Book Description

Mathias Frisch provides the first sustained philosophical discussion of conceptual problems in classical particle-field theories.Part of the book focuses on the problem of a satisfactory equation of motion for charged particles interacting with electromagnetic fields. As Frisch shows, the standard equation of motion results in a mathematically inconsistent theory, yet there is no fully consistent and conceptually unproblematic alternative theory. Frisch describes in detail how the search for a fundamental equation of motion is partly driven by pragmatic considerations (like simplicity and mathematical tractability) that can override the aim for full consistency. The book also offers a comprehensive review and criticism of both the physical and philosophical literature on the temporal asymmetry exhibited by electromagnetic radiation fields, including Einstein's discussion of the asymmetry and Wheeler and Feynman's influential absorber theory of radiation. Frisch argues that attempts to derive the asymmetry from thermodynamic or cosmological considerations fail and proposes that we should understand the asymmetry as due to a fundamental causal constraint. The book's overarching philosophical thesis is that standard philosophical accounts that strictly identify scientific theories with a mathematical formalism and a mapping function specifying the theory's ontology are inadequate, since they permit neither inconsistent yet genuinely successful theories nor thick causal notions to be part of fundamental physics. ... Read more

Book Description

"An excellent book on one of the most important advances in modern physics. "-Samuel C. C. Ting, Nobel Laureate

"A fascinating account of the theoretical ideas behind supersymmetry...told by someone who has contributed deeply to the development of the field." -Nature

For most of human history, man has been trying to discover just how the universe works. In this groundbreaking work, renowned physicist Gordon Kane first gives us the basics of the Standard Model, which describes the fundamental constituents and forces of nature. He then explains the next great leap in understanding: the theory of supersymmetry, which implies that each of the fundamental particles has a "superpartner" that can be detected at energies and intensities only now being achieved in the giant accelerators. If Kane and his colleagues are correct, these superpartners will also help solve many of the puzzles of modern physics-such as the existence of the Higgs boson-as well as one of the biggest mysteries is cosmology: the notorious "dark matter" of the universe. ... Read more

Reviews (20)

No Einstein Chapter!
It's come to be a relief to read a book on popular physics without the obligatory chapter on Einstein. The author, Gordon Kane, spends that freed up space discussing how effective theories change the scope of physics at different scales of various parameters (size and speed being the usual ones). This is something that the general public would benefit from knowing, as a great many people think that each new scientific discovery invalidates previous knowledge instead of expanding on previous knowledge.

While Kane necessarily avoids burdensome mathematics, he does offer some "proofs" and "requirements" of supersymmetry that can be explained qualitatively. This plus the Feynman diagrams are about the best you can expect without grabbing an advanced graduate-level textbook.

One caveat: the author seems almost religiously convinced that the evidence for supersysmmetry is "just around the corner" and always speaks as if the experimental proof is a fait accompli. Based on limits to the theory, we really ought to be seeing the lightest superpartner already and the reader feels that the book takes on an unrealistically-optimistic tone.

Superdumbed Down
Physics can only properly be described with math, and can only be described deeply with math that only a tiny fraction of people can understand. So every writer of a book on physics for a popular audience faces the question of how to describe physics in everyday language that will nonetheless convey much of the essential meaning. On the other hand, the core demographic for a popular book on theoretical physics shouldn't be confused with the average individual. Gordon Kane, while a formidable theorist, unfortunately misjudged where to aim his sights with "Supersymmetry", a book attempting to describe the theory of extending the Standard Model a little closer to the ultimate theory of everything by devising a symmetry between bosons and fermions. There's a limit to how much you can talk about a theory without actually describing the theory.

For example, consider this exercise in friendly vaguary: "One can estimate the maximum possible value of the cosmological constant from the observed expansion rate of the universe. We can also estimate naively what size the cosmological constant should be if we made the simplest guess. The problem is that the maximum size the cosmological constant could have, and still be consistent with what we observe, is many powers of 10 smaller than the naive estimate." I can barely even decipher this ambiguous hand-waving as an indication of the cosmological constant problem; I find it hard to believe that anyone not already familiar with this problem would gain any understanding from this sort of description. They'd do much better to read, for example, Joao Magueijo's beautiful exposition.

