Book Description

This is the first book dedicated to the glass transition since this concept became recognized as a distinct and independent field of investigation. The glass transition is a synonym for relaxation and dynamics in complex disordered systems, especially in liquids. It embraces time-scales ranging from picoseconds to years. The book describes and interrelates the following processes: cooperative alpha processes in a cold liquid, structural relaxation in the glass near Tg, the Johari-Goldstein beta process, the Williams-Götze process in a warm liquid, fast nonactivated cage rattling and boson peak, and ultraslow Fischer modes. By describing the salient facts, explaining and discussing the fundamentals, the author attempts to introduce a unifying concept for the entire material. The formulas, diagrams and references are carefully selected to illustrate the main current ideas about the glass transition.

From the reviews:

"A welcome addition to the literature on a subject that is currently attracting a very heavy research interest... the author means the entire process of viscous slowdown and vitrification... he may well be the best-read author in this field. I found information that was new and interesting to me in nearly every section. There seems to be no element of the subject on which Donth has not read widely and deeply. [His] use of figures, backed up by appropriate text, can be an effective way of conveying a lot of information about (and insight into) the system behavior... This book is an excellent choice of reading material for someone newly entering the field, who wants to be made aware of its elements. It also provides much food for thought for the experts."

- Physics Today ... Read more

Book Description

An exciting new edition of a classic text

Howard Georgi is the co-inventor (with Sheldon Glashow) of the SU(5) theory. This extensively revised and updated edition of his classic text makes the theory of Lie groups accessible to graduate students, while offering a perspective on the way in which knowledge of such groups can provide an insight into the development of unified theories of strong, weak, and electromagnetic interactions. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

A good *first* start
This book is good for what it is, namely, something to get your feet wet. When learning the basics of particle physics, e.g. as an undergrad or a beginning experimentalist, this is the quickest way to get a feel for the standard model gauge group.
However, this is *not* a complete text on group theory in particle physics (and therefore, little of what you need for supersymmetric field theories and string theories). So in addition to this book, you'd need something else with an introduction to the other things you need for your particular interest. Try Gilmore's "Applications of Lie algebras...", which I believe is out of print (in libraries). Also, Cornwell's abridged "Group theory in physics" is good (though if you can find the older set of three volumes, that may be more suited to your desires).
I don't suggest many of the other books on group theory for particles/fields/strings. There are tidbits of group theory you can pick up in the particular text you are working with, e.g. "Quantum theory of Fields" by Weinberg if you are learning quantum field theory.
For mathematical physics in general, I strongly suggest "Gauge fields, knots, and gravity" (John Baez), "Differential Geometry for physicists" (Chris Isham), and "Mathematical Physics" (Geroch).

What do you need more?
I'd say that, at least, the Georgi's book is too underestimated here.

I agree that this book lacks some notions and concepts which are usually dealt with in the matmatical literature, but not on logical clearity. Every book has its own way. For example the later parts of Green, Schwarz and Witten are also a mere sketches but it sufficiently pinpoints every important steps. A physically inclined reader(?), soon realize that it is filled with (and you may feel the leakage of) the master's intuition. You can see what mathematics going on beneath the physics. It is a well-framed series of informal lectures which reveals some space-between-lines secret.

good supplement
good supplement of introductory quantum field theory. particle physics books often have aggressiveness but this is in a relaxed mood, apt for reading in fine sunday mornings. 27 chapters in 300 pages, short chapters, without one for manifold and topology. from this book you can't get a mathematically deep understanding of Lie algebra nor exotic viewpoint for particle/string, but that's not this is for. i hope someday this will be included in Dover classics.

1.finite groups 2.Lie groups 3.SU(2) 4.tensor operators 5.isospin 6.roots and weights 7.SU(3) 8.simple roots 9.more SU(3) 10.tensor methods 11.hypercharge and strangeness 12.Young tableaux 13.SU(n) 14.3-d harmonic oscillator 15.SU(6) and the quark model 16.color 17.constituent quarks 18.unified theories and SU(5) 19.classical groups 20.classification theorem 21.SO(2n+1)and spinors 22.SO(2n+2)spinors 23.SU(n) Mediocre
Georgi's book has its strengths and weaknesses. It is very strong on application to physics but suffers greatly from a lack of mathematical substance. It has all the earmarks of a mathematics book written by a physicist: lots of physical insight but poor logical structure. Clear definitions and statements of theorems are missing and contribute to the nebulous feel of the text.

