"Version: 20210301"--Title page verso.

Includes bibliographical references.

Introduction to : 'Solid state physics : a primer' -- part I. Preliminary concepts. 1. The overall picture -- 1.1. Basic definitions -- 1.2. Synopsis of atomic physics -- 1.3. Setting up the atomistic model for a solid state system -- 1.4. Mastering many-body features

2. The crystalline atomic architecture -- 2.1. Translational invariance, symmetry, and defects -- 2.2. The direct lattice -- 2.3. Crystal structures -- 2.4. The reciprocal lattice -- 2.5. Lattice defects -- 2.6. Classification of solids -- 2.7. Cohesive energy

part II. Vibrational, thermal, and elastic properties -- 3. Lattice dynamics -- 3.1. Conceptual layout -- 3.2. Dynamics of one-dimensional crystals -- 3.3. Dynamics of three-dimensional crystals -- 3.4. The physical origin of the LO-TO splitting -- 3.5. Quantum theory of harmonic crystals -- 3.6. Experimental measurement of phonon dispersion relations -- 3.7. The vibrational density of states

4. Thermal properties -- 4.1. The lattice heat capacity -- 4.2. Anharmonic effects -- 4.3. Thermal transport

5. Elastic properties -- 5.1. Basic definitions -- 5.2. Linear elasticity -- 5.3. Elastic moduli -- 5.4. Thermoelasticity

part III. Electronic structure. 6. Electrons in crystals : general features -- 6.1. The conceptual framework -- 6.2. The Fermi-Dirac distribution function -- 6.3. The Bloch theorem -- 6.4. Electrons in a periodic potential

7. Free electron theory -- 7.1. General features of the metallic state -- 7.2. The classical (Drude) theory of the conduction gas -- 7.3. The quantum (Sommerfeld) theory of the conduction gas

8. The band theory -- 8.1. The general picture -- 8.2. The tight-binding method -- 8.3. General features of the band structure -- 8.4. Experimental determination of the band structure -- 8.5. Other methods to calculate the band structure

9. Semiconductors -- 9.1. Some preliminary concepts -- 9.2. Microscopic theory of charge transport -- 9.3. Charge carriers statistics -- 9.4. Optical absorption

10. Density functional theory -- 10.1. Setting the problem and cleaning up the formalism -- 10.2. The Hohenberg-Kohn theorem -- 10.3. The Kohn-Sham equations -- 10.4. The exchange-correlation functional -- 10.5. The practical implementation and applications

part IV. Concluding remarks. 11. What is missing in this 'primer' -- part V. Appendices.

This book is a self-contained undergraduate textbook in solid state physics. Most excellent existing textbooks in this area are aimed at advanced students and/or have an encyclopaedic content; therefore, they are often overwhelmingly difficult and/or too wide for undergraduates. In contrast, this book is designed to accompany a one-semester, 2nd or 3rd year course aimed at a tutorial introduction to solid state physics. The book is highly accessible and focuses on a selected set of topics (basically, the physics of phonons and electrons in crystals), whilst also providing substantial, in-depth coverage of the subject. Emphasis is given to the underlying physical basis or principle for each topic, although applications are covered when it is possible to link them to fundamental physical concepts in a simple way. The author has taught undergraduate condensed matter physics for 17 years, and the book is based on this experience. Various pedagogical features are used in each chapter, including conceptual layout sections (defining the syllabus of each chapter), extensive use of figures (used to illustrate concepts, or to sketch experimental setups, or to present paradigmatic results) and highlights on the most important equations, definitions, and concepts.

Undergraduates on physics, materials science, chemistry and engineering courses.

Also available in print.

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader, EPUB reader, or Kindle reader.

Luciano Colombo is a full professor of theoretical condensed matter physics at the University of Cagliari (I) and fellow of the 'Istituto Lombardo - Accademia di Scienze e Lettere' (Milano, I). He has been doing theoretical and computational research on materials physics for more than 30 years, publishing 270+ scientific papers and leading several research projects. He has been the mentor of 100+ students at the bachelor, master, PhD or post-doc level.

Title from PDF title page (viewed on April 12, 2021).