Physics 101
Since the birth of Physical Review Letters fifty years ago, condensed matter physics has seen considerable growth, and both the journal and the field have flourished during this period. In this essay, I begin with some general comments about condensed matter physics and then give some personal views on the conceptual development of the field and list some highlights. The focus is mostly on theoretical developments.
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.101.250001
PACS numbers: 01.30.−y
The transistor was a hard act to follow. The 1956 Nobel Prize for the invention of the transistor signified more than just the development of a device. It helped usher in a new era in which our understanding of materials using both basic and applied science was to have a renaissance. In 1958, when Physical Review Letters was born, solid state/condensed matter physics (CMP) began its growth spurt that continues to this day. This field is now the largest branch of physics, yet it is probably fair to say that its practitioners can be viewed as the silent majority. The media emphasize astronomy, particle physics, and biology far more than CMP. Part of the reason for that emphasis is the public’s desire to know how it all began, how atomic bombs work, and how living things function. The considerable interest in computers and devices does shine light on some CMP topics and, now and then, discoveries such as high temperature superconductivity or Bose-Einstein condensation do get coverage, but anything involving Einstein is news.
Marvin L. Cohen
Marvin L. Cohen
Perhaps a lack of media attention isn’t so important when considering that, over the past 50 years, 21 Physics Nobel Prizes were awarded to the silent majority working in CMP and associated fields, like optics and instrumentation, and that four Chemistry Nobel Prizes were awarded for subjects in CMP. The breakthroughs were both basic and applied, reflecting the view of CMP researchers that many advances in the field are
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.101.250001
PACS numbers: 01.30.−y
The transistor was a hard act to follow. The 1956 Nobel Prize for the invention of the transistor signified more than just the development of a device. It helped usher in a new era in which our understanding of materials using both basic and applied science was to have a renaissance. In 1958, when Physical Review Letters was born, solid state/condensed matter physics (CMP) began its growth spurt that continues to this day. This field is now the largest branch of physics, yet it is probably fair to say that its practitioners can be viewed as the silent majority. The media emphasize astronomy, particle physics, and biology far more than CMP. Part of the reason for that emphasis is the public’s desire to know how it all began, how atomic bombs work, and how living things function. The considerable interest in computers and devices does shine light on some CMP topics and, now and then, discoveries such as high temperature superconductivity or Bose-Einstein condensation do get coverage, but anything involving Einstein is news.
Marvin L. Cohen
Marvin L. Cohen
Perhaps a lack of media attention isn’t so important when considering that, over the past 50 years, 21 Physics Nobel Prizes were awarded to the silent majority working in CMP and associated fields, like optics and instrumentation, and that four Chemistry Nobel Prizes were awarded for subjects in CMP. The breakthroughs were both basic and applied, reflecting the view of CMP researchers that many advances in the field are