Reviews (4)

Paul Lorrain's Electromagnetic Fields and Waves
Readers should start a campaign to reprint and/or get a new edition of this book. Professor Paul Lorrain is not only a recipient of the Legion of Honor of France and the equivalent of Montreal, Canada, but his book is a work of CREATIVE GENIUS. His problems contain very interesting applications of electromagnetism which both the public and specialists can identify with, including magnetic monopoles (very strange theoretical entities with only one pole instead of the usual north and south poles of magnets - see my reviews of Kursunoglu, Frolov, Klapdor-Kleingothaus, etc.) that are predicted by physics Grand Unified Theories, superconductors which have turned out to have remarkably important uses today (and the ferromagnetism which is closely related to them), the earth's magnetic field which is related to modern geophysics, hysteresis which is related to an important modern branch of nonlinear mathematics as well, artificial satellites which are so important today, solar wind which is extremely important today, and even the theory of continuous creation of electric charge. In addition, there are many chapters on electromagnetics in relativity (see my reviews of Weinberg and Misner et al.), Maxwell's equations, magnetic fields, electric fields, plane electromagnetic waves (see my review of A. Bohm), guided waves, radiation. Lorrain makes electromagnetism interesting, open minded on new ideas, and interdisciplinary, all characteristics of Creative Genius. The general public should also hire consultants or tutors to summarize this book or even teach it to them - it is well worth the effort because its ideas apply to fields far beyond physics. It should be mentioned that Lorrain et al give excellent summaries in the book, but the general reader might want some of them translated into closer to elementary mathematics or even approximately English.

good book
It is a good book and I can learn very lessons from this book

verry good ielectromagnetics intermediate book !
This is a great book in electromagnetics at the intermediate level.Has a lot of very well explained examples and covers a lot of theory too. Coverage of electromagnetics waves is excellent. Has a clear discussion of special relativity theory from an electromagnetical point of view.The book uses the mks system.I think this book is a must for any serious student of electromagnetics!

1970s edition is great
Well, this review is pending of the fact that the text was only made better with time and further editions, but the 1970s edition is very good. It is a lucid and rigourus treatment of electromagnetics, and includes at least 140 examples, which i feel is an important learning mechanism. Some texts don't have examples or contain a very sparse selection of them, i find this appaling. In my opinion the book is right up there with David Griffiths' text. They make a good duo and it would behoove someone to obtain both of these great texts. Not necessarily because Electromagnetics is hard, but sometimes Griffiths leave out information that is pertinent to answer some of his question. This book provides those. ... Read more

Book Description

An outgrowth of the author's extensive experience teaching senior and graduate level students, this is both a thorough introduction and a solid professional reference.
* Material covered has been developed based on a 35-year research program associated with such systems as the Landsat satellite program and later satellite and aircraft programs.
* Covers existing aircraft and satellite programs and several future programs ... Read more

Book Description

High-order numerical methods provide an efficient approach to simulating many physical problems. This book considers the range of mathematical, engineering, and computer science topics that form the foundation of high-order numerical methods for the simulation of incompressible fluid flows in complex domains. Introductory chapters present high-order spatial and temporal discretizations for one-dimensional problems. These are extended to multiple space dimensions with a detailed discussion of tensor-product forms, multi-domain methods, and preconditioners for iterative solution techniques. Numerous discretizations of the steady and unsteady Stokes and Navier-Stokes equations are presented, with particular sttention given to enforcement of imcompressibility. Advanced discretizations. implementation issues, and parallel and vector performance are considered in the closing sections.Numerous examples are provided throughout to illustrate the capabilities of high-order methods in actual applications. ... Read more

Book Description

* The TMS320C6x is Texas Instrument's next generation DSP found in over 60 percent of wireless devices from leading manufacturers such as Ericsson, Nokia, Sony, and Handspring
* Author has many years experience working with the TI line of TMS DSPs and his books are based on courses and seminars given at TI sponsored meetings
* All programs listed in the text will be available on the Wiley FTP site
* In addition to its wireless applications, the TMS DSP is tailored to enable a new generation of Internet media entertainment appliances ... Read more

