Introduction to Solid State Physics by Charles Kittel

Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the textbook "Introduction to Solid State Physics" by Charles Kittel, focusing on its content, reviews, and specific topics such as phonons and superconductivity. Participants share their experiences and opinions regarding the book's effectiveness as a learning resource in the context of a Solid State Physics course.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses dissatisfaction with the book's reviews and seeks recommendations for a companion text.
  • Another participant defends the book, highlighting its comprehensive coverage and good explanations, while noting complaints about recent editions.
  • A participant raises a concern about a potential error in the 8th edition regarding the directions of crystal structures, specifically NaCl and CsCl, but later retracts this concern after further review.
  • A post discusses the historical context of superconductivity theories mentioned in the book, indicating that they are controversial and not suitable for an introductory textbook.
  • The author notes that the book lacks coverage of Cooper pairing and its implications for high-temperature superconductivity.
  • There is a call for a correction to the Bloch theorem based on the discussion of superconductivity.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing opinions on the quality and utility of the textbook, with some praising it and others criticizing it. There is no consensus on the best companion text or the accuracy of specific content within the book.

Contextual Notes

The discussion includes references to specific editions of the book and the challenges of explaining complex topics like superconductivity in an introductory context. Some claims about the book's content and structure remain unresolved.

Who May Find This Useful

Students and educators in Solid State Physics, individuals seeking textbook recommendations, and those interested in the historical context of superconductivity theories.

For those who have used this book

  • Total voters
    8
Physics news on Phys.org
Hi,

I'm taking a course on Solid State Physics using this book. The reviews here and on amazon aren't very positive. Is there a good book you would suggest as a companion?


Thanks,

A_B
 
I think this is a wonderful book, with wide coverage of topics and nice explanations. Kittel always provides references to experimental results to compliment the discussions. I read many complaints about recent editions, especially the 7th and 8th. I highly recommend the 3rd edition.
 
I'm reading the part about phonons in diatomic bases on pages 95-99 in the 8th edition. I might have confused myself but it seems like Kittel switched the directions for the NaCl and CsCl structure around on page 97. CsCl is a crystal with a simple cubic lattice and a basis of Cs at 000 and Cl at 1/2,1/2,1/2 so I would expect that one to be the one with a [111] direction. This doesn't show up in the errata pages I've found.
 
Nevermind. I took a long hard look at the 3D structures and it seems to be (mostly) correct.
 
Greg Bernhardt said:

Exellent book. Especially 1953 year edition.

Kittel said:
Recently there have been a number of attempts to give a quantum-
mechanical explanation of superconductivity. We mention work by
Heisenberg,28 Tisza,29 Slater,30 Born and Cheng,»1 Frohlich,32 and
Bardeen.32 At the present time all these theories are highly contro-
versial, and the difficulties do not lend themselves to analysis in an
introductory textbook.

It has no subsequent ideas of Cooper pairing, preventing us of from understanding of HTS.

Kittel said:
In every theory the apparent contradiction between the Bloch theorem and the observed persistence of currents in a superconducting ring is explained by the presumed metastable nature of the current distribution.

Anticipating words!
Bloch theorem must be corrected!
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Similar threads

Solid State Should I buy Kittel's Introduction to Solid State Physics?
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
3K
Solid State What is the best online course that follows Kittel for solid state physics?
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
3K
Solid State Is Adrianus J. Dekker forgotten or irrelevant?
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
2K
Solid State Ashcroft and Mermin: revised edition
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
1K
Solid State Which Introductory Solid State Physics Book from Springer is Best?
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
Solid State Best solid state physics textbook that can replace Kittel
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
8K
High Energy (free kindle) Gauge Theories in Particle Physics by Aitchison & Hey
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
  • Poll Poll
Solid State Solid State Physics by Neil W. Ashcroft
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
3K
Solid State No Love for Kittel: An Alternative Textbook for Solid State Physics?
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
4K
High Energy What is the level of Aitchison & Hey's QFT books?
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
4K