Introductory Solid State Physics

by H.P. Myers

Book Overview

Assuming an elementary knowledge of quantum and statistical physics, this book provides a guide to principal physical properties of condensed matter, as well as the underlying theory necessary for an... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0748406603
• Release Date: April 1997
• Publisher: CRC Press
• Length: 522 Pages
• Weight: 2.54 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.9" x 10.0" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Nice supplemental read....

Any student of Solid State Physics should have Ashcroft & Mermin, or possibly Kittel, as their primary text, but I find Myers to be an excellent supplementary text. Solid State is a difficult subject, and it takes some time to understand the physical signficance of some of the abstract concepts. I read chapters 5 (lattice vibrations), 6 (free electron gas), 7 (periodic potential), and 11 (magnetism) to supplement Kittel and my Solid State class and found Myers approach to be very refreshing. Myers does an excellent job explaining difficult concepts in various appendices; such as exchange and correlation energies in the appendix on Exchange and Many Body Interactions. The supplemental appendices are at the ends of chapters, not the end of the text. Myers' approach is great for a materials scientist who must also be cognizant of periodic trends and the practical implications of solid state physics. When a subject such as the impact of a periodic potential on the electron wave function is presented, Myers understands that his readers are trying to understand the entire periodic table and not simply a few specific examples. Myers builds on the alkali metal atom models with discussions of how the periodic potential perturbs d-electrons or even f-electrons, or how the periodic potential is impacted by alloying. If you like to understand the concepts behind the equations, then Myers is a great text.