces some of the central problems of the quantum theory of solids. This work is intended to be a single intellectual unit, although for reasons of convenience it has been divided into two parts. Part A contains much of the formalism required for the theoretical study of solids; Part B is oriented toward more specific problems. The present volume includes phenomenological treatments of lattice vibrations and magnetic order; a discussion of symmetry groups; and a description of the properties of one-electron wave functions and the principal techniques for calculating energy levels. Fairly lengthy bibliographies have been included at the end of each chapter to assist readers in making their way through the more specialized periodical literature. This book should be suitable as a textbook for students who have completed a one-year course in quantum mechanics and have some familiarity with the experimental facts of solid state physics. It should also be useful as a reference work.