Kane does clear up enough to carry across some of his keen insights, including on the daunting task of finding experimental evidence of supersymmetry and on what the shape of fundamental theory implies for different versions of the anthropic principle. He also provides some of the reasons why supersymmetry actually makes predictions that fail in ways the Standard Model already succeeds at least somewhat, casting doubt on the inevitability that supersymmetry will prove to be a successful description of physical law. Actually the book could gain from further splashes of cold water; many times Kane ends up implying that supersymmetry's first impressions are clearly inconsistent with known theory and new versions of the theory were devised that always make predictions just out of reach of our collider technology. Somehow though, Kane repeatedly concludes with assured confidence that this out-of-reach version of the theory will be vindicated. As with strings, the exuberance of the theorist leaves a vague disquiet, if you can sense it, at the prolonged enthusiasm for intricate mathematical elegance in the absence of experimental verification of theoretical predictions - made before the fact, not as postdictions. In the meantime, the wealth of newly observed physical phenomena, such as dark energy, that were wholly unanticipated in decades of arcane theoretical work, beg for that disquiet to receive a greater acknowledgement than can be found here.

More specific details would have made it better
Supersymmetry is a particular mathematical extension of the standard model in which the equations predict additional things like superpartners. Kane's book, obviously, is about supersymmetry, including some of its historical origins and what it might teach us about the universe.

One of the questions readers might ask is what difference does supersymmetry make? Is it just a particularly nice way of writing the equations of the standard model? Kane does a nice job of explaining these differences, and helping the reader understand how supersymmetry, as a theory, can be tested.

For example, the Standard Model predicts something called the Higgs boson. The exact number of Higgs bosons, and their characteristics, will help shape the Standard Model. If it turns out that supersymmetry describes nature, we should find that there are at least five types of Higgs bosons.

Kane has included an entire chapter on the subject of testing supersymmetry. One of the nice things about his chapter is the way in which he explains how beam intensity affects the determination of a theories viability. Often, it's not just a matter of finding some new particle, but of observing processes with different decay products at different rates. This is where intensity comes in, as it allows a faster acquisition of the statistics to distinguish between different models. In other words, a collider's usefulness depends on more than the energy of the colliding particles. It also depends on things like how many particles are in the colliding beams (the intensity).

Kane also does a nice job of explaining - at the beginning of the book - the hierarchy among models and theories, though he brings (of course) a distinct theoretical-physicist point of view.

Kane's book is totally qualitative, and intended for the general public. That's not necessarily a bad thing. Generally I enjoy books that address cutting-edge research at the 50,000-foot level where you don't have to be an "expert" to follow the mathematics. Such books make me feel like I'm still using my time wisely, even though the book is "easy reading."

Unfortunately, I think Kane's book is a bit too qualitative. I realize that a subject like supersymmetry is very complicated, and that a 200-page book with no equations can hardly hope to give the subject justice, but this level was just a tad bit too general for me. There just isn't that much solid and clear information that I could grab hold of here, and I came away feeling (unfortunately) like I hadn't learned as much as I'd hoped to.

The book definitely has its good side. Kane is a talented writer, and he does a good job of explaining concepts about theories and models in physics. What he does explain is - for the most part - clear and easy to follow and understand.

For example, Kane points out that the superpartners predicted by supersymmetry could help to explain the missing mass of the universe (mass that is known to exist from the gravitational maps produced by the measuring the motions of stars, but not visibly detected). These superpartners interact through fields that don't act on normal matter - except for the Higgs boson (which is responsible for giving particles mass). It was not clear for me, though, why this has to be so. That's part of the problem. Kane provides a fair amount of information, but much of it takes the form of simple statements thrown out, without the ability to see how these things are required as part of the theory. For every explanation, it seems, I found myself with a dozen more questions.

Some of the side discussions in this book are quite interesting, like the discussion about the search for the Higgs boson, some of the commentary about the origin of the universe, and the missing mass (already mentioned above). I got the feeling that the book was written at a level appropriate for (and possibly intended for) politicians and administrators responsible for funding the colliders necessary to search for the superpartners. Indeed, one of the most interesting parts of the book was the discussion about Fermilab and CERN, and how each is engaged in research in modern physics.

