Book Description

Part I describes the fundamental laws underlying science. The emphasis is on intuitive understanding of the foundations of scientific knowledge to enable deciphering of Mother Nature's designs for the physical universe. It explains the six fundamental laws: Conservation of Energy, Gravity, Coulomb's force, Newton's laws, Quantum Mechanics, and Special Relativity. The book follows a trail of scientific ideas and clues from the Greeks to Newton, Mach, Clifford, Einstein, Dirac, and Feynman to Modern galactic astronomy.

Part II discusses cosmology, space and the universe. It explores their enigmas and paradoxes. Dr Wolff's role is a friendly guide to the reader, enabling her/him to understand the machinery behind Nature's laws, and to help solve the puzzles which have confounded scientists over the years. The century-old controversy of wave structure or substance structure of particles is examined and it is shown that a wave structure is the probable origin of the natural laws. The mysterious role of space itself is explored and the reader is asked and helped to choose between truth and prejudice. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

State of art and helpful thoughts on unification
My copy of Milo Wolff's book is covered with notations. A wide side margin seems to invite the reader to think out loud as he reads. Mr. Wolff's effort to review the understanding current now in physics and then supply his own creative insight, makes interesting reading. As I read book after book on the subject, the way an author organizes the history, addresses the meaningful, and draws his own conclusions, gives physics the human drama of epic. This is where science and art work together. "Exploring the Physics of the Unknown Universe" invites everyone to enjoy the subject and to think about it for themselves. Its a "How to Book" in the sense one is encouraged to undetstand the problems and then come up with their own ideas as to why nature does the things it does. It does not marginalize the reader from the work of phyicis by suggesting only the few thousand card carrying theoretical physicist in the world are the only ones capable of understanding how this universe works. I like the way Mr. Wolff opens the discussion up to the general public. In view of the fact physics has not yet supplied a working unification model, maybe it is time more phycist like Mr. Wolff encourage new input. Milo Wolff offers, with this book, the lay person, and the scientist as well, a creative tool. Read and enjoy.

A New Way of Looking at the Universe
In this book Dr. Wolff explains, clearly and concisely, some very difficult and revolutionary concepts regarding the wave structure of matter. The ideas he presents are thought-provoking, yet written clearly enough to be understood by someone with absolutely no background in physics, such as myself. That he accomplishes this with a minimum of mathematical formulas is to his credit. Time will tell, of course,but I believe that his ideas are the sort that future generations will look back upon as being ahead of their time. Exploring the Physics of the Unknown Universe is well-written, well-illustrated, and well worth your time.

Easy to understand, fun to read
As Milo Wolff`s granddaughter, I am, of course, immensely proud of his accomplishments and excellent book. Even without a background in physics, I found the theories contained within these pages interesting and relatively (no pun intended!) easy to understand. Aunt Jenny`s illustrations are helpful, too. As a young reader - highschool age - I can say that this book is more an adventure than a textbook, and much more engaging than the mundane texts that we are given to read in school. I recommend it for anyone with an interest in the world around us and an inquisitive mind! Great job, GF Milo!

A book can be read with profit and fun
In this book, Dr. Wolff introduced audience from basic laws of physics to advanced topics of particle and wave structures. Different from text book, Dr. Wolff talk the physics with his insightful ideas and his enthusiasm to the unknown world, challenging the thoughts and provoking the interests of the readers. This book definitely can be read with profit and fun.

New concepts, easy to read, mind boggling good fun.
I read a book review of Dr. Wolff's book in Galilean Electrodynamics years ago. I special ordered the book from the publisher and was delighted at the easy to read style, and the new concepts presented (with numerous graphical aids). It was a fun book to read, sit, and think about the possiblities. Even better, the author has an email address and responded to my questions about the material. This is a must read for anyone who looks to the future and wants to think "outside the box", instead to relying on what was taught in school. - Steph Neuwirth, Pr. Engineer, Raytheon Systems, Inc. ... Read more

Book Description

Are there other dimensions beyond our own? Is time travel possible? Can we change the past? Are there gateways to parallel universes? All of us have pondered such questions, but there was a time when scientists dismissed these notions as outlandish speculations. Not any more. Today, they are the focus of the most intense scientific activity in recent memory. In Hyperspace, Michio Kaku, author of the widely acclaimed Beyond Einstein and a leading theoretical physicist, offers the first book-length tour of the most exciting (and perhaps most bizarre) work in modern physics, work which includes research on the tenth dimension, time warps, black holes, and multiple universes.

The theory of hyperspace (or higher dimensional space)--and its newest wrinkle, superstring theory--stand at the center of this revolution, with adherents in every major research laboratory in the world, including several Nobel laureates. Beginning where Hawking's Brief History of Time left off, Kaku paints a vivid portrayal of the breakthroughs now rocking the physics establishment. Why all the excitement? As the author points out, for over half a century, scientists have puzzled over why the basic forces of the cosmos--gravity, electromagnetism, and the strong and weak nuclear forces--require markedly different mathematical descriptions. But if we see these forces as vibrations in a higher dimensional space, their field equations suddenly fit together like pieces in a jigsaw puzzle, perfectly snug, in an elegant, astonishingly simple form. This may thus be our leading candidate for the Theory of Everything. If so, it would be the crowning achievement of 2,000 years of scientific investigation into matter and its forces. Already, the theory has inspired several thousand research papers, and has been the focus of over 200 international conferences.

