This book is intended to provide a clear and unified introduction to the physics of matter at low temperatures, and to do so at a level accessible to researchers new to the field and to graduate and senior undergraduate students. Rapid scientific progress made over the last seven years in a number of specific areas-for example, high-Tc superconductivity and the quantum Hall effect-has inevitably rendered our earlier Matter at Low Temperatures somewhat out of date. We have therefore taken the opportunity to revise and amend the text in its entirety and, at the same time, to furnish it with what we believe to be a more apt title, emphasizing that it is with the physics of low temperatures that we are particularly concerned. Like its predecessor, Low-Temperature Physics is devoted to the fascinating and diverse phenomena that occur under conditions of extreme cold, many of which have no analogue at all in the everyday world at room temperature.

This book is intended to provide a clear and unified introduction to the physics of matter at low temperatures, and to do so at a level accessible to researchers new to the field and to graduate and senior undergraduate students. Rapid scientific progress made over the last seven years in a number of specific areas-for example, high-Tc superconductivity and the quantum Hall effect-has inevitably rendered our earlier Matter at Low Temperatures somewhat out of date. We have therefore taken the opportunity to revise and amend the text in its entirety and, at the same time, to furnish it with what we believe to be a more apt title, emphasizing that it is with the physics of low temperatures that we are particularly concerned. Like its predecessor, Low-Temperature Physics is devoted to the fascinating and diverse phenomena that occur under conditions of extreme cold, many of which have no analogue at all in the everyday world at room temperature.

Presents experiment, theory and technology in a unified manner. Contains numerous illustrations, tables and references as well as carefully selected problems for students. Surveys the fascinating historical development of the field.

Publisher description

Physical Methods, Instruments and Measurements theme is a component of the Encyclopedia of Physical Sciences, Engineering and Technology Resources which is part of the global Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS), an integrated compendium of twenty Encyclopedias. The Theme provides a complete survey of the present status of our knowledge of modern physical instruments and measurements. It is organized in the following main topics: Measurements and Measurement Standards; Sources of Particles and Radiation, Detectors and Sensors; Imaging and Characterizing – Trace Element Analysis; Technology of Physical Experiments; Applications of Measurements and Instrumentation which are then expanded into multiple subtopics, each as a chapter. These four volumes are aimed at the following five major target audiences: University and College Students, Educators, Professional Practitioners, Research Personnel and Policy Analysts, Managers, and Decision Makers and NGOs.

The aim of this book is to provide information about performing experi ments at low temperatures, as well as basic facts concerning the low tem perature properties of liquid and solid matter. To orient the reader, I begin with chapters on these low temperature properties. The major part of the book is then devoted to refrigeration techniques and to the physics on which they are based. Of equal importance, of course, are the definition and measurement of temperature; hence low temperature thermometry is extensively discussed in subsequent chapters. Finally, I describe a variety of design and construction techniques which have turned out to be useful over the years. The content of the book is based on the three-hour-per-week lecture course which I have given several times at the University of Bayreuth between 1983 and 1991. It should be particularly suited for advanced stu dents whose intended masters (diploma) or Ph.D. subject is experimental condensed matter physics at low temperatures. However, I believe that the book will also be of value to experienced scientists, since it describes sev eral very recent advances in experimental low temperature physics and technology, for example, new developments in nuclear refrigeration and thermometry.