Chapter abstracts for A Very Short Introduction (part 1)

I am pleased to announce that Condensed Matter Physics: A Very Short Introduction is scheduled to be published on December 29.

The manuscript is currently with copy editors and in production. 

For each chapter, I have been asked to provide abstracts and keywords for the online version of the book. This turns out to be somewhat interesting as it is an issue of marketing, using internet searches to sell books. There are no chapter abstracts for the hard copy. Here is some of the background provided by Oxford University Press.

High quality A&K (Abstracts and Keywords) are those that help readers get to the content they are looking for, first by making the relevant content appear high in search results, and then by accurately describing the work so that they can decide whether it will be relevant to their needs. High quality A&K become even more important when readers are able to choose and purchase the relevant content from the results. 

The availability of A&K is now an industry standard. Referrals from Google represent a higher percentage of total visits for sites that have free A&K (up to 40-70%), compared to those that do not (around 13-30%).

An example of an abstract is that for the first chapter of Globalisation: A Very Short Introduction which is one of the best-selling titles in the series.

Chapter abstracts should be 100–250 words.

Here are my current versions for the first five chapters. I welcome suggestions for improvement.

1. What is condensed matter physics?

What is condensed matter physics?  It is the science concerned with characterising and understanding all the possible states of matter that can exist. Solid, liquid, and gas are not the only states of matter. There is also liquid crystal, superconductor, superfluid, crystal, glass, ferromagnet, and antiferromagnet. The central question of condensed matter physics is “how do the physical properties of a state of matter emerge from the interactions between the atoms of which the material is composed?” This is illustrated with the distinct properties of graphite and diamond, two distinct solid states of carbon. The recent discovery of graphene, a material composed of single layer of carbon atoms, and its unique electrical properties is an example of how the field continues to produce exciting surprises. Condensed matter physics is one of the largest and most vibrant subfields of physics. As it is concerned with materials and with emergent phenomena there is significant cross-fertilisation of concepts and techniques with other sub-fields of physics, science, and engineering.

5–10 keywords that can be used for describing the content of the chapter

Condensed matter physics, states of matter, physical properties, graphite, diamond, graphene, materials science, emergence, Kamerlingh Onnes

2. A multitude of states of matter

There are “a multitude of states of matter”. Materials composed of just one or two types of atoms can form many different states of matter.  Each has qualitatively different physical properties. Transitions between distinct states are defined by abrupt changes in properties. Dramatic examples include superconductivity and superfluidity. Phase diagrams encode which state of a material is stable under specific conditions defined by variables such as temperature and pressure. The phase diagrams of water, carbon dioxide, and carbon are discussed. At the critical point there is no distinction between liquid and gas. Topics discussed are relevant to making artificial diamonds, freeze-dried food, decaffeinated coffee, and dry ice.

Keywords: tipping point, phase transition, phase diagram, critical points, temperature, superconductivity, superfluidity, magnetism, sublimation, supercritical fluid

3. Symmetry matters

“Symmetry matters” in condensed matter physics because the mathematics of symmetry is key to characterising the qualitative difference between distinct states of matter. The concept of symmetry is illustrated by considering how the appearance of specific objects do not change when they undergo transformations such as rotations, reflections, and translations. Crystals are composed of repeat units of atoms. Symmetry constrains the number of types of different repeat units that are possible. The spatial arrangement of the atoms in each repeat unit can be determined by diffraction of a beam of x-rays by the crystal. The symmetry of a state of matter constrains what physical properties it can have. Symmetry aids a connection between the macroscopic and microscopic properties of a state of matter, such as explaining why snowflakes have six-fold rotational symmetry. The unexpected discovery of a quasicrystal, a distinct state of matter, revised the definition of a crystal.

Keywords: symmetry, Bravais lattice, crystal, crystallography, x-ray diffraction, structure, quasicrystal, chemistry, molecular biology, Bragg

4. The order of things

“The order of things” describes how distinct states of matter are associated with distinct types of ordering, such as the regular pattern of atoms in the material. The change in symmetry between different states of matter can be quantified in terms of an “order parameter”. Determining the relevant symmetry and order parameter for a state of matter often takes decades as it requires significant scientific insight. Lev Landau proposed a general theory to describe the amount of ordering present in any material that undergoes a phase transition to a distinct state of matter. The associated concept of spontaneous symmetry breaking is central to condensed matter physics, and to the theory of elementary particles and fundamental forces and led to the prediction of the existence of the Higgs boson. There is a rigidity associated with the type of order in a state of matter, whether a crystal or a superconductor. This rigidity determines the type of deviations from perfect order that are possible. Examples of defects include dislocations in crystals and vortices in superconductors and superfluids.

Keywords: States of matter, rigidity, symmetry breaking, magnetism, Lev Landau, Higgs boson, order parameter, liquid crystal, vortex, topological defect

5. Adventures of Flatland

“Adventures of Flatland” describes how condensed matter physics is different in a two-dimensional world, than in our three-dimensional one. This Flatland can be accessed in a laboratory because it is possible to fabricate materials, such as graphene, that are two-dimensional or close to it. Theory can also be used to investigate this different world and led to predictions of new states of matter and new types of phase transitions. A simple theoretical model for magnetic phase transtions is the Ising model. The two-dimensional version of the model illustrates concepts such as spontaneous symmetry breaking, long-range order, critical points, emergence, and more. A class of (almost) two-dimensional materials of great interest are crystals consisting of layers of copper and oxygen atoms. These materials superconduct at higher temperatures than any other, have a rich phase diagram, exhibit unusual metallic states, and remain a theoretical puzzle.  

Keywords: Flatland,  spatial dimension, phase transition, Ising model, two-dimensional material, high-temperature superconductor, Kosterlitz-Thouless transition

What do you think? I welcome suggestions for improvement.