Life and work

Charles Kittel studied at the University of Cambridge, England, where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts (BA) in 1938. He published his thesis, under Gregory Breit, in 1941 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) between 1945 and 1947. During World War II, he joined the Submarine Operations Research Group (SORG). From 1947 to 1951, he worked for Bell Laboratories, New Jersey, USA, especially on ferromagnetism.

From 1951 to 1978, he worked at the University of California, Berkeley, where he taught and did research in the field of theoretical solid-state physics, a part of condensed-matter physics. He was awarded three times with Guggenheim Fellowships: in 1945, 1956 and 1963. Many well known postdoctoral fellows worked with him, including James C. Phillips and Pierre-Gilles de Gennes.

Physics students worldwide study his classic text Introduction to Solid State Physics, now in its 8th edition.

Awards

• Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize, 1957
• Berkeley Distinguished Teacher Award, 1970
• Oersted Medal, American Association of Physics Teachers, 1972

Works

• Introduction to Solid State Physics, 1st ed. 1953 - 8th ed. 2005, ISBN 0-471-41526-X
• Quantum Theory of Solids, 1963, ISBN 0-471-49025-3 and (with C. Y. Fong) 1987, ISBN 0-471-62412-8
• Thermal Physics, 2nd ed. 1980, ISBN 0-7167-1088-9, and (with H. Kroemer) 1980.
• Berkeley Physics Course. Mechanics. Vol. 1, with Walter Knight and Malvin A. Ruderman

[ Source: Wikipedia ]