The Physics of Amorphous Solids

This text is a tutorial presentation of amorphous solids. Examples of amorphous solids include the use of ultratransparent optical fibres in telecommunications, the use of amorphous semiconductors in xerography and solar cells, and the uses of organic cells and glasses as structural materials.

---

An in-depth study of non-crystalline solids in which the arrangement of the atoms do not have long-range order. Describes the way amorphous solids are formed, the phenomenology of the liquid-to-glass and glass- to-liquid transition, and the technological applications. Emphasizes modern approaches such as scaling, localization, and percolation. Includes extensive treatment of structural aspects of amorphous solids, ranging from metallic glasses, to chalcogenides, to organic polymers. Incorporates illustrations for the clarification of physics concepts.