Book Description

Paras Prasad’s text provides a basic knowledge of a broad range of topics so that individuals in all disciplines can rapidly acquire the minimal necessary background for research and development in biophotonics. Introduction to Biophotonics serves as both a textbook for education and training as well as a reference book that aids research and development of those areas integrating light, photonics, and biological systems. Each chapter contains a topic introduction, a review of key data, and description of future directions for technical innovation. Introduction to Biophotonics covers the basic principles of

• Optics
  
• Optical spectroscopy
  
• Microscopy

Each section also includes illustrated examples and review questions to test and advance the reader’s knowledge. Sections on biosensors and chemosensors, important tools for combating biological and chemical terrorism, will be of particular interest to professionals in toxicology and other environmental disciplines. Introduction to Biophotonics proves a valuable reference for graduate students and researchers in engineering, chemistry, and the life sciences. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Biological Sciences Graduate Student
Like many introduction to optics books published by Wiley, this book is well organized and gives an excellent overview with some good illustrations (terrible representation of Optical Coherence Tomography). It is a good overview of many areas like bioimaging and biosensors. As a biological science graduate student, I found the few formulas easy to understand. FRET and FLIM should have been developed better. The web references are convenient.
I definitely recommend this book to anyone wanting to have a good overview on different biological optical applications. ... Read more

Book Description

Quantum field theory describes basic physical phenomena over an extremely wide range of length or energy scales. Quantum fields exist in space and time, which can be approximated by a set of lattice points. This book presents a comprehensive and coherent account of the theory of quantum fields on a lattice, an essential technique for the study of the strong and electroweak nuclear interactions. After introductory chapters on scalar fields, gauge fields and fermion fields, the book studies quarks and gluons in QCD and fermions and bosons in the electroweak theory. The last chapter is devoted to numerical simulations algorithms that have been used in recent large-scale numerical simulations. The book will be valuable for graduate students and researchers in theoretical physics, elementary particle physics, and field theory, as well as non-perturbative approximations and numerical simulations of quantum field phenomena. ... Read more

Book Description

PRAISE FOR Erbium-Doped Fiber Amplifiers: Principles and Applications

"The book is an indispensable reference for researchers, development engineers, and system designers in fiber-optic communications.... It will excel as an introductory text in upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses on system applications of fiber optics." —Optik

"One of the most comprehensive and detailed accounts of the physics and fundamental principles of erbium-doped fiber amplifiers.... I do not hesitate to recommend the book enthusiastically to anyone having an interest in EDFAs and their applications." —Physics Today

Erbium-doped fiber amplifiers are an important technology for lightwave voice, video, and data transmission. The passage of the 1996 Telecommunications Act and the growth of the Internet have sparked intense demand for expanded bandwidth in all network layers, resulting in significant advances in Erbium-Doped Fiber Amplifier (EDFA) technology. This two-volume set combines Erbium-Doped Fiber Amplifiers: Principles and Applications, an important exploration of the then-infant technology of erbium-doped fiber amplifiers, and Erbium-Doped Fiber Amplifiers: Device and System Developments, a new volume designed to expands the readers conceptual understanding of EDFAs and cover the developmental issues of EDFAs that are relevant to modern telecom applications.

Erbium-Doped Fiber Amplifiers: Principles and Applications illuminates such key areas as:

• Modeling light amplification in Er-doped single-mode fibers
• Fundamentals of noise in optical fiber amplifiers
• Photodetection of optically amplified signals
• Spectroscopic properties of erbium glass fibers
• Gain, saturation, and noise characteristics of EDFAs
• Device and system applications of EDFAs

Erbium-Doped Fiber Amplifiers:

• Devices and Developments reviews
• New aspects in EDFA modeling, including the standard confined-doping, the transcendental-power-equation, and average-inversion-level models
• Design concepts for EDFAs in terrestrial and submarine WDM systems
• Transmission fiber design and dispersion-management techniques for terabit/s systems
• Amplified submarine-cable systems, including a brief history of submarine-cable communications and the investigation of terabit/s system technologies
• Advanced concepts in the physics of noise in amplified light, noise figure definitions, entropy, and ultimate capacity limits
• Delving into fundamental concepts (including a wealth of previously unpublished materials) as well as important breakthroughs, this much-needed resource will place telecom engineers in a position to take advantage of every aspect in the broad potential of EDFAs.

