Fundamentals of the Physics of Solids: Electronic Properties: Vol 2

The reader is holding the second volume of a three-volume textbook on sol- state physics. This book is the outgrowth of the courses I have taught for many years at Eötvös University, Budapest, for undergraduate and graduate students under the titles Solid-State Physics and Modern Solid-State Physics. The main motivation for the publication of my lecture notes as a book was that none of the truly numerous textbooks covered all those areas that I felt should be included in a multi-semester course. Especially, if the course strives to present solid-state physics in a uni?ed structure, and aims at d- cussing not only classic chapters of the subject matter but also (in more or less detail) problems that are of great interest for today’s researcher as well. Besides, the book presents a much larger material than what can be covered in a two- or three-semester course. In the ?rst part of the ?rst volume the analysis of crystal symmetries and structure goes into details that certainly cannot be included in a usual course on solid-state physics. The same applies, among others, to the discussion of the methods used in the determination of band structure, the properties of Fermi liquids and non-Fermi liquids, and the theory of unconventional superconductors in the present and third volumes. These parts can be assigned as supplementary reading for interested students, or can be discussed in advanced courses.

This book is the second of a single-authored, three-volume series that aims to deliver a comprehensive and self-contained account of the vast field of solid-state physics. It goes far beyond most classic texts in the presentation of the properties of solids and experimentally observed phenomena, along with the basic concepts and theoretical methods used to understand them and the essential features of various experimental techniques.

The first volume deals with the atomic and magnetic structure and dynamics of solids, the second with those electronic properties that can be understood in the one-particle approximation, and the third with the effects due to interactions and correlations between electrons.

This volume is devoted to the electronic properties of metals and semiconductors in the independent-electron approximation. After a brief discussion of the free-electron models by Drude and Sommerfeld, the methods for calculating and measuring the band structure of Bloch electrons moving in the periodic potential of the crystal are presented. The dynamics of electrons in applied electric and magnetic fields is treated in the semiclassical approximation. The effects due to the quantization of the energy levels in strong magnetic field are also discussed. The overview of the transport and optical properties of metals and semiconductors is followed by a phenomenological description of superconductivity. The last chapter deals with the physics of semiconductor devices.

This comprehensive treatment provides ample material for upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses. It will also be a valuable reference for researchers in the field of condensed matter physics.