This document summarizes key concepts in condensed matter physics related to interacting electron systems.
It introduces the Hartree and Hartree-Fock approximations for modeling interacting electrons, which improve upon treating electrons independently but still do not fully capture electron correlation. The Hartree approximation models the average electrostatic potential felt by each electron from other electrons. Hartree-Fock further includes an "exchange" term to account for the Pauli exclusion principle.
It then discusses limitations of these approximations in capturing electron correlation, where the motion of each electron is correlated with all others due to both Coulomb repulsion and the Pauli principle. Capturing electron correlation is important for obtaining more accurate descriptions of materials' properties.