Together, this set sheds light on many new frontiers of knowledge, such as inhomogeneous modeling and nonlinear photon statistics, and demonstrates the many broadening benefits of EDFAs, including their polarization insensitivity, temperature stability, quantum-limited noise figure, and immunity to interchannel crosstalk. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Still remains 'Bible on EDFA'
This is an excellent book for serious workers on EDFAs. Serves as good reference for scientists and engineers. The approach taken by author is rigrous and extensive. Discusses EDFA characteristics and applications with equal depth. Only drawback of this book is that, it was written about 10 years ago and so does not cover more recent advances.

Good news and bad news about EDFAs
**Good** news for engineers and physicists : Volume II of "The EDFA book" is in progress, and will be released soon. The first volume, published in 1994, still provides unmatched reference for serious understanding of the complex EDFA physics. However, for causality reasons, it does not cover industrial developments that will appear only years later. Such developments have been sketched by more recent, wide-audience and shorter introductory books, but of limited use to the true specialists. Volume II will bridge such a gap and will provide the first XXIst century update in this field.

**Bad** news for some 'millioneers' in quest of quick-and-dirty EDFA expertise : Volume II will be as involved as volume I on the physics and mathematics side, while it will cover in depth the most recent industrial developments, with detailed contributions from corporate- and internationally-recognized developers. Definitely not to put in any hands or recommend to people who don't need to "know".

Emmanuel Desurvire

The best source
Yes, there are some easier books, in terms of reading and understanding. Yes, there are books more colorful than this one. Yes, there are some books with less formulas than this one. Yes, there are some errors in this book.

However, if you really need to study and understand EDFA, read it. If somebody publishes a book more complete and more detailed than I will rate Desurvire's book with less stars.

not very useful
I had high hopes for this book and tried to work with it for a long while (especially given the high price). However it is much too difficult to understand and does not explain things clearly. It is very confusing to follow and it seems like the author's mind was jumping around a lot in many of the chapters.

Even 8 years later a very valuable book to own!
This is a great book! I have used it steadily for the last 3 years. Hardly a week goes by without my consulting it. I have learned many, many ideas concerning rare-earth doped fiber amplifiers from Desurvire's book. I have checked with my own calculations a large number of his equations and numerical results and I have found no significant errors. I have recalculated the curves in more than 10 figures with virtually no discrepancies. In my experience it is rare to find a book that even gives you enough information to check its results. The book comes with a two-page erratum to help you fix the few misprints. The reference list is comprehensive and complete up to the publication date. In the year 2001, there are naturally many topics that are missing from a book that was finished in April of 1993, but this does not decrease the importance of Desurvire's book because it treats so many basic topics at a fundamental level. I believe than any serious designer or researcher in the area of rare-earth-doped fiber lasers and amplifiers should have this book. There are other good books that are very useful for certain design applications, but they are not a substitute for this book. ... Read more

