Condon domains - these non-magnetic diamagnetic domains

Abstract

The paper, not pretending for a complete and detailed review, is intended mainly for a wide community of physicists, not only specialists in this particular subject. The author gives a physical picture of the periodic emergence of instabilities and well-known diamagnetic domains (Condon domains) in metals resulting from the strong de Haas-van Alphen effect. The most significant experiments on observation and study of the domain state in metals are described. In particular, the recent achievements in this area using muon spin rotation, as well as the amazing phenomenon of "supersoftness" observed in the magnetostriction experiments, are presented. Novel, not previously discussed features of the phenomenon related to the metal compressibility are enlightened.