GEOMETRY IN CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS

The subject of geometry has become an important ingredient in condensed matter physics. It appears not only to describe, but also to explain structures and their properties. There are two aspects to using geometry: the visual and intuitive understanding, which fosters an immediate grasp of the objects one studies, and the abstract tendency so well developed in the Riemannian manifold theory. Both aspects contribute to the same understanding when they are applied to the main problems occurring in condensed matter sciences. Sophisticated structures found in nature appear naturally as the result of simple constraints which are presented in geometrical terms. Blue phases, amorphous and glassy materials, Frank and Kasper Metals, quasi-crystals are approached in their complexity, using the simple principles of geometry. The relation between biology and liquid crystal sciences, the physics of membranes is a fundamental aspect presented in this book.