Michio Kaku is one of the leading pioneers in superstring theory and has been at the forefront of this revolution in modern physics. With Hyperspace, he has produced a book for general readers which conveys the vitality of the field and the excitement as scientists grapple with the meaning of space and time. It is an exhilarating look at physics today and an eye-opening glimpse into the ultimate nature of the universe. ... Read more

Reviews (170)

An Introduction to Hyperspace
This is an odyssey into the history of development of the concept of hyperspace that includes fourth and higher spatial dimensions to account for the riddles and unsolved problems of unified field theory. Since the postulation of special theory of relativity, Einstein and subsequent physicists until now have struggled to explain the four natural forces; the electromagnetic force (explained by Maxwell's field equations for electricity & magnetism); the strong and weak nuclear forces (explained by Yang - Mills field equations for subatomic forces); and the gravitational force (explained by Einstein's field equations of gravitation and relativity) by one unified field theory (theory of everything: String Theory). In other words, unifying the forces of the big, the cosmos, and the laws of the small, the microcosm (subatomic forces) by one single theory. The first part of the book describes how laws of nature become so simple to understand if higher dimensions are invoked; the author gives us a good historical background to build his case for hyperspace concept. The second part of the book describes the evolution of quantum mechanics and String theory. An introduction to wormholes, black holes and the use of these cosmic bodies for interstellar travel is given in the third part. The fourth part rambles through the future of the universe with irrelevant and some times out of focus narrative. The book is entirely free of physics and mathematics; from the point of understanding the basic concepts this approach is welcome. This book also gives an insight into the poignant story of Riemann (p.42) and Ramanujan (p.174) who sustained enormous personal and family hardships to contribute significantly in the field of mathematics. We also get a glimpse of academic rat race that involves professional rivalry, name & work recognition, and personal ego that is prevalent in academics. This is illustrated when Einstein delays Kaluza's paper for publication for 2 years (p.102). Bohr calling Pauli's lecture crazy (p.137); Sheldon Glashow ridiculing t'Hooft's work (p.121); a superior discouraging Mahahiko Suzuki's publication about Euler's Beta function (p.161); and Pauli being furious about Eisenberg's claim, Einstein - Bohr argument, and Schrodinger frustrated with Bohr's interpretation (p.261).

The author rambles about symmetry in arts; what is that got to do with hyperspace? The reader can find this discussion in any art book. Time travel has been described in layman's language in many books in depth; this discussion is unnecessary for this book. Throughout the book, the author refers to standard model and the equations of quantum mechanics as ugly; Equations are not ugly, they are complex or non-symmetrical.

The author could have devoted one chapter to describing the field equations in layman's terms; it would have helped a more enthusiastic reader to build a bridge to physics and tensor calculus. The reader should not be discouraged about mathematics in understanding relativity; many physicists themselves are heading to the library to learn about mathematics in String theory (Part 2). More appropriate title of the book could be hyperspace - a historical development of String theory. Despite the minor concerns, this book has strong points as observed above. I encourage the reader to buy this book; if you are not happy with this book, it is less than two-lunch money (page numbers from 1994 edition).

Beyond the Third Dimension
Everyone of us were born to comprehend the 3-dimensional world that we live in, and most of us would view time as the forth. In "Hyperspace", Kaku introduces the concept of dimensions beyond the third, and what these dimensions mean to us. Apart from talking about the possibilities of deriving a unified theory of all physical laws in higher dimensions, wormholes were also described in details as to how they could be used for travelling between different dimensions and universes, and more interestingly, how they could be used to travel through time. Most of the concepts were backed by examples and stories (including those of Kaku's childhood memories) which, not only allows the readers to easily grasp them, but also makes them more interesting to follow. However, one may start to wonder how on earth could Kaku's parents allow (and assist) their child to perform such horrific experiments!

This book was written primarily for the general public. Having said this, some moderate background and interests in physics are necessary, but then again you probably wouldn't be reading this review to start with if you weren't interested in "Hyperspace", right?

To sum up, I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who wants to find out more about the higher dimensions. Although there were occasions when I felt that Kaku has gone into too much details on the stories he quoted, which themselves could have been another interesting read if I wasn't told of the endings...

Great Book
VERY GOOD book written by the extremely smart and well-rounded scientist. Very easy to follow.

A Rambling Tour of Modern Phsyics
This book was written ten years ago but it still holds up well. Michio Kaku examines the theories of multi-dimensional space in an entertaining and educational book. His explanations are so clear that 10-dimensional space actually made sense. The book is somewhat a rambling adventure. Kaku takes us on a tour, introducing us to an interesting cast of characters including the sad story of Georg Bernhard Riemann who developed key equations for analyzing multi-dimensional space in the 1800's. The tour differs from a typical physics book in that instead of giving us the basic lecture of the advance of physics, Kaku approaches everything from a slightly different angle. In trying to help us understand multi-dimensional space, he looks not just at science but in art and literature. To emphasize a point he might explain it using something from his own career or from a science fiction story. The main problem with the book is that the author does tend to get off topic and ramble at certain points in the book. Stories about what an intelligent culture might do as the Universe ends doesn't really fit into the flow of the book and since we really have no idea how the Universe will end, it all seemed a bit pointless. I started to get the idea that Kaku had a number of pages in mind and was trying to fill the book with a lot of different ideas he has had floating around to reach that number. But don't let me scare you away. At least two-thirds of this book is brilliant writing that will make you think, help you understand modern theories of physics, and entertain you. I can forgive the author's ramblings when he provides that much in a few hundred pages.

