Best Solid State Physics Book for Beginners

[Viona]

TL;DR Summary: Gerald Burns's book: Solid State Physics: is it good for begginers or there are best books?

Hello,
I am looking for the best book to study solid state physics for begginers. Some one recommended Gerald Burns's book: Solid State Physics. So, what is your opinions about this book if anyone has read it before. Or there are other books better?

 

[Frabjous]

It’s a good book.

 

[Astronuc]

Summary:: Gerald Burns's book: Solid State Physics: is it good for beginners or there are best books?

I am looking for the best book to study solid state physics for beginners. Some one recommended Gerald Burns's book: Solid State Physics.

We have some other threads on textbooks for solid state physics, aka condensed matter physics.

https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/textbooks-on-condensed-matter-physics.80288/

One may compare table of contents of different texts to see what different authors consider important. One will probably find a lot of commonalities in the front end and preliminaries and theories.

Gerald Burns, Solid State Physics, 1st Edition - August 12, 1986 (This would be dated information)
eBook ISBN: 9781483106199

Elsevier and Springer both have many texts in solid state physics. One would probably want one from the last decade, or the last several years.

Giuseppe Grosso, Giuseppe Parravicini
Solid State Physics, 2nd Edition -
Elsevier, October 10, 2013
https://www.elsevier.com/books/solid-state-physics/grosso/978-0-12-385030-0

John J. Quinn, Kyung-Soo Yi
Solid State Physics, Principles and Modern Applications
Springer 2018
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-319-73999-1

Nicola Manini
Introduction to the Physics of Matter
Basic Atomic, Molecular, and Solid-State Physics
Springer 2020
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-57243-3

Steven M. Girvin, Kun Yang
Modern Condensed Matter Physics
Cambridge University Press, 2019
https://www.amazon.com/dp/110713739X/?tag=pfamazon01-20

 

[Frabjous]

One would probably want one from the last decade, or the last several years.

What makes you think so?

 

[Astronuc]

What makes you think so?

I believe the basic knowledge/understanding has not changed, but there is greater understanding with respect to atomic interactions, as well as knew materials have been developed, new techniques for investigating condensed matter are available, and computational methods have been developed over the past three decades. For guidance, one should look at what textbooks are being used in introductory and advanced university courses in solid state or condensed matter physics.

Consider a 'modern', or more recent textbook.

Physics of Condensed Matter
1st Edition - December 20, 2010
Author: Prasanta Misra

Chapter 1. Basic Properties of Crystals; 1.1 Crystal Lattices; 1.2 Bravais Lattices in Two- and Three- Dimensions; 1.3 Lattice Planes and Miller Indices; 1.4 Bravais Lattices and Crystal Structures; 1.5 Crystal Defects and Surface Effects; 1.6 Some Simple Crystal Structures; 1.7 Bragg Diffraction; 1.8 Laue Method; 1.9 Reciprocal Lattice; 1.10 Brillouin Zone; 1.11 Diffraction By a Crystal Lattice With a Basis; Problems; References;

Chapter 2. Phonons and Lattice Vibrations; 2.1 Lattice Dynamics; 2.2 Lattice Specific heat; 2.3 Second Quantization; 2.4 Quantization of Lattice waves; Problems; References;

Chapter 3. Free Electron Model; 3.1 The Classical (Drude) Model of a Metal; 3.2 Sommerfeld Model; 3.3 Fermi Energy and the chemical potential.; 3.4 Specific heat of the electron gas; 3.5 DC electrical conductivity; 3.6 The Hall effect; 3.7 Failures of the Free Electron Model; Problems; References;

Chapter 4. Nearly Free Electron Model; 4.1 Electrons in a Weak Periodic Potential; 4.2 Bloch Functions and Bloch Theorem; 4.3 Reduced, Extended and Repeated Zone Schemes; 4.4 Band Index; 4.5 Effective Hamiltonian; 4.6 Proof of Bloch Theorem From Translational Symmetry; 4.7 Approximate Solution Near a Zone Boundary; 4.8 Different Zone Schemes; 4.9 Elementary Band Theory of Solids; 4.10 Metals, Insulators and Semiconductors; 4.11 Brillouin Zones; 4.12 Fermi Surface; Problems; References;

Chapter 5. Band Structure Calculations; 5.1. Introduction; 5.2. Tight-Binding Approximation; 5.3. LCAO Method; 5.4. Wannier Functions; 5.5. Cellular Method; 5.6. Orthogonalized Plane Wave (OPW) Method; 5.7. Pseudopotentials; 5.8. Muffin-Tin Potential; 5.9. Augmented Plane Wave (APW) Method; 5.10. Green’s Function Method; 5.11. Model Pseudoptentials; 5.12. Empirical Pseudopotentials; 5.13. First-Principle Pseudopotentials; Problems; References;

Chapter 6. Static and Transport Properties of Solids; 6.1. Band Picture; 6.2. Bond Picture; 6.3. Diamond Structure; 6.4. Si and Ge; 6.5. Zinc-Blende Semiconductors; 6.6. Ionic Solids; 6.7. Molecular Crystals; 6.8. Cohesion of Solids; 6.9. The Semiclassical model; 6.10. Lioiuville’s Theorem; 6.11. Boltzmann Equation; 6.12. Relaxation Time Approximation; 6.13. Electrical Conductivity; 6.14. Thermal Conductivity; 6.15. Weak Scattering Theory of Conductivity; 6.16. Resistivity Due to Scattering by Phonons; Problems; References;

