Book Description

Based on lectures given in honor of Stephen Hawking's 60th birthday, this book comprises contributions from the world's leading theoretical physicists. Popular lectures progress to a critical evaluation of more advanced subjects in modern cosmology and theoretical physics. Topics covered include the origin of the universe, warped spacetime, cosmological singularities, quantum gravity, black holes, string theory, quantum cosmology and inflation. The volume provides a fascinating overview of the variety of subjects to which Stephen Hawking has contributed. ... Read more

Book Description

This is the third, significantly expanded edition of the comprehensive textbook published in 1990 on the theory and applications of path integrals. It is the first book to explicitly solve path integrals of a wide variety of nontrivial quantum-mechanical systems, in particular the hydrogen atom. The solutions have become possible by two major advances. The first is a new euclidean path integral formula which increases the restricted range of applicability of Feynman's famous formula to include singular attractive 1/r and 1/r2 potentials. The second is a simple quantum equivalence principle governing the transformation of euclidean path integrals to spaces with curvature and torsion, which leads to time-sliced path integrals that are manifestly invariant under coordinate transformations.

In addition to the time-sliced definition, the author gives a perturbative definition of path integrals which makes them invariant under coordinate transformations. A consistent implementation of this property leads to an extension of the theory of generalized functions by defining uniquely integrals over products of distributions.

The powerful Feynman–Kleinert variational approach is explained anddeveloped systematically into a variational perturbation theory which, in contrast to ordinary perturbation theory, produces convergent expansions. The convergence is uniform from weak to strong couplings, opening a way to precise approximate evaluations of analytically unsolvable path integrals.

Tunneling processes are treated in detail. The results are used to determine the lifetime of supercurrents, the stability of metastable thermodynamic phases, and the large-order behavior of perturbation expansions. A new variational treatment extends the range of validity of previous tunneling theories from large to small barriers. A corresponding extension of large-order perturbation theory also applies now to small orders.

Special attention is devoted to path integrals with topological restrictions. These are relevant to the understanding of the statistical properties of elementary particles and the entanglement phenomena in polymer physics and biophysics. The Chern–Simons theory of particles with fractional statistics (anyons) is introduced and applied to explain the fractional quantum Hall effect.

The relevance of path integrals to financial markets is discussed, and improvements of the famous Black–Scholes formula for option prices are given which account for the fact that large market fluctuations occur much more frequently than in the commonly used Gaussian distributions.

The author’s other book on ‘Critical Properties of f4 Theories’ gives a thorough introduction to the field of critical phenomena and develops new powerful resummation techniques for the extraction of physical results from the divergent perturbation expansions. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

i liked it
So a little background on Kleinert: feynman could NOT solve the schrodinger equation with the path integral and kleinert, using some group theoretical methods did. or so that's what i was told.

His book reflects that. This book is full of interesting facts that arent elsewhere.

One of The only TWO Books to own on PI's
Kleinert the physicist is NOTHING short of phenomenal. This book is just one of his many treatises. After reading Feynman(+Hibbs) this is the text to follow up.

Sadly the second edition which is in print contain MANY typos.

Be sure to get the partial ERRATA for the text from our site: MathematicusLabs.com/PI

click on the Kleinert's forum. There, you can also ask your questions regarding this text.

Kleinerts Completeness
Kleinerts book "Path Integrals in Quantum Mechanics, Statistics, and Polymer Physics" presents the reader with a very complete and very thorough discussion of path integration.The book offers such a wealth oftopics,it becomes straightforward to select material, both for advancedundergraduate as well as graduate courses in theoretical physics.

Many,many issues dealt with in this volume have appeared here for the firsttime, such as the inclucion of the quantum mechanics of the hydrogen atomthrough path integrals. This book is a major step towards bringing thisapproach to quantum physics onto the same educational footing as theSchrödinger equation that standard texts focus on.This book profits fromthe clarity and conciseness that is also a hallmark of Kleinerts scientificpapers.

