Product Description
A useful scientific theory, claimed Einstein, must be explicable to any intelligent person. In Deep Down Things, experimental particle physicist Bruce Schumm has taken this dictum to heart, providing in clear, straightforward prose an elucidation of the Standard Model of particle physics—a theory that stands as one of the crowning achievements of twentieth-century science. In this one-of-a-kind book, the work of many of the past century's most notable physicists, including Einstein, Schrodinger, Heisenberg, Dirac, Feynman, Gell-Mann, and Weinberg, is knit together in a thorough and accessible exposition of the revolutionary notions that underlie our current view of the fundamental nature of the physical world. Schumm, who has spent much of his lifeemmersed in the subatomic world, goes far beyond a mere presentation of the "building blocks" of matter, bringing to life the remarkable connection between the ivory tower world of the abstract mathematician and the day-to-day, life-enabling properties of the natural world. Schumm leaves us with an insight into the profound open questions of particle physics, setting the stage for understanding the progress the field is poised to make over the next decade or two.

Introducing readers to the world of particle physics, Deep Down Things opens new realms within which are many clues to unraveling the mysteries of the universe.

"Bruce Schumm's new book on elementary particle physics, Deep Down Things, is an ambitious and very successful non-mathematical description of the nature and significance of the world of elementary particles and forces. The book is for the non-mathematician, the non-scientist interested in elementary particle physics, and the young student who has not yet begun to study physics. The subjects discussed range from the wave-particle duality and basic quantum mechanical ideas, through description of the four fundamental forces, to the inner theoretical world of particle physics—symmetries and gauge theory. The book ends with an exciting discussion of what we don't know including the recently discovered mystery of neutrino oscillations."Martin Perl, Winner of the 1995 Nobel Prize in Physics

"The Standard Model is one of the greatest intellectual achievements of the twentieth century. Everything around us is made of particles called quarks and leptons influencing one another by exchanging bosons. Readers who want more than a surface treatment of this modern paradigm of particle physics should turn to Bruce Schumm's fine book on the topic."

Michael Riordan, author, The Hunting of the Quark ... Read more

Customer Reviews (44)

A wonderful book - beautifully written
Even I understand it. Well... some of it.No kidding though.Anybody good to English can follow this.If you are curious about "The Standard Model" and don't have the background to actually be a Physicist, this is for you.

A MASTERPIECE !!!
This is an amazing book.

In just over 300 pages, it quite clearly, in an elementary way of course, explains the concept of Higgs Field/Higgs Boson.It explains why Higgs Field (or something equivalent) is needed so that a "hidden symmetry space" (this the books spends nearly 100 pages to explain quite lucidly) is possible.Things (particles) exist in "symmetry spaces"; this determines the properties of particles (including force-carrying "quantum field quanta") and consequently determines the nature of the universe - i.e. the nature of the forces of nature, which essentially form the basis of causation.Most of the models have been shown to be "true" via experiments using particle colliders and these evidences are also discussed in the book.

I myself really like the bits about:
1. Parity violation of the Weak Force - this explains why we are here (i.e. there are more matter than anti-matter)
2. Photons obey U(1) symmetry - this explains why we can see (i.e. photos do not react with each other)
3. Why strong force is "strong" - and then "things" can form

Reading the book gives me a feeling that the universe (at least figuratively) is trying to tell us something: that it is very beautiful in its design and it is possibly much more elegant that we can begin to imagine.

Better than any I've seen, but still misses the mark a bit
In general, I like this book. The measure of what I think of a book of this type is, "do I understand more after having read this book than I did before I opened it?" and on that basis, this book gets a pretty good grade. For example, I now know what a Lie group is, and why they are important to particle physicists, and that alone was worth the price of the book.

But why no 5-star rating? It just didn't go quite far enough. Every so often I found a place where, I assume because he figures his lay audience would get lost, the author just makes a statement that he does not explain and I wonder "why?" Why, for example, does the fact that a particular group is non-Abelian mean that a certain particle must be charged? It is things like this that leave me thinking, "good book, but if he just could have gone a bit deeper..."

I suppose that one can argue that the author had to decide what his audience could follow and what it could not. And I cannot really fault him on making the judgment he did. But he does such a good job explaining things in some places that I just wish he would have TRIED to go a bit deeper.

Great book
I'll be brief since most of the review have already said everything I would be interested in saying.But just to add a couple notes:

1] An excellent popular overview of many of the important mathematical aspects of modern physics.
2] To emphasize, it's a popular account.This is not a textbook on these topics, but as such it's very good. (Think of it as the next step beyond Brain Greene's books.)
3] OTOH this is not trivial work.It assumes a lot of work on the part of the reader.But if all this OK --and it was for me-- this is the book for you.
4] Only (tiny) quibble is that I don't care much for the title (it helps some to know that it is a reference to Gerald Manley Hopkins, but if you don't know that it sound a touch cute.)

Fascinating introduction into the abstract mathematics of quantum field theory
Schumm has written a fairly accessible book introducing the fascinating abstract mathematics of quantum field theory. I cannot say I really, intuitively grasped half of what Schumm tries to convey, but what I did understand made me marvel at the ingenuity of the theories, and about the deep connection between abstract math (Lie groups) and reality.

While I have seen quite a few documentaries about (particle) physics and try to keep up with science news (about the LHC, for example), I hardly have any "real" background knowledge about the subject, nor do I have a thorough background in math (although I am a university graduate). To Schumm's credit, neither is required, as the author explains the concepts using plain terms and good analogies, while not shying away from discussing a formula or two (like Schrödinger's wave equation). The author also often rephrases ideas and summarizes discussions, which which makes the book easy enough to understand for those of us who don't study the subject on university level. His book had me hooked and fascinated all the way to the end, with only two parts where he lost me.

By reading the book, I have gained a conceptual understanding of quantum field theory and the way we understand (three of the four) forces of nature. I also understand (on a very high level, of course) the makeup of and relationship between the fundamental particles, what Feynman diagrams are about, how the electromagnetic and weak nuclear force can be unified, how we can understand mass as just an "illusion" (through the Higgs mechanism).