This is the kind of book that a casual reader will go through and think he has learned alot but for which the serious student who seeks a precise, thorough understanding of the material will likely end up confused at many points. It is a book of tools. The reader will not obtain a mastery of the subject but must suppliment this book with other, more theoretical treatments of representation theory.

The lack of mathematical rigor is by design as Geogi mentions in the preface. It could have been a better book, in my opinion, had it been more fleshed out in that respect.

A good read
A good book for introducing group theoretical methods, especially for students of physics. Nicely cast into LaTex, but I wish some of the peoblems could be a little more illuminating. ... Read more

Book Description

Electromagnetism sets a new standard in physics education. Throughout the book, the theory is illustrated with real-life applications in modern technology. It also includes detailed worked examples and step-by-step explanations to help readers develop their problem-solving strategies and skills and consolidate their understanding. In addition to a meticulous development of these traditional, analytical mathematical approaches, readers are also introduced to a range of techniques required for solving problems using computers. Electromagnetism provides an ideal preparation for students who plan more advanced studies in electrodynamics as well as those moving into industry or engineering. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Not bad
I used this book for a 2 semester course in E&M. I absolutely hated it for the first semester, but it's merits became apparent during the second semester. The treatment of statics is inadequate at best, but Pollack and Stump do a great job from the chapter on Maxwell's equations on. The chapter on relativity and tensors alone makes this book a worthwhile buy. I would suggest using Griffith's for statics and Pollack and Stump for dynamics, but given the cost of both books thats probably going to be an expensive proposition.

Great Text
Goes into much more detail than other undergraduate E&M texts, so it will never leave you hanging on the math. Discussion is also extremely clear and easy to follow. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who is taking an undergraduate E&M course. ... Read more

Book Description

This text treats electronic transport in the regime where conventional textbook models are no longer applicable, including the effect of electronic phase coherence, energy quantization and single-electron charging. The book also provides an overview of semiconductor processing technologies and experimental techniques. With a number of examples and problems with solutions, this is an ideal introduction for students and beginning researchers in the field.

"This book is a useful tool also for the experienced researcher to get a summary about recent developments in solid state nanostructures. I applaud the author for a marvelous contribution to the scientific community of mesoscopic electronics."
Prof. K. Ensslin, Solid State Physics Laboratory, ETH Zurich ... Read more

Book Description

A modern presentation of theoretical solid state physics that builds directly upon Kittel's Introduction to Solid State Physics. Treats phonon, electron, and magnon fields, culminating in the BCS theory of superconductivity. Considers Fermi surfaces and electron wave functions and develops the group theoretical description of Brillouin zones. Applies correlation functions to time-dependent effects in solids, with an introduction to Green's functions. With 110 problems, the text is well-suited for the classroom or for self-instruction. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Still a good book
It is too bad this book is out of print, for it gives a good introduction to the quantum theory as applied to condensed matter, despite the many advances that have taken place since the date of publication, such as high-temperature superconductivity, the fractional quantum Hall effect, and nanoscale physics. Therefore, if a copy can be found, it is still worth perusing and having on one's shelf. I only read the first 8 chapters of the book, so my review will be confined to them.

After a brief introduction to the mathematics needed in the book, the author begins in chapter 2 with a treatment of acoustic phonons, which arise from the canonical quantization of the transverse motion of a continuous elastic line under tension. This object is handled using the Lagrangian formalism, and after finding the Hamiltonian density, employing a canonical transformation, the (bosonic) creation and annihilation operators are found: phonon excitations. Both longitudinal and transverse modes are shown to exist in general. Bogoliubov transformations are then used to show how phonons may arise in a system of weakly interacting particles. The author then derives the expression for the velocity of "second sound" in a phonon gas. Experimental evidence for second sound in liquid helium was known at the time of publication, but since then evidence has accumulated in Bose gases and in certain types of crystals, such as KTaO and SrTiO. The phenomenon of second sound has also been of considerable interest in the study of nonlinear optical phenomena in smectic liquid crystals. The author also discusses the occurence of van Hove singularities in the phonon frequency distribution function, and points to their connection with Morse theory.

