Preface
Introduction: The Challenges, Relevance, and Fun of Soft Matter
I GROUNDWORK: FROM CLASSIC RESULTS TO SOFT MATTER TODAY
1 Fluid Dynamics
2 Elasticity
3 Brownian Motion, Thermal Fluctuations, and Diffusion
II SOFT MATTER PHASES
4 Colloids
5 Polymers
6 Liquid Crystals
7 Interfaces, Surfaces, and Membranes
III ADVANCED TOPICS
8 Pattern Formation out of Equilibrium
9 Active Matter
IV PERSPECTIVE: NEW FRONTIERS OF SOFT MATTER
10 From Designing Matter to Mimicking Life
Appendix: Notation and Symbols Used
Notes
Bibliography
Image Credits
Index

"Soft matter science is an interdisciplinary field at the interface of physics, biology, chemistry, engineering, and materials science. It encompasses colloids, polymers, and liquid crystals as well as rapidly emerging topics such as metamaterials, memory formation and learning in matter, bioactive systems, and artificial life. This textbook introduces key phenomena and concepts in soft matter from a modern perspective, marrying established knowledge with the latest developments and applications. The presentation integrates statistical mechanics, dynamical systems, and hydrodynamic approaches, emphasizing conservation laws and broken symmetries as guiding principles while paying attention to computational and machine learning advances. The book features introductory chapters on fluid mechanics, elasticity, and stochastic phenomena and also covers advanced topics such as pattern formation and active matter. it discusses technological applications as well as relevant phenomena in the life sciences and offers perspectives on emerging research directions"-- Summary provided by the publisher