An effective and truly genius approach!
Michio Kaku does an excellent job of mixing a touch of history and introductory ideas with detailed and concrete physics information. Packed with a sort of "timeline" approach to the changing world of physics, from the "mainstream" ideas of Einstein, Newton and Maxwell to newer ideas such as string theory and the multiverse. An excellent addition to any physics library, this book will broaden your physics vocabulary and knowledge of physics history ; including its influences on society and the art world alike. Sure to open up new dimensions of thought in an easy-to-understand format. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great book, but not an introduction.
This book is very readable if you have some knoledge about quantum mechanics. It shows how to calculate things using the theory but does not explain the physical part in much detail.

It makes a good companion to the Feynman book where you have the physics greatly explained but little mathematical detail.

If you are new tho the subject look somewhere else first. If you want to know how to get results from the theory this is the book. ... Read more

Book Description

Explains all of chemistry & most of physics but upsets common sense, & reconfigures classical physics. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Great little book
I already had the Introducing Logic book, which I thought was excellent, so I thought I'd try this one too in the series. I certainly never thought I'd see a book on quantum physics that was as good as this one done in such a cartoon-like style. I really liked the Introducting Logic book, and I wasn't disappointed with this one either. It presents the many strange and even paradoxical phenomena of quantum physics in a clear and concise way, and the illustrations are a fun and amusing way of keeping the reader's attention while helping to further the reader's understanding of the concepts. Even presented in such an engaging way, however, they're still not easy. Quantum physics is just not very intuitive and you just have to get used to that fact, but this book will give you a basic understanding of the area without too much cognitive anguish and serious brain strain.

After reading this book, if you're interested in further material, the late, great Richard Feynman's book, QED, is still the best introduction for the non-specialist. It contains almost no math and Feynman uses mainly spatial concepts to illustrate and explain quantum electrodynamics in a less mathematical, more intuitive way with his usual wit, enthusiasm, and style. The concepts are explained clearly and concisely in a way that is accessible to the layman and non-physicist. After reading this book, if you're interested in a more mathematical treatment, I would recommend the R.I.G. Hughes book, The Structure and Interpretation of Quantum Theory. It uses a little calculus, but mostly sticks to presenting the mathematics of quantum linear algebra, vector spaces, tensors, and matrix theory as developed by David Hilbert specifically for use in quantum mechanics. It's much more technical than Feynman's book but will give you a much better understanding of quantum mechanics in terms of the mathematical theory.

Great book! I learned so much from it....
As an engineer, I have a good understanding of classical physics. However, I never understood the quantum world until this book came my way. The way the ideas are presented (from a historical and evolutionary perspective) plus the illustrations make this complex topic understandable. I found a pleasure to read the book several times just to refresh the new concepts. After reading this book I feel I understand concepts that I could not grasp before. I have 3 other books about the subject but none of them come close to this one. Quite a gem of a book!

Not as effective as you'd hope, but a good place to start.
"Understanding Quantum Theory" was the first text that we turned to in a course I took last semester, which studied the philosophical implications of quantum theories... the logic, I imagine, was that complex and counter-intuitive concepts would be more palatable in faux-comic-book form...

I'm afraid this didn't turn out to be the case, While the illustrations are fantastic -- reminiscent of ink-heavy works such as Art Spiegelman's incredible "Maus" -- the concepts are no easier to grasp. The illustrations could have been used to better ends if the authors had a better idea of what makes these concepts so hard for beginners -- diagrams, when included, might have been more artistic than flat scientific sketches, but they were just as hard to interpret. The illustrations here are used, it seems, to trick the reader into thinking the concepts are simple and straightforward. The result, however, is that you (or I, at least) end up scratching your head and reading dialogue-bubbles which don't make sense in the least until the fifth or sixth reading... and even then, are often impossible to understand without a live discussion and Q & A.

Which is not to say that this text is a failure -- put aside what it was TRYING to do, and it is still a solid outline of basic quantum theory, and a good introduction to the major figures and developments in the field. The art might not make the material more accessible, but it doesn't hurt it either -- helpful or no, the illustrations make the lessons a more entertaining challenge than straight text would ever be.

BOTTOM LINE -- it's a good outline of basic quantum theories, developments, and figures. The art makes it pleasant to look at, but no less confusing to the beginner. If you're curious about the ideas involved in a radical reinterpretation of time, space, and matter as we interact with them, this is not a bad place to start.

great outline, poor execution
I'm afraid I disagree with the other reviewers. The book was not well written. The illustrations were of marginal value -- I guess it's always nice to know what these guys look like. Most troublesome to me, however, was the manner in which the explanations were utterly substandard. If you are looking to understand the material -- as opposed to merely becoming familiar with the names and faces of those whose work you want to understand -- you're much, much better off the the Gribbon or the David Albert book.