Reviews (6)

A good applications book
As an engineer with digital design experience but little DSP application experience, I found this book to be very helpful in understanding and applying everyday DSP algorithms. The book is basically a digest containing many C coded examples of realtime DSP designs including filters, tone generators, FFTs and other common DSP routines. They are easy to implement (all scipts are included on the accompanied CD) and are also fun to play with.
Assuming you have the TMS320C6711 DSK with code composer studio(I got mine on ebay for $100), you will be realizing the designs within minutes after first opening the text.
This book is not a first course in DSP. It helps to know a little about the theory (signals and systems and/or a dsp course) before diving into this text.
In conclusion, if you know a little about DSP but have no experience in applying it, I highly recommend this text.

Best book for DSP hands-on
If you are looking for a book to learn DSP hands-on, this is it. This is a DSP application tool that "brings to life" all that DSP theory and what to do with it.

Comments by author
I am the author of this book and wanted to respond to the comments by the reader from NH. This book is not about the C6x DSK. Rather, as the title implies, it is on "DSP Applications". The book is "using C and the TMS320C6x DSK" to discuss various applications of DSP, using dozens of illustrative examples with the C6x DSK. Furthermore, the book is not meant to be primarily on the theoretical aspects of DSP. There are many fine texts on theoretical DSP. Again, as stated in the title, the intent of the book is to emphasize the applications of DSP using the C6x DSK as a medium to illustrate. I hope this helps any future readers considering my book.

An opinion of a DSP Lab Instructor
It is a interesting book that allows students and DSP and professionals to obtain a quick satate of the art vision of TI DSP techonology. Easy to read and understand, it has good examples that I have been able to verify in the DSP Lab course I conduct. I strongly recommend this book for people that wish to advance quickly in this area and in it's applications. I would like the aurthor to consider writing similar books on DSP applications for control engineering with TI DSPs.

The point of view of a DSP Lab instructor
A very good book, easy to read and directed towards DSP Lab work
it allows you to advances quickly in know how relative to C6000 architecture and TI DSP applications . It is a DSP technology tour that together with well designed experiments give students a high level of understanding in potential applictions in related aeas( Bioengineering, Telecommunications etc.).
I strongly recommend this book for professionals and students that begin to study DSP technology. ... Read more

Book Description

Provides a thorough and accessible introduction to the fast-growing area of multirate digital signal processing covering both the fundamental theory and the practical applications. The key characteristic of multirate algorithms is their high computational efficiency, and hence their increasing implementation in a range of applications from digital audio broadcasting to multi-carrier data transmission and subband speech coding. This book gives a comprehensive analysis of the subject and features include:

* A summary of the key properties of those filters which employ multirate techniques including cascaded multirate filters, multirate complementary filters, and interpolated FIR filters

* An assessment of the properties of various digital filter banks, such as quadratur mirror, parunitary, biorthogonal, modulated, polyphase, and multicomplementary filter banks

* Design methodologies for multirate filters and filter banks

* An examination of the discrete wavelet transform using filter banks, the construction of wavelets and examples of wavelet systems

* A complete overview of current applications and a look ahead towards the future developments in the field

This book will be invaluable for advanced students in electronics and computer science. It will also be useful for practising electronics and communications engineers and physicists working in industry. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

good starter
By luck, this book was the first I tried for filter banks. Although sparse in some parts, I found it easy to replicate the examples and extend them. Working through this book wasn't all that hard and seemed to give a good basis for further study. Vaidyanathan looks somewhat formidable.

