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On the nature of research in condensed-state physics

  • Part III. Invited Papers Dedicated To Sir Karl Popper
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Abstract

According to a commonly held view, the properties of condensed-matter systems are simply consequences of the properties of their atomic-level components, and all of theoretical research in condensed-matter physics consists essentially in deducing the former from the latter. I argue that this apparently plausible picture is totally misleading, and that condensed-matter physics is a discipline which is not only autonomous, but guaranteed in the long run to be fundamental.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, University of Illinois, 1110 West Green Street, 61801, Urbana, Illinois

    A. J. Leggett

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  1. A. J. Leggett
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Leggett, A.J. On the nature of research in condensed-state physics. Found Phys 22, 221–233 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01893613

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01893613

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