A Perplexing (but good) Introduction of Quantum Theory
This was certainly a fun book to read. The illustation and simple language made the book interesting, if not completely understandable. HOWEVER, if you're looking for a comprehensive explaination of one of the most perplexing scientific schools of thought, this is not your book. It only whet my whistle before I read "Alice in Quantumland" and "In Search of Schrodinger's Cat." ... Read more

Book Description

This elementary introduction to the subject of quantum optics, the study of the quantum mechanical nature of light and its interaction with matter, is almost entirely concerned with the quantized electromagnetic field. The text is designed for upper-level undergraduates taking courses in quantum optics who have already taken a course in quantum mechanics, and for first- and second- year graduate students. ... Read more

Book Description

This invaluable book presents papers written during the last 40 years by Claude Cohen-Tannoudji and his collaborators on various physical effects which can be observed on atoms interacting with electromagnetic fields. It consists of a personal selection of review papers, lectures given at schools, as well as original experimental and theoretical papers. Emphasis is placed on physical mechanisms and on general approaches (such as the dressed atom approach) having a wide range of applications. Various topics are discussed, such as atoms in intense laser fields, photon correlations, quantum jumps, radiative corrections, laser cooling and trapping, Bose–Einstein condensation. In this new edition, about 200-page of new material has been added. ... Read more

Book Description

Diatomic molecules are important to the physical sciences because they are the basic building blocks of large molecules.Many of the principles which underly our understanding of chemical bonds in molecules were first developed by studying diatomic systems. Starting from fundamental principles, this book develops a theory that analyzes the energy levels of diatomic molecules and summarizes the many experimental methods used to study the spectra of these molecules in the gaseous state. ... Read more

Book Description

Develops the concepts of quantum theory for the solid state from basics to a level beyond broader texts in a single sourcebook. Appropriate prior knowledge is assumed - and it applies that knowledge to build an understanding of three topics, namely semiconductors, magnetism and superconductivity. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

good intro
A nice and tidy volume to learn, refer and teach. It can be used along with John Davies' book on Low dimensional semiconductors. Only some very necessary ideas are given exposure here. For more in depth learning one should check other books. But for advanced undergarduates this is a recommendable volume. ... Read more

Book Description

Einstein's theories of relativity piqued public curiosity more than any other mathematical concepts since the time of Isaac Newton. Scientists and non-scientists alike struggled, not so much to grasp as to believe the weird predictions of relativity theory--shrinking space ships, bending light beams, and the like. People all over the world watched with fascination as Einstein's predictions were relentlessly and unequivocally verified by a hundred experiments and astronomical observations.

In the last decade of the twentieth-century, another of Einstein's theories has produced results that are every bit as startling as the space-time contractions of relativity theory. This book addresses his other great theory, that of heat capacity and the Bose-Einstein condensate. In doing so, it traces the history of radiation and heat capacity theory from the mid-19th century to the present. It describes early attempts to understand heat and light radiation and proceeds through the theory of the heat capacity of solids. It arrives at the theory of superconductivity and superfluidity--the astonishing property of some liquids to crawl spontaneously up and out of their containers, and the ability of some gases to cause light to pause and take a moment's rest from its inexorable flight forward in time. Couched in the terminology of traditional physical chemistry, this book is accessible to chemists, engineers, materials scientists, mathematicians, mathematical biologists, indeed to anyone with a command of first-year calculus. In course work, it is a collateral text to third semester or advanced physical chemistry, introductory statistical mechanics, statistical thermodynamics, or introductory quantum chemistry. The book connects with mainstream physical chemistry by treating boson and fermion influences in molecular spectroscopy, statistical thermodynamics, molecular energetics, entropy, heat capacities (especially of metals), superconductivity, and superfluidity.

Book Description

While most publications in this topic are largely theoretical and aimed at specialists, this textbook has emerged from a lecture series and is oriented towards students and newcomers to the field.
As such, it is the first to discuss experimental realizations in detail, and the experienced teacher authors have tailored this book to the needs of modern university courses. They present the basics of quantum communication and quantum information processing, leading readers to modern implementations, while also discussing errors and decoherence together with ways of avoiding and correcting them. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Good, but not great.
This book was recommended to me as a very nice introduction to quantum mechanics for the mathematically-inclined. It looks like I'll be awaiting the publication of the new edition of Sudbery's text instead, because, at least for me, this book didn't quite end up filling the bill. It's true that, unlike so many popular introductions to quantum theory, Hughes' book doesn't shy away from mathematics. The mathematics for me was fine (although I wonder what a person who'd had "only high school algebra" would make of the derivatives and integrals that show up unannounced). It's in trying to make sense of what the mathematics is supposed to be modelling that I felt that this book lost a star. (How much of the problem is due to the author's exposition and how much is due to my shortcomings as a reader is something I'm not prepared to judge.)

Again, this is a good book, but I have no idea where people are coming from when they write "this is not only the best book ever written, but also the best book that ever will be written".