Some of the most interesting stuff is actually in the appendices, which you will definitely want to read. There is also a useful glossary and adequate index.

Some good subject matter
I, like some other reviewers, was a bit disappointed with the depth of some of the discussion, and the complete lack of mathematics. Kane's writing style is tiring in some parts, and the first 3 chapters took as much time to get through as the rest of the book. However, I did appreciate the discussion on the Higgs field. The author presented that in a manner that made it's importance clear.

Supersymmetry, hidden from view as yet
Though introduced as co-authored by Kane and Witten, the book is clearly not written in Witten's style. The book gives a clear account of how supersymmetry may be the logical penultimate step on the road to what Kane calls the "Primary Theory"; the theory that should lead to an explanation of, amongst others, why the cosmological constants have the values they have.
The whole book breathes the atmosphere of the author being convinced that supersymmetry is real and here to stay, whereas the reader is constantly reminded of the fact that the theory is still RIP (research in progress). The latter to such an extent that it may become adverse to the readability of the essence of the message itself. When one steps over this shortcoming, very useful and contextual information is provided, albeit without going into detail, on the behavior of particles, their interactions and the very promising consequence of the stable lightest superpartner to the conundrum of the Dark Matter.
What receives little attention in building the case for Supersymmetry as a part of the real description of the working of the Universe, is the fact that the most promising candidate for the Primary Theory (Superstring Theory and the extension to M theory) can only take mathematical substance if Supersymmetry is taken as an established fact.
In summary, the book is a good and thought provoking general introduction to the field of supersymmetry but written somewhat defensively. Upon reading one stays behind with the feeling of needing to read more as deepness is lacking, which is perfectly OK for an introduction. ... Read more

Book Description

This volume is an important study for understanding the complex interconnections between basic science and its sources of economic support in the period between the two world wars.The focus of the study is on the Institute for Theoretical Physics (later renamed the Niels Bohr Institute) at Copenhagen University, and the role of its director, the eminent Danish physicist, Niels Bohr, in the funding and administration of the Institute.Under Bohr's direction, the Copenhagen Institute was a central workplace in the development and the formulation of quantum mechanics in the 1920s and later became an important center for nuclear research in the 1930s. Dr. Aaserud brings together the scholarhip on the internal origins and development of nuclear physics in the 1930s with descriptions of the concurrent changes in private support for international basic science, particularly as represented by Rockefeller Foundation philanthropy.In the process, the book places the emergence of nuclear physics in a larger historical context. This book will appeal to historians of science, physicists, and advanced students in these areas. ... Read more

Book Description

Hardbound. This book covers the topics essential to gamma- and x-ray spectrometry as it is now practiced with semiconductor detectors in the energy range from 5keV to 3MeV. This includes useful physical and mathematical background information, the components of a standard photon spectrometer, spectrum analysis procedures, the energy and efficiency calibration, energy and emission-rate measurement methods and some application examples. ... Read more

Book Description

This book provides an introduction into the rapidly developing field of light exotic nuclei, that is light nuclei of unusual composition. The research of the exotic nuclei began with the advent of accelerated beams of such nuclei. This new technique has revitalized nuclear physics, and the facilities producing radioactive ion beams and their theoretical hinterland now offer students the experience of pioneering research.The first part of the book considers the theory of collisions of light exotic nuclei and the second part is based on a multicluster model in which the intercluster motion is treated accurately. Current hot topics are included, as are more advanced areas of the theory, providing ideas for further study. The book is intended for both experimental and theoretical physicists of graduate level and above. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

The first book that provides a single source of introductory information an all linear accelerators, including electron and ion accelerators. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

For grad student experimentalists
Particle accelerators can be grouped into various types. Of these, perhaps the simplest to understand are linacs - linear accelerators. In a fairly concise book, Wangler offers a clear elucidation of the main principles underlying most linacs, which use radio frequency techniques to accelerate the charged particles.

He discusses how the pulses of particles can drift, either transversely (that is, orthogonal to the beam direction), or longitudinally (in the beam direction). Both effects are bad, as they lead to a spreading out and dimunition of the luminosity, in area or time. He devotes separate chapters to these effects, as the countermeasures are somewhat different.