In chapter 3 the author concentrates his attention on plasmons, which arises from longitudinal excitations in an electron gas, and optical phonons in ionic crystals. He then extends the latter analysis to include the interaction of optical phonons with photons, which he also treats using quantum field theory, giving what he calls a quantum theory of a classical dielectric.

The theory of spin waves, or "magnons" is discussed in chapter 4, wherein the author first treats ferromagnetic magnons via the consideration of the Hamiltonian consisting of nearest-neighbor exchange and Zeeman contributions. The dispersion relation for both optical and acoustical magnons in a spin system forming a Bravais lattice is derived and compared with experiment for magnetite. The author then treats antiferromagnetic magnons and discusses the zero-point sublattice magnetization and the heat capacity of antiferromagnets. He then returns to ferromagnetic magnons but from a more macroscopic point of view, treating the magnetization as a macroscopic field, rather than dealing with individual spins. Lastly, he considers the excitation of ferromagnetic magnons by parallel pumping and the temperature dependence of effective exchange.

After a short review of the Hartree-Fock approximation in chapter 5, the author considers the all-important electron gas in chapter 6. The electron gas, particularly in two dimensions, has been the subject of great interest since this book was first published, not only because of its technological importance, but also its role in the quantum Hall effect and the fractional quantum Hall effect. Although density functional and renormalization group methods are the current favored ones for studying the electron gas, readers can still gain much from the reading of the chapter. The author concentrates his attention on the approximate calculation of the correlation energy of the degenerate electron gas, particularly at high density. To do this he uses the self-consistent field approach and he exploits the frequency and wavevector dielectric constant as a tool for studying many-body interactions. Several bread-and-butter topics in quantum many-body theory appear in this chapter, such as the linked cluster expansion, which appear in other more complicated (relativistic) contexts, such as high energy physics.

The author introduces polarons in chapter 7 as a consequence of any deformation of the ideal periodic lattice of positive ion cores on the motion of conduction electrons, and notes that even the zero-point motion of phonons effects this motion. The interaction of an electron with the lattice results in a "lattice polarization field" around the electron, and the resulting composite particle is the polaron, which, as expected, has a larger effective mass then the electron in an unperturbed lattice. The electron-phonon interaction results in resistivity, results in attenuation of ultrasonic waves in metals, and results in some cases to an attractive interaction between electrons, this being one of the precursors of superconductivity. The problem of electron-phonon interaction in metals has been the subject of much study in attempts to give quantum field theory a rigorous mathematical foundation, particularly via the study of the "jellium model".

Chapter 8 is very important, and its content reveals again the age of the book. The phenomenon of superconductivity, and its description by the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer theory, is known as one of the triumphs of the quantum theory of solids. Of course, when this book was published, superconducting materials at high temperature, were not known. The author though gives a detailed overview of the BCS theory, starting with the Hamiltonian for the electrons, phonons, and their first-order interactions (the strength measured by a certain real constant D). Using a canonical transformation, the author reduces the Hamiltonian to one with no off-diagonal terms of order D. This results in an expression for an electron-electron interaction which can be attractive for excitation energies in a certain range (involving the Debye energy). Keeping only this interaction in the Hamiltonian, for wave vectors that satisfy this range constraint, the author studies the properties of bound electron pairs, and shows how they bring about superconductivity. He also outlines an alternative solution to the BCS equation, using what he calls the equation-of-motion method. More modern treatments of superconductivity employ the use of Higgs fields and the renormalization group, these approaches shedding light on whether one can indeed view superconductivity as a "macroscopic manifestation of quantum physics".

Good Overall Review of Advanced Solid State Theory
A good book in addition to another introductory text. I covers the subject manner in an orderly fashion and reviews the theory in an intricate fashion. However, the mathematical notation is not what one would expect from other Solid State texts however the same conventions are used from his introductory book on Solid State Physics. An excellent investment for those interested.

