S
N
O
TI
LU
SO
EX
AP
, A Quantum Approach to
Condensed Matter Physics
This textbook is a reader-friendly introduction to the theory underlying the many
fascinating properties of solids. Assuming only an elementary knowledge of
quantum mechanics, it describes the methods by which one can perform calculations
and make predictions of some of the many complex phenomena that occur in solids
and quantum liquids. The emphasis is on reaching important results by direct and
intuitive methods, and avoiding unnecessary mathematical complexity. The authors
lead the reader from an introduction to quasiparticles and collective excitations
through to the more advanced concepts of skyrmions and composite fermions.
The topics covered include electrons, phonons, and their interactions, density
functional theory, superconductivity, transport theory, mesoscopic physics, the
Kondo effect and heavy fermions, and the quantum Hall effect.
Designed as a self-contained text that starts at an elementary level and proceeds to
more advanced topics, this book is aimed primarily at advanced undergraduate and
graduate students in physics, materials science, and electrical engineering. Problem
sets are included at the end of each chapter, with solutions available to lecturers on
XS
the internet. The coverage of some of the most recent developments in condensed
matter physics will also appeal to experienced scientists in industry and academia
working on the electrical properties of materials.
‘‘. . . recommended for reading because of the clarity and simplicity of presentation’’
Praise in American Scientist for Philip Taylor’s A Quantum Approach to the Solid
O
State (1970), on which this new book is based.
p h i l i p t a y l o r received his Ph.D. in theoretical physics from the University of
LU
Cambridge in 1963 and subsequently moved to the United States, where he joined
Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Aside from periods spent as a
visiting professor in various institutions worldwide, he has remained at CWRU, and
in 1988 was named the Perkins Professor of Physics. Professor Taylor has published
over 200 research papers on the theoretical physics of condensed matter and is the
author of A Quantum Approach to the Solid State (1970).
TI
o l l e h e i n o n e n received his doctorate from Case Western Reserve University in
1985 and spent the following two years working with Walter Kohn at the University
of California, Santa Barbara. He returned to CWRU in 1987 and in 1989 joined the
O
faculty of the University of Central Florida, where he became an Associate Professor
in 1994. Since 1998 he has worked as a Staff Engineer with Seagate Technology. Dr
Heinonen is also the co-author of Many-Particle Theory (1991) and the editor of
N
Composite Fermions (1998).
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, This Page Intentionally Left Blank
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O
LU
TI
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, A Quantum Approach to
Condensed Matter Physics
PHILIP L. TAYLOR
Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland
OLLE HEINONEN
Seagate Technology, Seattle
XS
O
LU
TI
O
N
S
N
O
TI
LU
SO
EX
AP
, A Quantum Approach to
Condensed Matter Physics
This textbook is a reader-friendly introduction to the theory underlying the many
fascinating properties of solids. Assuming only an elementary knowledge of
quantum mechanics, it describes the methods by which one can perform calculations
and make predictions of some of the many complex phenomena that occur in solids
and quantum liquids. The emphasis is on reaching important results by direct and
intuitive methods, and avoiding unnecessary mathematical complexity. The authors
lead the reader from an introduction to quasiparticles and collective excitations
through to the more advanced concepts of skyrmions and composite fermions.
The topics covered include electrons, phonons, and their interactions, density
functional theory, superconductivity, transport theory, mesoscopic physics, the
Kondo effect and heavy fermions, and the quantum Hall effect.
Designed as a self-contained text that starts at an elementary level and proceeds to
more advanced topics, this book is aimed primarily at advanced undergraduate and
graduate students in physics, materials science, and electrical engineering. Problem
sets are included at the end of each chapter, with solutions available to lecturers on
XS
the internet. The coverage of some of the most recent developments in condensed
matter physics will also appeal to experienced scientists in industry and academia
working on the electrical properties of materials.
‘‘. . . recommended for reading because of the clarity and simplicity of presentation’’
Praise in American Scientist for Philip Taylor’s A Quantum Approach to the Solid
O
State (1970), on which this new book is based.
p h i l i p t a y l o r received his Ph.D. in theoretical physics from the University of
LU
Cambridge in 1963 and subsequently moved to the United States, where he joined
Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Aside from periods spent as a
visiting professor in various institutions worldwide, he has remained at CWRU, and
in 1988 was named the Perkins Professor of Physics. Professor Taylor has published
over 200 research papers on the theoretical physics of condensed matter and is the
author of A Quantum Approach to the Solid State (1970).
TI
o l l e h e i n o n e n received his doctorate from Case Western Reserve University in
1985 and spent the following two years working with Walter Kohn at the University
of California, Santa Barbara. He returned to CWRU in 1987 and in 1989 joined the
O
faculty of the University of Central Florida, where he became an Associate Professor
in 1994. Since 1998 he has worked as a Staff Engineer with Seagate Technology. Dr
Heinonen is also the co-author of Many-Particle Theory (1991) and the editor of
N
Composite Fermions (1998).
S
, This Page Intentionally Left Blank
XS
O
LU
TI
O
N
S
, A Quantum Approach to
Condensed Matter Physics
PHILIP L. TAYLOR
Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland
OLLE HEINONEN
Seagate Technology, Seattle
XS
O
LU
TI
O
N
S
