Adventures in Theoretical Physics


Book Description

During the period 1964-1972, Stephen L. Adler wrote seminal papers on high energy neutrino processes, current algebras, soft pion theorems, sum rules, and perturbation theory anomalies that helped lay the foundations for our current standard model of elementary particle physics. These papers are reprinted here together with detailed historical commentaries describing how they evolved, their relation to other work in the field, and their connection to recent literature. Later important work by Dr. Adler on a wide range of topics in fundamental theory, phenomenology, and numerical methods, and their related historical background, is also covered in the commentaries and reprints. This book will be a valuable resource for graduate students and researchers in the fields in which Dr. Adler has worked, and for historians of science studying physics in the final third of the twentieth century, a period in which an enduring synthesis was achieved.




Quaternionic Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Fields


Book Description

It has been known since the 1930s that quantum mechanics can be formulated in quaternionic as well as complex Hilbert space. But systematic work on the quaternionic extension of standard quantum mechanics has scarcely begun. Authored by a world-renowned theoretical physicist, this book signals a major conceptual advance and gives a detailed development and exposition of quaternionic quantum mechanics for the purpose of determining whether quaternionic Hilbert space is the appropriate arena for the long sought-after unification of the standard model forces with gravitation. Significant results from earlier literature, together with many new results obtained by the author, are integrated to give a coherent picture of the subject. The book also provides an introduction to the problem of formulating quantum field theories in quaternionic Hilbert space. The book concludes with a chapter devoted to discussions on where quaternionic quantum mechanics may fit into the physics of unification, experimental and measurement theory issues, and the many open questions that still challenge the field. This well-written treatise is a very significant contribution to theoretical physics. It will be eagerly read by a wide range of physicists.




Lectures on Field Theory and Topology


Book Description

These lectures recount an application of stable homotopy theory to a concrete problem in low energy physics: the classification of special phases of matter. While the joint work of the author and Michael Hopkins is a focal point, a general geometric frame of reference on quantum field theory is emphasized. Early lectures describe the geometric axiom systems introduced by Graeme Segal and Michael Atiyah in the late 1980s, as well as subsequent extensions. This material provides an entry point for mathematicians to delve into quantum field theory. Classification theorems in low dimensions are proved to illustrate the framework. The later lectures turn to more specialized topics in field theory, including the relationship between invertible field theories and stable homotopy theory, extended unitarity, anomalies, and relativistic free fermion systems. The accompanying mathematical explanations touch upon (higher) category theory, duals to the sphere spectrum, equivariant spectra, differential cohomology, and Dirac operators. The outcome of computations made using the Adams spectral sequence is presented and compared to results in the condensed matter literature obtained by very different means. The general perspectives and specific applications fuse into a compelling story at the interface of contemporary mathematics and theoretical physics.







Dynamics of the Standard Model


Book Description

This 2014 edition, now OA, provides a detailed and practical account of the Standard Model of particle physics.










Foundations of Quantum Mechanics


Book Description

Authored by an acclaimed teacher of quantum physics and philosophy, this textbook pays special attention to the aspects that many courses sweep under the carpet. Traditional courses in quantum mechanics teach students how to use the quantum formalism to make calculations. But even the best students - indeed, especially the best students - emerge rather confused about what, exactly, the theory says is going on, physically, in microscopic systems. This supplementary textbook is designed to help such students understand that they are not alone in their confusions (luminaries such as Albert Einstein, Erwin Schroedinger, and John Stewart Bell having shared them), to sharpen their understanding of the most important difficulties associated with interpreting quantum theory in a realistic manner, and to introduce them to the most promising attempts to formulate the theory in a way that is physically clear and coherent. The text is accessible to students with at least one semester of prior exposure to quantum (or "modern") physics and includes over a hundred engaging end-of-chapter "Projects" that make the book suitable for either a traditional classroom or for self-study.




American Scientist


Book Description




Macmillan Encyclopedia of Physics


Book Description

Offers clear explanations of the basic concepts, history, philosophy, fundamental theories and laws of physics, as well as biographical entries featuring physicists who have contributed to our knowledge of the physical world. The set will be useful for physics students from high school through graduate school and for general readers exploring the mysteries of everyday life, such as: What causes earthquakes?; How do CAT Scans work?; or, How do clouds form? Articles are arranged in alphabetical order and include cross-references and bibliographic references as recent as 1996. Volume one contains a Reader's Guide which identifies some key entries in the encyclopedia's plan. A table of symbols and abbreviations is included at the beginning of each volume to assist readers unfamiliar with any mathematical or scientific notation that might arise. The 4-volume set offers readers clear explanations for the phenomena, concepts, and laws that are the foundation of every other branch of science from astronomy to zoology. The entries are written to let readers satisfy their curiosity without becoming lost in high-level jargon. Specifically written to supplement the high school physics curriculum, the Encyclopedia satisfies the informational needs of a broad range of readers.