I would say this volume is highly recommendable for any studentconsidering to major in {theoretical} physics, and an absolute must for anylecturer in this area. Infact, I don't know of any excuse not to have yourown copy. ... Read more

Book Description

Employing a practical, "learn by doing" approach, this first-rate text fosters the development of the skills beyond pure mathematics needed to set up and manipulate mathematical models. From a diversity of fields—including science, engineering, and operations research—come over 100 reality-based examples. Accessible text assumes only elementary calculus, basic probability theory for first part; ordinary differential equations, continuous probability for second. Numerous references. 1978 ed. 27 b/w figures.
... Read more

Reviews (2)

Good survey course in mathematical modeling
Aimed at senior level undergraduates, the first chapter briefly discusses at a high level what mathematical models are, how they¡¯re formulated and rules of thumb as to how to evaluate them. The rest of the book surveys simple to moderately complex models applied to problems taken from a wide variety of disciplines in business, science, and engineering. As a survey course, brevity and breadth take precedent over depth and the examples are watered-down versions of problems taken from a plethora of sources cited throughout the text. However, the problems and models are not too superficial that they don¡¯t retain the essential issues modelers are likely to encounter.

Although the book is intended primarily for college seniors and first year graduate students, ¡°Part I: Elementary Methods¡± requires only first year calculus and basic probability whereas ¡°Part II: More Advanced Methods¡± also requires differential equations. Therefore, the book will appeal to various levels.

The book is rather dated as is evident by its lack of emphasis on numerical methods and no one should expect to be ready for any serious real world modeling as a result of reading this text alone. However, the book does not pretend to be anything more than what it is and the author cautions that it should merely supplement and not substitute mathematics and science coursework. (I would also add that a few courses in numerical methods and computer science would also be the order of the day.)

Although the first chapter outlines a quick four-step process for formulating mathematical models, the author stresses the role of discussion and research behind each high level step. Any attempt to provide detailed cookbook heuristics would be a sham. Professor Bender also makes a good point about addressing the ambiguity associated with complex problems raised by clients. Indeed, two themes that resonate throughout the examples are redefining the problem by clarifying objectives through discussion as well as iteratively refining a model by adding (useful) detail to an initially crude one. If nothing else, iteratively modeling elucidates the subtleties of the problem under discussion.

Success as an applied mathematician for industry thus requires excellent interpersonal skills and the author clearly reflects this sentiment by requiring group discussions for the book¡¯s exercises containing vaguely stated and open-ended problems having multiple answers. He also notes the crucial role the applied mathematician must play in helping a client clarify his/her objectives.

A must read for any aspiring industrial mathematician.

Eye-opener
I read this book for the first time when I was in college. It addresses many fundamental and practical questions with tremendous clarity. It particularly stands out in my mind because of its simple and compelling answers to three questions: Why do we need models of reality? What are the constraints on rigorous modelling (trade-offs between precision vs. generality vs.simplicity)? How to evaluate a mathematical model? ... Read more

Book Description

Quantum Phase Transitions details the fundamental changes that can occur in the macroscopic nature of matter at zero temperature due to small variations in a given external parameter. The author develops the theory of quantum phase transitions in the simplest possible class of nondisordered, interacting systems--the quantum Ising and rotor models. He pays particular attention to their non-zero temperature dynamic and transport properties in the vicinity of the quantum critical point. Throughout, experimental results are interwoven with theoretical models, and well over 500 references are included. ... Read more

Book Description

This is the first of two volumes devoted to probability theory in physics, physical chemistry, and engineering, providing an introduction to the problem of the random walk and its applications. In its simplest form, the random walk describes the motion of an idealized drunkard and is a discreet analogy of the diffusion process. A thorough account is given of the theory of random walks on discreet spaces (lattices or networks) and in continuous spaces, including those processed with random waiting time between steps.Applications discussed include dielectric relaxation, charge transport in the xerographic process, turbulent dispersion, diffusion through a medium with traps, laser speckle and the conformations of polymers in dilute solution.Prior knowledge of probability theory would be helpful, but not assumed.An extensive bibliography concludes the book. ... Read more

Book Description

Fractals and chaos are currently generating excitement across various scientific and medical disciplines. Biomedical investigators, graduate students, and undergraduates are becoming increasingly interested in applying fractals and chaos (nonlinear dynamics) to a variety of problems in biology and medicine. This accessible text lucidly explains these concepts and illustrates their uses with examples from biomedical research. The author presents the material in a very unique, straightforward manner which avoids technical jargon and does not assume a strong background in mathematics. The text uses a step-by-step approach by explaining one concept at a time in a set of facing pages, with text on the left page and graphics on the right page; the graphics pages can be copied directly onto transparencies for teaching. Ideal for courses in biostatistics, fractals, mathematical modeling of biological systems, and related courses in medicine, biology, and applied mathematics, Fractals and Chaos Simplified for the Life Sciences will also serve as a useful resource for scientists in biomedicine, physics, chemistry, and engineering. ... Read more