Make no mistake though, this book is largely about abstract concepts and the connection between math and quantum theory. As the author points out himself, the book does not cover the more practical aspects of particle physics, like
* how particle accelerators create and detect the different particles,
* how quantum electrodynamics (the quantum theory of light) explains all the different optical phenomena as interactions through photons
* how the "weak" nuclear force allows us to carbon date certain isotopes or build atom bombs ... Read more

Product Description
This reader-friendly introduction to the theory that underlies the many fascinating properties of solids assumes only an elementary knowledge of quantum mechanics. Taylor and Heinonen describe the methods for performing calculations and making predictions of some of the many complex phenomena that occur in solids and quantum liquids. Their book, aimed at advanced undergraduates and beginning graduate students, leads the reader from the fundamental behavior of electrons and atoms in solids to the most recently explored manifestations of the quantum nature of condensed matter. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

An OK book
Since the first edition of Ashcroft/Mermin 's Solid State Physics, the Condensed Matter Physics has been expanded a lot in all directions. Things like high Tc Superconductivity and Quantum Hall Effect were not even discovered in the 1970s. And even in this age, not many textbooks touched the areas that actually most researchers in Condensed Matter Physics are currently working on.
This book is a good try for putting all the new topics as well as the classical ones together in one textbook. But after reading it, I am afraid the book spreaded too much while most topics are not described very clearly in this small book.
My feeling is, looking at the content only, you'll find this a great book --- almost everything interesting has been included! But if you really try to learn some topics --- especially the "advanced ones" --- you'll find many chaptors just give rough ideas or descriptions and finally it turns out not that helpful.
But of course this is not a bad book in general. If you are not in the research of COndensed Matter Physics, browsing this book can give you an nice overview of the current Condensed Matter Physics.

It is an excellent book.
Unfortunately it and its predecessor A Quantum Approach to Solid State are not very well-known yet. In conrast to many 'standard' Condensed Matter texts (like Ascroft & Mermin, Kittel, Marder, etc.) the authors do not attempt to cover all of the huge field. Instead they concentrate on the Quantum side of things which is reflected in the title (for example, no Soft Condensed Matter topics and purely classical results are included). This allows them to discuss several different approaches to the same question. To start they give you an appetizer which includes phonons, some magnetism and a short overview of what's to come. The arguments are intuitive at first and thus easy to understand Then they successfully bring more and more depth to the questions. This helps you to keep in mind the goal they are trying to achieve without getting lost in the forest of details. Quite often you can also use their derivation as a way to remember the result without memorizing it. You get a feel for what's to come and what is in need of patching (here is an example: they discuss Landau levels in a magnetic field by saying that a cirle looks like an oscillator from a side so the orbits should be quantized in the same way and then apply the same formula; this is an easy way to remember it but it is certainly not rigorous!). The book ends with a good discussion of the Quantum Hall effect and effect Kondo and thus cannot be called elementary. No shortcuts are taken so the presentation is smooth and easy to follow till the very end. The book was an enlightment when I first saw it!
On the minus side Taylor and Heinonen seem to be fond of indeces so some familiar expressions may look unexpectedly complicated and not immediately recognizable. An arguable drawback of the simplicity is that I adopt and 'privatize' their ideas so quickly that the second reading (the hunt for the missed points) is not that much fun (keeps me in a state of trying to figure out what was that that I was finding so difficult). Due to its limited content you will need to supplement this text with others which are more complete.
I hope that this short review helps spread the word about another good introduction to the complicated field of CMP. ... Read more

Product Description
The main theme of this book is the "path integral technique" and its applications to constructive methods of quantum physics. The central topic is probabilistic foundations of the Feynman-Kac formula. Starting with main examples of Gaussian processes (the Brownian motion, the oscillatory process, and the Brownian bridge), the author presents four different proofs of the Feynman-Kac formula. Also included is a simple exposition of stochastic Itô calculus and its applications, in particular to the Hamiltonian of a particle in a magnetic field (the Feynman-Kac-Itô formula).

Among other topics discussed are the probabilistic approach to the bound of the number of ground states of correlation inequalities (the Birman-Schwinger principle, Lieb's formula, etc.), the calculation of asymptotics for functional integrals of Laplace type (the theory of Donsker-Varadhan) and applications, scattering theory, the theory of crushed ice, and the Wiener sausage.

Written with great care and containing many highly illuminating examples, this classic book is highly recommended to anyone interested in applications of functional integration to quantum physics. It can also serve as a textbook for a course in functional integration. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

introduction to brownian motion and its applications
This is the best introduction to brownian motion. The writing by Barry Simon is extremely clear, comparable to Donald Knuth. It covers:

-clear construction of Brownian motion

-demonstration of the Feynmann Katzformula -usual Simon work: Schrodinger operators, remarquable inequalitieslike the CLK, eigenvalues problems

-geometric theory of brownianmotion

-very extensive bibliography for further reading

Nevertheless itlacks:

-conformal theory of brownian motion

-statistical mechanics(there is an explanation of feynmann series in a particular case) ... Read more

Product Description
This book is a self-contained presentation of the quantum field theory of topological defects created during spontaneous symmetry breakdown phase transitions, with a particular emphasis on phenomenological issues of current interest. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (4)

Heisenberg explained
Beyond Uncertainty: Heisenberg, Quantum Physics, and the Bomb
David C. Cassidy
Bellevue Literary Press, NY, 2009

David Cassidy has written what surely must be the definitive work on Werner Heisenberg. He clearly likes the subject, as this is his second book on the same person! The previous one: "Uncertainty: The life and science of Werner Heisenberg" appeared in 1991. The present book draws on more material, has a wider scope, and at least on the subject of the German nuclear-weapon program draws conclusions that would appear to this reviewer as beyond contention.

After a brilliant career, the Nobel Prize in physics at the age of 31 (in 1932), Heisenberg was faced with the onset of the Nazi regime. His love of his country and culture meant that he refused to leave Germany. He never joined the Nazi party, but was faced with living, and working, with the regime. Cassidy finds this the most fascinating aspect of Heisenberg, and it is difficult to disagree.