When two beams collide, or when a beam collides with a fixed target, the space charge effect can also be significant. He covers the various dynamics of this effect.

Overall, a good graduate text, aimed squarely at experimentalists. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Wonderful, but somewhat out-of-date (only at the end).
I think that THE NEW AMBIDEXTROUS UNIVERSE (1990) is a wonderful book on symmetry and asymmetry in the worlds of everyday life, chemistry, physics, and unification theories. Everything in this book is noteworthy, and also up-to-date except for the last few chapters.
It is a very good updating of the previous (1978) edition, which concluded with many open questions in elementary particle physics that were resolved (and new questions raised) in 1978 - 1989.
It is high time for this book to be updated if Mr. Gardner can manage it (he is rather elderly; born in 1914), and a publisher will take a new edition. Books like this are gueling to revise and update.

Review from a non-scientific perspective
I'm not going to say that I understand all of this. Most of it is way over my head, but after reading it, I can say that I understand more now than I did before. I'm planning on attacking it again in a couple years. Overall, however, Gardner does a good job of bring complicated scientific theory down to a plain English level by using diagrams and analogies.

Frames superstrings and twistors
Every decade Gardner updates this book. The five new chapters in the 1990 edition, including material on twistors and superstrings, are well worth the price. What Gardner does best is frame the new theories within a historical perspective. For example, he says it is impossible not to compare string theory with Lord Kelvin's (W. Thompson) 1958 theory of vortex strings. Vortex string theory was fashionable for at least fifty years. Gardner shows the vortex string theory and the superstring theory to be kissing cousins: Lord Kelvin used perfect fluid to refer to the superstring quantum vacuum -- both referring to the same sub-space area. String theory speaks of vibrating frequencies of energy while vortex rings were also vibrating frequencies that gave the atoms different properties. Instead of quantum foam with jittering virtual particles, vortex theory had vortex sponges with billions of vortex motions whirling in all directions.

Gardner's account of Roger Penrose's twistor theory is short and excellent. Physicists have gotten tangled up trying to speak of deeper down events which are hidden from view due to their sub-Planck length size (10 to the minus 33rd power of a centimeter). Here it is pointed out that "on a sufficiently small scale the concept of a space-time point evaporates in the complex space of twistor theory." Twistor theory, like superstring theory, was merely trying to formulate how the submicroscopic particles come into being. Both theories consist of math and lack any experimental verification. To repeat, the author discusses these obtuse theories in a way that frames their overall direction of thought. Gardner appears to agree with Howard George who calls superstring theory a "recreational mathematical theology." The bottom line -- both twistor and string theory are philosophy -- not physics.

IS SUPERSTRING THEORY A RECREATIONAL MATHEMATICAL THEOLOGY?
Every decade Gardner updates this book. The five new chapters in the 1990 edition, including material on twistors and superstrings, are well worth the price. What Gardner does best is frame the new theories within a historical perspective. For example, he says it is impossible not to compare string theory with Lord Kelvin's (W. Thompson) 1958 theory of vortex strings. Vortex string theory was fashionable for at least fifty years. Gardner shows the vortex string theory and the superstring theory to be kissing cousins: Lord Kelvin used perfect fluid to refer to the superstring quantum vacuum -- both referring to the same sub-space area. String theory speaks of vibrating frequencies of energy while vortex rings were also vibrating frequencies that gave the atoms different properties. Instead of quantum foam with jittering virtual particles, vortex theory had vortex sponges with billions of vortex motions whirling in all directions.

Gardner's account of Roger Penrose's twistor theory is short and excellent. Physicists have gotten tangled up trying to speak of deeper down events which are hidden from view due to their sub-Planck length size (10 to the minus 33rd power of a centimeter). Here it is pointed out that "on a sufficiently small scale the concept of a space-time point evaporates in the complex space of twistor theory." Twistor theory, like superstring theory, was merely trying to formulate how the submicroscopic particles come into being. Both theories consist of math and lack any experimental verification. To repeat, the author discusses these obtuse theories in a way that frames their overall direction of thought. Gardner appears to agree with Howard George who calls superstring theory a "recreational mathematical theology." The bottom line -- both twistor and string theory are philosophy -- not physics. ... Read more

Book Description

Graduate-level monograph develops theoretical ideas in a relatively informal manner. Nuclear scattering, nuclear scattering by crystals, scattering by liquids, neutron optics, polarization analysis, much more. Problem examples at chapter ends. Prerequisites are some familiarity with basic concepts of quantum mechanics and solid state physics. 1978 edition. Solutions. Bibliography. Appendixes.
... Read more

Reviews (2)

A beautiful account of complex theory in simple terms
An excellent book for learning the basics of neutron scattering, which in the process teaches much about modern methods of quantum theory applied to condensed matter. Squires provides the simplest and most concise treatment of this material I have ever seen.