Excellent book!
This book contains all the necessary formalism to become aquainted with many-body theory and Green's functions. The writing is clear and to the point. ... Read more

Book Description

Cellular solids include engineering honeycombs and foams (which can now be made from polymers, metals, ceramics, and composites) as well as natural materials, such as wood, cork, and cancellous bone.This new edition of a classic work details current understanding of the structure and mechanical behavior of cellular materials, and the ways in which they can be exploited in engineering design.Gibson and Ashby have brought the book completely up to date, including new work on processing of metallic and ceramic foams and on the mechanical, electrical and acoustic properties of cellular solids.Data for commercially available foams are presented on material property charts; two new case studies show how the charts are used for selection of foams in engineering design.Over 150 references appearing in the literature since the publication of the first edition are cited. It will be of interest to graduate students and researchers in materials science and engineering. ... Read more

Book Description

This book is an introduction to the physical principles of modern semiconductor devices and their advanced fabrication technology. It begins with a brief historical review of major devices and key technologies and is then divided into three sections: semiconductor material properties, physics of semiconductor devices and processing technology to fabricate these semiconductor devices. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Excellent Basic Introduction for Engineers
This is a welcome 2nd edition of Sze's basic introduction to the technology underlying modern conventional semiconductor devices. The first edition of 1985 served the needs of its time admirably, but the 17 years since have seen much progress in the field, especially in the area of fabrication technology.

It should be stressed that this text is an introductory text, covering the basics well, but not taking the material much beyond the intermediate level. It is also very much an engineering text rather than a physics text, for the focus is squarely placed on the technology and not the underlying solid-state physics. As such, it is suited to undergraduate electrical/electronic engineers wishing to gain some appreciation of the physics underpinning conventional semiconductor devices, and the way they are fabricated, or for physicists wishing to gain some perspective on the fabrication and operation of the same, but it is in no way a comprehensive textbook on semiconductor physics.

Nevertheless, the material that is presented is well chosen, and well explained. The English prose style is somewhat pedestrian, but this is no great flaw in an engineering textbook. All the essentials of semiconductor materials (almost exclusively Si and GaAs) are described, the p-n junction, as well as the major device types (BJTs, (MOS/MES)FETs, microwave diodes, LEDs, lasers, etc.) and the modern technologies employed for their fabrication. In some senses, the section on fabrication technologies, taking up fully a third of the book, is perhaps its best section, for fabrication is rarely given such emphasis (although, again, not detailed, but covering most salient points) in an introductory book.

The pedagogical method employed by Sze is sound, and relevant worked examples are provided. The only short-coming is perhaps the relative brevity of the end-of-chapter problems, for which no answers are provided, but, in such a textbook, I feel that it is not really necessary to work through them to gain a solid grasp of the material presented.

Physically, the book is much more attractive than the previous edition. The cover is more appealling, and the text is well set in a two-colour print. The diagrams are nothing special, but they are generally clear and explain their point well, and are certainly much improved from the first edition, especially those in the fabrication section.

Just a final comment on other reviews: it is difficult to see how this book may be regarded as a bible of any sort, for the material is covered in quite a superficial manner. I wonder if they are not mistaking it for the 'big Sze', viz., Sze's 'Physics of Semiconductor Devices', which is another, much larger and more comprehensive, work of Sze's.

Recommended as a reference book
This is a good book providing the most important references in the field of semiconductors devices and technology. As a text book it is hard to follow and gives little scientific background regarding the physics of processes in semiconductors and structures design criteria. However, it provides a wonderful summary of the most important facts related to the devices and their derivatives, including valuable data on the common materials in use.

good info
A lot of people consider this the semiconductor device "bible"...but I think that's more or less 'cause back in 85 there just weren't that many good books written a about this subject. There are now many, many books so... It's not a bad book to own so buy this and some other book. You can never have too many books.

Good, but not excellent book!
This is a very famous book for describing the semiconductor physics, although this is not new. Some people maybe think that is hard to follow, but it does provide a lot of information and document for readers. Thus, it can be a very good reference book because it introduces many important papers in semiconductor developments. So you will know why and how semiconductor devices become what we see today!

