Book Description

Waves occur naturally in a vast number of scientific or engineering situations. Ripples on a pond, the light we see, and the oscillations of bridges and buildings can often be described as solitary or interacting waves. Wave theory is therefore one of the most important branches of pure and applied science.

In Modulated Waves: Theory and Applications Lev Ostrovsky and Alexander Potapov consider linear and nonlinear waves such as solitons, waves in inhomogeneous media, and many others. They discuss modulated waves--those characterized by a slow variation of the macroscopic parameters of amplitude, frequency, and profile. Most of the fundamentals of wave theory may be understood by considering this class of waves. Theoretical analysis is supported by examples from different branches of physics: electrodynamics, fluid mechanics, acoustics, optics, and the mechanics of solids. ... Read more

Book Description

This graduate text introduces relativistic quantum theory, emphasizing important applications in condensed matter physics. Relativistic quantum theory is the unification of Einstein's theory of relativity and the quantum mechanics of Bohr, Schrödinger and Heisenberg.Beginning with basic theory, the book then describes essential topics.It includes many worked examples and exercises as well as an extensive reference list.This clear account of a crucial topic will be valuable to graduates and researchers working in condensed matter physics and quantum physics. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

RQM-Paul Strange
I have read this book as a physics undergraduate and also since I started my Ph.D. in theoretical physics, and I have found it, unlike other text books, very well written and extremely helpful. It is highly recommendable for undergraduates and the maths is very easy to follow for any science undergraduate or graduate. It is definitely one of the best relativistic quantume mechanics books available.

Relativistic Quantum Mechanics-Paul Strange
As an final year undergraduate taking an option in Relativistic quantum Mechanics I found this book invaluable in helping me with the course. It's clear, concise explanations of Relativistic Quantum theories made the whole subject that much easier to get to grips with.

Puts RQM into state-of-the-art solid state physics
Already decades ago many excellent books dealing with relativistic quantum mechanics (RQM) have been published. Clearly one of the unique features of the RQM book by P. Strange is that it does not only discuss the general concepts of RQM in (Chapters 1-10), but also describes in a great detail electronic structure and various x-ray spectroscopy theories used in the state-of-the-art research of magnetic materials (Chapters 10-12). Also a student learning quantum mechanics for solid state might feel the relativistic one-dimensional Kronig-Penney model in Chapter 9 quite useful. Interestingly, a relativistic version of the microscopic theory of superconductivity in the framework of the Bogolubov-de Gennes equations has been presented in Chapter 13. A nice extra feature is that the SI system of units has been used throughout the book.

All in all, Relativistic Quantum Mechanics book by P. Strange works as a valuable textbook as well as reference material for graduate students and researchers. It is especially useful for those studying solid state magnetism from microscopic theory viewpoint. Bringing RQM into the context of solid state physics research (Chapters 10-13) is obviously one of the best features of the book.

Relativistic Quantum Mechanics
This book starts at a level easily accessible to a final year undergraduate and develops the subject to the level of a researcher in condensed matter physics. I found the book easy to read and instructive. Chapter 9 is particularly good, being entirely devoted to solving several model problems. I thoroughly recommend this book as a clear and well written text.

RQM - Paul Strange
This is an excellent introduction to Relativistic Quantum Mechanics. I would highly recommend this text for the use of final year (special option) undergraduate students and post-graduates who wish to obtain a fundamental grasp of this exciting area of research.

This text, which starts at a basic level, introduces the reader to the theory of special relativity and angular momentum. Later chapters aim to give the reader insight into how Relativistic Quantum Mechanics can be used to describe, for example, magneto-optical effects (important in the magentic recording industry) and superconductivity (another 'hot' area of research in physics today). ... Read more

Book Description

For the last decade, the author has been working to extend continuum mechanics to treat moving boundaries in materials focusing, in particular, on problems of metallurgy. This monograph presents a rational treatment of the notion of configurational forces; it is an effort to promote a new viewpoint. Included is a presentation of configurational forces within a classical context and a discussion of their use in areas as diverse as phase transitions and fracture. The work should be of interest to materials scientists, mechanicians, and mathematicians. ... Read more