Excellent book for learning the basics of neutron scattering
This book provides a fairly comprehensive overview of the basic theory of neutron scattering, offering some experimental examples. Much of the mathematical rigor associated with formal scattering theory is dispensed with, making it a good introductory level reference. ... Read more

Book Description

Few areas of current scientific investigation are as intriguing, contentious, or bizarre as physicists' search for a Grand Unified Theory that would unite all the forces and particles of nature in one coherent mathematical package. Since Einsten's time, this "theory of everything" has become the Holy Grail of physics, and its pursuit has resulted in some of the most extraordinary conceptions in the history of science. In THE SEARCH FOR SUPERSTRINGS, SYMMETRY, AND THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING, bestselling science popularized John Gribbin explores the field of particle physics, the most exciting area of research in physics today and the key to uncovering the Grand Unified Theory.

Gribbin offers a clear and concise historical overview of subatomic particles, from the discovery of the electron in 1897 to some of the most exotic and dazzling unification schemes being proposed today. Following a series of major breakthroughs in the 1990s, physicists are not putting together a clearer picture of how subatomic particles work, using the radical theories of "superstrings" - the hypothesis that particles are loops of vibrating "string" - and "supersymmerty." Gribbin guides the reader through these brilliant new models and dazzling research leading up to them, as well as such other concepts as a twenty-six-dimensional universe and virtual particles. Written in clear and accessible prose, THE SEARCH FOR SUPERSTRINGS describes the hundred-year saga of particle physics, culminating in current scientific research that stands on the cusp of radically altering our conception of the universe. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Sophisticated and readable.
I've been a Gribbin fan for a long time, and am of the opinion that each of his offerings is better than the last. I concur with the professional reviewers': this meets the very high standard of Gribbin's other work and easily exceeds the average for the genre.

In a conversational style laced with wit, an ability to *write* that is unfortunately lacking among some of the scientific intelligentsia, he addresses some of the most exciting issues in physics in this decade. It's a book about what we don't know, our thrilling ignorance and tantalizing hints, guesses, glimpses of an awesome explanation just around the corner... The field in itself is intoxicating, and one suspects that Dr. Gribbin must have enjoyed the process of researching and writing the book as much as his readers enjoy the results.

This is a complex subject, and requires a thorough grounding in quantum theory. Readers who, like myself, are familiar with Gribbin's other work, will find that while the first section covers some of the same ground, it does so on a higher level of technical detail. This is presented in a quick, concise summary, and makes a good refresher, though it may go a bit over the heads of some who are completely new to the subject (they might want to read another of his books as an introduction, and then treat _Superstrings_ as a sequel of sorts, picking up where earlier attempts to explain the quantum world leave off).

From there, he moves onto the tricky ground of modern theoretical constructs, the ever shifting leading edge of research. This is subtle stuff, but Gribbin is a competent and confident guide. Follow him closely, and you can be sure of your footing.

Adventure metaphors aren't miss-placed here, the subject is exciting, especially rinsed of the dry language of journal publications and deftly displayed by a very articulate expert. Anyone with an appreciation for conceptual beauty will enjoy this, I think. I certainly did.

A wandering review of physics
Stick with Michio Kaku if you want a overview of unification theories. Use The Search for Superstrings, Symmetry, and the Theory of Everything if you want specific details on how the unification theories are developed.

The Search for Superstrings, Symmetry, and the Theory of Everything is a loosely organized treatment of the search for a unification theory of "natural" forces. The book covers the modern history of unification theories, subatomic particles, wave/particle theories, string theory, etc. While the book does have some good explanations of subatomic "particles" and forces, the book is overall a difficult read because the organization is somewhat confusing. Only in the last chapters is the unification theory finally addressed and the reason for the apparently unorganized layout somewhat evident -- ironically, the book is unified in the last chapter.