Great book on quantum theory for the ambitious reader
This is a superb teaching book for taking your understanding of quantum mechanics to the next level. Much of the book is devoted to understanding a good deal of the underlying math and mathematical formalism, such as Hilbert spaces, Hermitians, eigenvalues and eigenvectors, Cantor's calculus of infinities, the analysis and representation of spin properties, and other very cool stuff which I didn't have a very good grasp of before. And yet the previous math required is minimal, really only high school algebra, and Hughes defines new concepts as he goes along. Actually, there is some calculus here and there, but not a whole lot, which is fine, as my advanced calculus is pretty rusty at this point. So Hughes keeps the advanced math to a minimum. This doesn't mean the book is easy reading, as the algebra of Hilbert spaces includes such things as the logical properties of inner products, spectral decomposition, vector projections, the analysis of different vector operators, and so on, and that's only one small section in the book, not to mention the fact that Cantor's ideas in number theory about the ordinality or sizes of inifinite series is pretty mind-boggling stuff. Basically, Cantor established the improbable and surprising fact that certain infinities are "bigger" than others. One way he did this was to show that some infinities are "countably infinite" and others are not. Fun stuff.

All this is just preparation for understanding the quantum mechanics, however, and the author does a fine job of linking the mathematical concepts with the applied ideas in quantum theory. This is important, since quantum mechanics is basically a purely mathematical theory. Unlike Einstein's Special and General theories of Relativity, which, although pretty mind-boggling theories in themselves, can still be explained by using more or less intuitive and easy to understand spatial concepts and illustrations. You've probably encountered these in some of the books on the subject, such as doing the fun thought experiment of having two observers, with one travelling at the speed of light and the other stationary, to demonstrate the relativistic effects on space, time, and matter in the case of the Special Theory. But unfortunately those kinds of entertaining and informative thought experiments are difficult to do in quantum mechanics, which is why a book like this that explains the concepts at a relatively high level clearly and concisely is such a great find. Overall, this is an excellent "upgrade" book written by a gifted teacher on a very difficult subject. There are very few books like this that bridge the gap between the purely popular presentations of quantum theory and the very difficult technical quantum physics books.

Please read this book
Before reading von Neumann or Akhiezer, go through this book first, PLEASE. It's not only a good introduction to QM, but also an interpretation or philosophy book. The contents are balanced and understandable for even a high-school student, which usually is not expected from a great thinker like Hughes. The book making is good as well -- cover design, editing, binding, etc. An interesting and decent treatment of quantum physics. Probability a must for any phys and math thinker. (I got the paperbound)

An essential
Upon trying to learn Quantum Mechanics from Shaum's Outline, I found myself lost in the terminology. I picked up this book and immediately saw the connections I didn't see before. If you haven't taken Linear Algebra, buy this book. If you have taken Linear Algebra, BUY THIS BOOK! It is very clearly written, yet in depth enough to only serve to fill in the gaps. If you want to get beyond the "pop" version of Quantum Mechanics, this is the first book anyone should read.

Most Comprehensible of the Substantive Non-Specialist Books
I used this text in a tutorial with a distinguished philosopher of science at Queens College, New York. It's outstanding. The mathematical formalism is difficult for non-specialists, but no so much as to be out of reach. Advice: be patient--the understanding will come. The part on the interpretation of QM is exceptionally valuable to anyone interested in understanding modern physics without falling for dishonest notions like "quantum healing", "quantum chi", and "quantum dieting". In short: if you're a serious student, this is probably the best book of its kind. ... Read more

Book Description

In the 1930s, physics was in a crisis. There appeared to be no way to reconcile the new theory of quantum mechanics with Einstein's theory of relativity. Several approaches had been tried and had failed. In the post-World War II period, four eminent physicists rose to the challenge and developed a calculable version of quantum electrodynamics (QED), probably the most successful theory in physics. This formulation of QED was pioneered by Freeman Dyson, Richard Feynman, Julian Schwinger, and Sin-Itiro Tomonaga, three of whom won the Nobel Prize for their work. In this book, physicist and historian Silvan Schweber tells the story of these four physicists, blending discussions of their scientific work with fascinating biographical sketches.

Setting the achievements of these four men in context, Schweber begins with an account of the early work done by physicists such as Dirac and Jordan, and describes the gathering of eminent theorists at Shelter Island in 1947, the meeting that heralded the new era of QED. The rest of his narrative comprises individual biographies of the four physicists, discussions of their major contributions, and the story of the scientific community in which they worked. Throughout, Schweber draws on his technical expertise to offer a lively and lucid explanation of how this theory was finally established as the appropriate way to describe the atomic and subatomic realms. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Great book
Love it so far. Brilliant insight into not just the men behind the theories - but also physics itself.

Superb overview of the development of QED...
This book is a superb overview of the development of QED. The slant is geared towards the major personalities involved in it's development. The key players of course were: Feynman, Schwinger, Dyson, and Tomonaga. The text is quite detailed and is directed towards the academic community and assumes a cursory knowledge of quantum mechanics. That being the case, I got lost in much of the math. However, I kept at it and got much out of the book. If you are a physics major then this book will be a jewel to own. What an experience to "see" the human mind come up with ideas which at first glance seem impossible but later turn out to be perfectly true. The writing is quite turgid as is the case with books put out by Princeton, but the material is just fantastic. If the math overwhelms you, as it did me, just get the main idea down and forge on. Later, if time and patience permits re-visit the portion that got you lost and try again. I did this but still am lost in many areas. Nevertheless, a great read!!