Book Description

The Manchester Physics Series General Editors: D. J. Sandiford; F. Mandl; A. C. Phillips Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester Properties of Matter B. H. Flowers and E. Mendoza Optics Second Edition F. G. Smith and J. H. Thomson Statistical Physics Second Edition F. Mandl Electromagnetism Second Edition I. S. Grant and W. R. Phillips Statistics R. J. Barlow Solid State Physics Second Edition J. R. Hook and H. E. Hall Quantum Mechanics F. Mandl Particle Physics Second Edition B. R. Martin and G. Shaw The Physics of Stars Second Edition A.C. Phillips Computing for Scientists R. J. Barlow and A. R. Barnett Written by a physicist, Statistics is tailored to the needs of physical scientists, containing and explaining all they need to know. It concentrates on parameter estimation, especially the methods of Least Squares and Maximum Likelihood, but other techniques, such as hypothesis testing, Bayesian statistics and non-parametric methods are also included. Intended for reasonably numerate scientists it contains all the basic formulae, their derivations and applications, together with some more advanced ones. Statistics features:
* Comprehensive coverage of the essential techniques physical scientists are likely to need.
* A wealth of examples, and problems with their answers.
* Flexible structure and organisation allows it to be used as a course text and a reference.
* A review of the basics, so that little prior knowledge is required. ... Read more

Book Description

Intended for undergraduate courses in physics for students in biological physics, life sciences, biophysics, physiology, medical physics, and biomedical engineering, this book is an introduction to statistical physics with examples and problems from the medical and biological sciences. Topics include the elements of the theory of probability, Poisson statistics, thermal equilibrium, entropy and free energy, and the second law of thermodynamics.

This new edition of the classic set of books, originally published in 1974 from the authors' typescript, has been edited, updated, corrected, indexed, and typeset. It will satisfy the growing need for a working knowledge of the physical sciences among students and practitioners in the medical and biological sciences. The books can be used as supplements to standard introductory physics courses, as texts for medical schools, medical physics courses, and biology departments, and as a reference for practitioners.Chapters include problems and references.

The authors are recognized experts in the field. Benedek was the recipient of the 1995 Irving Langmuir Prize from the American Physical Society's Division of Chemical Physics, and the 1994 Biological Physics Prize from the American Physical Society.

FROM THE REVIEWS:

PHYSICS TODAY "These are classic books, and anyone planning to include bio-physical examples in a calculus-level course should study them carefully...The authors are to be congratulated for their work, and I commend AIP Press and Springer-Verlag for making the books available again." ... Read more

Book Description

This book brings together a selection of the best lectures from many graduate workshops held at the Australian National Institute for Theoretical Physics in Adelaide. The lectures presented here describe subjects currently of great interest, generally at the interface between mathematics and physics, and also where suitable expositions did not previously exist at a level suitable for graduate students. Topics covered include quantum groups, the operator algebra approach to the integer quantum Hall effect, solvable lattice models and Hecke algebras, Yangevins, equivariant cohomology and symplectic geometry, and von Neumann invariants of covering spaces. ... Read more

Book Description

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the theoretical foundations of quantum tunneling, stressing the basic physics underlying the applications. The topics addressed include exponential and nonexponential decay processes and the application of scattering theory to tunneling problems. In addition to the Schrödinger equation approach, the path integral, Heisenberg's equations and the phase space method are all used to study the motion of a particle under the barrier. Extensions to the multidimensional cases and tunneling of particles with internal degrees of freedom are also considered. Furthermore, recent advances concerning time delay and tunneling times and some of the problems associated with their measurement are also discussed. Finally, some examples of tunneling in atomic, molecular, nuclear and condensed matter physics are presented. ... Read more

Book Description

Perceptively written text examines optimization problems that can be formulated in terms of networks and algebraic structures called matroids. Chapters cover shortest paths, network flows, bipartite matching, nonbipartite matching, matroids and the greedy algorithm, matroid intersections, and the matroid parity problems. A suitable text or reference for courses in combinatorial computing and concrete computational complexity in departments of computer science and mathematics.
... Read more

Reviews (2)

Another classic book
I read Introduction to Algorithms (1990, MIT) and this book is recommended for "further studies" on networks flow and Matroids. However, can anyone tell me is Eugene S Lawler the same person as Eugene L Lawler (a UCB professor)? Or are they two persons?

