Conductors, Semiconductors, Superconductors An Introduction to Solid-State Physics

This compact undergraduate textbook provides a concise yet thorough introduction to the fundamentals of solid-state physics, while also briefly discussing the historical context surrounding key scholars in the field. The vivid explanations and unique didactic approach adopted in the book aim to generate interest in these subjects while also serving as a motivating primer and supporting companion for studying more detailed and advanced textbooks in solid-state physics. The book is also suitable as a quick refresher for students preparing for examinations.

The fourth edition features extensions in many sections. In particular, superconductivity in interfaces and monolayers and the concepts of quantum computers are subjects of new sections. Primarily concentrating on the electric and magnetic properties of materials, the book benefits undergraduate students in the fields of physics, materials science, and electrical engineering.

Spectacular Advances.- Well Ordered Lattice Structures in Crystals.- Permanent Movement in the Crystal Lattice.- Electric Conductor or Insulator?—Energy Bands.- Metals Obey the Rules of Quantum Statistics.- Less Can Be More: Semiconductors.- Circling Electrons in High Magnetic Fields.- The Winner: Superconductors.- The Big Surprise: High-Temperature Superconductivity.- Magnetism: Order Among the Elementary Magnets.- Nanostructures: Superlattices, Quantum Wires, and Quantum Dots.- Defects in the Crystal Lattice: Useful or
Harmful?.

Rudolf Huebener studied physics and mathematics at the University of Marburg and at the technical universities of Munich and Darmstadt, Germany. In 1958, he completed his Ph.D. in experimental physics at Marburg. After having worked at the Research Center Karlsruhe and at a research institute near Albany, New York, USA, he worked for 12 years at Argonne National Laboratory near Chicago, Illinois. In 1974, he accepted an appointment as the chair of experimental physics at the University of Tübingen, Germany, where he taught and worked until his retirement in 1999. In honor of his scientific achievements, Rudolf Huebener was awarded the Max Planck Research Prize in 1992, together with Chang C. Tsuei, and the Cryogenics Prize in 2001.