13 Facts About Condensed matter

Condensed matter physics is the field of physics that deals with the macroscopic and microscopic physical properties of matter, especially the solid and liquid phases which arise from electromagnetic forces between atoms.

Condensed matter physicists seek to understand the behavior of these phases by experiments to measure various material properties, and by applying the physical laws of quantum mechanics, electromagnetism, statistical mechanics, and other theories to develop mathematical models.

The name "condensed matter physics" emphasized the commonality of scientific problems encountered by physicists working on solids, liquids, plasmas, and other complex matter, whereas "solid state physics" was often associated with restricted industrial applications of metals and semiconductors.

One of the first studies of condensed states of matter was by English chemist Humphry Davy, in the first decades of the nineteenth century.

Theoretical condensed matter physics involves the use of theoretical models to understand properties of states of matter.

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Theoretical understanding of condensed matter physics is closely related to the notion of emergence, wherein complex assemblies of particles behave in ways dramatically different from their individual constituents.

Similarly, models of condensed matter systems have been studied where collective excitations behave like photons and electrons, thereby describing electromagnetism as an emergent phenomenon.

Experimental condensed matter physics involves the use of experimental probes to try to discover new properties of materials.

Several condensed matter experiments involve scattering of an experimental probe, such as X-ray, optical photons, neutrons, etc.

Local structure, the structure of the nearest neighbour atoms, of condensed matter can be investigated with methods of nuclear spectroscopy, which are very sensitive to small changes.

In 1995, a gas of rubidium atoms cooled down to a temperature of 170 nK was used to experimentally realize the Bose–Einstein condensate, a novel state of matter originally predicted by S N Bose and Albert Einstein, wherein a large number of atoms occupy one quantum state.

Research in condensed matter physics has given rise to several device applications, such as the development of the semiconductor transistor, laser technology, and several phenomena studied in the context of nanotechnology.

Condensed matter physics has important uses for biophysics, for example, the experimental method of magnetic resonance imaging, which is widely used in medical diagnosis.