Albert Einstein as the father of solid state physics

Abstract

Einstein is usually revered as the father of special and general relativity. In this article I demonstrate that he is also the father of Solid State Physics, or even his broader version known as Condensed Matter Physics (including liquids). His 1907 article on the specific heat of solids introduces, for the first time, the effect of lattice vibrations on the thermodynamic properties of crystals, in particular the specific heat. His 1905 article on the photoelectric effect and photoluminescence opened the fields of photoelectron spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy. Other important achievements include Bose-Einstein condensation and the Einstein relation between the difussion coefficient an mobility. In this article I discuss Einstein's papers relevant to these topics and their relevance to modern day condensed matter physics.