Solid state insurrection : how the science of substance made American physics matter / Joseph D. Martin.

Includes bibliographies and index.

Intro; Contents; Acknowledgments; List of Abbreviations; Introduction. What Is Solid State Physics and Why Does It Matter?; 1. The Pure Science Ideal and Its Malcontents; 2. How Physics Became "What Physicists Do"; 3. Balkanizing Physics; 4. The Publication Problem; 5. Big Solid State Physics at the National Magnet Laboratory; 6. Solid State and Materials Science; 7. Responses to the Reductionist Worldview; 8. Becoming Condensed Matter Physics; 9. Mobilizing against Megascience; Conclusions; Notes; Bibliography; Index

Solid state physics--the study of the physical properties of solid matter--was far and away the most populous subfield of Cold War American physics. But despite prolific contributions to consumer and medical technology, such as the transistor and magnetic resonance imaging, it garnered much less professional prestige and public attention than nuclear and particle physics. Solid State Insurrection argues that solid state physics was nonetheless essential to securing the vast social, political, and financial capital Cold War physics enjoyed. Solid state's technological bent, and its challenge to the "pure science" ideal many physicists cherished, helped physics as a whole respond more readily to Cold War social, political, and economic pressures. Solid state research kept physics economically and technologically relevant, sustaining its lofty cultural standing and policy influence long after the sheen of the Manhattan Project had faded. By placing solid state at the center of the story of twentieth century science, this book brings a new perspective to some of the most enduring questions about the role of physics in American history.

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