Thorough Coverage of the Pinaccle of 20th Century Physics
This is a very technical and historical review of the creation of the 20th Centuries most accurate of all physics, QED. The work is very complete and besides the mathematics, it provides excellant yet terse backgrounds of the 4 major players: Tomonaga, Schwinger, Feynman and Dyson. The backgounds of these personalities is weaved into their astounding developments leading to QED. This book should not only serve as a historical timepiece, but I beleive it could serve very well as an adjunct to even graduate level physics. ... Read more

Book Description

What happens to light when it is trapped in a box?
Cavity Quantum Electrodynamics addresses a fascinating question in physics: what happens to light, and in particular to its interaction with matter, when it is trapped inside a box? With the aid of a model-building approach, readers discover the answer to this question and come to appreciate its important applications in computing, cryptography, quantum teleportation, and opto-electronics. Instead of taking a traditional approach that requires readers to first master a series of seemingly unconnected mathematical techniques, this book engages the readers' interest and imagination by going straight to the point, introducing the mathematics along the way as needed. Appendices are provided for the additional mathematical theory.
Researchers, scientists, and students of modern physics can refer to Cavity Quantum Electrodynamics and examine the field thoroughly. Several key topics covered that readers cannot find in any other quantum optics book include:
* Introduction to the problem of the "vacuum catastrophe" and the cosmological constant
* Detailed up-to-date account of cavity QED lasers and thresholdless lasing
* Examination of cavities with movable walls
* First-principles discussion about cavity QED in open cavities
* Pedagogical account of microscopic quantization in dielectrics
Complementing the coverage of the most advanced theory and techniques, the author provides context by discussing the historical evolution of the field and its discoveries. In that spirit, "recommended reading," provided in each chapter, leads readers to both contemporary literature as well as key historical papers.
Despite being one of many specialties within physics, cavity quantum electrodynamics serves as a window to many of the fundamental issues of physics. Cavity Quantum Electrodynamics will serve as an excellent resource for advanced undergraduate quantum mechanics courses as well as for graduate students, researchers, and scientists who need a comprehensive introduction to the field. ... Read more

Book Description

This book describes the phenomena that arise from the interaction between quantum systems and their environment. Since the first edition appeared in 1996, the concepts of decoherence have become firmly established experimentally and are now widely used in the literature. Its major consequences are the emergence of "classicality", superselection rules, the border line between microscopic and macroscopic behavior, the emergence of classical spacetime, and the appearance of quantum jumps.Most of the new developments in this rapidly evolving field are discussed in this second edition: chaos theory, quantum information, neuroscience, primordial fluctuations in cosmology, black holes and string theory, experimental tests, and interpretational issues. While the major part of the book is concerned with environmental decoherence derived from a universal Schrödinger equation, later chapters address complementary or competing approaches, such as consistent histories, open system dynamics, algebraic methods, and collapse models. ... Read more

Book Description

Ten basic ideas of 20th-century physics that everyone should know... and how they have shaped our culture and consciousness.

Reviews (7)

A book your friends will try to borrow from you
I took this book on a beach vacation, and was so happy I did - it engrossed me more than I was expecting, and quickly became the envy of my trip-mates...the idea that I could now explain what the speed of light really was was so appealing.
This book does just what it says it will - you'll come away with understanding of the major concepts in physics you always felt uneducated for not knowing.

Great introduction to physics
As I read this book, it clearly explained many of the things I wanted to finally know about and understand. From the equation E=mc2, to the concept of space-time and the quantum theory, this is a very great book, that was able to actually teach me about the theory of relativity and many other things. So I highly recommend this book to those whom are curious about what E=mc2 means, or what space-time is, or what the quantum theory is all about. The book also shows how all of this physics has impacted our lives and thus, why physics is so important, and even has a chapter on science v.s. religion. So this should be the #1 book for those whom are curious about the world of physics, whether they are experts on the subject or not. You need not be an expert on physics or even know anything of physics to understand and enjoy this book.

More than physics
From reading the earlier customer reviews (none more recent than Jan., 2001), one might assume that this book had reached its intended audience: "...The Rest of Us," i.e., those of us who are not trained physicists. Even the title of the book seems clearly to imply that audience. But the title and the comments of the earlier reviewers are misleading. I would argue that the author was hoping for (and deserves) a wider audience. In particular, his message should resonate strongly with the professional scientific community itself.

The author does provide some of the most intelligible explanations of the major concepts of modern physics that I have ever read--and I've read quite a few. Although my own background includes much technical training--chemistry, mathematics, electronics engineering, and philosophy--I must admit to having stumbled badly over general relativity and quantum mechanics. The pictures the author paints of these theories are probably as close as the human mind can come to visualizing what (we must realize) can not be visualized.

There are also excellent accounts of the Big Bang, quarks and bosons, the expanding universe, dark matter, the four fundamental forces of the physical world and the intense search for a theory that will demonstrate how they are all really different aspects of a single force: a grand unified theory that will explain everything.

If this was all the book was about, the title would be accurate and the author could return to his job as a college professor, secure in the knowledge that he had produced an excellent book on physics for the lay public.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered that interwoven in this excellent work on the concepts of modern physics was a profound and articulate criticism of the role of science in contemporary society. As I read further, it occurred to me that this critique of science was, in fact, the most important topic in the book.