A good overview of combinatorial optimisation
Combinatorial Optimisation : Networks and Matroids by Eugene Lawler examines shortest paths, network flows, bipartite matching, non bipartite matching. More importantly there is an excellent introduction to matroid theory including matroids and the greedy algorithm, matroid intersections and matroid parity problems, some of these Lawler's own results.

However there is not much on NP completeness, since this book was published in 1976. For a more to date version of events in combinatorial optimisation one might want to look at Papadimitriou and Steglitz's book on combinatorial optimisation (quite old too, considering this was published in 1982), Ahuja, Magnanti and Orlin's book on Network algorithms, Hochbaum's book on approximation algorithms and Cook, Cunnigham,Pulleyblank and Schrijver's book on combinatorial optimisation (listed in the order they were published).

Lawler's book is extremely well written and I am delighted that this book is now published by Dover, and hence easily affordable. ... Read more

Book Description

The riddle of inertia is solved by Origin of Inertia!

In the author's model, absolute motion is defined by relational motion parameters with respect to an infinite, quasistatic universe. Old problems associated with Newton's laws of motion and universal gravitation are resolved, and evidence is shown for a cosmic drag depending on velocity with respect to the mean rest frame of the universe. The book provides coherent solutions to long-standing mysteries of celestial mechanics and cosmology. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Review of Origin of Inertia
The book "Origin of Inertia" is a great piece of work. The subtitle indicates the main topics of the book,
namely, "Extended Mach's Principle and Cosmological Consequences". The book was published by Apeiron,
a publisher in Montreal, Canada: http://redshift.vif.com (ISBN: 0-9683689-3-X)

Amitabha Ghosh has published many research papers related with the topics of this book in important
conferences and scientific journals including Astrophysics and Space Science; Pramana Journal of Physics;
Earth, Moon and Planets etc. In 2002 he organized an International Workshop on Mach's Principle and the
Origin of Inertia which happened in Kharagpur, India. The Proceeding of this workshop were published by
Apeiron in 2003 (edited by M. Sachs and A. R. Roy, ISBN: 0-9732911-0-9).

The main topic of the book is to discuss the inertia of bodies. According to Newton's first law of motion,
when there is no net force on a body it remains at rest or moving in straight line at a constant velocity.
If there is a force on the body it will be accelerated along the direction of the force, with the
acceleration being proportional to the force and inversely proportional to the inertial mass of the body,
according to Newton's second law of motion. There are two main puzzles with Newton's laws.
The first is that the inertial masses of bodies is proportional to their gravitational masses.
This suggests that the inertia of any body is due to a gravitational interaction.
But there is nothing in Newton's laws of motion nor in his universal law of gravitation which connects
these two aspects (inertia and gravitation). The second puzzle is that the best inertial frames
(frames of reference where Newton's laws are valid) are those which are not accelerated relative to the frame
defined by the distant galaxies in the cosmos. This suggests that the distant matter in the cosmos,
or some other matter which is at rest relative to the frame of distant galaxies, defines/creates/specifies the
inertial frames. Once more there is nothing in Newton's laws which links these two aspects
(inertial frames and distant matter). The idea that the distant matter in the cosmos specifies the inertial
frames due to a gravitational interaction became known as Mach's principle, a subject mentioned in the
subtitle of this book, as these ideas were presented by the austrian experimental physicist and philosopher
Ernst Mach in his influential book The Science of Mechanics, first published in 1883. Mach didn't
implement his ideas mathematically. This is the goal of Amitabha Ghosh in this book.

Origin of Inertia has 9 chapters: Introduction, Difficulties with Newton's Laws of Motion,
Mach's Principle and Inertial Induction, Extension of Mach's Principle, Universal Interaction and Cosmic
Drag, Cosmic Drag: Cosmological Implications, Local Interaction of Photons with Matter, Interaction of
Matter with Matter, Extra-galactic Phenomena. They are followed by an Epilogue and a rich list of References.
The Forword was written by David Roscoe, Applied Mathematics Department, Sheffield University, UK.

