What is condensed matter physics?

Abstract What is condensed matter physics? It is the science concerned with characterizing and understanding all the possible states of matter that can exist. Solid, liquid, and gas are not the only states of matter. There is also liquid crystal, superconductor, superfluid, crystal, glass, ferromagnet, and antiferromagnet. The central question of condensed matter physics is ‘how do the physical properties of a state of matter emerge from the interactions between the atoms of which the material is composed?’ This is illustrated with the distinct properties of graphite and diamond, two distinct solid states of carbon. Superconductivity, discovered by Kamerlingh Onnes, reflects the richness and excitement of condensed matter physics. The discovery of graphene, a material composed of a single layer of carbon atoms, and its unique electrical properties is an example of how the field continues to produce exciting surprises. Condensed matter physics is one of the largest and most vibrant subfields of physics, being recognized by many Nobel Prizes, in Physics and in Chemistry. As it is concerned with materials and with emergent phenomena there is significant cross-fertilization of concepts and techniques with other sub-fields of physics, science, and engineering.