242 results for "Physics"

Methods of Modern Mathematical Physics Scattering theory

Michael Reed,Barry Simon
Scattering theory is the study of an interacting system on a scale of time and/or distance which is large compared to the scale of the interaction itself. As such, it is the most effective means, sometimes the only means, to study microscopic nature. To understand the importance of scattering theory, consider the variety of ways in which it arises. First, there are various phenomena in nature (like the blue of the sky) which are the result of scattering. In order to understand the phenomenon (and to identify it as the result of scattering) one must understand the underlying dynamics and its scattering theory. Second, one often wants to use the scattering of waves or particles whose dynamics on knows to determine the structure and position of small or inaccessible objects. For example, in x-ray crystallography (which led to the discovery of DNA), tomography, and the detection of underwater objects by sonar, the underlying dynamics is well understood. What one would like to construct are correspondences that link, via the dynamics, the position, shape, and internal structure of the object to the scattering data. Ideally, the correspondence should be an explicit formula which allows one to reconstruct, at least approximately, the object from the scattering data. The main test of any proposed particle dynamics is whether one can construct for the dynamics a scattering theory that predicts the observed experimental data. Scattering theory was not always so central the physics. Even thought the Coulomb cross section could have been computed by Newton, had he bothered to ask the right question, its calculation is generally attributed to Rutherford more than two hundred years later. Of course, Rutherford's calculation was in connection with the first experiment in nuclear physics.
Academic Press a division of Harcourt Brace 2023 480 pages

Fundamentals of Electrodynamics

Boris Podolsky,Kaiser S. Kunz
Fundamentals of Electrodynamics is primarily a textbook for graduate students in physics. It is also a valuable at the senior level and as a profession reference book. It will be especially welcome to graduate students planning to do their doctoral research in quantum field theory or elementary particle physics. Fundamentals of Electrodynamics is a textbook for a one or two semester graduate or senior level course in electrodynamics or electromagnetic theory. It seeks to unify classical electrodynamics by using hamilton's principles and the symmetry properties of space and time as basic assumtions. For this reason special relativity is introduced much earlier than in most other texts. With this approach one is able to reduce the number of assumptions to a relatively fe that support the entire subject; in particular, from such basic assumptions, both the relativistic equations of motion for particles and Maxwell's equations for the electrodynamic field are derived. The text is broad in scope and covers, in addition to basic theory, applications to radiation theory, self-force of an electron, natural breadth of spectral lines, geometric optics, electrodynamics of material media, and propagation in moving media. The book contains worked-out examples with sample problems at the end of each chapter. Mathematical appendixes are included and the book is largely self-contained. This textbook conveys the unified nature of electrodynamics and points out, not only the beauty but also the limitations of the theory. The limitations are shown to rise from basic defects in the fundamental assumptions of the theory. The authors present analyses of the logical foundations of classical electrodynamics so that the student can better understand the problems that arise in modern theories, such as quantum electrodynamics. Also, by examining the nature of basic assumption and limits of applicability of a well-developed theory, the authors prepare the student for more difficult theories in elementary particle physics or quantum field theories.
CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform 2011 546 pages

Natural Philosophy Of Cause And Chance

Late Nobel Laureate Max Born,Max Born
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Creative Media Partners, LLC 2017-08-24 232 pages

Conflict and Complexity: Countering Terrorism, Insurgency, Ethnic and Regional Violence

Philip Vos Fellman,Yaneer Bar-Yam,Ali A. Minai
Complexity science affords a number of novel tools for examining terrorism, particularly network analysis and NK-Boolean fitness landscapes as well as other tools drawn from non-linear dynamical systems modeling. This book follows the methodologies of compex adaptive systems research in their application to aaddressing the problems of terrorism, specifically terrorist networks, their structure and various methods of mapping and interdicting them as well as exploring the complex landscape of network-centric and irregular warfare.
Springer 2014-12-10 304 pages