Many of Heisenberg's actions appear difficult to comprehend with the advantage of hindsight; for example, the famous visit to Niels Bohr in 1941 (the subject of Michael Frayn's wonderful play) is covered in length. We also (since 2002) have the advantage of the Bohr archives to set the record straight on this visit. Cassidy puts them in perspective with what Heisenberg had to suffer at the hands of not only the regime, but also the German clique (led by Nobel Laureates Stark & Lenard) who promoted "Aryan Physics". Specifically, they tried to eliminate all references to Einstein and relativity, and, just for good measure, quantum mechanics as well. Heisenberg's work was inextricably tied into both concepts, and he was vigorously attacked. Cleared in 1937 by the personnel intervention of Heinrich Himmler (whose mother knew Heisenberg's), Heisenberg was greatly relieved, and came to have confidence in his judgment about the regime. He was terribly mistaken.

With the discovery of fission at the end of 1938, Heisenberg, like most other physicists, became involved. He went on to head the main German effort to develop a nuclear threat. As explained by Cassidy, this was not successful due to competing efforts sponsored by different parts of the regime, as well as a lack of leadership and clear scientific, and technical, drive. Conditions in war-time Germany, especially after the start of Allied bombing, were, of course, much more difficult than in the US, but there were no great moral discussions. The notion (the infamous "lesart") that the Germans did not develop the bomb because they did not want to is nonsense. Cassidy destroys this myth, as others have before, especially the Farm Hall tapes (edited by Bernstein and published in 1996). The German program was blighted by mistakes, both in physics and technology, and they never even got a reactor operating, which Fermi did for the Allies in Chicago in 1942.

After the war Heisenberg used his considerable prestige to help rebuild both Germany and physics. In this, he deserves praise. Physics, as expected, had moved on, and he never made any lasting contribution after the war, but his legacy in physics is assured.

Heisenberg was a brilliant physicist, and a man who knew right from wrong. Of all the senior German physicists who stayed in Germany during this dreadful time, only Max von Laue seems to have steered a path through the rocks - he chose not to collaborate at all with the regime. Heisenberg's great error was to believe that he could somehow steer between the moral conflicts of the Nazi regime. He was to learn, to his cost, that if one sups with the devil, take a long spoon. Heisenberg's was not nearly long enough. David Cassidy has captured this conflict in a brilliant book and I do not expect him to produce a third biography.

Good book --bad book
I just started reading the book and I find it very interesting and very well written, but I feel that I have to comment on the physical book itself--

It is not an inexpensive book, but it is cheaply made---small print, thick cheap rough paper, bad photos printed on poor paper stock--

All in all, a book that looks that it will fall apart in several years---it is an argument for ebooks---

Did Heisenberg "suppress information that might have led to a bomb?"
Born into a family that prized academic achievement, Werner Heisenberg's was raised with clearly defined expectations.Indeed, when he was seventeen he was the teacher and leader of "Group Heisenberg" and by the age of twenty he was already an advanced student of physics, at twenty-six, Germany's youngest professor of theoretical physics at the University of Leipzig.Around the time his leadership abilities came to the fore, an unexpected revelation came to him."All at once and with utter certainty, I found my link with the center."

A life of physics can be a lonely one, but at the age of thirty-two he began a new life and family with Elisabeth Schumacher, who later wrote that she resented him and his "Swabian idyll."During the war, with a growing family with six children, Werner had other pressing concerns. The "uranium club" had been looking at the prospect of a nuclear weapon along with more the more practical use of energy production.Many years later there was a sharp division of opinion as to his motives.Did Heisenberg want Germany to win the war or was he "able to suppress information that might have led to a bomb" and did he "further [sabotage] the project by slowing it down and keeping other less scrupulous scientists from constructing a weapon that would indeed have enabled Hitler to win the war."Just how close did they come?

This is a comprehensive and well-done biography, one in which the reader need not have any knowledge of quantum theory (you will not have to struggle with Schröedinger's cat as you did if you read the Quantum Enigma.)This is a definite page turner for all who are interested in not only Heisenberg, but also Bohr, Einstein, Planck, Diebner, Bagge, Debye and a host of others. My only problem with this book, albeit petty, was that the print was quite small.If you are really hooked, you will be able to find short sound bites of Heisenberg discussing the Uncertainty Principle on the internet. Wunderbare erfahrung!

Beyond Uncertainty
Allow me to mention this is an excellent book on an excellent subject by an excellent author. I have no qualms about using "excellent" so much in this case, for I read the author's prior work on the subject of Heisenberg, and a couple of years ago I was fortunate enough to make contact with the author, who is a true gentleman and was quite helpful.This is a follow-up to his book Uncertainty, an excellent biography David C. Cassidy wrote in 1991/1992(?), on the late Werner Heisenberg. I have not read the current book, but knowing his excellent work ethic from the previous book and knowing he is considered the leading expert on the life of Werner Heisenberg, this book should be excellent, as well. I plan to buy it. If you are interested in science or history, you should buy this book.I will try to return once I have read Beyond Uncertainty.For now, I want you to know in my opinion, based on the dedication I have seen in Cassidy for Heisenberg as a subject and as a human being, if you are hesitating to buy this book, DON'T.Buy the book.David C. Cassidy writes with the heart, historical knowledge, and scientific understanding we wish every writer like him would do.I hope I have helped someone out there decide to buy this book and I am sure you will enjoy it.Thank you for trusting my opinion. ... Read more

Product Description
This revised edition of Feynman’s legendary lectures includes extensive corrections Feynman and his colleagues received and Caltech approved, making this the definitive edition of The Feynman Lectures on Physics. For all readers interested in physics. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Feynman Lectures on Physics Vol 1
Vol2 was ordered but Vol 1 was delivered.I decided to keep Vol 1 and place a new order for Vol 2.

