文档介绍：Essay: Fifty Years of Condensed Matter PhysicsMarvin L. Cohen*(Received 3 December 2008; published 16 December 2008)Since the birth ofPhysical Review Letters?fty years ago, condensedmatter physics has seen considerable growth, and both the journal and the?eld have ?ourished during this period. In this essay, I begin with ments about condensed matter physics and then give somepersonal views on the conceptual development of the ?eld and list somehighlights. The focus is mostly on theoretical :.250001PACS numbers: .?yThe transistor was a hard act to follow. The 1956 Nobel Prize for the invention of thetransistor signi?ed more than just the development of a device. It helped usher in a newera inwhich our understanding of materials using both basic and applied science was to have arenaissance. In 1958, whenPhysical Review Letterswas born, solid state/condensed matterphysics (CMP) began its growth spurt that continues to this day. This ?eld is now the largestbranch of physics, yet it is probably fair to say that its practitioners can be viewed as the silentmajority. The media emphasize astronomy, particle physics, and biology far more than of the reason for that emphasis is the public’s desire to knowhowit all began, howatomicbombs work, and how living things function. The considerable interest puters anddevices does shine light on