The book is based on lectures given at the TASI summer school of 2010. It aims to provide advanced graduate students, postdoctorates and senior researchers with a survey of important topics in particle physics and string theory, with special emphasis on applications of methods from string theory and quantum gravity in condensed matter physics and QCD (especially heavy ion physics).

This modern text describes the remarkable developments in quantum condensed matter physics following the experimental discoveries of quantum Hall effects and high temperature superconductivity in the 1980s. After a review of the phases of matter amenable to an independent particle description, entangled phases of matter are described in an accessible and unified manner. The concepts of fractionalization and emergent gauge fields are introduced using the simplest resonating valence bond insulator with an energy gap, the Z2 spin liquid. Concepts in band topology and the parton method are then combined to obtain a large variety of experimentally relevant gapped states. Correlated metallic states are described, beginning with a discussion of the Kondo effect on magnetic impurities in metals. Metals without quasiparticle excitations are introduced using the Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev model, followed by a discussion of critical Fermi surfaces and strange metals. Numerous end-of-chapter problems expand readers' comprehension and reinforce key concepts.

Describing the physical properties of quantum materials near critical points with long-range many-body quantum entanglement, this book introduces readers to the basic theory of quantum phases, their phase transitions and their observable properties. This second edition begins with a new section suitable for an introductory course on quantum phase transitions, assuming no prior knowledge of quantum field theory. It also contains several new chapters to cover important recent advances, such as the Fermi gas near unitarity, Dirac fermions, Fermi liquids and their phase transitions, quantum magnetism, and solvable models obtained from string theory. After introducing the basic theory, it moves on to a detailed description of the canonical quantum-critical phase diagram at non-zero temperatures. Finally, a variety of more complex models are explored. This book is ideal for graduate students and researchers in condensed matter physics and particle and string theory.