Soft Matter Physics: An Introduction / Edition 1

by Maurice Kleman, J. Friedel, Oleg D. Laverntovich

Overview

Introductions to solid state physics have, ever since the initial book by F. Seitz in 1940, concentrated on simple crystals, with few atoms per cell, bonded together by strong ionic, covalent, or metallic bonds. References to weaker bonds, such as van der Waals forces in rare gases, or to geometric or chemical disorder (e.g., alloys or glasses) have been limited. The physical understanding of this field started well before Seitz’s book and led to a number of Nobel prizes after the last war. Applications cover classical metallurgy, el- tronics, geology and building materials, as well as electrical and ionic transport, chemical reactivity, ferroelectricity and magnetism. But in parallel with this general and well publicized trend, and sometimes earlier as far as physical concepts were concerned, an exploration and increasingly systematic study of softer matter has developed through the twentieth century. More often in the hands of physical chemists and crystallographers than those of pure physicists, the field had for a long time a reputation of complexity. If progress in polymers was steady but slow, interest in liquid crystals had lain dormant for forty years, after a bright start lasting through 1925, to be revived in the late 1960s based on their possible use in imaging techniques. The optoelectronic properties of the field in general are even more recent.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780387952673
Publisher:	Springer New York
Publication date:	10/01/2002
Series:	Partially Ordered Systems
Edition description:	2003
Pages:	637
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.06(d)

Table of Contents

Condensed Matter: General Characteristics, the Chemical Bond, and Particle Interactions.- Atomic and Molecular Arrangements.- The Order Parameter: Amplitude and Phase.- Phase Transitions.- Elasticity of Mesomorphic Phases.- Dynamics of Isotropic and Anisotropic Fluids.- Fractals and Growth Phenomena.- Dislocations in Solids. Plastic Relaxation.- Dislocations in Smectic and Columnar Phases.- Curvature Defects in Smectics and Columnar Phases.- Disclinations and Topological Point Defects. Fluid Relaxation..- Topological Theory of Defects.- Surface Phenomena.- Stability of Colloidal Systems.- Polymers: Structural Properties.

Editorial Reviews

From the reviews:

"This book is an attempt to show the unity of soft matter systems. … It is noteworthy that the authors have emphasized and discussed in detail that the order parameter has two characteristics: an amplitude and a phase (also called a degeneracy parameter). … This book gives the conceptual means to classify the various types of singularities of an ordered medium. … This book will be very useful for researchers and postgraduate students." (K. M. Salikhov, Applied Magnetic Resonance, Vol. 27 (3-4), 2004)

"This monography on soft condensed matter originates from a series of lectures given by the authors … . The book is clearly written by two world leading experts of the field, it is an excellent basis for a third cycle course on the physics of liquid crystals. The bibliography is up-to-date and a list of valuable interesting references is added. … this book presents in a condensed but clear way many facets of a very rich and fascinating field. We recommend it … ." (Jean-Pierre Gaspard, Physicalia, Vol. 26 (1), 2004)

From the Publisher