Exploring Condensed Matter Physics: A Comparative Look at Popular Textbooks

[Atomos]

I wish to self study condensed matter physics. I believe the Kittel and Arschcroft&Mermin are the most popular textbooks. I have read that Kittel is not very clear, however it his half the price of A&M on amazon. Also, my background in Quantum Mechanics comes entirely from Griffiths' intro, and its treatment of periodic potentials and band theory was limited to a simple one dimensional example. Might either of the two textbooks be too advanced for my background in QM? Are there any other good textbooks?

 

[Brad Barker]

I wish to self study condensed matter physics. I believe the Kittel and Arschcroft&Mermin are the most popular textbooks. I have read that Kittel is not very clear, however it his half the price of A&M on amazon. Also, my background in Quantum Mechanics comes entirely from Griffiths' intro, and its treatment of periodic potentials and band theory was limited to a simple one dimensional example. Might either of the two textbooks be too advanced for my background in QM? Are there any other good textbooks?

coincidentally, i spent today perusing through omar's elementary solid state physics, and it looks to be pretty good.

 

[las3rjock]

Kittel is a nice introduction to the subject (and at roughly the right level if you understand quantum mechanics at the level of Griffiths's text) if you read the text carefully and work through every derivation. This is especially true if you're using the 8th edition, as it has some (generally obvious) typos that are not present in the 7th edition. After a careful reading of Kittel, you will be well prepared to tackle the more sophisticated and general treatment of the same topics in Ashcroft & Mermin. For condensed matter physics beyond the solid state, I believe Principles of Condensed Matter Physics by Chaikin & Lubensky is the standard text.

 

[Atomos]

Thanks for the input, guys. I will go with Kittel.

 

[Andy Resnick]

I wish to self study condensed matter physics. I believe the Kittel and Arschcroft&Mermin are the most popular textbooks. I have read that Kittel is not very clear, however it his half the price of A&M on amazon. Also, my background in Quantum Mechanics comes entirely from Griffiths' intro, and its treatment of periodic potentials and band theory was limited to a simple one dimensional example. Might either of the two textbooks be too advanced for my background in QM? Are there any other good textbooks?

I really like "Principles of Condensed Matter Physics" by Chaikin and Lubensky.

 

[gc2004]

you could try out a.j.dekker, solid state physics... simple but good and more organised than kittel...