Polyacetylence, (CH)x is the simplest conjugated polymer. Prestine polyacetylence is a good insulator, whereas its highly doped version exhibits metal-like electrical conductivity. This book gives a detailed introduction to this rapidly-developing field is given along with a collection of original papers. The main purpose is to help chemists and physicists grasp the main ideas and most important facts; an expert may also find it useful as a reference volume.

The book presents the development of the polaron theory and its applications in various fields of physics. Nowadays, methods of the polaron theory are widely used in such sciences as solid state and nuclear physics, chemistry, etc. The monograph includes selected articles, based on the talks, given at the Workshops held in Pushchino in 1993 and 1994. These articles cover different aspects of polaron physics and quantum field theory ranging from nuclear physics to solid state physics and chemistry, they involve both the fundamental research such as bipolarons and the polaron applications to study the self-trapped electron state in various liquids. We hope our book will be of interest to a broad range of readers, which can be able to sense the excitement of the articles.

This book first introduces a single polaron and describes recent achievements in analytical and numerical studies of polaron properties in different e-ph models. It then describes multi-polaron physics as well as many key physical properties of high-temperature superconductors, colossal magnetoresistance oxides, conducting polymers and molecular nanowires, which were understood with polarons and bipolarons.

This book reviews recent developments in the field of polarons, starting with the basics and covering a number of active directions of research. It integrates theory and experimental results.

Attempts to treat electron-phonon coupled systems, with emphasis on Many Body aspects for dense electron systems, taking into account continuum as well as lattice polaron effects. This work aims to introduce the study of such systems, where strong electron-electron correlations and large electron-phonon coupling strengths play important roles.

A distinctive introduction to the principles governing polaron science for experimental and theoretical graduate students and researchers.

The 1982 Antwerp Advanced Study Institute on "Physics of Polarons and Excitons in Polar Semiconductors and Ionic Crystals" took place from July 26 till August 5 at the Conference Center Priorij Corsen donk, a restored monastery, close to the city of Antwerp. It was the seventh Institute in our series which started in 1971. This Advanced Study Institute, which was held fifty years after Landau introduced the polaron concept, can be considered as the third major international symposium devoted to the physics of pola rons. The first such symposium took place in St. Andrews in 1962 under the title "Polarons and Excitons" [I]. The early theoretical developments related to polarons were reviewed in depth at this meeting; the derivation of the polaron hamiltonian by Frohlich, the Frohlich weak coupling theory (and the equivalent weak coupling canonical transformations), the Landau-Pekar and Bogolubov strong coupling theory and the Feynman polaron model formulated with his path integrals. The main emphasis was on the polaron self-energy, effective mass and mobility. From the experimental side the first evidence for polaron effects was provided by the pioneering cyclotron and mobility measurements o~ the silver halides by F. e. Brown and his group. Also the significance of polaron effects for the under standing of excitons in ionic crystals was a central topic in St. Andrews. The second Advanced Study Institute concerning polaron physics was organized at the University of Antwerp (R. U. C. A.