Metal-To-Nonmetal Transitions

ISBN-13: 9783642039522 / Angielski / Twarda / 2010 / 200 str.

Ronald Redmer; Friedrich Hensel; Bastian Holst

Opis

Materialscanbedividedintometalsandnonmetals.Thecharacteristicfeature ofmetalslikecopperandaluminumisahighelectricalandthermalconduct- ity, while nonmetals such as phosphor and sulfur are insulators. The electrical 6 1 ?1 conductivity varies over many orders of magnitude, from 10 ? m for ?20 ?1 ?1 typical metals down to 10 ? m for almost ideal insulators. However, a sharp separation between metals and insulators is in general not possible. For instance, semiconducting materials such as silicon and germanium ?ll the conductivity domain between metals and insulators. Their electrical cond- tivity is dependent on temperature and, in addition, canbe variedstronglyby doping the material with donor or acceptor atoms. A famous example is the sharp insulator-to-metal transition measured in Si: P at temperatures below 18 ?3 0.1K and donor concentrations of about 3.8x10 cm phosphor atoms 1]. Furthermore, materials may exist in both states: carbon is metallic as graphite and insulating as diamond. A fascinating quantum e?ect is observed at low temperatures: some materials even loose their electrical resistivity and becomesuperconductors.Therefore, thequestionsWhatisametal?andWhen does a metal transform into a nonmetal? are of fundamental interest and - lated to many aspects of modern physics and chemistry. We refer the int- ested reader to the very nice introduction into this diverse topic given by Edwards 2].

Spis treści

Luttinger, Peierls or Mott? Quantum Phase Transitions in Strongly Correlated 1D Electron#x2013;Phonon Systems.- The Metal#x2013;Nonmetal Transition in Fluid Mercury: Landau#x2013;Zeldovich Revisited.- The Influence of Pauli Blocking Effects on the Mott Transition in Dense Hydrogen.- Metal#x2013;Insulator Transition in Dense Hydrogen.- Resolving the Ion and Electron Dynamics in Finite Systems Exposed to Intense Optical Laser Fields.- Mott Effect in Nuclear Matter.- BEC#x2013;BCS Crossover in Strongly Interacting Matter.

Blurb

This book is devoted to nonmetal-to-metal transitions. The original ideas of Mott for such a transition in solids have been adapted to describe a broad variety of phenomena in condensed matter physics (solids, liquids, and fluids), in plasma and cluster physics, as well as in nuclear physics (nuclear matter and quark-gluon systems). The book gives a comprehensive overview of theoretical methods and experimental results of the current research on the Mott effect for this wide spectrum of topics. The fundamental problem is the transition from localized to delocalized states which describes the nonmetal-to-metal transition in these diverse systems. Based on the ideas of Mott, Hubbard, Anderson as well as Landau and Zeldovich, internationally respected scientists present the scientific challenges and highlight the enormous progress which has been achieved over the last years. The level of description is aimed to specialists in these fields as well as to young scientists who will get an overview for their own work. A common feature of all contribution is the extensive discussion of „bound states", i.e. their formation and dissolution due to medium effects. This applies to atoms and molecules in plasmas, fluids, and small clusters, excitons in semiconductors, or nucleons, deuterons, and alpha-particles in nuclear matter. In this way, the transition from delocalized to localized states and vice versa can be described on a common level.