Book Description

The rise of quantum electrodynamics (QED) made possible a number of excellent textbooks on quantum field theory in the 1960s. However, the rise of quantum chromodynamics (QCD) and the Standard Model has made it urgent to have a fully modern textbook for the 1990s and beyond. Building on the foundation of QED, Quantum Field Theory: A Modern Introduction presents a clear and comprehensive discussion of the gauge revolution and the theoretical and experimental evidence which makes the Standard Model the leading theory of subatomic phenomena. The book is divided into three parts: Part I, Fields and Renormalization, lays a solid foundation by presenting canonical quantization, Feynman rules and scattering matrices, and renormalization theory. Part II, Gauge Theory and the Standard Model, focuses on the Standard Model and discusses path integrals, gauge theory, spontaneous symmetry breaking, the renormalization group, and BPHZ quantization. Part III, Non-perturbative Methods and Unification, discusses more advanced methods which now form an essential part of field theory, such as critical phenomena, lattice gauge theory, instantons, supersymmetry, quantum gravity, supergravity, and superstrings. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Expectations unrewarded
My background is a Ph.D. (1963) in physics. My dissertation was based on the Mössbauer Effect, and my brief career in research was in areas of electron transport physics. I never had a strong background in high energy physics, and my quantum field theory exposure was mainly QED.

Now that I am retired, I read some physics and looked to Prof. Kaku's book for a survey of current QFT and an introduction to string theory. I have just finished reading Chapter 2, which the Preface states may be skipped by the student who "already understands the basics of group theory . . . or who does not want to delve that deeply into the intricacies of quantum field theory." I certainly did not place myself in that class of student and decided to delve.

The presentation of Chapter 2 leads to the "essential point" (p58) that the Lorentz and Poincaré groups are at the heart of quantum field theory, and "the results of this chapter will be used throughout the book". For that reason, the results should have been developed with great clarity, and I cannot say I found that true.

For example, equations 2.104 which state the Poincaré algebra, as described as showing that translations transform as a vector under the Lorentz group. But the transformation of a vector is defined by eq. 2.91. No connection is anywhere demonsrated between eq. 2.91 and 2.104; nor elsewhere between commutation relations and the transformation of vector fields.

In the discussion of the Casimir operator, the Pauli-Lubanski tensor (p.55), the evaluation in the rest-frame of the space part of the vector (tensor) based on eq. 2.106 leads to "the rotation matrix in three dimensions." But eq. 2.106 is an operator equation, whereas the result (eq. 2.108) is a matrix equation. What is the connection?

I shall plow on with the text in the hope that it will become clearer as I proceed. My feeling at this point is frustration, because I cannot tell for whom this book was written.

Excellent reference book but annoying for a biginner
The Good: Nearly all the major subjects are covered in some detail - that is the key developments and insights. This includes all the major details of QED, Gauge Theory and Electroweak Theory, and finally the Standard Model. I loved the reviews on GUT, Quantum Gravity and Superstrings and a few bonus section/chapters like Solitons and Latice theories. Another good thing is the space given in the book - being a notes person, there is plenty of room to work out details and write notes beween equations and at the bottom of the page. Teh appendices contain all the necessary formulas for trace calculations but when it comes to QFT, appendices SHOULD also contain the Feynman rules for the various theories and/or interactions.
The Bad: The author has an unpleasant habbit of plugging and sticking formulas and equations here and there within developments thinking we remember exactly where it was discussed beforehand. Sorry but it becomes painfully annoying at times to understand the material presented in detail when you keep being distracted by finding the formulas 4 chapters before. If ever their is a second edition, I think many would realy like it to include more of the "Using eq. (3.113) and the normalization condition (3.etc.) we get..." more often such that we could worry less about finding which formula/equation (and where they are!) as opposed to working out the developments for ourselves - unless it is recommended as an exercice. For those that love developments and the origin of equations, Lahiri and Pal is much better. And why do textbooks of this caliber DO NOT contain worked out excercises or answers? I have done some of the exercises BUT what is the point of doing more of them if I do not know if I have the right answer! I guess I would more fully understand the material better IF I had a result like I have in the text. Learning QFT is also allowing the student to develop tool to calculate - hence worked out problems help in that endeavor.
The Ugly: I've seen better Dirac equation formulations and Wick's theorem developements (and application to second order interactions in phi4) is awful compared to other texts and not as straightforward as suggested.
In all, excellent reference book for the intermediate learner or expert that wants to avoid working out details and wants more the results and interpretation but for a student or someone who seeks to make calculations and basic research later on, Peskin and Schroeder is a better choice.

