States of Matter, States of Mind

Abstract

What are the elementary constituents of matter? How is matter built up? How many states of matter are there? Our attempt to answer such fundamental questions depends, the author ascertains, on our approach to and our perception of the problems, emphasizing the role of our operational thinking and the conceptual models or images which are used to idealize or simplify the structure of matter. Thus, the author presents in this book the philosophy of scientific models in the physics of matter rather than the exact scientific knowledge of materials. The book does not use any mathematical equations and does not require any prior physical and mathematical knowledge, illustrating some particular points by amusing cartoons. This approach can be very approachable for newcomers to the subject of materials science and the physics of condensed matter. The author starts from terminology and fundamental notions and ideas, then goes through the constituent particles (electron, proton, neutron, atoms, molecules), before describing the macroscopic agglomeration of particles (gases, liquids, solutions, solids, mixed matter, interfaces, soft matter) and finally taking us from very large molecules to biological living matter and the matter of the Universe. Each problem is discussed using contemporary, up-to date knowledge, including some recent `hot topics,' and taking both classical and quantum approaches in a very correct and properly comprehensible way. However, the careful reader can formulate some slightly critical remarks. To emphasize language problems developed by scientific modellers (chapter 2), I would add, to the examples given by the author, the new term `atomic laser' which causes many misunderstandings. The discussion of limits and dimensions, citing Benoit Mandelbrot, would have been a good opporunity to mention fractal dimensions. It might have been better to formulate the first law of thermodynamics as the statement which determines the nature of internal energy changes according to the energy conservation principle. The absolute zero state and unattainability of that temperature could be explained in a more convincing way. In chapter 6 it would be worthwhile to mention the problem of matter interaction between crystalline layers with mismatch (different lattice constant), which is of great importance in the modern technologies used for the fabrication of quantum-type many-layered low-dimensional nanostructures. Section 7.3 might well have made reference to a Coulomb blockade effect and a single electron transistor. The electron in a box (section 7.4) could be described in more detail. In section 7.6 it should be pointed out that semiconductors (intrinsic and at low temperatures) have qualitatively the same energy band structure as insulators, differing only in the value of the energy gap, and that doping does not always reduce the width of the energy gap. Discussing high-temperature superconductors (page 289) the author states `The in-plane resistivity is similar to that of a metal, while in the perpendicular direction it is more like that of a semiconductor (increasing when the temperature rises)', but should have written `decreasing' instead of `increasing'. There is no mention of such important materials as superionic conductors (fast ion conductors), various kinds of semiconductors with very different and specific properties that are important for applications, and new optoelectronic (photonic) materials. Magnetic materials (section 13.9) should be described more extensively. There is no information on very important elementary model excitations in condensed matter like anyones, skyrmions, composite fermions, etc. And, while discussing the electron, it would have been useful to compare electrons in free space with the different states of electrons in condensed matter, particularly in solids. I can agree with the opinion of publishers, as given on the back cover, only to a limited extent. The book is really interesting and of great value for students, science graduates and science teachers, but it is not sufficient for `scientists in other areas to update their knowledge of materials'. Nevertheless, this is a very nice bedside book, so I encourage everyone to try and read it. You just try! You will not be disappointed.