In order to implement Mach's principle the author defines the mean rest frame of the universe connected with all
the matter in the cosmos. The main idea of the book is to present a modified law of gravitation. It includes
Newton's inverse square law and has two extra terms. One of the extra terms is proportional to the
acceleration of the test body relative to an infinite and quasistatic universe and falls inversely with the
distance to the source body. When integrated for the test body interacting with the whole universe this term
leads to an analogous to Newton's second law of motion. But now the mass which appears is a gravitational mass.
This explains at once the remarkable proportionality between inertial and gravitational masses, which had puzzled
Newton, Mach, Einstein and many others.

The second extra term is proportional to the square of the velocity of the test body. This is a dragging force of
cosmic origin. Amitabha Ghosh calculates the magnitude of this cosmic drag and obtains many implications.
In particular he applies his model for photons interacting with matter and derives a cosmological redshift which
gives an explanation for Hubble's law without big bang and without the associated expansion of the universe.
He also explains many other puzzling redshifts observed in astronomy, the bending of light etc. When he considers
the interaction of matter with matter the cosmic drag explains the transfer of solar angular momentum, the
distribution of matter in spiral galaxies and other puzzling phenomena. All of this is obtained without the supposion
of dark matter.

In summary this is a fascinating book which should be read by all scientists interested in fundamental questions of
physics and cosmology.

Andre Koch Torres Assis
Institute of Physics

State University of Campinas
13083-970 Campinas, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Email: assis@ifi.unicamp.br
Homepage: http://www.ifi.unicamp.br/~assis ... Read more

Book Description

Volume 2: Superstring Theory and Beyond, begins with an introduction to supersymmetric string theories and goes on to a broad presentation of the important advances of recent years.The book first introduces the type I, type II, and heterotic superstring theories and their interactions. It then goes on to present important recent discoveries about strongly coupled strings, beginning with a detailed treatment of D-branes and their dynamics, and covering string duality, M-theory, and black hole entropy, and discusses many classic results in conformal field theory.The final four chapters are concerned with four-dimensional string theories, and have two goals: to show how some of the simplest string models connect with previous ideas for unifying the Standard Model; and to collect many important and beautiful general results on world-sheet and spacetime symmetries. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Fair exposition
In the second volume of the series the author generalizes the results of the first to string theories where supersymmetry is present. The mathematics introduced is non-rigorous, and the strategy is to see how much of the formalism for the bosonic case can be carried over to the case where fermions are present. The book is purely an exposition on the subject of string theory, and so no attempt is made to give the reader an in-depth explanation of the ideas and concepts in this area. This is particularly noticeable in the chapter on Calabi-Yau compactification and in the discussion on mirror symmetry in the last chapter. Here is a brief outline of the contents of the book:

- Generalize the mass-shell condition (Klein-Gordon equation in momentum space) by using the Dirac equation.

- The gamma matrices will serve as CM modes of an anticommuting world sheet field.

- The resulting world-sheet supercurrents generate the superconformal transformations of the superconformal algebra.

- Counting the number of (3/2, 0) currents classifies the different superconformal field theories.

- Standard quantization techniques for constrained systems are applied.

- Free SCFTs can be obtained with the vanishing of the central charge giving 10 as the critical dimension.

- SCFT on a circle gives two periodicity conditions for the matter fermions (Ramond and Neveu-Schwarz sectors).

- Ramond and Neveu-Schwarz algberas result. - Holomorphicity constraints give bosonization via the relation between the R sector vertex operators and bosonic winding state vertex operators.

- In 10 flat dimensions, 16 sectors result from the R and NS sectors, 6 of which are empty.

- Consistency conditions yield type IIA and IIB superstring theories.

- The vacuum amplitude for a closed superstring can be found by imposing modular invariance.

- Divergences cancell in the cylinder, Mobius strip, and Klein bottle graphs.

- Generalize preceding constructions by looking for sets of holomorphic and antiholomorphic currents whose Laurent coefficients form a closed algebra.

- Consider algebras that are different on the left- and right-moving sides of the closed string, obtaining the heterotic string.

