Focuses on the field of solid-state physics - also referred to as condensed matter physics - which grew to maturity between 1920 and 1960. The history of some exciting developments is told here in an easy-to-follow text, accessible to general readers, while maintaining standards of high scholarship.

Solid State Physics is a textbook for students of physics, material science, chemistry, and engineering. It is the state-of-the-art presentation of the theoretical foundations and application of the quantum structure of matter and materials. This second edition provides timely coverage of the most important scientific breakthroughs of the last decade (especially in low-dimensional systems and quantum transport). It helps build readers' understanding of the newest advances in condensed matter physics with rigorous yet clear mathematics. Examples are an integral part of the text, carefully designed to apply the fundamental principles illustrated in the text to currently active topics of research. Basic concepts and recent advances in the field are explained in tutorial style and organized in an intuitive manner. The book is a basic reference work for students, researchers, and lecturers in any area of solid-state physics. - Features additional material on nanostructures, giving students and lecturers the most significant features of low-dimensional systems, with focus on carbon allotropes - Offers detailed explanation of dissipative and nondissipative transport, and explains the essential aspects in a field, which is commonly overlooked in textbooks - Additional material in the classical and quantum Hall effect offers further aspects on magnetotransport, with particular emphasis on the current profiles - Gives a broad overview of the band structure of solids, as well as presenting the foundations of the electronic band structure. Also features reported with new and revised material, which leads to the latest research

Updated to reflect recent work in the field, this book emphasizes crystalline solids, going from the crystal lattice to the ideas of reciprocal space and Brillouin zones, and develops these ideas for lattice vibrations, for the theory of metals, and for semiconductors. The theme of lattice periodicity and its varied consequences runs through eighty percent of the book. Other sections deal with major aspects of solid state physics controlled by other phenomena: superconductivity, dielectric and magnetic properties, and magnetic resonance.

The objective of Solid State Physics is to introduce college seniors and first-year graduate students in physics, electrical engineering, materials science, chemistry, and related areas to this diverse and fascinating field. I have attempted to present this complex subject matter in a coherent, integrated manner, emphasizing fundamental scientific ideas to give the student a strong understanding and "feel" for the physics and the orders of magnitude involved. The subject is varied, covering many important, sophisticated, and practical areas, which, at first, may appear unrelated but which are actually built on the same foundation: the bonding between atoms, the periodic translational symmetry, and the resulting electron energy levels. The text is comprehensive enough so that the basics of broad areas of present research are covered, yet flexible enough so that courses of varying lengths can be satisfied. the exercises at the end of each chapter serve to reinforce and extend the text.

While the standard solid state topics are covered, the basic ones often have more detailed derivations than is customary (with an empasis on crystalline solids). Several recent topics are introduced, as are some subjects normally included only in condensed matter physics. Lattice vibrations, electrons, interactions, and spin effects (mostly in magnetism) are discussed the most comprehensively. Many problems are included whose level is from "fill in the steps" to long and challenging, and the text is equipped with references and several comments about experiments with figures and tables.