Solid-state physics

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The physical properties of solids have been common subjects of scientific inquiry for centuries, but a separate field going by the name of solid-state physics did not emerge until the 1940s, in particular with the establishment of the Division of Solid State Physics (DSSP) within the American Physical Society. The DSSP catered to industrial physicists, and solid-state physics became associated with the technological applications made possible by research on solids. By the early 1960s, the DSSP was the largest division of the American Physical Society.[1][2]

Large communities of solid state physicists also emerged in Europe after World War II, in particular in England, Germany, and the Soviet Union.[3] In the United States and Europe, solid state became a prominent field through its investigations into semiconductors, superconductivity, nuclear magnetic resonance, and diverse other phenomena. During the early Cold War, research in solid state physics was often not restricted to solids, which led some physicists in the 1970s and 1980s to found the field of condensed matter physics, which organized around common techniques used to investigate solids, liquids, plasmas, and other complex matter.[1] Today, solid-state physics is broadly considered to be the subfield of condensed matter physics that focuses on the properties of solids with regular crystal lattices.

Crystal structure and properties[edit]

An example of a simple cubic lattice




Electronic properties[edit]





Modern research[edit]

Research topics in solid state physics include:

See also[edit]

Further reading[edit]



  2. ^ Hoddeson, Lillian; et al. (1992). Out of the Crystal Maze: Chapters from The History of Solid State Physics. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195053296. 
  3. ^ Hoffmann, Dieter (2013). "Fifty Years of Physica Status Solidi in Historical Perspective". Physica Status Solidi B. 250 (4): 871–887. doi:10.1002/pssb.201340126. Retrieved 22 April 2015.