Description
Book SynopsisTopological Phases of Matter are an exceptionally dynamic field of research: several of the most exciting recent experimental discoveries and conceptual advances in modern physics have originated in this field. These have generated new, topological, notions of order, interactions and excitations. This text provides an accessible, unified and comprehensive introduction to the phenomena surrounding topological matter, with detailed expositions of the underlying theoretical tools and conceptual framework, alongside accounts of the central experimental breakthroughs. Among the systems covered are topological insulators, magnets, semimetals, and superconductors. The emergence of new particles with remarkable properties such as fractional charge and statistics is discussed alongside possible applications such as fault-tolerant topological quantum computing. Suitable as a textbook for graduate or advanced undergraduate students, or as a reference for more experienced researchers, the book ass
Trade Review'… a timely and valuable introduction to the most important theoretical concepts in the topological study of matter … brief treatment of a vast, rapidly evolving subject that currently dominates condensed matter physics … This book is appropriate for physics collections within all university libraries.' M. C. Ogilvie, Choice Connect
Table of ContentsPreface; Acknowledgements; 1. Introduction; 2. Basic concepts of topology and condensed matter; 3. Integer topological phases; 4. Geometry and topology of wavefunctions in crystals; 5. Hydrogen atoms for fractionalisation; 6. Gauge and topological field theories; 7. Topology in gapless matter; 8. Disorder and defects in topological phases; 9. Topological quantum computation via non-Abelian statistics; 10. Topology out of equilibrium; 11. Symmetry, topology, and information; Appendix; References; Index.