The book I use every day
Explains the basic concepts in device physics well. Covers generic process steps used to make most semiconductors. Probably a bit outdated, though physics hasn't changed much since 1985. This book is referred to as "eazy Sze" around my office, which is a refrence to "hard Sze"--The physics of semiconductor devices, 1981. "Hard Sze" is the ultimate refrence for device physics. ... Read more

Book Description

A subject of keen scientific inquiry since the last century, surface physics emerged as an independent discipline only in the late 1960s resulting from the development of ultra-high vacuum technology and high speed digital computers.With these tools, reliable experimental measurements and theoretical calculations could at last be compared. Physics at Surfacesis a unique introduction to the physics and chemical physics of solid surfaces, and atoms and molecules that interact with solid surfaces.This book provides a synthesis of the entire field of surface physics from the perspective of a modern condensed matter physicist with a healthy interest in chemical physics. ... Read more

Book Description

The book describes the physical basis of all of the principal and the majority of the more specialized techniques used today in studies of well-characterized solid surfaces.The techniques are grouped according to the underlying physics and are described in nine chapters.The treatment of each technique concentrates on the basic physical principles, and illustrates its use with selected examples with an emphasis on understanding the concepts. Included in each of these discussions is a view of the strengths, the weaknesses, and the complementary aspects of the individual methods.Although some mention is included of the potential use of some of the methods to study technical surfaces, the emphasis of the examples is taken from studies of the basic chemistry and physics of well-characterized surfaces under ultra-high vacuum conditions, aimed at elucidating their structural, compositional, electronic, and vibrational properties.This edition includes new material on synchrotron radiation related techniques, scanning tunnelling microscopy and spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. ... Read more

Book Description

Complex interacting networks are observed in systems from such diverse areas as physics, biology, economics, ecology, and computer science. For example, economic or social interactions often organize themselves in complex network structures. Similar phenomena are observed in traffic flow and in communication networks as the internet. In current problems of the Biosciences, prominent examples are protein networks in the living cell, as well as molecular networks in the genome. On larger scales one finds networks of cells as in neural networks, up to the scale of organisms in ecological food webs.
This book defines the field of complex interacting networks in its infancy and presents the dynamics of networks and their structure as a key concept across disciplines.
The contributions present common underlying principles of network dynamics and their theoretical description and are of interest to specialists as well as to the non-specialized reader looking for an introduction to this new exciting field.
Theoretical concepts include modeling networks as dynamical systems with numerical methods and new graph theoretical methods, but also focus on networks that change their topology as in morphogenesis and self-organization. The authors offer concepts to model network structures and dynamics, focussing on approaches applicable across disciplines.

... Read more

Reviews (1)

Crosses Many Disciplines
The attraction of this book is the chance of serendipity. The sheer joy and possibility of thumbing through it and stumbling across something germane to your research, but totally unforeseen by you or others.

The book sits astride several disciplines. Mostly biology. But also computer networks, of which, of course, the Internet is the primary and largest example. But the book also covers some portions of sociology. The classic six degrees of separation between any two people in the world. Actually this is more a metaphor than the literal truth. But still useful in understanding human networks.

If you are currently working with some type of network, your expertise in it, while being a strength, may also be a weakness if it makes you unaware of qualitatively different networks that yet have some commonality with yours. ... Read more

Book Description

Comprehensive textbook for students and research workers offers self-contained coverage of a variety of topics ranging from the elementary theory of waves and vibrations in strings to the three-dimensional theory of waves in thick plates. Emphasis is on analytical and experimental results, in addition to theoretical development. Appendices contain introductory material on elasticity, transforms and experimental techniques. Over 100 problems.
... Read more

Reviews (1)

Complete referencebook
This book is great. This book describes the full theory of wave motions in elastic solids. Great mathematical descriptions and interpretations. Good derivations of equations of motion and their assumptions. This book is a masterwork and an awesome referencebook for everything that has to do with waves! ... Read more

Book Description

This book presents coherent and systematic coverage of the broad and dynamic field of free atom and cluster atom chemistry. The text provides a comprehensive overview of the current literature and describes the mostimportant experimental techniques developed since 1980 including bimetallic clusters/catalysts, carbon clusters (fullerenes) and trapped single atoms. Metal atoms, clusters, and particles are covered in sequence with the Periodic Table. ... Read more

Book Description

A modern, unified treatment of condensed matter physics

This new work presents for the first time in decades a sweeping review of the whole field of condensed matter physics. It consolidates new and classic topics from disparate sources, teaching "not only about the effective masses of electrons in semiconductor crystals and band theory, but also about quasicrystals, dynamics of phase separation, why rubber is more floppy than steel, electron interference in nanometer-sized channels, and the quantum Hall effect."

