Abstract
Solids are composed of atoms held together by chemical bonds. Solid-state physics is therefore concerned with those physical properties which are the collective properties of this atomic arrangement. The characteristic properties of free atoms do, of course, determine the nature of the solid they make up, but, when embedded in a crystal lattice, these properties are greatly influenced by the surroundings. Electrical conductivity, ferromagnetism, specific heat, and phase transitions are, moreover, examples of concepts which can be defined for the solid but not for an individual atom. A theoretical description of the properties of solids must therefore use methods appropriate to many-body systems.
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© 1978 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Madelung, O. (1978). Fundamentals. In: Introduction to Solid-State Theory. Springer Series in Solid-State Sciences, vol 2. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-61885-7_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-61885-7_1
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-78061-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-61885-7
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