Vol 1 was in excellent as-new condition and was the required edition.Delivery was as advertised. ... Read more

Product Description
For students who just need to know the vital concepts of physics, whether as a refresher, for exam prep, or as a reference, Physics Essentials For Dummies is a must-have guide. Free of ramp-up and ancillary material, Physics Essentials For Dummies contains content focused on key topics only. It provides discrete explanations of critical concepts taught in an introductory physics course, from force and motion to momentum and kinetics. This guide is also a perfect reference for parents who need to review critical physics concepts as they help high school students with homework assignments, as well as for adult learners headed back to the classroom who just need a refresher of the core concepts.

The Essentials For Dummies Series
Dummies is proud to present our new series, The Essentials For Dummies. Now students who are prepping for exams, preparing to study new material, or who just need a refresher can have a concise, easy-to-understand review guide that covers an entire course by concentrating solely on the most important concepts. From algebra and chemistry to grammar and Spanish, our expert authors focus on the skills students most need to succeed in a subject. ... Read more

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Fun format makes this complex subject easy to grasp solutions to typical problems that are explained in full detail. It is perfect for self-study or class supplement. It is great for quick review or help prepare for the Physics qualifying exam. Learn quantum mechanics at warp speed! Now anyone can master the basics of quantum mechanics - without formal training, unlimited time, or a genius IQ. In "Quantum Mechanics Demystified", physicist (and student-savvy author) David McMahon provides an effective and illuminating way to learn the essentials of quantum mechanics.With "Quantum Mechanics Demystified", you master the subject one step at a time - at your own speed. This unique self-teaching guide is filled with solved examples throughout, and offers problems to try at the end of each chapter to pinpoint weaknesses. A final exam serves to reinforce concepts covered in the entire book. This fast and entertaining self-teaching course makes it much easier to - master serious quantum mechanics in easy-to-follow steps.This book cuts through the jargon and learn how to do quantum mechanics using worked examples.It helps reinforce learning and pinpoint weaknesses with questions at the end of each chapter and a comprehensive final exam. Learn about Schrodinger's equation, one dimensional scattering, Hilbert space, and the density operator. Find extensive explanations of spin and angular momentum, vector spaces, matrix mechanics, the harmonic oscillator, and the hydrogen atom. Perform better on qualifying or placement exams. Take a 'final exam' and grade it yourself! Clear enough for beginners, but challenging enough for those who already know something about advanced physics, "Quantum Mechanics Demystified" is the best self-teaching tool you can find! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (31)

Math focused, terrible editing
(NOTE: the conclusion to this longish review is at the bottom, but the details must be read in the body of the review)

This book is actually quite good at refreshing your introductory quantum mechanics. It covers all the usual one semester topics, and a bit more. That's why I chose this book to help me review what I learned a long time ago in a modern physics class. Yet page after page is bogged down by horrendous mistakes.

The mistakes, unfortunately, usually pertain to the actual equations, where numbers that should be squared are not, or constants are missing without explanation (where is the constant in coulombs law? How can you just set that to 1?). These aren't just grammatical errors, they are errors that matter to the understanding of the material.

I can't help feeling this book was hastily edited, if it was edited at all. Of course this is a double edged sword, as it forces you to work through the equations yourself and make sure they're right. A book that can do that (even by mistake) earns some points in my book. Anyone who just scans the pages for equations to copy will be in big trouble with this book. Which brings me to another issue, where sometimes non-obvious details are completely left out.

When it talks about the separation of variables technique, it does nothing to hint at how one could use that to turn the equation into two ordinary differential equations, by virtue of the fact that you can get all the functions of one variable on the left hand side of the equation, and the function of the other variable on the right hand side. If two equations with different variables equal each other they must be constant (which is something to think about, not obvious to many people at all!). It says nothing of the sort, and I think mistakes like this will make life difficult for the intended audience of self-teachers and beginners . Yet in complete contrast the book will occasionally go into over much detail about something mechanical like integration, or computing a geometric series. It's assumptions about the target audience are inconsistent.

But the book has a magical lucidity to it, it just flows. I was able to read almost 40+ pages in one 3 hour setting, and I feel like my comprehension level is strong for the time I spent. I call it magical, because it's not like the book uses captivating prose, and like I said it's rife with mistakes that I must carefully check. If I had to pinpoint it, it would be that it lets the math do the talking, without being overly terse. It contains the standard introduction on the history of the subject, but does so without 60 pages of overly detailed explanations of specific experiments. The math is what you learn from, and for the most part enough steps are done out were the book never feels to terse with the reader. This balance is something rarely seen in mathematical works. In addition to the amount of material covered, this almost makes up for the glaring flaws. Although I wish there were more problems to do, but there are plenty of worked examples to give the reader an idea of what you can do with the equations.

IN CONCLUSION:
I recommend this to anyone who wants a refresher, but I also strongly recommend at least another text so you can compare some of the possibly erroneous equations, and fill in the gaps where the author left out much needed reasoning or explanations. The physicist will lament the lack of experimental reasoning, and the casual reader will find nothing in the way of cool thought experiments, but for the mathematically oriented reader, this is a great book to have. At least if you don't mind working the steps yourself to ensure their accuracy, but this is a practice any math reader should adopt anyways.

This Book is Gold
There are books that you hope will help you and books that actually do. If you are serious about teaching yourself quantum mechanics "Quantum Mechanics Demystified" by David McMahon is a must-have. The book is concise clear and he does a good job of explaining the reasons behind what's going on. I will say you do need the undergrad math preparation in matrices and differential equations however. Hence I suspect, some of the lower star ratings. Dirac notation and density matrices are what I have been interested in learning. How many texts out there do a thorough job of getting you started with density matrices and their interpretation? Not many. Blum might be an example. Shankar? Forget it. McMahon gives just the right amount of hand holding to enable you to crack open these types of abstract ideas. There are numerous helpful examples. As a result, I am finally "getting it" at long last. The text does have a lot of typos, but there are lists of errata online to help you out. McMahon, I praise you for ability to explain this challenging kind of material. My original quantum mechanics prof by comparison seems clueless.