A sloppy job
The only thing that could possibly justify the word "modern" in the title of this book is that, at the very end, it includes a discussion of supergravity and string theory. Apart from that, both the choice of topics and their treatment are fairly standard. The book is not an "introduction" either; it touches upon quite involved issues in a rather casual way. At the same time, it is sloppy both in its presentation and its notation, and some of the "proofs" leave much to be desired. It reads like something that was written in a hurry, at the expense of clarity and coherence. If one is looking for an introduction, there are far better books around. More advanced readers will be able to find books that cover the same material in a much better way, in the same number of pages.

Good reference book - Not enough essential math
This book is an excellent reference for any student or professional in quantum theory. Although I found it very interesting, I feel that the chapter on strings should have been omitted. This could have allowed for additional mathematical proof of path integrals (Perhaps a simple axiomatic proof) or more applications of superspace to point particle theories.

A great book
I found this book very good for understanding many things. I never noticed any mathematical errors, but I never read the proofs anyway:-) I think this is a great book for all the folks who have an 'easy-going' approach to mathematics. ... Read more

Book Description

Free energy and anti-gravity are possible today.The theory of zero point energy posits that there are great fluctuations of electrical field energy embedded within the fabric of space. Some examples: • inventor T. Henry Moray produced a fifty-kilowatt free energy machine in 1930 • the Pons/Fleischmann cold fusion experiment produced tremendous heat without fusion

The chapters in this remarkable book include: • Artificial Gravity • Stepping Down High Frequency Energy • Noise as a Source of Energy • Macroscopic Vacuum Polarization • Cohering the Zero-Point Energy • The Holistic Paradigm • Electrolytic Fusion: A Zero-Point Energy Coherence? • Scalar Currents and Scalar Waves ... Read more

Book Description

Signal processing plays an important role in many diverse application areas, including radar, sonar, communications, seismology, radio astronomy, tomography, and communications.  Now, by popular demand, acclaimed author Harry Van Trees' four-part encyclopedic treatment of signal processing is now collected into a set offering 25 years of information in a single source.

   ... Read more

Book Description

Drop a pebble in a pond and the results are predictable: circular waves flow from the point of impact. Hit a point on a crystalline solid, however, and the expanding waves are highly nonspherical; the elasticity of a crystal is anisotropic. This book provides a fresh look at the vibrational properties of crystalline solids, elucidated by new imaging techniques. From the megahertz vibrations of ultrasound to the near-terahertz vibrations associated with heat, the underlying elastic anisotropy of the crystal asserts itself. Phonons are elementary vibrations that affect many properties of solids--thermal, electrical, and magnetic. This text covers the basic theory and experimental observations of phonon propagation in solids. Phonon imaging techniques provide physical insights into such topics as phonon focusing, lattice dynamics, and ultrasound propagation. Scattering of phonons from interfaces, superlattices, defects, and electrons are treated in detail. The book includes many striking and original illustrations. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Phonon Imaging can change your life
Jim Wolfe, the guru of the Phonon Imaging Movement, taught me to relax using Acoustic Waves. I used to be a stressed junior faculty member, but now I'm a confident young scientist thanks to critical-cone channelling of my energies. I've introduced all my friends to phonon imaging! ... Read more

Book Description

This book is the first to present quantum logic in relation to von Neumann algebra theory. Based on developing quantum logic in terms of operator algebras, the book reconstructs and reevaluates the Birkhoff--von Neumann concept of quantum logic. It also covers recent results such as the violation of Bell's inequality in relativistic quantum field theory, the logical independence of von Neumann lattices and the status of the common cause principle in quantum field theory. Other topics treated include the theory of quantum conditional and statistical inference, an operator algebraic treatment of the hidden variable problem and the semantic approach to physical theories.Audience: This volume will be of interest to mathematicians, physicists, mathematical physicists and historians and philosophers of science involved in interpretational problems of quantum mechanics and quantum field theory. ... Read more

