Phil Anderson's Magnetic Ideas in Science

TL;DR

This paper reviews Philip W. Anderson's influential research on magnetism, highlighting his contributions from the 1950s to the 1980s, including antiferromagnetism, superconductivity, local magnetic moments, and the Kondo effect.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of Anderson's pioneering work on magnetic phenomena and their role in understanding complex collective behaviors in condensed matter physics.

Findings

Early work on antiferromagnetism and pseudospin treatment of superconductivity

Development of the modern theory of local magnetic moments

Insights into the Kondo effect and heavy fermions

Abstract

In Philip W. Anderson's research, magnetism has always played a special role, providing a prism through which other more complex forms of collective behavior and broken symmetry could be examined. I discuss his work on magnetism from the 1950s, where his early work on antiferromagnetism led to the pseudospin treatment of superconductivity - to the 70s and 80s, highlighting his contribution to the physics of local magnetic moments. Phil's interest in the mechanism of moment formation, and screening evolved into the modern theory of the Kondo effect and heavy fermions.