Missing the Point
I think many of the reviews of "Quantum Mechanics DeMystified" are missing the point. David McMahon, gets you through each topic, in a clear logical manner, step by step, that few books on the topic, come close to matching. Many other books start off well, like
"Principles of Quantum Mechanics" by Shankar, "Introduction to Quantum Mechanics" by Griffiths, or "The Structure And Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics" by Hughes. But they loose you in the details.
In the middle of a topic, there's complex proofs that add nothing to the material being presented. Or problems at the end of each chapter that no one but Google could solve.
David McMahon does a great job, taking you step by step, through problem after problem. Yes, there were errors in the first release of this book. But many of those errors were fixed in the current release. And yes, not all errors may have been corrected.
But I thought so much of this book, I purchased a second copy,
that contained most of the known corrections.
This book is a great supplement to books like thosed mentioned above.
And its also a great supplement to free iTunes U courses on Quantum Mechanics like those from Leonard Susskind from Stanford University
or James Binney from Oxford University.
I've bought a number of David McMahon DeMystified books like "Quantum Field Theory", "Linear Algebra", "Relativity" and "Matlab". All of them, got me started on subjects, that other books that used a textbook approach, just left me hanging.
I'm a fan. I'm hoping he'll consider writing a book on "Particle Physics and the Standard Model". It would be a great supplement to
Leonard Susskinds currect lecture series on iTunes U or YouTube titled "New Revolutionsin Particle Physics: The Standard Model"

So Many Mistakes!
This book is so full of mistakes, it's hard to follow.The examples skip over a lot of the math, occasionally making it difficult to figure out how they got from point A to point B.This is made even worse by the fact that the answer they end up with might be full of typos.They do stupid stuff like using + instead of = or writing the wrong exponent on a variable, but they also skrew up important equations from time to time.I'm wasting a lot of time in my reading of this text trying to figure out when and where the book went wrong.I would definitely NOT recommend this text.

Better than my prof!But the book does have many typos...
I got more out of this book than from two semesters of university-level quantum.The books does need some editing--there are quite a number of typos, especially at the beginning of the book--but it's still a great resource, and perfect for someone (like myself) looking for a quantum refresher. ... Read more

Product Description
Quantum Wells, Wires and Dots, 3rd Edition is aimed at providing all the essential information, both theoretical and computational, in order that the reader can, starting from essentially nothing, understand how the electronic, optical and transport properties of semiconductor heterostructures are calculated. Completely revised and updated, this text is designed to lead the reader through a series of simple theoretical and computational implementations, and slowly build from solid foundations, to a level where the reader can begin to initiate theoretical investigations or explanations of their own.

  ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent Book
This book is the best you are going to find for new quantum electronics.It covers all the essentials (wells, wires and dots as the title says) and, AND it gives you all the code used to generate every figure.This way you can work all the numbers and equations yourself.Yes, it is very expensive, but hey, Harrison has to eat man; a book like this has a real limited audience, so you have to bear the cost to be elite.

The code is all C code and can be run in unix or linux.You can also get an emulator (cygwin.com) or translate into your favorite C.The author has a great website with errata and software updates.

Again, the ability to follow along by running your own code helps really bring the information across.The book and the code are both well written.

Excellent book.

a great work
It is a great work of this book. I think it is very useful to readers with all kinds of levels. But it is a pity I can't buy it in my own country-mainland of China.Could you give me a chance? Thanks! ... Read more

Product Description
Introduction to Quantum Mechanics is an introduction to the power and elegance of quantum mechanics. Assuming little in the way of prior knowledge, quantum concepts are carefully and precisely presented, and explored through numerous applications and problems. Some of the more challenging aspects that are essential for a modern appreciation of the subject have been included, but are introduced and developed in the simplest way possible.

Undergraduates taking a first course on quantum mechanics will find this text an invaluable introduction to the field and help prepare them for more advanced courses.

Introduction to Quantum Mechanics:
· Starts from basics, reviewing relevant concepts of classical physics where needed.
· Motivates by considering weird behaviour of quantum particles.
· Presents mathematical arguments in their simplest form.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

I can't really recommend this book
This book is okay, but it's not phenomenal.It would benefit from a second edition to correct some of the typos, but given that the author is now deceased, that seems unlikely.If you are buying this book for a class, I recommend supplementing your academic arsenal with an additional text, perhaps "An Introduction to Quantum Physics" by French and Taylor.If you are simply looking for a book on the subject for your own personal use, I highly recommend looking at other texts instead. ... Read more

Product Description
The Times Literary Supplement called their previous book, Symmetry and the Beautiful Universe: "[A] tour de force of physics made simple."

Quantum theory is the bedrock of contemporary physics and the basis of understanding matter in its tiniest dimensions and the vast universe as a whole. But for many, the theory remains an impenetrable enigma.

Nobel Prize laureate Leon M. Lederman and Fermi lab theoretical physicist Christopher T. Hill seek to remedy this situation by both drawing on their scientific expertise and their talent for communicating science to the general reader. In this lucid, informative book, designed for the curious, they make the seemingly daunting subject of quantum physics accessible, appealing, and exciting.

Their story is partly historical, covering the many "Eureka" moments when great scientists--Max Planck, Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, Werner Heisenberg, Erwin Schrödinger, and others--struggled to come to grips with the bizarre realities that quantum research revealed. Although their findings were indisputably proven in experiments, they were so strange and counterintuitive that Einstein refused to accept quantum theory, despite its great success.

The authors explain the many strange and even eerie aspects of quantum reality at the subatomic level, from "particles" that can be many places simultaneously and sometimes act more like waves, to the effect that a human can have on their movements by just observing them!

Finally, Drs. Lederman and Hill delve into quantum physics' latest and perhaps most breathtaking offshoots--field theory and string theory. The intricacies and ramifications of these two theories will give the reader much to ponder. In addition, the authors describe the diverse applications of quantum theory in its almost countless forms of modern technology throughout the world.

