Questions tagged [solid-state-physics]
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Did quantum mechanics solve any open problems related to the optical properties of solids?
It is clear that the understanding that matter is made of atoms allows us to refine our calculations and go beyond the usual optics. Quantum mechanics solved many issues like the black body radiation, ...
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Did Felix Bloch really discover Bloch oscillations?
A 1929 paper by Felix Bloch, Über die Quantenmechanik der Elektronen in Kristallgittern, is widely cited as having predicted the phenomenon of Bloch oscillations: The oscillatory motion of an electron ...
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Are there any good books on the history of condensed matter?
Condensed matter is probably as modern as quantum mechanics but has less coverage than other branches like particle physics. Is there are any good book on the history of solid state/condensed matter? ...
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Why is the thermoelectric figure of merit denoted by $ZT$?
Why is the thermoelectric figure of merit denoted by $Z T$? Does $Z T$ come from the abbreviation of words in some language?
Update: So far, $T$ has been figured out — it is the temperature, to make ...
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Did the concept of the Dirac Sea influence the development of semiconductors like the transistor?
Dirac (1928),
(http://rspa.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/royprsa/126/801/360.full.pdf)
explained the negative-energy solutions of his equations as holes in a sea of electrons.
The concept seems ...
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What was the historical importance of the discovery of high-$T_c$ superconductors?
I remember very well from my (only) class in solid state physics how enthusiastically the professor recounted the discovery of high-$T_c$ superconductors. In one particularly vivid anecdote, he ...
Danu♦
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