This outstanding book serves as both an introductory research work and a graduate text on condensed matter physics. It is also accessible to plasma physicists and their students. The emphasis is on applications to a variety of systems and phenomena rather than theoretical derivations and techniques. Experimentalists who wish to obtain a feel for the theories involved in these systems will find careful explanations for many of the most active areas of work in physics today. The chapters are self-contained and can be read independently. In total, this text gives the beginning researcher a solid foundation on which to build his or her knowledge of this tremendously rich and growing field.