Using eloquent analogies and illustrative examples, Quantum Physics for Poets render even the most profound reaches of quantum theory understandable and something for us all to savor. ... Read more

Product Description

The new edition of a standard reference will be of interest to advanced students wishing to become familiar with the method of Green's functions for obtaining simple and general solutions to basic problems in quantum physics. The main part is devoted to the simplest kind of Green's functions, namely the solutions of linear differential equations with a -function source. It is shown that these familiar Green's functions are a powerful tool for obtaining relatively simple and general solutions of basic problems such as scattering and boundlevel information. The bound-level treatment gives a clear physical understanding of "difficult" questions such as superconductivity, the Kondo effect, and, to a lesser degree, disorder-induced localization. The more advanced subject of many-body Green's functions is presented in the last part of the book. This third edition is 50% longer than the previou and offers end-of-chapter problems and solutions (40% are solved) and additional appendices to helpit is to serve as an effective self-tutorial and self-sufficient reference. Throughout, it demonstrates the powerful and unifying formalism of Green's functions across many applications, including transport properties, carbon nanotubes, and photonics and photonic crystals.

Product Description

Quantum mechanics is one of the great success stories of modern physics, making sense of the very small just as Einstein's theory of relativity made sense of the very large. But, for most students, the ideas that make quantum mechanics powerful can be confusing and counterintuitive. This volume in the Greenwood Guides to Great Ideas in Science series provides a history of quantum mechanics from the early breakthroughs of Planck and Einstein, at the beginning of the 20th century, to the present frontiers of quantum computing and quantum gravity.The approach is entirely non-technical, and is aimed at the general reader who may not have much mathematical background but who has a strong curiosity about some of the most important developments in modern science.

Quantum Mechanics: A Historical Perspective traces the history of this powerful theory, including:

; The early discoveries by Max Planck and Albert Einstein regarding the quantization of radiation

; The early quantum theory, including Neils Bohr's theory of the atom

; The birth of modern quantum mechanics through the work of Heisenberg, Schrodinger, Born, Dirac and others

; Applications of quantum mechanics in chemistry, nuclear physics, electronics, and many other areas

; Recent work in quantum computation and quantum information theory

The book emphasizes the fact that despite the great success of quantum mechanics, many exciting intellectual frontiers remain open for further researchers to explore. It includes a glossary, a timeline, and a bibliography of accessible resources for further research.

Customer Reviews (1)

Great Explanation of A Complex and Difficult Subject
Peacock's book is a thorough, clear outline of the development of quantum mechanics -- the new physics -- from its earliest origins in the nineteenth century.The author, who seems very well-grounded in quantum physics, tries hard to explain the growth of this highly mathematical field in simple analogies and well-crafted written text.There are no equations in this readable account, but a reader not already familiar with some of the history and great names of twentieth century physics will probably have to refer to the time-line and glossary in the back of the book to keep it all straight. Quantum physics is extremely important; this may be the best introduction to it for the layperson in English. ... Read more

Product Description
The Quantum Challenge, Second Edition is an engaging and thorough treatment of the extraordinary phenomena of quantum mechanics, and of the enormous challenge they present to our conception of the physical world.Traditionally, the thrill of grappling with such issues is reserved for practicing scientists, while physical science, mathematics, and engineering students are often isolated from these inspiring questions.This book was written to remove this isolation.Greenstein and Zajonc present the puzzles of quantum mechanics using vivid references to contemporary experiments.The authors focus on the most striking and conceptually significant quantum phenomena, together with a clear theoretical treatment of each.The depth and extent of the challenge of quantum mechanics becomes increasingly compelling as they move from the simplest experiments involving single photons or particles, to the famous Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen and Bell's Theorem, and then to macroscopic quantum phenomena. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Fantastic book for gaining real understanding of many key QM experimental results
As others have said, this is by far the best book for gaining a solid understanding of many key experimental results in QM until about 2002.

I am using this book for self-study and have found that it complements standard undergraduate textbooks on quantum mechanics very well. The level of the book is between (typically misleading) popular accounts and highly technical textbook or journal article accounts.As such, it assumes you have some background in calculus and modern physics.[The only textbook I am aware of that deals with more recent experiments is Auletta, Fortunato and Parisis, Quantum Mechanics, 2009.ISBN978-0-521-86963-8. This is a very fine textbook but assumes the reader is fairly sophisticated in terms of mathematics and physics background.]

excellent for first year grad students
This book is great for understanding QM conceptually. You should have studied QM at least at the undergraduate level already - the authors assume you already know the math. I'm a first year grad student in electrical engineering and the level is perfect for me (that is, challenging and slow to read, but very rewarding and not too frustrating). The authors go over a lot of spiffy experiments that have taken place in the last 50 years. They give you the experimental schematic, tell you the "expected result", give you charts of the actual result, and discuss what it means. As an engineer, this style of learning is great for me, because there's a lot of pretty diagrams and plots.

The authors also teach you how to apply the math you learned in your undergrad to actually analyze real world situations. For example, they analyze scattering events inside a fission reactor using the uncertainty principle and conclude *warning: spoilers* that the uncertainty in the position of a particle in a fission reactor is one hundred times bigger than the cross section of the nucleus it is to strike. (This is a fundamental uncertainty due to the Heisenberg Principle, not due to faulty measuring equipment). This means that we cannot visualize a fission chain reaction as these neat little balls that bounce around, splitting nuclei apart. It means that we cannot be sure what is going on inside at all. I thought that was neat.

The Foundations of Quantum Mechanics made accessible
Even after taking an advanced-level quantun mechanics course my junior year of college, I had only heard vague reference to Bell's Inequalities, and certainly had not heard of delayed-choice experiments or Bohm's formulation of quantum mechanics.I knew nothing about quantum computation, hidden variable theories, or really anything at all beyond the Copenhagen Interpretation.

Quantum mechanics tends to bring up philosophical questions in first-time students.I have a friend who after taking his first quantum course, was adamant, to near the point of hysteria, that quantum mechanics must be wrong because to him the collapse of the wave function simply did notmake sense.For him, and for myself, The Quantum Challenge was exactly what we needed.It takes questions about the meaning of quantum mechanics and answers them firmly and concretely (to the extent that the answers are known) in light of experimental results.These are the sort of things they don't teach you in physics class, where you diagnolize matrices, solve Schrodinger Equations, and learn approximation methods for months without understanding how everything you're doing works in application.