Selecta I Ergodic Theory and Dynamical Systems

Yakov G Sinai
From the reviews: “The first volume is devoted to ergodic theory and dynamical systems. It contains 19 papers divided into four groups ... . The reader will find a wealth of information and ideas that can still ignite inspiration and motivate students as well as senior researchers. The reader will also have a touch of Sinai’s personality, his taste, enthusiasm, and optimism, which are just as invaluable as his mathematical results.” (Nikolai Chernov, Mathematical Reviews, Issue 2012 e)
Springer New York 2019-09-14 450 pages

The Scattering of Light and Other Electromagnetic Radiation: Physical Chemistry: A Series of Monographs

Kerker, Milton
The Scattering of Light and Other Electromagnetic Radiation discusses the theory of electromagnetic scattering and describes some practical applications. The book reviews electromagnetic waves, optics, the interrelationships of main physical quantities and the physical concepts of optics, including Maxwell's equations, polarization, geometrical optics, interference, and diffraction. The text explains the Rayleigh2 theory of scattering by small dielectric spheres, the Bessel functions, and the Legendre functions. The author also explains how the scattering functions for a homogenous sphere change depending on different physical parameters such as the optical size, the complex refractive index, and the angle of observation. The author addresses the assignment of a complex dielectric constant and a corresponding refractive index to plasma when an alternating electrical field is applied that will make the plasma exhibit conductivity and polarization. In a liquid, the author points out that the intensity of scattering is one or two orders of magnitude less than that found in a gaseous system; he explains that the molecules are no longer acting as incoherent nor as randomly located scatterers. This book can be useful for physicists, chemists, biochemists, and engineers whose work includes research utilizing light scattering in the study of certain gases, pure liquids, molecular solutions, macromolecules, polymers, and glass.
Academic Press 2016 688 pages

Electromagnetic Field Computation by Network Methods

Leopold B. Felsen,Mauro Mongiardo,Peter Russer
In this monograph, the authors propose a systematic and rigorous treatment of electromagnetic field representations in complex structures. The architecture suggested in this book accommodates use of different numerical methods as well as alternative Green's function representations in each of the subdomains resulting from a partitioning of the overall problem. The subdomains are regions of space where electromagnetic energy is stored and are described in terms of equivalent circuit representations based either on lumped element circuits or on transmission lines. Connection networks connect the subcircuits representing the subdomains. The connection networks are lossless, don't store energy and represent the overall problem topology. This is similar to what is done in circuit theory and permits a phrasing of the solution of EM field problems in complex structures by Network-oriented methods.
Springer Berlin Heidelberg 2010-10-19 214 pages

The Conquest of Space

David Lasser
David Lasser stands as one of the least-known but extraordinary pioneers of spaceflight. In 1930 he founded the American Interplanetary Society (AIAA) -- the same year he wrote this book -- the first book ever written in the English language to address the notion of spaceflight as a serious possibility. The book has not been in print since 1931 and yet it still stands up to scrutiny. The lucid style with which Lasser explains the basic concepts of rocketry make it a delight for anyone to read.
Collector's Guide Publishing, Incorporated 2002 191 pages

Conversations on the dark secrets of physics

Teller, Edward
In Conversations on the Dark Secrets of Physics, Teller returns to the fundamentals of physics to share with readers his unbridled enthusiasm for the world of physical reality--from the nature of molecules to quantum mechanics and superconductors, from the elementary laws of thermodynamics to how planets, asteroids, and comets develop their orbits. By simplifying the math and forgoing the often-confusing technical jargon, Teller helps the reader break through physic's bewildering formulas and equations and get to the wonders of our physical universe. A timeless and personal explanation of the importance of physics in our life, Conversations on the Dark Secrets of Physics is certain to become a classic.
Perseus 2002-09 264 pages