Six major areas are covered---atomic structure, electronic structure, mechanical properties, electron transport, optical properties, and magnetism. But rather than defining the field in terms of particular materials, the author focuses on the way condensed matter physicists approach physical problems, combining phenomenology and microscopic arguments with information from experiments. For graduate students and professionals, researchers and engineers, applied mathematicians and materials scientists, Condensed Matter Physics provides:
* An exciting collection of new topics from the past two decades.
* A thorough treatment of classic topics, including band theory, transport theory, and semiconductor physics.
* Over 300 figures, incorporating many images from experiments.
* Frequent comparison of theory and experiment, both when they agree and when problems are still unsolved.
* More than 50 tables of data and a detailed index.
* Ample end-of-chapter problems, including computational exercises.
* Over 1000 references, both recent and historically significant. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Comprehensive but poor
I admire anyone who attempts to teach all of condensed matter physics in one book. That being said, being comprehensive and being comprehendible are two very different things. While being the former it sacrifices the latter. Marder does not do a good job of explaining the physical concepts needed to build a better understanding of advanced material. In addition, his end-of-chapter problems can be relatively uninformative and tedious i.e. you are left asking why did I just do this problem? Inevitably I find myself going back to Ashcroft & Mermin's wonderful but dated book. Hopefully one day they will publish a new edition...

Broad coverage, but lacking detail
I used Marder's book (the corrected printing) during a solid state physics course this past Spring 2003 semeseter. While I have to commend Marder at his attempt to provide a great deal of breadth on the enormous field of condensed matter, I think he fell short on the details and pedagogy that are necessary for someone new to the subject. Too often, I found myself (and the others I worked with) having to refer to Ashcroft & Mermin's text to complete HW problems assigned out of Marder's book. Also, his notation in certain chapters was unnecessarily confusing, especially the chapter(s) on phonons. I have since read most of the book by Taylor & Heinonen, and I found it to be of much more use than Marder's book. T&H's book is very well written and the concepts flow smoothly from one to the next. In fact, many of the things I struggled to understand last semester were so clearly explained in their text, that I wondered how I could have been so confused! Marder's book has been praised by others as a modern improvement to the A&M standard, but up-to-date topics are of little use if the first-timer has difficulty understanding the nuances of core ideas (e.g., transport, band-structure, and electron-phonon interactions). My opinion is that a good library should include A&M's text for those fundamentals that never go away (crystal structure, semiconductors, etc.) and a book such as T&H's or Chaikin & Lubensky's for the more modern topics ("soft" condensed matter, mesoscopic physics, etc.).

corrected printing has appeared
Note that a corrected printing (not 'new edition') came out in February 2001. Make sure you get this version, which is identified on the cover.

at last, an update for Ashcroft & Mermin's book
The classic solid state / condensed matter text by Ashcroft and Mermin (A&M) is now 25 years old. It's a very accessible and elegantly written book, but condensed matter is a fast-moving subject, and it's embarassing that A&M is still used today. The alternatives have all been too specialized, too formal, and/or too leadenly written in comparison.

This book by Marden may finally replace A&M. Like Ashcroft and Mermin, Marden is a member of the Cornell mafia. Some parts of the book practically echo A&M, and the writing style is at least as friendly to the beginning grad student ("Now it will be protested that atoms without dipole moments do not have dipole moments. This is true. However...") But the large number of new developments of the last 25 years are discussed or at least mentioned. In addition to the same-old band structure, magnetism, etc., liquids are covered (a surprising omission in A&M), as are surfaces, soft matter, optical properties of materials, etc. The book is fairly logically structured and works well as a text, except that there is way too much material here to cover in a year.

