Luciano Colombo – författare

This book is a self-contained undergraduate textbook in solid state physics. Most excellent existing textbooks in this area are aimed at advanced students and/or have an encyclopaedic content, therefore, they are often overwhelmingly difficult and/or too wide for undergraduates. On the contrary, this book is designed to accompany a one-semester, second or third-year course aimed at a tutorial introduction to solid state physics.

The book is highly accessible and focuses on a selected set of topics (basically, the physics of phonons and electrons in crystals), whilst also providing substantial, in-depth coverage of the subject. Emphasis is given to the underlying physical basis or principle for each topic, although applications are covered when it is possible to link them to fundamental physical concepts in a simple way.

The author has taught undergraduate condensed matter physics for 17 years, and the book is based on this experience. Various pedagogical features are used in each chapter, including conceptual layout sections (defining the syllabus of each chapter), extensive use of figures (used to illustrate concepts, or to sketch experimental setups, or to present paradigmatic results) and highlights on the most important equations, definitions, and concepts.

Key Features

This second edition course text introduces the fundamental quantum physics of atoms and molecules. With revised and extended content, this book is the first volume in a series of three aiming to present a broad coverage of atomic, molecular, solid-state and statistical physics. Divided into three parts, the first provides a historical perspective leading to the contemporary view of atomic and molecular physics, outlining the principles of non-relativistic quantum mechanics. The second covers the physical description of atoms and their interaction with radiation, whilst the third deals with molecular physics. The book's pedagogical features include conceptual layout sections that define the goals of each chapter, a simplified but rigorous mathematical apparatus, and a thorough discussion of approximations used to develop the adopted physical models.

Key Features

During the last twenty years, the multiplicity of potential carbon structures has consistently posed a formidable challenge to theoretical and computational physicists. Several different methods are currently being used to study the structure and the properties of such systems. These methods include simulations based on empirical potentials, tight-binding calculations and density functional theory (DFT). A combination of these methods is needed to make significant progress in the carbon field.

This volume provides the reader with a survey of state-of-the-art theoretical and computational contributions featuring novel carbon systems (excluding nanotubes). The chapters are authored by leading researchers who are all actively involved with different aspects of carbon structure and property elucidation. Consequently, a variety of methods are presented to the reader. The editors have successfully compiled an informative book that:

•  Showcases the latest results in carbon materials •  Demonstrates how different theoretical methods are combined •  Explains how new carbon structures are predicted

Computer-Based Modeling of Novel Carbon Systems and Their Properties is aimed at advanced undergraduates, graduates, and researchers with an interest in computational nanomaterials.

La meccanica dei solidi rappresenta un corpus di conoscenze di formidabile robustezza concettuale, di raffinata eleganza matematico-formale e di grandissima utilita’ applicativa. Come tale ha una valenza formativa molto forte in diversi campi delle scienze naturali (fisica della materia, scienza dei materiali), ingegneristiche (scienza delle costruzioni, ingegneria strutturale e meccanica) e matematiche (matematica applicata).

La teoria della elasticita’costituisce inoltre uno dei punti-cardine su cui si articola il moderno paradigma di ricerca detto "modellazione multi-scala dei materiali", secondo il quale le proprieta’ di un materiale sono descritte tramite la concorrenza di metodi teorici affatto diversi: mentre alla nanoscala opera la meccanica quantistica, alla micro- e meso-scala opera il continuo. La conoscenza del continuo elastico abilita lo Studente di Fisica, di Scienza dei Materiali, di Matematica o l’Allievo Ingegnere a confrontarsi con questo moderno e affascinate strumento di ricerca sui materiali.

Questa opera introduce lo Studente alla teoria della elasticita’ attraverso la scelta di un numero selezionato di argomenti di paradigmatica importanza concettuale e tramite lo svolgimento di numerosi esercizi e problemi di approfondimento. Gli argomenti spaziano dalle proprieta’ formali dei tensori di sforzo e deformazione, alla teoria del continuo elastico lineare, alla termodinamica delle deformazioni, alla propagazione di onde elastiche, alla teoria della frattura fragile in regime lineare elastico.

Gli ultimi due capitoli del libro presentano in modo didatticamente accessibile la sofisticata teoria di Eshelby, la cui conoscenza e’ molto importante sotto il profilo formativo. Tale teoria, infatti, ha un numero strabiliante di applicazioni pratiche e consente di riunificare molti risultati del continuo elastico in un''unica struttura formale di validita’ generale.