Book Description

This volume covers topics in cavitation bubble dynamics, sound and wave propagation in bubbly mixtures, bubbles in flow, sonoluminescence, acoustic cavitation, underwater explosions, and bursting bubbles at a free surface.The physics and chemistry of sonoluminescence and the modelling of jet impact during bubble collapse are examples of issues which enjoy considerable attention. One of the most exciting areas of contemporary chemistry and physics is single bubble picosecond sonoluminescence. The high pressures and temperatures generated over picoseconds, coupled with previously unachievable rates of reaction have recently attracted attention. High temperatures and pressures are often associated with symmetric bubble collapse; however, asymmetric collapse can typically lead to the development of a damaging ultra-high-speed liquid jet that pierces the collapsing bubble. Occurrence of this high speed jet was reported at both the microscale in laser surgery and the large scale in underwater explosions, but it is also frequently present in collapsing cavitation bubbles.The volume contains a wealth of information on the latest research on a range of topics in bubble dynamics, underwater acoustics and multiphase flow and is an essential reference for scientists and engineers conducting research in these areas. ... Read more

Book Description

The discovery of coherent structures in turbulence has fostered the hope that the study of vortices will lead to models and an understanding of turbulent flow, thereby solving or at least making less mysterious one of the great unresolved problems of classical physics. Vortex dynamics is a natural paradigm for the field of chaotic motion and modern dynamical system theory.The emphasis in this monograph is on the classical theory of inviscid incompressible fluids containing finite regions of vorticity. The effects of viscosity, compressiblity, inhomogeneity, and stratification are enormously important in many fields of application, from hypersonic flight to global environmental fluid mechanics. However, this volume focuses on those aspects of fluid motion that are primarily controlled by the vorticity and are such that the effects of the other fluid properties are secondary. This book will be of interest to students of fluid mechanics, turbulence, and vortex methods as well as to applied mathematicians and engineers. ... Read more

Book Description

Computational Electromagnetism refers to the modern concept of computer-aided analysis, and design, of virtually all electric devices such as motors, machines, transformers, etc., as well as of the equipment inthe currently booming field of telecommunications, such as antennas, radars, etc.

The present book is uniquely written to enable the reader-- be it a student, a scientist, or a practitioner-- to successfully perform important simulation techniques and to design efficient computer software for electromagnetic device analysis.Numerous illustrations, solved exercises, original ideas, and an extensive and up-to-date bibliography make it a valuable reference for both experts and beginners in the field.A researcher and practitioner will find in it information rarely available in other sources, such as on symmetry, bilateral error bounds by complimentarity, edge and face elements, treatment of infinite domains, etc.

At the same time, the book is a useful teaching tool for courses in computational techniques in certain fields of physics and electrical engineering.As a self-contained text, it presents an extensive coverage of the most important concepts from Maxwells equations to computer-solvable algebraic systems-- for both static, quasi-static, and harmonic high-frequency problems.

Benefits
To the Engineer
A sound background necessary not only to understand the principles behind variational methods and finite elements, but also to design pertinent and well-structured software.

To the Specialist in Numerical Modeling
The book offers new perspectives of practical importance on classical issues: the underlying symmetry of Maxwell equations, their interaction with other fields of physics in real-life modeling, the benefits of edge and face elements, approaches to error analysis, and "complementarity."

To the Teacher
An expository strategy that will allow you to guide the student along a safe and easy route through otherwise difficult concepts: weak formulations and their relation to fundamental conservation principles of physics, functional spaces, Hilbert spaces, approximation principles, finite elements, and algorithms for solving linear systems. At a higher level, the book provides a concise and self-contained introduction to edge elements and their application to mathematical modeling of the basic electromagnetic phenomena, and static problems, such as eddy-current problems and microwaves in cavities.

