Published online by Cambridge University Press: 26 February 2011
We describe elements of a thermodynamical ensemble theory of electronic states in a variety of disordered systems. Equilibrium energies and kinetics of phase space exploration combine to determiine the ensembles describing disordered systems. Electronic properties are then related to structural energies. This relationship serves to determine the distribution of electronic states present in real materials. Thus we obtain directly electronic properties without a need for detailed microscopic information about the diverse systems. Applications range from the Urbach edge to defect properties providing a unified understanding.