Save Your money
Touches on many aspects of multirate theory, but gives little in-depth substance. For a book this pricy, I would expect something more. Buy Vaidyanathan instead....the bible of multirate. ... Read more

Book Description

Superb introduction for non-specialists to important area of modern physics. Major concepts—Feynman diagrams, quasi particles, Fermi systems at finite temperature, superconductivity, vacuum amplitude, more. Also Dyson’s equation, ladder approximation, much else. Exercises. Second (1974) edition. "...a great delight to read."—Physics Today.
... Read more

Reviews (4)

Who says QFT is not fun to teach?
This book is a counterexample to the idea that one cannot write a book on quantum field theory and keep a sense of humour. Quantum field theory of course is notoriously difficult, both in terms of its conceptual foundations and in calculating meaningful answers from its formalism. Perturbation theory has been the most succesful of the methods of calculation in quantum field theory, and the visualization of the terms of the perturbation series is greatly assisted by the use of Feynman diagrams. The author has done a great job in the elucidation of these diagrams, and readers will not only have fun reading this book but will also take away needed expertise in moving on to more advanced presentations of quantum field theory. Some readers may object to the pictorial, playful way in which the author explains some of the concepts, but he does not depart from the essential physics. Mathematicians who want to understand quantum field theory can also gain much from the reading of this book. Although not rigorous from a mathematical standpoint, the presentation will given them sorely needed intuition. Quantum field theory has resulted in an explosion of very interesting results in mathematics, particularly in the field of differential topology, and mathematicians need this kind of a presentation to assist them in the understanding of quantum field theory and how to apply it to mathematics (and the other way around). In addition, readers intending to enter the field of condensed matter physics will appreciate the clarity of the author's treatment, drawing as it does on many examples from that field. This includes a brief introduction to finite temperature quantum field theory.

The use of mnemonics, pictures, and hand-waving arguments may be frowned upon by some, but as long as their use is supported by solid science, their didactic power is formidable. Arguments by analogy, and by appeals to common-sense objects are of great utility in explaining the intricacies of a subject as abtruse as quantum field theory. The author for example uses a pin-ball game, with its many scatterings, as a tool for introducing the quantum propagator, even though paths of a (classical) pin-ball are not really meaningful in the quantum realm. Once done though, he proceeds to derive the perturbation series, and as an example computes the energy and lifetime of an electron in an impure metal.

The concept of a quasi-particle is exploited fully in this book to illustrate just how one can do calculations in quantum many-body theory. The reader will find ample discussion of Dyson's equation, the random phase approximation, phase transitions in Fermi systems, the Kondo problem, and the renormalization group in this book.

Happy reading.....(and teaching).....

Excellent, but maybe not enough
This is indeed an excellent book. Witty and insightful, but sometimes the ease, with which you're lead through it, is in the way of stressing the really important stuff. If you are learning diagrams for the first time, and intend to do some serious research using the technique, I believe this book is just not enough: it will leave you unprepared to do much beyond the problems in the book. You might want to consult a more rigorous book, like that of Abrikosov et al., but the style may be a bit of a shock to those not used to the Russian "condensed writing". As an introduction that is less painful, and more of a textbook, I suggest Fetter and Walecka's book, though it's out of print.

Well, not all that introductory ...
It is really a very good book, and even if I agree with the definition of "pedagogical jewel" given to the quantum pinball example, I would not define this textbook an introductory one, even if a non-specialist can read it without many difficulties. I read it several years after my studies, and it represented to me a good and amusing opportunity to refresh or to learn subjects I didn't remember any more or I didn't meet in university course. And taking into account its low price, it is really worth purchasing this book.

A perfect introduction to statistical physics
This is the best book I found about Statistical Physics at an introductory level. It is a kind of book you can read almost as a novel, with a lot of examples and very clear. It is definitely the most pedagogical book about Statistical Physics ever. ... Read more

Book Description

Addressing researchers and graduate students in the active meeting ground of analysis, geometry, and dynamics, this book presents a study of renormalization of quadratic polynomials and a rapid introduction to techniques in complex dynamics. Its central concern is the structure of an infinitely renormalizable quadratic polynomial f(z) = z2 + c. As discovered by Feigenbaum, such a mapping exhibits a repetition of form at infinitely many scales. Drawing on universal estimates in hyperbolic geometry, this work gives an analysis of the limiting forms that can occur and develops a rigidity criterion for the polynomial f. This criterion supports general conjectures about the behavior of rational maps and the structure of the Mandelbrot set.

