Principles of Condensed Matter Physics

This is a very good book. This book covers ideas that should be understood by anyone interested in going into condensed matter physics, experimentalists and theorists included. I think "Lectures On Phase Transitions And The Renormalization Group" by Nigel Goldenfeld couples very well with the first 5-6 chapters of Chaikin and Lubensky's book, and would recommend serious learners to get both and read them together.There aren't that many prerequisites in terms of physics other than the typical undergraduate physics major courses. In other words, E&M, statistical mechanics, and quantum mechanics. That said, I do think reading Ashcroft and Mermin or The Oxford Solid State Basics (Steve Simon) before reading this will make this book more rewarding and less dense.The math in this book is slightly more advanced than in a book like Ashcroft and Mermin. You should be comfortable with Fourier transforms, functional derivatives, functional integrals (path integrals), Levi-Cevita notation, basic complex analysis (only for a few sections and exercises, though), and basic ideas in topology (helpful in understanding the last chapters). The appendices sometimes cover the necessary basics, if needed for the reader. Hard to say what the exact prerequisites are in terms of math, other than being "good" at math in the physicist's sense.Another thing, the problems at the end of the chapters are hard. Sometimes they are hard because they are tedious. Sometimes they are hard because it takes a while to think of a good way to set up the problem. Sometimes both. You won't find many, if any, "plug and chug" problems in this book. But even if you don't do a lot of the hard problems at the end of the chapters, I think reading the chapters will be worth it and you will still learn a lot.

Given my training as an engineer in undergraduate avatar and as a polymer scientist in my graduate school (enrolled into a PhD program now), I find this book a challenging endevour. It presupposes in-depth knowledge of quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics, and the chapters are written in a style which makes it most beneficial/suitable for Physics graduate students. Nonetheless, since every serious student in material science and polymer physics must indeed become comfortable with the theoretical concepts underlying soft matter physics, this book is a delightful (and hardcore!) introduction to the concepts of correlation functions, symmetry laws, conservation principles, phase transitions and critical phenomenon, topological defects, etc. The book by RAL Jones can provide a quick introduction to phenomenon and principles encountered in the book. But to master the trade, to become comfortable with notation used in papers, to understand the math, to make yourself a soft matter physicist, this book provides matter, paradigms and principles in comprehensive manner.Specifically. this book is an essential reading for people studying physics of crystals, liquid crystals, quasi-crystals, amorphous materials, polymers and magnetically ordered systems. Specific chapters/sections on energy and potentials, structure and scattering, mean field theories, renormalization group theory, generalized elasticity, dynamics with emphasis on correlation & response functions, hydrodynamics with discussion on broken symmetries and fluctuation-dissipation formalism, and on wall, kinks and solitons are written with advanced readers in mind. Each chapter and topic can be appreaciated by additional reading from a textbook each in Statistical Mechanics (Pathria), Electrodynamics (Slater and Frank), Quantum Mechanics, liquid crystals (Chandrashekar or de gennes, polymers (Doi, de gennes) and scattering (neutron-Higgins, light-Pecora). Like potential readers, I am myself a student, just starting on this daunting but worthwhile study of condensed matter.(07 March 2004)

Good book. It brings the content with several examples. Nice reading.

I'm totally gonna read this whole book right now. So many knowledge nuggets

Principles of Condensed Matter Physics by P. M. Chaikin and T. C. Lubensky is a comprehensive textbook. Condensed Matter Physics is a vast subject that relates to crystallography, solid state physics, materials science, and general physics. Before attempting to learn this subject one should have a strong foundation in these areas. This book is often regarded as the bible of Condensed Matter Physics. It is a large textbook covering many topics. However, before reading this book, I recommend starting with Materials Science and Engineering by Callister and Introduction to Solid State Physics by Kittel. These foundational texts will help, as Chaikin covers the basics only briefly.Overall, it is a classic and excellent textbook.

This review is not for the book content, but for the rendering on the electronic edition. It is just terrible! For whatever reason, neither the formulas not the figures can be magnified or reduced in size on any media, be it tablet, or computer. The only way to read a formula without a magnifying glass is to use a +24" monitor and get as close to it as possible. It's ridiculous the publisher didn't check the rendering before making it available. I think they should either provide a different format,, or refund the customers.

When you see Onslow the brother-in-law of Hyacinth Bucket reading it in bed quite often.I had to buy one.

this is the book Onslow is reading on Keeping Up Appearances: Season 5, Episode 5 'Skis' (1 Oct. 1995)