Book Description

Written for an interdisciplinary readership of physicists, engineers, and chemists, this book is a practical guide to the fascinating world of solitons. These waves of large amplitude propagate over long distances without dispersing and therefore show one of the most striking aspects of nonlinearity. The author addresses students, practitioners, and researchers, approaching the subject from the standpoint of applications in optics, hydrodynamics, and electrical and chemical engineering. The book also encourages readers to perform their own experiments. Since the printing of the second edition of this book, there has been a large growth in the literature on nonlinear waves and so has the wide applicability of the subject to the physical, chemical and biological sciences. This third edition has been thoroughly revised. Some of the topics are brought up to date with pertinent references. Furthermore, the book now includes a completely new chapter on solitary waves in!diffuse systems. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

fill in
While sounding like the latest episode from Power Rangers, this book is actually a translation of work done in the early 90's that shared it's place in the sun. The authors use Discrete Math arguements to link Hirato's equation to Pluckers equation on transformational evolution. This basic area links self organizational theory, deterministic chaos, cubic schrodeger and Kortig deVrie into a concept almost reminiscent of Hadamards work on odd order integers in cylindrical differential equations. (Dirac's sea of holes, with Fermions and Bosons linked via a Jungian archetype to the Beatles sea of holes in the Yellow Submarine.) Seriously though this area is almost untouched although brushed up against many times,(Stokes, Kortig,Bossinesq,etc.) The concept of self similarties on infintesimal differential equations producing evolution equations shows up in many forms(check Herman Haken's works). The reviewer first became aware when plotting in Mathcad or Matlab the Bessel Airy equations and the explicit form of the deep water equation. (both indentical) with similarites showing up in 1/3's. Called solitons or n-solitons the symmetries are amazing! At first the reviewer thought they were Moire Patterns due to aliasing, but after repeated math tests, confirmed the patterns. Spectral analysis, and wavelet analysis showed their self organized similarites explicitly,both in polynomial content and best basis. Check this out using Matlab's System Identification toolbox after converting the system to theta format. (this allows conversion to state systems and characteristic equations that are part of this story). ... Read more

Book Description

The author uses a unique approach which emphasizes the field theoretic aspects of gravitation and the strong analogies between gravitation and the other areas that are studied in physics. The theory-centered text begins with the simplest experimental facts then proceeds to the corresponding differential equations, theoretical constructs such as energy, momentum and stress and several applications. End-of-chapter problems provide students with an opportunity to test their understanding, serve as an introduction to and a review of material not included in the book and can be used to develop examples, extensions and generalizations of the material presented. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Classical field theory reviewed by a master.
Francis Low is an outstanding theoretical physicist who also happens to have an interest in education. He wrote marvellous lectures on quantum scattering, where the misteries of the so-called Sommerfeld radiation condition were clarified (and derived!) by using wave-packets. His name in science was made mainly by the epoch-making paper, with Gell-Mann, which introduced the now ubiquitous renormalization group. It is noble of him to dedicate some of his time to write his vision of electrodynamics and gravitation, as examples of classical field theory. This is an advanced book, meant to deepen and unify concepts. But Francis Low would'nt stop at that. You'll find fresh views almost at every page, mainly on the electrodynamics part, his turf. Some criticism has been made, by Robert Wald, for instance, about his treatment of gravitation, which is more or less alla Feynman, or alla Schwinger: geometry is discovered. It is not the starting point, like in Einstein. This is also welcome: it puts your mind to work along different tracks. All in all, a great reading.

easy
This subject is just too simple! ... Read more

Book Description

Papers presented at a workshop on Extensions of Quantum Physics held in Krakow, Poland, October 12-15, 2000. The workshop was devoted to controversial new experimental results in quantum tunnelling and their theoretical interpretation, including such topics as superluminal signal velocities and the locality problem, localization of photons in tunneling, preferred reference systems in Maxwell electrodynamics, and tunnelling through many-barrier and many-layer systems. ... Read more

Book Description

Topics covered include: Basic Properties of Particles and Fields; Electromagnetism; Interaction of Fields and Particles; Dynamics of Classical Fields; Solitons; Path Integrals and Instantons; Basic Principles and Applications of Differential Geometry; Differentiable Manifolds and Tensor Analysis; Differential Forms and the Exterior Algebra; Integral Calculus on Manifolds; Dirac Monopoles; Smooth Maps and Winding Numbers; Symmetries and Conservation Laws ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Geometry, Particles, and Fields
This text is extremely clear and direct. It offers a simple and expedient introduction to advanced topics with little prerequisites. Anyone with rudimentary knowledge of classical and quauntum mechanics can follow the author's presentation with great easy. The organization of the text is completely appropriate and the exercises are totally relevant. The only advisement is to constantly remind oneself that the text is only on the topic of classical fields to the exclusion of any sections explicitly on quantum theory.

