Walter Kob

This book gives a pedagogical introduction to the physics of amorphous solids and related disordered condensed matter systems. Important concepts from statistical mechanics such as percolation, random walks, fractals and spin glasses are explained. Using these concepts, the common aspects of these systems are emphasized, and the current understanding of the glass transition and the structure of glasses are concisely reviewed. This second edition includes new material on emerging topics in the field of disordered systems such as gels, driven systems, dynamical heterogeneities, growing length scales etc. as well as an update of the literature in this rapidly developing field.

The physics of glassy materials and disordered solids presents students with an area of study much more challenging than the physics of crystalline solids. Written by two recognized experts in the field, this highly readable book tackles the subject with the student firmly in mind, beginning with a pedagogical introduction to important concepts such as percolation, fractals, spin glasses, and glasses. Making use of these concepts, the authors show that such systems share many common aspects that can be described within the framework of statistical mechanics. The book is also an essential standard text for researchers on amorphous materials, equally accessible for theorists and experimentalists.