The ending was odd and brief -- to say the least. I literally turned the page and the book ended. The sudden ending appeared more like a hasty close than a normal ending to a book of covering topics of this magnitude.

Overview of particle (not astro) physics since quantum
If you haven't had a solid introduction to quantum physics, this book is not the place to start -- Gribbin's excellent earlier book (Schroedinger's Cat) is the place to start. However, if you've read about the Cat and have a decent conceptual grasp, this book is a good update. Gribbin's strength is explaining the concepts, independent of the intense math that's involved in physics. The science is so complicated that this is clearly not an easy task, yet Gribbin is, in my opinion, quite good at bringing the concepts to a level that I can mostly, usually, get a grasp of. On this level, this book covers what's happened in physics from the quantum revolution up to the present. Superstrings, Symmetry, & TOE is really not the best title for it though, because I read the first half of the book waiting for Gribbin to get to any of the title concepts.

I don't think Superstrings is nearly as solid an effort by Gribbin as Cat was. I had a hard time grasping the symmetry concept. I was solid on the review of quantum mechanics (which was well done, but was not enough information to make me suggest skipping Schroedinger's Cat). I was right with him through the spin function, and I was doing pretty well all through quarks. When he (finally!) got to strings, I could understand again. Unfortunately, all through the discussion of symmetry -- which I read and re-read several times -- I just wasn't getting it.

All in all, I think this is a pretty solid book for covering the physics concepts of the last 70 years or so, but I recommend reading Schroedinger's Cat, or at least having a conceptual understanding of quantum mechanics first.

Well written and informative
If you are looking for more than " Oh, Golly" physics with some real mathematics, then this will be disappointing, but if you like Richard Feynman type informative lectures that name the names and give an understandable overview, then this is a well written book with history and facts and references. I got is as a gift from a friend who was trying to be of help! It was more help than some of my Google searches on the Internet!

Excellent overview of a challenging topic
I discovered John Gribbin relatively recently and have been going through any of his books that I could find. Even though his enthusiasm leads him into the realm of speculation at times, he is a very competent source of exciting and important information and remains a consistently good writer for whom clarity comes naturally.

This book is shorter and more succinct than many others by the author, and he mostly remains within the mainstream boundaries. It can serve two purposes: as a quick refresher in modern physics, and as an overview of some of the latest developments in force unification efforts.

For me, the writing was of just the right level of difficulty to make it worth-while to put in the effort necessary for the enjoyment of understanding the ideas it is trying to convey. Usually, they made good sense on the second reading of a given section (allowing for some inevitable vagueness of the subject as explained in words without the underlying mathematics).

I would advise, however, that the complete neophyte starts elsewhere (maybe some earlier books by the same author); on the other hand, people who are interested in much more detail of string theory in popular form could read e.g. "The Elegant Universe" by Brian Greene. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Weak on the standard model!
I used this book for a 3rd year university course in subatomic physics. What I particularly liked was the two chapters on symmetries, which were thorough compared to what i have seen in comparable textbooks. I also found the chapters on nuclear physics quite good, as they gave a very compact presentation of the most important aspects of this subject. The weakest part of the book in my opinion is the chapter on the standard model.

If you don't know math and quantum mechanics you shouldn't buy this book as it is somewhat mathematical in style and uses fewer words than many comparable textbooks. Readers who want a historical treatment of the subject matter should look elsewhere too, as this book tells little about the experiments that were instrumental in developing subatomic physics. ... Read more

Book Description

Particle Physics, Second Edition is a concise and lucid account of the fundamental constituents of matter. The standard model of particle physics is developed carefully and systematically, without heavy mathematical formalism, to make this stimulating subject accessible to undergraduate students. Throughout, the emphasis is on the interpretation of experimental data in terms of the basic properties of quarks and leptons, and extensive use is made of symmetry principles and Feynman diagrams, which are introduced early in the book. The Second Edition brings the book fully up to date, including the discovery of the top quark and the search for the Higgs boson. A final short chapter is devoted to the continuing search for new physics beyond the standard model. Particle Physics, Second Edition features:
* A carefully structured and written text to help students understand this exciting and demanding subject.
* Many worked examples and problems to aid student learning. Hints for solving the problems are given in an Appendix.
* Optional "starred" sections and appendices, containing more specialised and advanced material for the more ambitious reader. ... Read more