Clear and pedagogical about modern theoretical physcis
This book was originally published in Denmark in a typewritten form. I gives a very clear treatment of many aspects of modern theoretical physics on the advanced undergraduate or graduate level. Electromagnetism, gauge theories, path-integrals, differential geometry, and other central topics are treated with a minimum of unnecessary abstraction and a lot of examples and applications. ... Read more

Book Description

Looking for new underwater worlds to conquer, Arthur Clarke and Mike Wilson followed up their expedition to Australia?s Great Barrier Reef (described in The Coast of Coral) by exploring the romantic seas surrounding Ceylon. Meetings with dangerous and beautiful marine creatures were only one side of the expedition?s activities. Their adventures included the discovery of many wrecks and the investigation of a 3,000-year-old Hindu temple lying on the ocean bed.

Clarke and Wilson lived among the Ceylonese natives, their contact with Europeans virtually limited to the dozen members of the Ceylonese Reefcombers Club, who shared many of their underwater adventures. When weather conditions ruled out skin diving, they explored the awe-inspiring ruins of ancient Sinhalese cities, made trips into the jungles in search of wild life, and visited Buddhist monasteries.

Clarke and Wilson?s experiences provide vivid impressions of old and new Ceylon, one of the key countries of the Far East, and give vivid impressions of the fantastic life of the tropical reefs and the strange transformations which lost ships undergo when the sea works its will on them. ... Read more

Book Description

Originally published by Random House in 1966, this classic work is an indepth analysis of the pioneering work of Michael Faraday. Since Faraday was the major architect of field theory, the book focuses on the evolution of his ideas and their impact on the scientific community of the nineteenth century. The concluding chapter discusses the more mathematical contribution of James Maxwell, who was instrumental in turning Faraday's heresies into the orthodoxy of classical field theory. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Highly recommended
As an engineer I feel obligated to keep up to speed with things scientific, and I also have an interest in Physics. This book definitely updates modern Physics to an average reader, and has many interesting stories to supplement the material. It has just the right mix of science, history and math to keep the reader interested. I seriously recommend it to all interested in Physics. ... Read more

Book Description

In view of the greater demands for versality and computer expertise in the engineering profession today, Engineering Field Theory with Applications provides a strong mathematical basis for engineering students which in turn equips and prepares them with an interdisciplinary background. This integrated text will also be of interest to the practising engineer who needs to review the basic mathematical principles upon which engineering is based. ... Read more

Book Description

Addresses theory and design techniques of shock-expansion rotors and engines. Covers pressure exchanger machines, compounded wave engines and diesel engine design. The material presented can be utilized to design small, lightweight but efficient, low-powered industrial turbines as well as high-performance jet aircraft engines. Features a brief review of essential thermodynamics and gas dynamics used to develop time-dependent flow equations and calculation methods prior to presenting specific design techniques. ... Read more

Book Description

In this comprehensive book, all aspects of Millimeter Waves (MMWs) are explored with an emphasis on the fundamental aspects of the associated physical phenomena.
Each chapter provides a review of the main aspects of the subject, including: fundamental limitations and prospects of semiconductor device application in MMW radio systems; multi-element arrays of semiconductor devices in MMW transceivers; active MMW dielectric waveguides; crystal growth processes in thin film Au-GaAs contact performance for MMW devices; local nonuniformities and potential patches at the interfaces of thin film structures in MMW semiconductor devices; and low-loss dielectric materials for MMW components.
The book will be invaluable to researchers, university lecturers, industrial laboratories and medical institutions concerned with both the scientific and technological advances in the millimetre wave components and devices. ... Read more

Book Description

This text presents a clear, systematic, and comprehensive introduction to the relevant mathematics and physics of linear and nonlinear oscillations and waves. Special emphasis is placed on the basic equations and known as well as new analytical solutions, which are clarified by numerous illustrations. The book is written for advanced undergraduate and graduate students of physics, mathematics, computer science, electrical engineering, and fluid mechanics. It will also be of use to scientists and engineers involved in research at universities and in industry. ... Read more