Modern Fluid Dynamics for Physics and Astrophysics

Oded Regev,Orkan M. Umurhan,Philip A. Yecko
This book grew out of the need to provide students with a solid introduction to modern fluid dynamics. It offers a broad grounding in the underlying principles and techniques used, with some emphasis on applications in astrophysics and planetary science. The book comprehensively covers recent developments, methods and techniques, including, for example, new ideas on transitions to turbulence (via transiently growing stable linear modes), new approaches to turbulence (which remains the enigma of fluid dynamics), and the use of asymptotic approximation methods, which can give analytical or semi-analytical results and complement fully numerical treatments. The authors also briefly discuss some important considerations to be taken into account when developing a numerical code for computer simulation of fluid flows. Although the text is populated throughout with examples and problems from the field of astrophysics and planetary science, the text is eminently suitable as a general introduction to fluid dynamics. It is assumed that the readers are mathematically equipped with a reasonable knowledge in analysis, including basics of ordinary and partial differential equations and a good command of vector calculus and linear algebra. Each chapter concludes with bibliographical notes in which the authors briefly discuss the chapter's essential literature and give recommendations for further, deeper reading. Included in each chapter are a number of problems, some of them relevant to astrophysics and planetary science. The book is written for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, but will also prove a valuable source of reference for established researchers.
Springer New York 2018-05-26 680 pages

Unifying Themes In Complex Systems, Volume 2: Proceedings Of The Second International Conference On Complex Systems

Bar-Yam, Yaneer
The International Conference on Complex Systems provides a unique opportunity for scientists to rise above the disciplinary boundaries and explore unity in complex systems. This volume contains the proceedings of the Second International Conference on Complex Systems. The sessions ranged from the opening talk by Nobel laureate Philip Anderson on emergence and the relevance of complex systems to physics to the final panel that included many of the great management gurus of this generation. The plenary session topics for the second conference were emergence, description and modeling, self-organization, networks, time series, agents in action, and complexity and management. Talks in these sessions often focused on contributions in specific disciplines, but each session contained a diverse set of disciplines to show the strategies and concepts that can be applied generally to complex systems. Overall, the conference presentations dealt with issues of significant public interest, including individual psychology, dynamics of social and economic change, the human genome, and ecology.The New England Complex Systems Institute is an independent educational and research institution dedicated to advancing the study of complex systems, including new concepts and methodologies that are affecting all fields of science and engineering, and are being applied to technology, business, and even social policy. NECSI organizes conferences, workshops, short courses, and other activities from which books will be produced for the NECSI Series on Complexity. The books will range from conference proceedings and graduate textbooks to general-audience trade books, and will address fundamental concepts, new frontiers, and innovative applications of complex systems.
CRC Press 2019-06-13 644 pages

The Law of Causality and Its Limits

Philipp Frank
The Law of Causality and its Limits was the principal philosophical work of the physicist turned philosopher, Philipp Frank. Born in Vienna on March 20, 1884, Frank died in Cambridge, Massachusetts on July 21, 1966. He received his doctorate in 1907 at the University of Vienna in theoretical physics, having studied under Ludwig Boltzmann; his sub sequent research in physics and mathematics was represented by more than 60 scientific papers. Moreover his great success as teacher and expositor was recognized throughout the scientific world with publication of his collaborative Die Differentialgleichungen der Mechanik und Physik, with Richard von Mises, in 1925-27. Frank was responsible for the second volume, on physics, and especially noted for his authoritative article on classical Hamiltonian mechanics and optics. Among his earliest papers were those, beginning in 1908, devoted to special relativity, which together with general relativity and physical cosmology occupied him throughout his life. Already in 1907, Frank published his seminal paper 'Kausalgesetz und Erfahrung' ('Experience and the Law of Causality'), much later collected with a splendid selection of his essays on philosophy of science, in English (1941c and 1949g, in our Bibliography). Joining the first 'Vienna Circle' in the first decade of the 20th century, with Hans Hahn, mathematician, and Otto Neurath, sociologist and economist, and deeply influenced by studies of Ernst Mach's critical conceptual histories of science and by the striking challenge of Poincare and Duhem, Frank continued his epistemological investigations.
Springer Netherlands 2011-09-29 302 pages

Resonance Radiation and Excited Atoms

Allan C G Mitchell,Mark W Zemansky
This groundbreaking work on atomic physics offers a comprehensive exploration of the principles of resonance, radiation, and excited atoms. Written by two leading experts in the field, this book is an essential resource for anyone seeking to understand the fundamental laws of the universe. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
LEGARE STREET Press 2023-07-18 356 pages