Book Description

This primer provides an introduction to the subject of surfaces at the level of undergraduates and first year postgraduates. There are four chapters, the first concerns basic thermodynamic material used to understand the properties of surfaces including; surface tension, Gibbs adsorption, surface pressure and surface phase equilibria, surfactants and micelles, wetting, detergency, and contact angle. The second chapter concentrates on gas adsorbtion at solid surfaces and covers topics including adsorbtion, Langmuir isotherms, heats of adsorbtion, BET isotherms, physisorbtion, chemisorbtion, precursor adsorbtion kinetics, well-defined surfaces, UHV, surface sensitivity and selectivity, surface diffusion and electrons interacting with matter. Chapter three then outlines the physico- chemical principles of XPS, AES, LEED, STM, AFM, work function measurements, UPS, TPD, molecular beams, HREELS and PAIRS and the types of fundamental surface information each of these techniques provides. The final chapter contains a series of worked examples and problems, bringing together the various strands developed in Chapters 1-3 in order to elucidate surface phenomena. The book is unique in its mix of 'Classical' and 'Modern' surface science and should be relevant to physicists, chemists and material scientists. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

scratching the surface
i am an organic chemist considering expanding my research to surface chemistry. as such, i was looking for a straightforward introduction to the field. this book accomplishes that admirably. ... Read more

Book Description

This book is a survey of the field of many-body atomic physics.The contributions encompass three major areas of study--atomic structure, atomic photoionization, and electron-atom collisions--and deal with the historical development of many-body theory, theoretical considerations, and applications.It will be a suitable introduction to the field for graduate students and researchers in atomic physics and quantum chemistry. ... Read more

Book Description

This is a practical introduction to the principal ideas in gauge theory and their applications to elementary particle physics.It explains technique and methodology with simple exposition backed up by many illustrative examples. Derivations, some of well known results, are presented in sufficient detail to make the text accessible to readers entering the field for the first time.The book focuses on the strong interaction theory of quantum chromodynamics and the electroweak interaction theory of Glashow, Weinberg, and Salam, as well as the grand unification theory, exemplified by the simplest SU(5) model.Not intended as an exhaustive survey, the book nevertheless provides the general background necessary for a serious student who wishes to specialize in the field of elementary particle theory. Physicists with an interest in general aspects of gauge theory will also find the book highly useful. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Poor Binding
I have no issues with the contents: you should know QFT at the level of Weinberg Vol 1 and group theory at the level of Tung. If it were not for the construction of this book I would probably have rated it 5 stars. The cover and binding are what you would expect from a cheap five-dollar paperback. I wasn't reading it much longer than two ot three weeks before sections started to fall out. At the price its being sold, its poor quality is nothing but a crime.

Not so elementary
This book was "recommended" for an elective course in particle physics for PhD students at OSU. Having little to no experience in the field (besides simple modern physics topics like bubble chamber examples and time-dilated lifetimes of particles, etc.) I was hoping that I would get a better introduction. The book offers no such thing. It jumps right in with "Basics in Field Quantization" (which is hardly comprehensive) and then blows through everything in high gear. Considering that most students in physics haven't seen particle physics in their core sequence of coursework, I would not recommend this book for a course in particle physics unless the requisites for the course explicitly state that the student should have experience with field theory and an understanding of group theory. This is definitely a poor source for a student who is seeing the subject for the first time. For those who are more experienced in particle physics, I would expect that this book is a good reference, though I cannot say that for sure because I am not a member of such a group.

