Library
- PDF / 104,728 Bytes
- 2 Pages / 612 x 792 pts (letter) Page_size
- 81 Downloads / 175 Views
LIBRARY
Introduction to the Electronic Properties of Materials, 2nd Ed. David Jiles (Nelson Thornes Ltd., Cheltenham, UK, 2001) xxiii + 418 pages ISBN 0-7487-6042-3 David Jiles provides an excellent introduction to the electronic properties of materials, clearly linking these properties to macroscopic as well as microscopic observables. The author treats the material on a broad, comprehensive level, rather than digging deeply into any one topic. This provides a very nice introduction for undergraduate students with little advanced coursework or for others with no experience in condensed-matter physics, but it lacks some of the more thorough explanations. For example, Jiles shows the bcc and fcc reciprocal lattices and states the symmetry points, but does not explain why the L point in reciprocal lattice space is described by . There is no mathematical or physical demonstration of how fcc and bcc lattices are reciprocals of one another, although it is verbally stated in the text. The subject matter is divided into appropriate sections and subsections, each with an introductory question that helps to target the point of the particular section. There are a number of occasions in which Jiles makes statements that appear unsubstantiated, but often the conclusion that is drawn is more fully developed in a later section of the text. While a forward reference to the upcoming discussions would be useful, the patient reader will find a relatively complete discussion of most concepts that are introduced. Figures are simple and relatively straightforward, although often they lack explanation of the finer details. There are references and suggested readings at the end of each chapter, and the applications chapters contain updated, recent references. Jiles first develops the free electron model from the classical picture (i.e., equations of motion) before moving to the quantum mechanical picture in Chapter 4. This is a very nice touch for an undergraduate course, where the students’ facility with quantum mechanics is limited. Many introductory texts become very obtuse when it comes to optical properties, but Jiles presents these concepts at an accessible level for the reader new to the subject, with a particularly nice development of optical reflectivity. While the first 10 chapters focus on basics, the final five chapters highlight more contemporary topics and applications. The selection of topics and the inclusion of many basic definitions proMRS BULLETIN/NOVEMBER 2003
vide an excellent foundation for the reader to take off and pursue the topics that pique his or her interest, including topics that many classic introductory texts neglect, such as high-temperature superconductivity, magnetic recording media, semiconductor lasers, and fiber optics. This book would be useful for selfstudy or for use in an introductory solidstate physics course at the sophomore/ junior level. The selection of exercises at the end of each of the first 10 chapters is extensive and appropriately varied, and the worked solutions are thorough—of grea
Data Loading...