The course of the main argument entails many facets of modern complex dynamics. Included are foundational results in geometric function theory, quasiconformal mappings, and hyperbolic geometry. Most of the tools are discussed in the setting of general polynomials and rational maps. ... Read more

Book Description

This widely acclaimed introduction to N = 1 supersymmetry and supergravity is aimed at readers familiar with relativistic quantum field theory who wish to learn about the supersymmetry algebra. In this new volume Supersymmetry and Supergravity has been greatly expanded to include a detailed derivation of the most general coupling of super-symmetric gauge theory to supergravity. The final result is the starting point for phenomenological studies of supersymmetric theories. The book is distinguished by its pedagogical approach to supersymmetry. It develops several topics in advanced field theory as the need arises. It emphasizes the logical coherence of the subject and should appeal to physicists whose interests range from the mathematical to the phenomenological. In praise of the first edition: "A beautiful exposition of the original ideas of Wess and Zumino in formulating N = 1 supersymmetry and supergravity theories, couched in the language of superfields introduced by Strathdee and the reviewer.... [All] serious students of particle physics would do well to acquire a copy."--Abdus Salam, Nature "An excellent introduction to this exciting area of theoretical physics."--C. J. Isham, Physics Bulletin ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Necessary but not sufficient
This is one of those books that is still around because
it fills a niche that no modern book has been able
to fill. It introduces N=1 susy quickly and concisely.
The reader must work through every equation in order
to get something out of this book. The reason why people
continue to use this book of equations is because the
equations are right. If you try other books, they are
filled with typos and sometimes even more serious errors.
Get through the first 8 chapters of this book
may be chapter 22 and 24 then get into Argyres' notes
that delve into the modern aspects of supersymmetric
quantum field theory.

Classic intro to SUSY
This book is the classic introduction to superfields. It is very elegant an formal, and appeals to the more mathematically minded particle physics student. It contains almost nothing on phenomenological applications of supersymmetry, and keeps it's hands clean by avoiding messy but important topics, such as regularization of supersymmetric gauge theories. ... Read more

Book Description

This monograph aims to fill the gap between the mathematical literature which significantly contributed during the last decade to the understanding of the collapse phenomenon, and applications to domains like plasma physics and nonlinear optics where this process provides a fundamental mechanism for small scale formation and wave dissipation. This results in a localized heating of the medium and in the case of propagation in a dielectric to possible degradation of the material. For this purpose, the authors have chosen to address the problem of wave collapse by several methods ranging from rigorous mathematical analysis to formal asymptotic expansions and numerical simulations. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

resoluton de l'equation de schrodinger
resolution de l"equation de schrodinger avec la methode des ondes planes et la methode de pseudo potentiel ... Read more

Book Description

A comprehensive treatise on the components and devices of the lightwave explosion
Multiple advances in lightwave technology have led to a veritable overload of global information systems throughout the world. Given the sheer number and growing importance of such systems, Govind Agrawal's Lightwave Technology answers the need for a comprehensive and up-to-date account of all major aspects of this rapidly expanding field.
Components and Devices, the first independent volume of this two-volume engineering resource, is devoted to describing a multitude of today's silica- and semiconductor-based optical devices. Conceived and written by the foremost expert and bestselling author in the fiber optic field, the text provides detailed, in-depth coverage of both theoretical and practical aspects of the science, including:
* Fiber optics
* Passive and active fiber components
* Planar waveguides
* Semiconductor lasers and amplifiers
* Optical modulators
* Photodetectors
* WDM components
* Space- and time-domain switching
The second volume, Lightwave Technology: Communication Systems, deals with the design and performance of modern transmission systems making use of these devices.
Complete with chapter problems, a CD, and a Solutions Manual, this title serves as both a basic text book for students and a practical everyday reference for engineers and researchers in the field. ... Read more

Book Description

VSAT  Networks: Second Edition covers all the important issues involved with the installation of VSAT systems.
Since the first edition was published, the VSAT market has continued to expand steadily. VSAT technologies have advanced, prompting an increase in the take-up of VSAT services.
Offering a comprehensive introduction to the topic followed by a detailed exploration of multiple access protocols, delay analysis and system dimensioning, this edition is a highly relevant update of VSAT Networks. Written by a well respected and established member of the satellite community, it will be welcomed be academics and engineers alike.