To the Student
Solved exercises, with "hint" and "full solution" sections, will both test and enhance the understanding of the material. Numerous illustrations will help in grasping difficult mathematical concepts. ... Read more

Book Description

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

Reviews (3)

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

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

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

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

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

- Standard quantization techniques for constrained systems are applied.

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

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

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

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

- Consistency conditions yield type IIA and IIB superstring theories.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

- Use string perturbation theory to calculate amplitudes and interactions.

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

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

- Study strongly coupled strings using D-brane states.

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

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

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

- Connect the compactified string theory to the Standard Model.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

- Mirror manifolds can be constructed explicitly using Gepner models.

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

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

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

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

Book Description

The first comprehensive treatment of relativistic electrodynamics, and still essential reading in the field, deftly revealing the classical underpinnings of modern quantum field theory. Among the topics: space-time, Lorentz transformations, conservation laws, equations of motion, Green’s functions and action-at-a-distance electrodynamics.
... Read more

Reviews (2)

A beautiful little book
This is a concise, clear, friendly but unfussy little book on classical electrodynamics (CED), and relativistic fields. Simultaneously, it provides an easy introduction to the mathematical machinery of relativistic dynamics and fields. There is an agreeable emphasis on the Lagrangian formulations, a good-sized chapter devoted to radiation and radiation-reaction, and a (regrettably) short piece on action-at-a-distance CED. This book is about the structure of CED in general, and does not deal with particular arrangements of charges, currents, coils, etc. etc. in the manner of an undergraduate text on EM.

Learnin all about Classical Fields
On the subject of Classical fields, I have not read a better book than Barut's. It is clear and comprehensive. I discovered more about things like the Lorentz group and the Lagrangian formalism of fields than I thought existed. It is an excellent book by all standards. If you need to learn Quantum Field theory, start here first. Learn all about classical fields. The equations in this book are ready for quantization. ... Read more

Book Description

This book is designed as a text for an undergraduate course on vibrations and waves.The overall objectives of the book are to lead the student through the basic physical concepts of vibrations and waves and to demonstrate how these concepts unify a wide variety of familiar physics. This new edition contains an elementary, descriptive introduction to the important ideas of chaos.The author has also taken pains to update the applications.As with previous editions, the book contains numerous problems with hints and numerical solutions. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Vibrations and Waves for Non-physics majors.
Pros: Good subject matter (very interesting), Pace of material is slow at first and builds at a good rate.
Cons: Needs worked problems, lacks in-depth derivation, low readability, some sections of certain chapters lack all substance entirely.
If you have a good teacher, this book is helpful...if not, sorry, you won't get much.

Interesting subject area but very modestly successful book
In addition to the comments of the previous two readers who have not been very impressed with the book, I would like to say that the mathematical treatment is very vague as well.
Hence, the book neither gives a rigorous mathematical treatment of the subject, nor does it succeed in presenting the underlying physics.

How not to write a Physics Book
I found this text extremely hard to follow due to the abstract mathmatical derivations with little to no explanation of where things are coming from and no examples. Being a physics major, this is an important class for me, and I feel that my learning could be aided by use of a clearer text with examples on how to use the math we are given. For example, in chapter 4, question 5c asks us to find the sticking friction. Looking just above to the section on sticking friction is no help because it tells you nothing on how to find it.

Examples?
As a physics and math major, I was EXTREMELY disappointed in the lack of examples in this text. Learning physics involves more than abstract mathematical knowledge, it involves examining the material in many real world situations.