I also purchased the book of solutions to problems in this book. It sheds some light on the topic, but not much. Nonetheless, I won't sell this book because sometime down the road I might find it and its companion to be useful.

a classic to learn particle physics
The book presents the basics of the particle physics. I don't like the first of the book: field theory part is bad. But the rest of the book is very well written. It was very help for me to understand particle physics.

gauge theory of elementary particle physics
since field theory is not setisfectory in any sense the book seems to present it not as ugly. ... Read more

Book Description

This book describes the extremely powerful technique of molecular dynamics simulation, which involves solving the classical many-body problem in contexts relevant to the study of matter at the atomic level. The method allows the prediction of the static and dynamic properties of substances directly from the underlying interactions between the molecules.Because there is no alternative approach capable of handling such a broad range of problems at the required level of detail, molecular dynamics methods have proved themselves indispensable in both pure and applied research. This volume will be of value to advanced students and researchers in physics, chemistry, polymer science and materials science in universities and industrial laboratories. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Too much and too little.
This book is in some ways a reasonable introduction to MD. It's the only book I know that actually shows the derivatives of energy functions necessary for writing efficient MD code. Unfortunately it does so in a hard to follow way. This is typical of the rest of the text. The example C code is hideous both in format and style. Missing from the book are essential formulae for calculating macroscopic properties from MD simulations. It is probably the best practical guide to writing MD code, but that isn't saying much.

A good introduction to Molecular Dynamics
This book constitutes a good introduction to the methods of Molecular Dynamics. Besides clear descriptions of the methods and algorithms, it includes C example implementations commented on the book to illustrate the points. It is almost an introducory 'recipe' book. For advanced tips, Frenkel-Smit will give good lead, but at the cost of less readability and Fortran (pseudo)code.
Certainly, the underlying philosophy of the code may seem awkward initially, but it is not a matter of "C design", rather of coding philosophy and program design. Once you get to understand it, it becomes easy and "natural". And what's even more important: it reflects the program design philosophy in use in the Molecular Modelling field, hence getting used to it will help you understand most existing production code.
The electronic version of the C code (available at the book's web site) is a mesh though: it lacks comments and makes heavy use of conditional compilation to render the examples from a single, convoluted source. The ingenious programmer won't be misled by this however: a simple step with the C preprocessor will distil the actual code. Not to mean it is not inconvenient anyway (sic). Certainly, it would have been a lot better if the authors had separated, cleaned and commented the code for the examples in the electronic version.
Besides, the book comes with additional, not too difficult programming assignments that make for extra fun and deeper understanding.
Once you are done with this book, you'll be in a position to really appreciate and use Frenkel-Smit and other advanced texts.

Good book on subject, needs a REAL C second edition
This is a good and honest book on the subject, it needs a second edition in pure C language and not the 'f2c-like' used. Many techiques like linked lists are simple and clear in C but confuse when translated to Fortran (77 or the new 90/95 variants)

Excellent introduction to MD simulation
Strengths: Excellent selection of topics, with good references and enough discussion of the underlying scientific theory. Thoughtful and well-written. DO NOT USE MERELY AS A COOKBOOK!

Weaknesses: Antiquated code, basically FORTRAN with a C veneer. Although the code works as is and is blazingly fast, it's not usable as a basis for further code development -- readers will want to recast the ideas and algorithms in their own up-to-date C code. For example, his arrays start at 1; the only data structure is the array (ugh!), there are no structures. Things get hard to understand when he starts packing multiple array indices into a single composite index, then unpacks it (see, e.g., the code on autocorrelation functions, Chap. 5).

However, the awkward code is a blessing in disguise -- write your own and you'll learn an incredible amount! This book gives you all the conceptual tools to do this, and you can use the code supplied (available from the publisher) as a benchmark and check. Actually, there are a few bugs in the code, but considering its complexity (much of which is unavoidable), it is remarkably reliable. In general, the code is optimized for efficiency, not for ease of maintenance or generalization.

The author deserves any amount of thanks for writing this unique and indispensable book, which is clearly the fruit of many years of practical computing experience in a 70's, early 80's UNIX environment. The code has not aged well, but the ideas it embodies are timeless.

Not very usuable
The code seems to me unclear ,unelegant and slow. Code of the book on the web is unnecessarily complex and hard to understand.

This is a book of simplistic recipes without formal explanation. So is not usable to learn or understand. Obviously because it was not written in C originally and translation to C was made in a rush.

If you are learning buy Statistical Mechanics by Rowley , Understanding Molecular Simulation by Frenkel or Computer Simulation of liquids by Allen. ... Read more