• Covers important issues of services, economics and regulatory aspects
• Provides a detailed technical insight on networking and radio frequency link aspects, therefore addressing the specific features of VSAT networks at the three lower layers of the OSI Reference Layer Model for data communications
• This timely second edition is fully updated with new figures, improvements and revised chapter on future developments

This book will appeal to students of telecommunications, electronics and computer science. Practising telecommunications engineers and technical managers involved in the planning, design and operation of VSAT networks and systems will also find this book a valuable reference source. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A readable summary of a complex subject
Maral has summarised the most important points in a very readable and useful text. For both students and engineers who want to learn more this offers a very good reference. His treatment of link budget elements and system performance analysis is uncluttered and direct. It is not uncommon for engineers to write in a style that just demonstrates their depth of knowledge. Maral demonstrates and shares his knowledge then allows you to learn from it. Thats the real winning point of this book as in other texts he has written. ... Read more

Book Description

Instability of flows and their transition to turbulence are widespread phenomena in engineering and the natural environment.They are important in applied mathematics, astrophysics, biology, geophysics, meteorology, oceanography, physics, and engineering. This is a graduate-level textbook to introduce these phenomena by modeling them mathematically, and describing numerical simulations and laboratory experiments. The visualization of instabilities is emphasized with many figures.Many worked examples and exercises for students illustrate the ideas of the text. Readers are assumed to be fluent in linear algebra, advanced calculus, elementary theory of ordinary differntial equations, complex variable and the elements of fluid mechanics. The book is aimed at graduate students, but is very useful for specialists in other fields. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Good topics, but see his other books
Drazin was an excellent writer (see Hydrodynamic Stability and Nonlinear Systems), but this book felt very disorganized to me, possibly because he passed away shortly before it's release.

The concept is very good: how do we get from instability to full-fleged turbulence, and are we even ready to answer the question? He gives a good explanation of the stability of ODEs, and follows this with a discussion of the standard linear hydrodynamic stability problems (Kelvin-Helmholtz, Rayleigh-Bénard, etc.). It ends with a discussion of the transition to turbulence.

But the problem is that he has already treated most of these topics in his other books, and the earlier treatments were nearly identical in many respects, or they were just plain better. Even regarding the new material on transition to turbulence, I feel that it did not serve to unify the earlier topics as it should have.

Some further editing may have greatly improved this book and better underscored the overlying theme, but as it stands I feel that one is better off spending their time on his other books. ... Read more

Book Description

Clear, thorough account, without complicated mathematics, explains the two models of holography—the geometric and the zone plate—and different types of holograms, including transmission, reflection, phase, projection, rainbow, and multiplex. They also show basic setups for making holograms and provide step-by-step instructions so readers can make their own. “I predict that Kasper and Feller will become a standard reference on holography for students and interested laymen”—James A. Van Allen. 116 b/w illustrations.
... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Compendium of Examples of Sound Phenomena
I first became interested in the patterns sound can generate on the surface of a liquid when I observed beautiful patterns on the surface of a thin layer of water caused by vibrations from the disposal unit of my kitchen sink. I was easily able to reproduce these same patterns as well as others by placing an inverted plastic lid containing a few millimeters of water over a speaker. A function generated attached to an amplifier was used to drive the speaker. It was my search for previous research of this phenomenon that led to the discovery of Hans Jenny's two-volume work titled "Cymatics." On the positive side, this set shows many examples of patterns generated by sound in various media and using various techniques. As such, it represents a nice compendium of examples, and the photographs are visually appealing. However, the work does not represent scientific research into this phenomenon in the modern sense but is more like the exploratory research and categorizing done by the ancient Greeks. No theory is presented that explains the phenomena in terms of mechanics or dynamics and no predictions are made based on theory or observation. For such a modern scientific approach, one needs to look elsewhere. There is some information about this currently active scientific field on the Internet: use search terms such as "capillary waves" and "acoustic flow." ... Read more

Book Description

Three chapters emphasize IC design, with SPICE simulations integrated into each one.
* Concise, streamlined presentation of topics. ... Read more