In the author's view, science has become the unofficial religion of our society, a new form of "idolatry." It pervades our institutions, our government, industries and educational policies...and it has done so at the expense of other vital human activities, especially those (e.g., religion and the humanities) that have traditionally vested human life with a sense of purpose and meaning. This is strange stuff coming from a scientist!

Happily, Jones is not a religious fanatic or scientific Luddite who is arguing for a return to the days of old, with science replaced by alchemy, astrology and the Inquisition. His plea is for a balance between science and the humanities. Although science has proven its efficacy at manipulating the physical world, it can not generate those initial ideas or sparks of genius that lead to new, fertile theories; those come from the human mind. Nor can science tell us anything about what we should or shouldn't do with our discoveries--should we use our knowledge of radioactivity to make bigger bombs, or should we save lives with nuclear medicine? Those decisions are ethical ones and must also be human, perhaps originating in something we used to call the "soul."

The author argues forcefully for the usefulness of science. At the same time, he deplores the demise of the humanities, the arts and religion. Most importantly, he warns us that, without increasing the average citizen's knowledge of science and technology, we have little hope of reversing a dangerous trend. The first step is to provide a knowledge of "physics for the rest of us." Then we will be able to take the second step: to regain control of the role that science will play in our lives. There is much food for thought in this book...and Jones' lessons on the concepts of physics are just the first course.

Find out what physics is about and learn a great deal!
This was a wonderful book. Reading it I learned everything I could expect from a book introducing people to a new science. The book covered all the basics of physics and explained it so that anyone could fully understand the ideas, including a good explanation of General Relativity and the Quantom Theory. Over all good book.

What you should read to be conversational in physics
This book is for people who hear about the Theory of Relativity and Quantum Theory and have no idea what these things are or how to talk about them, but want to. I had to read the first chapter twice but the rest of the book falls into place. It's written in a nice lyrical, understandable tone -- I read it on the beach in place of my typical bestseller. ... Read more

Book Description

Anybody who is not shocked by quantum theory has not understood it.Niels Bohr's dictum bears witness to the bewildering impact of quantum theory, flying in the face of classical physics and dramatically transforming scientists' outlook on our relationship with the material world. In this book Paul Davies interviews eight physicists involved in debating and testing the theory, with radically different views of its significance. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Somewhere in the Multiverse...
A version of you woke up next to five lingerie models. Another version of you woke up and butchered your loved ones. Another version of you gets struck by lightening while reading this review.

That, according to the Many Worlds Interpretation of Quantum Physics. This is the attempt of physicists to explain the fundamental weirdness and contradictoriness of subatomic particles--ie, the abilty of particles to transmit information across spacetime instantaneously (non-locality), the ability of particles to be in two places at once (wave fuction)...the author leans towards the Many Worlds Interpretation, the idea that the universe splits in two at every quantum choice or juncture whenever an observer observes particles(whatever a quantum choice is, and how often do these choices occur, and who is ability to collapse these wave functions into two+ universes from one, and if the human mind does this, then what collapses the wave functions that form the neurons and calcium ions that propel the neural functions that enable observation?, and can animals collapse wave functions (I've always wondered about Schrodinger's cat...if the poor cat can't observe his way out of his predicament, than how did the dinosaurs observe their way into theirs?)). If the M.W. Interpretation is true, than there is probably an infinite amount of universes, which means that anything that can be, has been and will be. Nonetheless, this is pretty fun stuff to think about, if you're a science geek or a philosophy geek or, like me, just a geek period.

The book begins when about a 40 page summary of Quantum Physics and its dilemmas, and then follows w/ a series of interviews w/ leading physicists on how to resolve these dilemmas. When trying to understand Quantum Physics, you will need to expose yourself to many explanations and sources of the subject--everytime you read Quantum theory, it's like the first time, cause it's so dang weird. This is a good book to have on your shelf to flesh out your understanding of this topic, and it's a topic we should all be aware of.

Confusing and stiff!
This book is not for the beginner and it is harder and more confusing than necessary. Also it is somewhat stiff in the overall tone. There are better, easier and more complete books out there.

High standard radio program.
BBC program consisting of interviews with eight well known physicists about the quantum theory.
Although the achievements of most of the interviewed (Alain Aspect, John Bell, John Wheeler) are more extensively explained in other books by themselves or others, these direct dialogues give the authors an excellent opportunity to summarize their work and to reflect on that of others.
I was particularly impressed by the interview with Rudolf Peierls, where he interprets the 'many universes' (multiverse) theory of Everett as 'possibilities' or as a 'dictionary of possibilities', rather than 'universes'.
Not to be missed. Congratulations to the BBC.

Great Introduction to a Fundamental Philosophical Conundrum
We live in an awkward time. Our understanding of the universe is based on two theoretical models, quantum theory at the atomic scale and relativistic theory at the astronomical scale. Despite valiant efforts, physicists have been unable to unify these two highly successful theories.

Quantum theory itself is based "on a profound and disturbing paradox that has led some physicists to declare that the theory is ultimately meaningless." And yet no experiment has contradicted the predictions of quantum theory. Physicists agree that quantum theory "correctly describes the world to a level of precision and detail unprecedented in science". The problem is philosophical, not technical.

I highly recommend "The Ghost in the Atom" as an excellent starting point for exploring the fascinating implications of quantum theory. P. C. W. Davies (physicist) and J. R. Brown (BBC producer) offer us an intelligent examination of the conflicting and controversial interpretations of this fundamental theory.

