This unique volume celebrates the five decades of the impact of Anderson localization on modern physics. In addition to the historical perspective on its origin, it provides a comprehensive description of the experimental and theoretical aspects of Anderson localization.

The phenomenon of localization of the electronic wave function in a random medium can be regarded as the key manifestation of quantum coherence in a condensed matter system. As one of the most remarkable phenomena in condensed matter physics discovered in the 20th century, the localization problem is an indispensable part of the theory of the quantum Hall effects and rivals superconductivity in its significance as a manifestation of quantum coherence at a macroscopic scale. The present volume, written by some of the leading experts in the field, is intended to highlight some of the recent progress in the field of localization, with particular emphasis on the effect of interactions on quantum coherence. The chapters are written in textbook style and should serve as a reliable and thorough introduction for advanced students or researchers already working in the field of mesoscopic physics.

This volume contains the proceedings of the Fourth Taniguchi International Symposium on the Theory of Condensed Matter, which was held at Senkari Semi nar House of Kwansei Gakuin Universi~y in Sanda-shi, Japan, during the period of 3-8 November 1981. The topic of the symposium was "Anderson rocalization," one of the most fundamental problems in condensed-matter physics. Since Anderson's classic paper was published in 1958, much theoretical and experimental effort has been performed to study the problem of electron localization in a random potential. Quite recently, Abrahams, Anderson, Licciardello, and Ramakrishnan proposed a scaling theory of the Anderson lo calization which made it possible to perform microscopic investigations. Rapid progress has followed and we are now getting a coherent picture of the behavior of electrons in disordered systems. When we organized the symposium, we asked Dr. Anderson to participate in it and to give a review talk on theoretical aspects of the problem. Though he kindly accepted our invitation, he could not come due to a sudden illness. A review talk was given by Professor Thouless who kindly accepted our request to take the place of Dr. Anderson. Fortunately, Dr. Anderson has since re covered from his illness.

This unique volume celebrates the five decades of the impact of Anderson localization on modern physics. In addition to the historical perspective on its origin, it provides a comprehensive description of the experimental and theoretical aspects of Anderson localization.

The quantum phenomena of tunneling and interference show up not only in the microscopic world of atoms and molecules, but also in cold materials of the real world, such as metals and semiconductors. Though not fully macroscopic, such mesoscopic systems contain a huge number of particles, and the holistic nature of quantum mechanics becomes evident already in simple electronic measurements. The measured quantity fluctuates as a function of applied fields in an unpredictable, yet reproducible way. Despite this fingerprint character of fluctuations, their statistical properties are universal, i.e. they are the same for a large class of different mesoscopic systems, having only very few parameters in common. Localization of electrons is a dramatic effect of destructive interference. As a consequence a metal can become an insulator while reaching mesoscopic scales. Based on elementary quantum and statistical physics, this text introduces the theory of mesoscopic electron systems. It focuses on universal characteristics of fluctuations and on the localization mechanism. General concepts and methods are stressed, such as scaling laws for distribution functions. Tools from condensed matter theory are used flexibly. Involved technical details are skipped so as to present a broad overview of the field, including topics like quantum dots, the quantum Hall effect and a number of the most recent developments. Contents: Experimental Facts; Basic Theoretical Models and Tools; Idealized Systems; Towards Realistic Systems; The Localization-Delocalization Transition. Readership: Condensed matter and theoretical physicists.

The past decade has witnessed breakthroughs in the understanding of the wave localization phenomena and its implications for wave multiple scattering in inhomogeneous media. This book brings together review articles written by noted researchers in this field in a tutorial manner so as to give the readers a coherent picture of its status. It would be valuable both as an up-to-date reference for active researchers as well as a readable source for students looking to gain an understanding of the latest results.

Concisely and clearly written by two foremost scientists, this book provides a self-contained introduction to the basic concepts of fractals and demonstrates their use in a range of topics. The authors’ unified description of different dynamic problems makes the book extremely accessible.