Fermi Surfaces and Metals: Theory and Experiment

The book Fermi Surfaces and Metals explores the role of Fermi surfaces in the electronic properties of metals and conductive materials. Fermi surfaces represent the boundary between occupied and unoccupied electron states at absolute zero temperature, and their shape and structure are crucial for understanding electron behavior under external forces. They determine material properties like electrical conductivity, heat capacity, and magnetoresistance. The book covers theoretical underpinnings of Fermi surfaces, including free electron and tight-binding models, band theory, and nearly free electron models. It also discusses computational methods like density functional theory (DFT) and practical techniques like angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) and the de Haas-van Alphen effect. The book focuses on modern applications of Fermi surface studies in materials like topological insulators, Weyl semimetals, and high-temperature superconductors, which exhibit unique quantum properties tied to their Fermi surface topologies.