"The Ghost in the Atom" begins with a brief exposition (about 40 pages), titled "The Strange World of the Quantum", that summarizes quantum theory and introduces the interpretation problem. A remarkable set of interviews follow: eight noted physicists describe with enthusiasm, even passion, the bizarre implications of quantum theory as they see it.

Alain Aspect, a French experimental physicist, describes his 1982 experiment that challenged our view of reality by apparently confirming that non-locality is an attribute of our universe.

John Bell, a theoretical physicist at CERN, is known for his Bell's Theorem that provided the basis for Aspect's experiment. He discusses whether free will might be an illusion, suggests that we revisit Einstein's theory of relativity, and states that he is "quite convinced that quantum theory is only a temporary expedient".

John Wheeler, Director of the Center for Theoretical Physics at UT Austin, largely agrees with the conventional Bohr interpretation (also called the Copenhagan interpretation) and argues the importance of the conscious observer in the quantum measurement process.

Rudolp Peierls, who formerly held the Wykeham Chair of Physics at Oxford, objects to the term "Copenhagan interpretation", as it suggests that there is more than one acceptable interpretation. He considers other interpretations to be largely speculation.

David Deutsch, Research Fellow in Astrophysics at both Oxford and UT Austin, argues strongly for the many-universes interpretation. He is a proponent for objective reality.

John Taylor, Professor of Mathematics at Kings College, London, argues for the ensemble interpretation (or statistical interpretation). By abandoning any attempt to describe individual systems, he contends that there is no need to associate the collapse of the wave function with the presence of a conscious observer during the measurement process.

The final two physicists, David Bohm and Basil Hiley, both argue that a "hidden variable" interpretation involving a "quantum potential" can accommodate Aspect's non-locality and maintain objective reality.

"The Ghost in the Atom" is quite exceptional and I easily give it five stars. The quantum theory overview alone, as others have pointed out, is worth the price of the book. The interviews are fascinating.

What should you read next? I highly recommend another exceptional book published by Cambridge University Press, "Quantum Physics: Illusion or Reality?" by Alastair Rae. It is more difficult, but does not require mathematics.

Coming from the physicists themselves
There are many books on the topic. Firstly, this one is an excellent text which dwells less and less into abstractness and stupid analogies except for such a nature of the theory itself. It succeeds in presenting the ideas in a as precise thinking/language as possible.

Then, it presents views of many important physicists in their own words. So you are not limited to or biased by one particular view.

A very insightful book. I am amazed with the clarity of thought these people have. All of them. ... Read more

Book Description

This is one out of a few books which treat the dynamics of non-smooth systems in finite degree of freedom mechanics. Based on the classical multibody system approach set-valued force laws are introduced to fully encompass situations like the frictional contact problem, unilateral constraints, the behavior of one-way clutches, and even velocity jumps not related to any kind of collisions. The book concentrates on modern mathematical methods and concepts from optimization theory combined with classical analytical mechanics, such that it should be valuable for people working on discontinuity problems in nearly all branches of classical physics. ... Read more

Book Description

Studying the dynamics of a large number of particles interacting through long-range forces, commonly referred to as the "N-body problem", is a central aspect of many different branches of physics. In recent years, physicists have made significant advances in the development of fast N-body algorithms to deal efficiently with such complex problems. This book gives a thorough introduction to these so-called "tree methods", setting out the basic principles and giving many practical examples of their use. The authors assume no prior specialist knowledge, and they illustrate the techniques throughout with reference to a broad range of applications. The book will be of great interest to graduate students and researchers working on the modeling of systems in astrophysics, plasma physics, nuclear and particle physics, condensed matter physics and materials science. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (2)

Great intro to group theory
My quest to better understand group theory finally brought me to this book. I've tried several others, but this one has the best presentation by far. No, it's not elementary, but this book is very well written. Just the first chapter alone is worth the price. If you want to understand the relationship between group theory and quantum mechanics, I would start here.

A very thorough, very technical, very advanced book!
Volker Heine's book on group theory and quantum mechanics is not for the fainthearted. To get the full benefit of the text, you'll need a college-level understanding of both mathematics and physics, possibly witha liberal sprinkling of chemistry. Nevertheless, within those bounds thepresentation of the material is excellent. If you plan to work through thisbook on your own, take your time and enjoy (!) what he presents, probablyin small pieces, and work through as many of the problems as you can tosolidify your understanding before proceeding onward. No, it's not awalk in the park. Frankly, it's one of the toughest books I've ever read.But it also is one of the most rewarding because Mr. Heine can show youthat with some effort you too can get a handle on this subject. ... Read more

Book Description

This revised and broadened second edition provides readers with an insight into this fascinating world and future technology in quantum optics. Alongside classical and quantum-mechanical models, the authors focus on important and current experimental techniques in quantum optics to provide an understanding of light, photons and laserbeams. In a comprehensible and lucid style, the book conveys the theoretical background indispensable for an understanding of actual experiments using photons. It covers basic modern optical components and procedures in detail, leading to experiments such as the generation of squeezed and entangled laserbeams, the test and applications of the quantum properties of single photons, and the use of light for quantum information experiments.

... Read more