I was a teaching assistant for an intensive, 4-week quantum mechanics course for high school students this summer.The Quantum Challenge was our text.At first, I was skeptical of using this route to introduce students to quantum physics, but now I realize that it is much more successful than a traditional approach towards the mathematics of quantum.After working with Quantum Challenge, my students had a better understanding of quantum physics than they would have if we had spent four weeks trying to teach differential equations and linear algebra to them.

The book does include some math and is not for a complete beginner in quantum mechanics.Before reading it, you should understand bra-ket notation and have enough quantum mechanics to do simple one-dimensional problems, but after that, dive into the arcane and fascinating world of the quantum.

An honest presentation of the puzzles in Quantum Mechanics
This is the only pedagogical book I have seen that tries to explain the issues in interpreting Quantum Mechanics without trying to sell the reader on a philosophical direction first. The authors just try to explain the implications and rationale behind QM as it is today, without promoting a "new direction". I think this is extremely useful - even if you want to go somewhere else, it helps to know where you are, to start.

There is a lot of discussion of the relevant experiments and the issues they settle (and raise). This is rather grounding.

The reader will need a good undergraduate-level capability in mathematics and previous exposure to quantum physics, in order to make real progress with this book. I think this is unavoidable, as QM is inherently mathematical. Given this background, the reader should find this book clear and well filled-out.

(I am writing about the 1st edition - I'm not sure how the 2nd edition differs.)

Great book.
I had Professor Zajonc for my Modern Physics class. He assigned some readings from his book; I don't think anyone read it. They should have because this book is immensely readable and it was a LOT better than his lectures. I think I learned more reading this book than going to class, which admittedly I didn't do very often.

This book is an excellent bridge between popular accounts of quantum mechanics, which focus on the consequences but have no math in them at all, and technical accounts, which are all math. This book is a good medium. If you have knowledge of undergraduate math and physics you should be able to get through this book. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (25)

Not as advertised.
The book was advertised as brand new, but it had pencil markings and words written in the margin in one of the chapters.Very disappointed.Also took a long time to receive.Didn't want to send it back because I'd waited so long and had to return library copy, transfer paragraph tags, etc.

Some serious errors...
I agree with other reviewers that this book has bias issues, the least of which is not a strong Feminist bias. But beyond these biases, there are serious factual errors in its presentation of modern physics. I will list only two:

1. On page 17, the author says that we know that the earth has existed for at least 15 billion years. In fact, modern theory has it that the universe has existed for about 15 billion years while our earth has only existed for about 5 billion years, our sun being a second or third generation star. This error is in some very elementary material. Confusing the ages of the earth and the universe raises an immediate red flag to me and throws a shadow on the remaining contents of the book.

2. On page 31, the author refers to passing a beam of light through a "Stern-Gerlach device" in which the (magnetic) field seperates the initial beam into two weaker beams. The Stern-Gerlach experiment in fact involves sending a beam of (uncharged) particles (not light) through an inhomogeneous magnetic field and observing their deflections. The results show that, while the particles do, in fact, possess intrinsic angular momenta, analogous to the angular momentum of classically spinning objects, these momenta are quantized and take on only certain discreet values. Light is not involved at all in the Stern-Gerlach experiment. Confusing a beam of light with a particle beam is another serious error which (for me) throws into question everything that the book claims to teach about quantum mechanics (or about modern science in general).

There have been many books that have attempted to combine religion or mysticism with quantum mechanics. This one was recommended to me by a friend who is a Catholic nun. I spotted the errors while scanning the pages of the book prior to actually reading it. Perhaps it is best simply to leave such disciplinary mixtures as physics and religion/mysticism alone since they are more like oil and water in their mixing properties, forming an emulsion rather than a solution, than, say sugar and water, in which the sugar really does go into solution.

I do not recommend this book.

Quantum Theology
I was so captivated by this book, that I not only have read it through three times, but have ordered copies for my friends.It opens the mind to unlimited creativity of the universe and its creator.

Quantum Theology
An interesting topic, but a difficult read.Author seems to go around in circles

Thought Provoking but Hard to Connect the Dots
Very stimulating book but also hard to follow.Maybe that's because I don't have much of a background in quantum physics, but then again, he doesn't either.Not much new from his first edition.The best thing about the book to me was that it really made me think.It took me in different directions I think than the author intended, but gave me a lot to consider.
From my philosophy and theology background I had to wonder how he connected the dots between naturalism and supernaturalism.His metaphors were particularly cumbersome.Just because a quark can't be divided doesn't necessarily mean it relates somehow to the Trinity.Correlations doesn't automatically mean causation or connection.
Still I enjoyed the book very much and as I said, it really gives the reader a lot to think about.Terry Bell (The author of "The Love Ethic.")
... Read more

Product Description
As we humans have expanded our horizons to see things vastly smaller, faster, larger, and farther than ever before, we have been forced to confront preconceptions born of the human experience and create wholly new ways of looking at the world around us.  The theories of relativity and quantum physics were developed out of this need and have provided us with phenomenal, mind-twisting insights into the strange and exciting reality show of our universe. 
 
Relativity and Quantum Physics For Beginners is an entertaining and accessible introduction to the bizarre concepts that fueled the scientific revolution of the 20th century and led to amazing advances in our understanding of the universe.  ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

relativity 2 stars, quantum theory 4 stars
I thought the book did a much better job with quantum theory than relativity.For example, the twins paradox is not discussed at all in the relativity section (the first part of the book), but the modern interpretation of electrons as an ever changing collection of virtual particles is discussed in some detail toward the end of the book.I felt I learned something there.Otherwise the book just covered "the usual suspects" in pretty standard ways.The graphics are fine, and the text easy to read.In the end, I got my money's worth, in a break even sort of way. ... Read more

Product Description
What is Quantum Mechanics? A Physics Adventure comprehensively traces the historical development of quantum mechanics, treating a complex subject in a light-hearted, user-friendly manner. It not only introduces the reader to the concepts of quantum mechanics, but also tells the story behind the theories. It is easy to understand for beginners because it was written by people going through the learning process themselves. Yet, even the seasoned scientist will enjoy the controversy and drama as the development of physics unfolds in the book.