Chapter 7. Electron-Electron Interaction; 7.1. Introduction; 7.2. Hartree Approximation; 7.3. Hartree-Fock Approximation; 7.4. Effect of Screening; 7.5. Friedel Sum Rule and Oscillations; 7.6. Frequency and Wave Number Dependent Dielectric Constant; 7.7. Mott Transition; 7.8. Density Functional Theory; 7.9. Fermi Liquid Theory; 7.10. Green’s Function Method; Problems; References;

Chapter 8. Dynamics of Bloch Electrons; 8.1. Semi-classical Model; 8.2. Velocity Operator; 8.3.nbsp;nbsp; Perturbation Theory; 8.4. Quasi-Classical Dynamics; 8.5. Effective Mass; 8.6. Bloch Electrons in External Fields; 8.7. Bloch Oscillations; 8.8. Holes; 8.9. Zener Breakdown; 8.10. Rigorous Calculation of Zener Tunneling; 8.11. Electron-Phonon Interactions; Problems; References;

Chapter 9. Semiconductors; 9.1. Introduction; 9.2. Electrons and Holes; 9.3. Electron and Hole Densities in Equilibrium; 9.4. Intrinsic Semiconductors; 9.5. Extrinsic Semiconductors; 9.6. Doped semiconductors; 9.7. Statistics of Impurity Levels in Thermal Equilibrium; 9.8. Diluted Magnetic Semiconductors; 9.9. ZnO; 9.10. Amorphous Semiconductors; Problems; References;

Chapter 10. Electronics; 10.1. Introduction; 10.2. p-n Junction; 10.3. Rectification by a p-n Junction; 10.4. Transistors; 10.5. Integral Circuits; 10.6. Optoelectronic Devices; 10.7. Graphene; 10.8. Graphene-Based Electronics; Problems; References;

Chapter 11. Spintronics; 11.1. Introduction; 11.2. Magnetoresistance; 11.3. Giant Magnetic Resonance; 11.4. Mott’s Theory of Spin-Dependent Scattering of Electrons; 11.5. Camley-Barnes Model; 11.6. CPP-GMR; 11.7. MTJ, TMR and MRAM; 11.8. Spin Transfer Torques and Magnetic Switching; 11.9. Spintronics with Semiconductors; Problems; References;

Chapter 12. Diamagnetism and Paramagnetism; 12.1 Introduction; 12.2 Atomic (or ionic) Magnetic Susceptibilities; 12.3 Magnetic Ssceptibility of Free Electrons in Metals; 12.4 Many-Body Theory of Magnetic Susceptibility of Bloch Electrons in Solids; 12.5 Quantum Hall Effect; 12.6 Fractional Quantum Hall Effect; Problems; References;

Chapter 13. Magnetic Ordering; 13.1 Introduction; 13.2 Magnetic Dipole Moments; 13.3 Models of Ferromagnetism and Antiferromagnetism; 13.4 Ferromagnetism in Solids; 13.5 Ferromagnetism in Transition Metals; 13.6 Magnetization of Interacting Bloch electrons; 13.7 The Kondo Effect; 13.9 Anderson model; 13.10 Magnetic Phase Transition; Problems; References;

Chapter 14. Superconductivity; 14.1 Properties of Superconductors; 14.2 Meissner-Ochsenfeld Effect; 14.3 The London Equation; 14.4 Ginzburg-Landau Theory; 14.5 Flux Quantization; 14.6 Josephson Effect; 14.7 Microscopic Theory of Superconductivity; 14.8 Strong Coupling Theory of Superconductivity; 14.9 High-temperature Superconductors; Problems; References;

Chapter 15. Heavy Fermions; 15.1 Introduction; 15.2 Kondo Lattice, Mixed Valence and Heavy Fermions; 15.3 Mean-field Theories; 15.4 Fermi-Liquid Models; 15.5 Metamagnetism in Heavy Fermions; 15.6 Ce- and U-based Superconducting Compounds; 15.7 Other Heavy-Fermion Superconductors; 15.8 Theories of Heavy-Fermion Superconductivity; 15.9 Kondo Insulators; Problems; References;

Chapter 16. Metallic Nanoclusters; 16.1 Introduction; 16.2. Electronic and Geometric Shell Structures; 16.3 Cluster Growth on Surfaces; 16.4 Structure of Isolated Clusters; 16.5. Magnetism in Clusters; 16.6. Superconducting State of Nanoclusters; Problems; References;

Chapter 17. Complex Structures; 17.1 Liquids; 17.2 Superfluid; 17.3 Liquid; 17.4 Liquid crystals; 17.5 Quasicrystals; 17.6 Amorphous Solids; Problems; References;

Chapter 18. Novel Materials; 18.1 Graphene; 18.2 Fullerenes; 18.3 Fullerenes and Tubule; 18.4 Polymers; 18.5 Solitons in Conducting Polymers; 18.6 Polarons and Bipolarons; 18.7 Photoinduced Electron Transfer; Problems; References;

Appendix A. Space Groups and Point Groups; A.1 Introduction; A.2 Space group operations; A.3 Point group operations; A.4 Description of point Groups; A.5 The Cubic group;

Appendix B. Mossbauer Effect; B.1 Introduction; B.2 Recoilless fraction; B.3 Average transferred energy;

Appendix C. Introduction to Renormalization Group Approach; C.1 Critical Behavior; C.2 Theory of Scaling; C.3 Renormalization Group Approach; Index

 

[rayj]

Text books are great. Older books provide a benchmark in time. This is not only in technology but in view point and methods. Consider reading papers - from a large variety of sources. There are many ways to look at a particle in a box and how boxes share walls. As mentioned above, today's technology and math have significantly new capabilities. It is good to build a firm basis to learn from. But be flexible as tomorrow will have a different view - get used to pursuing the new. And then share it with everyone. No experiment is a failure if you learn something.