The first printing is full of errors, listed on a web page created by the author. You may want to wait until the second printing before plunking down $95 (too high for impoverished grad students). Top and bottom margins are practically nonexistent. Photographs and shaded 3D drawings are poorly reproduced and murky; they appear to have been printed on a smeary $79.95 inkjet printer and then reproduced. ... Read more

Book Description

Principles of Electronic Materials and Devices, Third Edition, is a greatly enhanced version of the highly successful text Principles of Electronic Materials and Devices, Second Edition. It is designed for a first course on electronic materials given in Materials Science and Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Physics and Engineering Physics Departments at the undergraduate level.

The third edition has numerous revisions that include more beautiful illustrations and photographs, additional sections, more solved problems, worked examples, and end-of-chapter problems with direct engineering applications. The revisions have improved the rigor without sacrificing the original semiquantitative approach that both the students and instructors liked and valued. Some of the new end-of-chapter problems have been especially selected to satisfy various professional engineering design requirements for accreditation across international borders. Advanced topics have been collected under Additional Topics, which are not necessary in a short introductory treatment. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

geared towards engineering students
Kasap offers a book well suited for an undergraduate engineer, who needs a comprehensive text of semiconductors and related electronic materials. The level of physics and maths required is moderate - one year or so of freshman courses.

The important materials are explained. Silicon, gallium arsenide and others. Kasap also provides many diagrams to illustrate key ideas. Plus, this is clearly meant as a student's textbook. Many examples of problems are worked through. To some students, this may be the clearest way to understand and apply ideas.

Kasap also found ways to greatly simplify standard mathematical treatments. Expands significantly the size of the audience who can appreciate the ease of understanding. Because a longstanding issue in materials science has been that texts were often written by physicists, for physicists or physics majors. Often leaving them too abstruse for engineering students, who also had a need for comprehending the same ideas. ... Read more

Book Description

This volume contains the written articles corresponding to the more than fifty invited presentations. Most of these articles provide current reviews of the status of various aspects of the field and are written by acknowledged experts. Topics include: historical reviews; atoms, molecules; solids and surfaces; highly charged ions; nuclear effects; fundamental physics; imaging and medical applications; as well as new sources and techniques. ... Read more

Book Description

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the physics of the photovoltaic cell. It is suitable for undergraduates, graduate students, and researchers new to the field. It covers: basic physics of semiconductors in photovoltaic devices; physical models of solar cell operation; characteristics and design of common types of solar cell; and approaches to increasing solar cell efficiency. The text explains the terms and concepts of solar cell device physics and shows the reader how to formulate and solve relevant physical problems. Exercises and worked solutions are included. ... Read more

Book Description

This book should be at the side of every particle and nuclear physics graduate student and professional. Journeys Beyond the Standard Model starts with a detailed and modern account of the Standard Model of elementary particle physics, the paradigm of particle physics for the last twenty years. Its timely release coincides with the recent dramatic discovery that the neutrino has a finite mass, which is the first indication that the Standard Model is an incomplete description of fundamental physics at short distances. This book presents in detail three possible generalizations of the Standard Model: its extension to accommodate neutrino masses; its extension to avoid CP violation in the strong interactions by introducing a new particle, the axion; and finally, its generalization to low-energy supersymmetry, which provides a link between the standard model and Einstein's theory of general relativity.

This new graduate text complements the author's previous book, Modern Field Theory: A Primer, which focuses on the methodology of particle physics. Its aim is to give students and professional physicists alike a thorough comprehension of the phenomena described by the Standard Model, while keeping track of the most recent and cutting-edge principles of elementary particle physics. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A well-prepared travell
Judging by this book, Pierre Ramond must be somebody who spends more time packing his suitcases than travelling. He must therefore be a very well-prepared and careful traveller. Two-thirds of "Journeys Beyondthe Standard Model" is devoted to the Standard Model of fundamentalparticle interactions. Considerable understanding can be revealed byundertaking the journeys described in Pierre Ramond's book, provided thetraveller invests in the Standard Model groundwork excellently surveyed inthe book's initial chapters.

Gian Francesco Giudice/ Theoretical PhysicsDivision, CERN

A complete review is available in CERN Courier, June 2000 ... Read more