The electron liquid paradigm is at the basis of most of our current understanding of the physical properties of electronic systems. Quite remarkably, the latter are nowadays at the intersection of the most exciting areas of science: materials science, quantum chemistry, nano-electronics, biology and quantum computation. Accordingly, its importance can hardly be overestimated. During the past 20 years the field has witnessed momentous developments, which are partly covered in this new volume. Advances in semiconductor technology have allowed the realizations of ultra-pure electron liquids whose density, unlike that of the ones spontaneously occurring in nature, can be tuned by electrical means, allowing a systematic exploration of both strongly and weakly correlated regimes. Most of these system are two- or even one-dimensional and can be coupled together in the form of multi-layers or multi-wires, opening vast observational possibilities. On the theoretical side, quantum Monte Carlo methods have allowed an essentially exact determination of the ground-state energy of the electron liquid, and have provided partial answers to the still open question of the structure of its phase diagram. Starting from the 1980s some truly revolutionary concepts have emerged, which are well represented in this volume.

This book originated from a course given at the Univcrsidad Aut6noma of Madrid in the Spring of 1994 and in the Universidad Complutense of Madrid in 1995. The goal of these courses is to give the non-specialist an introduction to some old and new ideas in the field of strongly correlated systems, in particular the problems posed by the high-1~ superconducting materials. As theoretical physicists, our starting viewpoint to address the problem of strongly correlat ed ferlnion systems and related issues of modern condensed matter physics ·is the renormalization group approach applied both to quantU111 field theory and statistical physics. In recent years this has become not only a powerful tool for retrieving the essential physics of interacting systems but also a link between theoretical physics and modern condensed matter physics. Furthermore, once we have this common background for dealing with apparently different prob lems, we discuss more specific topics and even phenomenological aspects of the field. In doing so we have tried to make the exposition clear and simple, with out entering into technical details but focusing ill the fundamental physics of the phenomena under study. Therefore ,ve expect that our experience ll1ay have some value to other people entering this fascinating field. We have divided these notes into three parts and each part into chapters, which correspond roughly to one or two lectures. Part I, Chaps. 1-2 (A. H. V.

Comprehensive and accessible coverage from the basics to advanced topics in modern quantum condensed matter physics.

The book provides a review of some of the most important and 'hot' topics in condensed matter physics today. It includes contributions by internationally leading experts such as V M Agranovich, B L Altshuler, E Burstein, V L Ginzburg, K Von Klitzing, P B Littlewood, M Pepper etc, and can serve as a guide-book to modern condensed matter physics.

More than a graduate text and advanced research guide on condensed matter physics, this volume emphasizes applications rather than theory. Self-contained chapters examine simple liquids, electron systems and correlations, two-dimensional electron systems, quasi one-dimensional systems, hopping and localization, magnetism, superconductivity, liquid helium, and polymers. Appendixes offer background on molecular distribution functions. 1991 edition.

This primer is aimed at elevating graduate students of condensed matter theory to a level where they can engage in independent research. Topics covered include second quantisation, path and functional field integration, mean-field theory and collective phenomena.

The discovery of a duality between Anti-de Sitter spaces (AdS) and Conformal Field Theories (CFT) has led to major advances in our understanding of quantum field theory and quantum gravity. String theory methods and AdS/CFT correspondence maps provide new ways to think about difficult condensed matter problems. String theory methods based on the AdS/CFT correspondence allow us to transform problems so they have weak interactions and can be solved more easily. They can also help map problems to different descriptions, for instance mapping the description of a fluid using the Navier–Stokes equations to the description of an event horizon of a black hole using Einstein's equations. This textbook covers the applications of string theory methods and the mathematics of AdS/CFT to areas of condensed matter physics. Bridging the gap between string theory and condensed matter, this is a valuable textbook for students and researchers in both fields.

Special session : On the quantum theory of condensed matter / B. Halperin -- Session 1 : Mesoscopic and disordered systems / Chair : D. Loss -- Session 2 : Exotic phases and quantum phase transitions in model systems / Chair : A. Georges -- Session 3 : Experimentally realized correlated-electron materials / Chair : M. Rice -- Session 4 : Quantum hall systems, and one-dimensional systems / Chair : J. Chalker -- Session 5 : Systems of ultra-cold atoms, and advanced computational methods / Chair : P. Zoller -- Closing Session : Chair of the conference Bertrand Halperin.