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Out of the Crystal Maze
Chapters from The History of Solid State Physics

Edited by Lillian Hoddeson, Ernst Braun, Jurgen Teichmann, and Spencer Weart

Price: £88.00 (hardback)
ISBN-13: 978-0-19-505329-6
Publication date: 10 December 1992
728 pages, 103 illus., 234x156 mm
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Reviews
  • ''The end-product is a massive but exciting book, covering in depth many aspects of the field, from colour centres and dislocations to band theory of solids and collective phenomena. Photographs, together with personal reminiscences, enliven the presentation.' Jacques Friedel, Physics World, September 1993' -
  • ''a valuable start to an ambitious project and the book is likely to become an authoritative secondary source for anyone trying to follow up some aspect of the history in depth' David Shoenberg, University of Cambridge, Nature, Vol. 365, September 1993' -
  • ''here is a book which contains some very good accounts of the physics involved ... It also has lots of interesting facts, descriptions and anecdotes about the origins and development of the physics of solids ... many physicists will enjoy dipping into it.' Professor J.S. Dugdale, University of Leeds, Contemporary Physics, 1993, volume 34, number 3' -
  • ''this is a "big history" of which more will always remain to be written ... But it is much more than a beginning for the academic vivisection of solid-state physics .... For all those interested in the physics of the 20th century, whether as historians, scientists, or both, this splendidly produced book is essential reading.' Times Higher Education Supplement' -
  • ''This book searches out the scattered origins of solid-state physics among the scientific establishments and industrial research laboratories of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.' Times Higher Education Supplement' -
  • 'a most readable nonmathematical overview of the development of the various fields of solid-state physics, suited to the nonspecialist ... Parts of this volume, designated as assigned reading, would add materially to the education of undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in the usual academic courses. Indeed, there are many fascinating nuggets that an instructor could introduce into a course on solid-state physics ... The book contains very extensive notes and references at the end of each chapter. It is a volume well worth having on one's bookshelf.' - Hugo Steinfink, University of Texas, Acta Cryst. (1994) A50

Description
This monumental work focuses on the field of solid-state physics -- now more properly referred to as condensed-matter physics -- which grew to maturity between 1920 and 1960. The questions that were posed, and answered, during this period, regarding the structure of solid matter and why some materials are good insulators or conductors, led to applications of the highest economic, military and cultural importance. The history of these exciting developments is told in an easy-to-follow text, accessible to general readers, while maintaining standards of high scholarship.

Readership: Condensed matter physicists, science historians, general readers interested in the subject

Contents
1. The Roots of Solid State Physics Before Quantum Mechanics , Michael Eckert et al.
2. The Development of the Quantum Mechanical Electron Theory of Metals, 1926-1933 , Lillian Hoddeson, Gordon Baym and Michael Eckert
3. The Development of the Band Theory of Solids, 1933-1960 , Paul Hoch
4. Point Defects and Ionic Crystals: Color Centers as the Key to Imperfections , Jurgen Teichmann and Kris Szymborski
5. Mechanical Properties of Solids , Ernst Braun
6. Magnetism , Stephen T. Keith and Pierre Quedec
7. Selected Topics from the History of Semiconductor Physics and Its Applications , Ernst Braun
8. Collective Phenomena , Lillian Hoddeson et al.
9. The Solid-State Community , Spencer Weart
Index

Authors, editors, and contributors


Edited by Lillian Hoddeson, Senior Research Physicist, University of Illinois,
Ernst Braun, Institut für Sozio-Okonomische Entwicklungsforschung,
Jurgen Teichmann, Deutsches Museum, and
Spencer Weart, Center for History of Physics of the American Institute of Physics


Links to web resources and related information
More in the same subject area:
Condensed matter physics (liquids & solids

The specification in this catalogue, including without limitation price, format, extent, number of illustrations, and month of publication, was as accurate as possible at the time the catalogue was compiled. Occasionally, due to the nature of some contractual restrictions, we are unable to ship a specific product to a particular territory. Jacket images are provisional and liable to change before publication.

 
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