- Setting the dimensions to be the same at each side and 32 left-moving spin-1/2 fields gives the SO(32) string.

- Split these fields into sets of 16 with independent boundary conditions to get the E8 X E8 heterotic string.

- Use supersymmetry constraints to study interactions of massless degrees of freedom.

- Tree-level interactions can be studied within low-energy supergravity; one-loop gives rise to anomalies.

- Anomalies cancell in type IIA, IIB, type I, and heterotic string theories.

- Use string perturbation theory to calculate amplitudes and interactions.

- Introduce supersymmetry in toroidally compactified string theory, to obtain D-branes which are BPS states and carry R-R charges.

- Type I, IIA, IIB string theories become states in a single theory.

- Study strongly coupled strings using D-brane states.

- The five string theories are limits of a single theory in 11-dimensional spacetime.

- Study conformal field theories as a prolegomena to analyzing string compactification.

- Study string compactification via free world-sheet conformal field theories or interacting exactly solvable conformal field theories.

- Connect the compactified string theory to the Standard Model.

- Start with orbifolds and then the more general Calabi-Yau manifolds.

- Techniques from algebraic geometry are brought in to study the properties of Calabi-Yau manifolds.

- Deduce an effective (low-energy) four-dimensional action using the topology of Calabi-Yau manifolds.

- Elaborate on the physics of four-dimensional string theory.

- Try to deal with the strong CP problem using Peccei-Quinn symmetry and the resulting axion field.

- Try to understand how gauge symmetries arise in the different string theories and how they are related to the ones in the Standard Model.

- Try to connect the different mass scales in string theory.

- Study more advanced topics in string theory, such as N = 2 superconformal algebras, type II superstrings on Calabi-Yau manifolds, string theories on the 4-dimensional Calabi-Yau manifold K3, minimal models, and mirror symmetry.

- Mirror manifolds can be constructed explicitly using Gepner models.

- Use mirror symmetry to obtain the full low energy field theory at the string tree level.

- Flop transitions can occur in string theory, giving dynamical changes in topology.

Currently one of the standards
Polchinski's book on string theory is a very well written book about the subject. Also, the problems given in the book are valuable for a further understanding. Using it together with the book by Green, Schwarz, Witten one will afterwards have indeed little problems understanding the papers on this subject. However one caveat: if one reads this book, he or she shoudl be always aware that this topic is still deeply a research subject and by no means settled like mechanics. If this is always kept in mind, then this book is of considerable help in understanding one of the current frontiers of physics.

Perfect book!
Reading this book is the easiest way to become familiar with various topics that seemed to be extremely difficult before. The reader then shouldn't have any problems with understanding current research papers. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

You will learn by solving exercises
It is usually said that you won't learn much from a book of solved exercises, but the explanations in this book use the problem as an excuse to teach you the general theory, actually making you able to solve other problems different from the ones there. And you must recall that in this subject there is not a "simple and condensed" theory, but a varied, big and complex collection of theories, approaches and recipes.
For example, enjoy: the specific heat of a gas of particles with internal degrees of freedom (3.18, 3.19 and others), working out the Fermi and Bose statistics from the beginning (4.2, 4.3), vibration of a chain and of a crystal/Debye model (4.8-4.11), Bose-Einstein Condensation (4.12, 4.15), Ising problems (5.14 and following; 5.22 is a useful 2-dimensional Ising).

Note for UBA students (Buenos Aires): this book is ideal for Fisica Teorica 3, specially for statistical ensembles (chap. 3), quantum statistics (chap. 4) and the topics that appear in chap. 5 (but for transport processes and Brownian motion you should also keep an eye on the theory's books - Huang and Reichl). Many of the exercises that appear in the practices are solved here, and this is your salvation if your teachers do not solve exercises in the blackboard (or if they are bad at it). You will not only pass the partial tests but actually learn things, specially subtle stuff that goes unnoticed in the theoretical classes, like realizing which are the quantum numbers involved and which are their values, or which is exactly the meaning of all the sum symbols that appear everywhere all the time.

Great Solution Book for Stat Mech! Help is here!
One of the biggest problems with Stat Mech, is that most folks I know (like me) don't have a good intuition for it. It's also one of those courses in which universities don't really hammer down, and have problems getting someone to teach it well, if at all. As painful as it might be, this book can help the graduate as well as the undergraduate student.

