Stealing the Gold: A Celebration of the Pioneering Physics of Sam Edwards

Front Cover
Paul Goldbart, Nigel Goldenfeld, David Sherrington
Clarendon Press, 2005 - Science - 444 pages
Over the course of nearly half a century, Sam Edwards has led the field of condensed matter physics into new directions, ranging from the electronic and statistical properties of disordered materials to the mechanical properties of granular materials. Along the way, he has provided seminal contributions to fluid mechanics, polymer science, surface science and statistical mechanics. This volume celebrates the immense scope of his influence by presenting a collection of originalarticles by recognized leaders in theoretical physics, including two Nobel Laureates and a Fields Medalist, which describe the genesis, evolution and future prospects of the various sub-fields of condensed matter theory, along with reprints of a selection of Edwards' seminal papers that helped give birthto the subject. 'Stealing the Gold', Edwards' favourite caricature of the relationship between theoretical physicists and Nature, will be of singular interest to graduate students looking for an overview of some of the most exciting areas of theoretical physics, as well as to researchers in condensed matter physics looking for a comprehensive, broad and uniquely incisive snapshot of their subject at the dawn of the 21st century.
 

Contents

Foreword
1
Preface
3
A new method for the evaluation of electric conductivity in metals
10
2 Impurity diagrammatics and the physics of disordered metals
23
The statistical dynamics of homogeneous turbulence
30
4 Sam Edwards and the turbulence theory
66
The statistical mechanics of polymers with excluded volume
86
6 The entry of field theory into polymer science
99
The theory of rubber elasticity
237
17 Sam Edwards and the statistical mechanics of rubber
275
Dynamics of concentrated polymer systems Part 2Molecular motion under flow
300
19 The DoiEdwards theory
318
The surface statistics of a granular aggregate
328
21 The surface statistics of a growing aggregate
344
Theory of powders
363
23 Building a thermodynamics on sand
375

The theory of polymer solutions at intermediate concentration
108
8 The coarse grained approach in polymer physics
125
Statistical mechanics with topological constraints II
144
I II
159
Theory of spin glasses
164
12 Remarks on the EdwardsAnderson paper
175
Opening up the world of complexity
179
14 The overlap in glassy systems
192
15 Theory of random solid states
212
The transmission of stress in an aggregate
391
Three seminal ideas of Sir Sam
397
Chapters on the Edwardsian approach to research
417
A sermon
419
27 A scientist for all seasons
428
Editors acknowledgements
437
Index
439
Copyright

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