Principles of Condensed Matter Physics

Assuming a familiarity with the basics of quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics, this book establishes a general framework, based on symmetries and conservation laws, for describing all known condensed phases of matter. After surveying the structure and properties of materials with different symmetries, it explores the role of spatial dimensionality and microscopic interactions in determining the nature of phase transitions. Particular attention is given to critical phenomena and renormalization group methods. The properties of liquids, liquid crystals, incommensurate crystals, quasicrystals, crystalline solids, magnetically ordered systems and amorphous solids are investigated in terms of their symmetry, generalized rigidity, hydrodynamics and topological defect structure. The book is written in a clear pedagogic style with extensive examples, over 250 diagrams, many exercises, an annotated bibliography, and a detailed glossary and index.