Other books have LOTS of solutions (Garrod's and Kubo's come into mind), but it's this book, by Dalvit et al, actually explains, in some detail, the justifications for the steps in the solutions. Many instructors may not want you to use this book (it's tempting not to 'learn' when you can copy), but this book can actually compliment your learning of the material.

A must for those having problems in Stat Mech, self-learners and beginners in this area. ... Read more

Book Description

In recent years, superstring theory has emerged as a promising approach to reconciling general relativity with quantum mechanics and unifying the fundamental interactions. Problems that have seemed insuperable in previous approaches take on a totally new character in the context of superstring theory, and some of them have been overcome. Interest in the subject has greatly increased following a succession of exciting recent developments. This two-volume book attempts to meet the need for a systematic exposition of superstring theory and its applications accessible to as wide an audience as possible. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Still worth the effort
As with vol I of this set of two, the material here is somewhat dated. However, while there is more to the story then is presented in this text, this text still serves an essential purpose. For example, vol II contains detailed exposition concerning anomalie cancellation and calculation of one (and higher) -loop amplitudes, which is a subject crucial to many recent developments in string theory. Similarly, this volume's expositions on compatification (orbifold, Calabi-Yau, and so forth) and lower dimensional effects will prove both instructive / illuminating for readers wishing to begin similar investigations, or who seek to augment other sources in the literature.

Again, a compelling reason for reading this text is the insights these particular authors provide. For example, the volume's discussions of physical implications from differential / algebraic geometry are more then enough reason to purchase the text. ... Read more

Book Description

This book is a new edition of Volumes 3 and 4 of Walter Thirring's famous textbook on mathematical physics. The first part is devoted to quantum mechanics and especially to its applications to scattering theory, atoms and molecules. The second part deals with quantum statistical mechanics examining fundamental concepts like entropy, ergodicity and thermodynamic functions. The author builds on an axiomatic basis and uses tools from functional analysis: bounded and unbounded operators on Hilbert space, operator algebras etc. Mathematics is shown to explain the axioms in depth and to provide the right tool for testing numerical data in experiments. ... Read more

Book Description

This book, an abridgment of Volumes I and II of the highly respected Group Theory in Physics, presents a carefully constructed introduction to group theory and its applications in physics. The book provides anintroduction to and description of the most important basic ideas and the role that they play in physical problems. The clearly written text contains many pertinent examples that illustrate the topics, even for those with no background in group theory.
This work presents important mathematical developments to theoretical physicists in a form that is easy to comprehend and appreciate. Finite groups, Lie groups, Lie algebras, semi-simple Lie algebras, crystallographic point groups and crystallographic space groups, electronic energy bands in solids, atomic physics, symmetry schemes for fundamental particles, and quantum mechanics are all covered in this compact new edition.

Key Features
* Covers both group theory and the theory of Lie algebras
* Includes studies of solid state physics, atomic physics, and fundamental particle physics
* Contains a comprehensive index
* Provides extensive examples ... Read more

Book Description

From the reviews

"[...] This book presents a complete treatment of a new class of random processes, which have been studied intensively during the last fifteen years. None of this material has ever appeared in book form before. …The high quality of this work, [...] , makes a fascinating subject and its open problem as accessible as possible. [...]"

F.L. Spitzer in Mathematical Reviews, 1986

"[...] However, it can be said that the author has succeeded in what even experts are seldom able to achieve: To write a clearcut and inspiring book on his favorite subject which meets most, if not all requirements which can be imposed on a comprehensive text on an important new field. The author can be congratulated on his excellent presentation of the theory of interacting particle systems. The book is highly recommended to everyone who works on or is interested in this subject: to probabilists, physicists and theoretical biologists. [...]"

G. Rosenkranz in Methods of Information in Medicine, 1986

Book Description

This essential new text by Dr. Susan Lea will help physics undergraduate and graduate student hone their mathematical skills. Ideal for the one-semester course, MATHEMATICS FOR PHYSICISTS has been extensively class-tested at San Francisco State University--and the response has been enthusiastic from students and instructors alike. Because physics students are often uncomfortable using the mathematical tools that they learned in their undergraduate courses, MATHEMATICS FOR PHYSICISTS provides students with the necessary tools to hone those skills. Lea designed the text specifically for physics students by using physics problems to teach mathematical concepts. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

THE NEW STANDARD IN MATH PHYSICS!
As a physics graduate student, I cannnot say
enough good things about this book. Professor Lea
has written what is perhaps the ONLY user-friendly
textbook in mathematical physics!