Dr. Yoichiro Nambu, 2008 Nobel Prize Winner in Physics, served as a senior adviser to the student authors of What is Quantum Mechanics? A Physics Adventure at the Transnational College of LEX throughout their journey of discovery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (25)

A perfect book
This is a great book. It explains very complex subjects in a very easy-to-digest manner. I ve purchased also other books of this serrie, namely, Who is Fourier? and What is DNA?. I havent had time yet to read them, but I will soon.
These kinds of book let people know that science is not necessarily difficult to understand and follow and is accessible for EVERY ONE.
The book is written also in a very vivid way, by a couple of students who try to explain almost everything they mention there. Also the price is very reasonable. So, if you are interessted in the subject of Quantum theory, and you dont know much about it, try this book.

Ciao
Houtan

Excellent Style
A Language School explains Quantum Mechanics ...... really, really well!If you have readpopular books on this topic and are a little frustrated that you never really got to the meat of the issues then this is the book you want. It does a lot of the maths but sympathetically.The other book in the series Who Is Fourier explains the maths you need (really, really well!).

An Adventure into Physics that will not disappoint


This book, one of the first from the "Transnational College of Lex" is a tour de force in its gentle approach to complex topics. It gives an intuitive introduction to the complex, often bizarre and contradictory ideas of quantum physics.

But more importantly, it explains them in simple to understand language and does not try to finesse the mathematics. And here is where the real bonus of the Lex Series comes in: The always complex mathematics is introduced in the same gentle way: Not by taking shortcuts, or faking the reader out, but by producing examples that illustrate what the "often hard to understand" mathematical equations do, and then repeating this process further along as the reader gains facility and comfort with the math.

When the reader completes this book, he does not feel that he has been "conned" into think that he has learned about Quantum Mechanics when in fact he has not -- as is the case with the "so-called" Demystified series of books, that I have also reviewed: With the Lex series, the reader either knows that he has grasped the ideas, or how far away he is from doing so.

I have communicated directly with the writers at Lex, urging them to do a similar book on relativity. So far, and much to my dismay, that is not on their future menu of possibilities. However, I encourage those who have an interest in understanding the difficult concepts in Quantum physics to review this book first. You will not be disappointed.

Easily five stars!

Hello Kitty meets Schrodinger's cat
This is admittedly a strange format for a quantum mechanics book. However, if you do skip over the cartoons you do find a lot of mathematical steps and insights more conventional books do not bother pointing out. Many students learn the mathematical underpinnings of QM as a bunch of symbol manipulating tricks. This book delves into the math and provides the rationale for much of those hitherto mysterious steps.

I give the book four stars as the authors' usage of cartoons is often annoying and juvenile. Those who worked on the books could have used this unusual format to target a mature audience if the cartoon characters did indeed provide insightful commentary - which they often did not.

What is Quqntum Mechanics
This is an amazing book for all, specifically, physics students.Every body would have pleasure of reading this book and could gain enough detail knowledge of Quantum Mechanics, a subject which scared expert and non-expert equally.One of the beauti of this book is that you do not have to have vast knowledge of mathematics to read and understand this book. ... Read more

Product Description
Goddess Spirituality for the 21st Century presentsnew ways of deepening the mystical connection with the divine embodiedas female. Judith Laura begins by reviewing concepts common to variousforms of Goddess spirituality. She then moves into uncharted territoryby re-envisioning the metaphysical basis underlying much of Westernmysticism.

This is the first book to look at both Jewish Kabbalahand Western Esoteric Qabalah from the point of view of Goddessconcepts, and to offer a more gender-balanced, female-affirmingre-visioning of the central kabbalistic symbol, the Tree of Life. Thebook also encourages the incorporation of contemporary science, suchas quantum physics, into the symbolism and practice of Goddessspirituality. Though tackling complex subjects, the author offers herexplanations in an approach that is easy to understand without beingsimplistic.

The book also includes rituals and guided meditationsto help put these ground-breaking theories into spiritual practice. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

More than I expected
I admit it. I"m a snob when it comes to books on Kabbalah and the spiritual side of quantum physics.So many authors writing about Kabbalah and the feminine divine are spouting ideas that traditional kabbalists would balk at, and present them right alongside unsound pop science, to boot.Oy vey, indeed.

Yet this book makes a delightful exception.I bought this book assuming that I wouldn't like it, yet I was drawn to her premise and wanted to give the book a chance. I"m very glad that I did.Her treatment of Kabbalah very obviously stems from a study in Traditional Kabbalah, which for me indicates scholarship, dediation, and true desire to help seekers understand the subject matter.It would have been easy for Ms. Laura to use entirely hermetic sources and views in her treatment of Kabbalah, but instead she teaches from the source, from the heart of Kabbalism, and for that alone, I applaud her.

I did have a few issues with some of her theories, most notably her feminization of the sephira Chokmah.I feel that this is a violation of the most baisc ideas of traditional Kabbalah, and while I understand why she did this and why she feels justified in doing so, this sat wrong with me.But it is the only major beef I have with this work.

I reserve my 5 star ratings for books that in some way change my world.This book didn't quite do that, but only because my own studies of Kabbalah have advanced beyond the level of study this book intended.Had I read it several years ago, it very well may have changed my world.As it is, it is a sound, well researched, opinionated and interesting look at Kabbalah through the lenses of feminist spirituality.Job well done.

a brilliant summary of spiritual and political ideas
Judith Laura deals in complex ideas and history, both in spirituality and science.She does so in such clear prose that the most difficult issues, usually impenetrable, become clear and direct.And she demonstrates the direct relevance of ancient mysticism and modern physics to people's lives today.I have learned more from this short book--more on Kabbalah, more on the history of suppressed female spirituality, more on quantum theory--than from many long and complicated volumes.Highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description

The treatment of time in quantum mechanics is still an important and challenging open question in the foundation of the quantum theory.

This multi-authored book, written as an introductory guide for newcomers to the subject, as well as a useful source of information for the expert, covers many of the open questions. The book describes the problems, and the attempts and achievements in defining, formalizing and measuring different time quantities in quantum theory.