If you are considering assigning this text for your course, I beg you to reconsider. Your students will thank you! ... Read more

Book Description

The Seismic Wavefield provides a guide to the understanding of seismograms in terms of physical propagation processes within the Earth. The focus is on the observation of earthquakes and man-made sources on all scales, for both body waves and surface waves. Volume I begins with a survey of the structure of the Earth and the nature of seismic wave propagation using examples of observed seismograms. The second part provides a full development of the theoretical background for seismic waves. Volume II (to be published later) will cover local and regional seismic events, global wave propagation, and the three-dimensional earth. ... Read more

Book Description

A comprehensive introduction to the burgeoning field of photonics

The field of photonics is finding increasing applications across a broad range of industries. While many other books provide an overview of the subject, Fundamentals of Light Sources and Lasers closes a clear gap in the current literature by concentrating on the principles of laser operation as well as providing coverage of important concepts necessary to fully understand the principles involved. The scope of the book includes everything a professional needs to get up to speed in the field, as well as all the material necessary to serve as an excellent introductory laser course for students.
Ideal for self-study as well as structured coursework, the book offers thorough coverage of:
* The nature of light and atomic emission
* Basic quantum mechanics and laser processes
* Cavity optics, fast-pulse production, and nonlinear optical phenomena
* Laser technology, including visible gas lasers, UV gas lasers, infrared gas lasers, solid-state lasers, semiconductor lasers and tunable dye lasers
Extensive real-world case studies are included to help readers appreciate the practical applications of the material covered. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Wonderful book!!
H. Ohanian and R. Ruffini have admirably succeeded in writing a book primarily concerd with the physics of the gravitational field. Without diminishing importance to the mathematical apparatus underlaying the General Theory of Relativity, this book crearly, concisely and beautifully explains the ideas, concepts, experiments and some aspects of the history of the modern theory of Gravitation. It is a very different book from the ones already existing; it presents the theory in such a logical and elegant way, that it's impossible not to read the book with a feeling of respect and admiration for the theory. Just to mention an example; with the formalisim presented in chapter two, the authors derive Maxwell's equations in chapter three from nothing, or almost nothing, just requiring a linear theory invariant under Lorentz and gauge transformations!! The clarity of the presentation is so refined that when I finished this chapter I thought: "oh! Why I didn't think about it by myself?" This book is as good as the books by Misner et al, Schutz or Weimberg, but at the same time it's different from them. Definitely, this book is a good choice for students who are beginning with the topic, but I also recommend Ohanian and Ruffini's book to more advanced students looking for a better undesrtanding of the theory. Certainly, with this book I learnt and enjoied the beauty and elegance of the General Theory of Relativity in full.

A fresh approach on the derivation of General Relativity
I read the 1st edition at my local library and enjoyed it so much, I went out and bought the 2nd edition. It is easier to understand than similar books on the topic. ... Read more

Book Description

* Paperback reprint of one of the most respected classics in the history of engineering publication
* Together with the reprint of Part I and the new Part IV, this will be the most complete treatment of the subject available
* Provides a highly-readable discussion of Signal Processing and Noise
* Features numerous problems and illustrations to help promote understanding of the topics
* Contents are highly applicable to current systems ... Read more

Reviews (1)

I used this book for a EE course at UMR
This is an excellent book for those who have excellent people to talk to about non-trivial concepts...interestingly we had a teacher who would often make improvements to Van Trees work! (dont worry...i wont name you Dr.Stuller) ... Read more

Book Description

This book is a comprehensive and authoritative dictionary of the 2500 most commonly used terms in the field of computer vision, image analysis and image processing. Compiled and developed by an experienced team of authors, all key topics, terms and systems are clearly and authoritatively defined and visually enhanced with helpful illustrations. Each entry summarizes the meaning of the term and provides supporting examples. Application areas include remote sensing, surveillance, forensic science, biometrics, medicine, entertainment and media and communications. 

  ... Read more

Book Description

This volume examines the interaction between ocean waves and oscillating systems. With a focus on linear analysis of low-amplitude waves, the text is designed to convey a thorough understanding of wave interactions. Topics include the background mathematics of oscillations, gravity waves on water, the dynamics of wave-body interactions, and the absorption of wave energy by oscillating bodies. While the focus is on linear theory, the practical application of energy storage and transport is interwoven throughout.Each chapter ends with problems. A solutions manual is available for instructors. ... Read more