The book begins with an extremely well-written
review of basics such as vector calculus and
matrix algebra. The discussion then turns to
a very thorough exploration of complex analysis.
Then we take a delightful tour through the marvels
of differential equations, Fourier analysis, special
functions, group theory, tensors, and many other wonderful,
relevant, and challenging topics.

Entire generations of physics grad students have had
to suffer through dry tome-like math
physics books. No longer! Professor Lea has given
physics grad students everywhere what we've long wanted:
a lucid, clear math physics textbook filled with worked
examples and, most critically, clear explanations of
challenging topics.

This book will make Arfken obsolete. ... Read more

Book Description

This book examines advanced Bayesian computational methods. It presents methods for sampling from posterior distributions and discusses how to compute posterior quantities of interest using Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) samples. This book examines each of these issues in detail and heavily focuses on computing various posterior quantities of interest from a given MCMC sample. Several topics are addressed, including techniques for MCMC sampling, Monte Carlo methods for estimation of posterior quantities, improving simulation accuracy, marginal posterior density estimation, estimation of normalizing constants, constrained parameter problems, highest posterior density interval calculations, computation of posterior modes, and posterior computations for proportional hazards models and Dirichlet process models. The authors also discuss computions involving model comparisons, including both nested and non-nested models, marginal likelihood methods, ratios of normalizi! ng constants, Bayes factors, the Savage-Dickey density ratio, Stochastic Search Variable Selection, Bayesian Model Averaging, the reverse jump algorithm, and model adequacy using predictive and latent residual approaches. The book presents an equal mixture of theory and applications involving real data. The book is intended as a graduate textbook or a reference book for a one semester course at the advanced masters or Ph.D. level. It would also serve as a useful reference book for applied or theoretical researchers as well as practitioners. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

extensive book on MCMC
This is truly an oustanding book on MCMC methods for Bayesian
computation. The authors present a nice balance between technical
developments and applications. It covers several topics not covered by other MCMC books, such as HPD regions, model selection, and density estimation. This book is world class.

two great books
This is an outstanding book on MCMC methods. The book presents
novel and sophisticated methods for carrying out posterior
computations and summarizing posterior quantities of interest using novel MCMC techniques. The authors present a lot of their
groundbreaking work as well as summarizing the work of many others. The book presents a number of complex models used in real and interesting applications in the biomedical sciences. Two of the authors also have wirtten another outstanding book titled Bayesian Survival Analysis (Ibrahim et al., 2001), which presents modern methods for Bayesian survival analysis and provides a comprehensive and thorough treatment of the subject. The authors are to be congratulated on writing two very fine books. Both books get 5 stars from me.

two great books
This is a great book by the authors, covering a wide range of
topics in MCMC. The coverage of the material is deep and novel.
Two of the authors also have published another outstanding book
titled Bayesian Survival Analyis, by Ibrahim et al., which presents
cutting edge and novel methods in the analysis of survival data.
Both books get 5 stars from me. A splendid job by the authors
in writing two very fine books.

two great books
The reviews written by nothing3 on September 18 and October 2 are completely irresponsible, false, and way out of line. I was a principal reviewer for these two books written by the authors. The authors have done a wonderful job in providing a comprehensive treatment of the subject in both books. When I reviewed these books, I found that these books were extremely carefully and well written, citing a vast literature as well as their own work. I use these two books in my research, consulting, and teaching all of the time. My students really like the books, as they are very thorough, comprehensive, and tackle real applications using sophisticated models and computational algorithms. These two great books get 5 stars from me. The nothing3 reviewer gets 0 stars for writing such an irresponsible and unprofessional review.

previous review mostly mistook text for a different text
My comment about much of this text being verbatim from papers applies mostly to another text by two of the authors (Bayesian Survival Analysis by Ibrahim, Chen, and Sinha, Springer, 2001). The degree to which the comment is true of Chen et al. (1999) is nowhere near the degree to which it is true of Ibrahim et al. (2001). But, it's not completely false either! ... Read more