This textbook provides a comprehensive, yet accessible, introduction to statistical mechanics. Crafted and class-tested over many years of teaching, it carefully guides advanced undergraduate and graduate students who are encountering statistical mechanics for the first time through this – sometimes – intimidating subject. The book provides a strong foundation in thermodynamics and the ensemble formalism of statistical mechanics. An introductory chapter on probability theory is included. Applications include degenerate Fermi systems, Bose-Einstein condensation, cavity radiation, phase transitions, and critical phenomena. The book concludes with a treatment of scaling theories and the renormalization group. In addition, it provides clear descriptions of how to understand the foundational mathematics and physics involved and includes exciting case studies of modern applications of the subject in physics and wider interdisciplinary areas. Key Features: Presents the subject in a clear and entertaining style which enables the author to take a sophisticated approach whilst remaining accessible Contains contents that have been carefully reviewed with a substantial panel to ensure that coverage is appropriate for a wide range of courses, worldwide Accompanied by volumes on thermodynamics and non-equilibrium statistical mechanics, which can be used in conjunction with this book, on courses which cover both thermodynamics and statistical mechanics

Magnetic methods are widely used in exploration, engineering, borehole and global geophysics, and the subjects of this book are the physical and mathematical principles of these methods regardless of the area of application.
Beginning with Ampere's law, the force of interaction between currents is analyzed, and then the concept of the magnetic field is introduced and the fundamental features are discussed.
Special attention is paid to measurements of relaxation processes, including topics as the spin echoes or refocusing. Also the special role of the magnetic method in the development of the plate tectonic theory is described.
* covers all the physical and mathematical principles of magnetic methods regardless of the area of application.
* presents thorough developments of magnetic methods.

The book is an introduction to the subject of fluid mechanics, essential for students and researchers in many branches of science. It illustrates its fundamental principles with a variety of examples drawn mainly from astrophysics and geophysics as well as from everyday experience. Prior familiarity with basic thermodynamics and vector calculus is assumed.

Quantum information is an emerging field which has attracted a lot of attention in the last couple of decades. It is a broad subject which extends from the most applied questions (e.g. how to build quantum computers or secure cryptographic systems) to the most theoretical problems concerning the formalism and interpretation of quantum mechanics, its complexity, and its potential to go beyond classical physics. This book is an introduction to quantum information with special emphasis on continuous-variable systems (such as light) which can be described as collections of harmonic oscillators. It covers a selection of basic concepts, focusing on their physical meaning and mathematical treatment. It starts from the very first principles of quantum mechanics, and builds up the concepts and techniques following a logical progression. This is an excellent reference for students with a full semester of standard quantum mechanics and researchers in closely related fields.

B Factories are particle colliders at which specific subatomic particles - B mesons - are produced abundantly. The purpose is to study the properties of their decays in great detail in order to shed light on a mystery of eminently larger scale: why do we live in a universe composed of anti-matter? This book introduces readers to the physics laws of the CP asymmetry, touching on experimental requirements needed to perform such measurements at the subatomic level, and illustrating the main findings of the contemporary B Factories.

Gas phase molecular spectroscopy is a powerful tool for obtaining information on the geometry and internal structure of isolated molecules as well as on the interactions that they undergo. It enables the study of fundamental parameters and processes and is also used for the sounding of gas media through optical techniques. It has been facing always renewed challenges, due to the considerable improvement of experimental techniques and the increasing demand for accuracy and scope of remote sensing applications.
In practice, the radiating molecule is usually not isolated but diluted in a mixture at significant total pressure. The collisions among the molecules composing the gas can have a large influence on the spectral shape, affecting all wavelength regions through various mechanisms. These must be taken into account for the correct analysis and prediction of the resulting spectra.
This book reviews our current experimental and theoretical knowledge and the practical consequences of collisional effects on molecular spectral shapes in neutral gases. General expressions are first given. They are formal of difficult use for practical calculations often but enable discussion of the approximations leading to simplified situations. The first case examined is that of isolated transitions, with the usual pressure broadening and shifting but also refined effects due to speed dependence and collision-induced velocity changes. Collisional line-mixing, which invalidates the notion of isolated transitions and has spectral consequences when lines are closely spaced, is then discussed within the impact approximation. Regions where the contributions of many distant lines overlap, such as troughsbetween transitions and band wings, are considered next. For a description of these far wings the finite duration of collisions and concomitant breakdown of the impact approximation must be taken into account. Finally, for long paths or elevated pressures, the dipole or polarizability induced by intermolecular interactions can make significant contributions. Specific models for the description of these collision induced absorption and light scattering processes are presented.
The above mentioned topics are reviewed and discussed from a threefold point of view: the various models, the available data, and the consequences for applications including heat transfer, remote sensing and optical sounding. The extensive bibliography and discussion of some remaining problems complete the text.
- State of the art on the subject
- A bibliography of nearly 1000 references
- Tools for practical calculations
- Consequences for other scientific fields
- Numerous illustrative examples
- Fulfilling a need since there is no equivalent monograph on the subject

The purpose of the book is to give a survey of the physics that is relevant for biological applications, and also to discuss what kind of biology needs physics. The book gives a broad account of basic physics, relevant for the applications and various applications from properties of proteins to processes in the cell to wider themes such as the brain, the origin of life and evolution. It also considers general questions of common interest such as reductionism, determinism and randomness, where the physics view often is misunderstood. The subtle balance between order and disorder is a repeated theme appearing in many contexts. There are descriptive parts which shall be sufficient for the comprehension of general ideas, and more detailed, formalistic parts for those who want to go deeper, and see the ideas expressed in terms of mathematical formulas.
- Describes how physics is needed for understanding basic principles of biology
- Discusses the delicate balance between order and disorder in living systems
- Explores how physics play a role high biological functions, such as learning and thinking

This book gives a rigorous, physics focused, introduction to set theory that is geared towards natural science majors.We present the science major with a robust introduction to set theory, focusing on the specific knowledge and skills that will unavoidably be needed in calculus topics and natural science topics in general, rather than taking a philosophical-math-fundamental oriented approach that is commonly found in set theory textbooks.

A short important work by Hendrik Antoon Lorentz, Dutch physicist and Nobel Prize winner.

Who Needs Nuclear Power challenges conventional thinking about the role of civil nuclear power in a rapidly changing energy context, where new energy carriers are penetrating markets around the world. Against the backdrop of a global energy transition and the defining issue of Climate Change, Chris Anastasi assesses new nuclear build in a fast-moving sector in which new technologies and practices are rapidly emerging. He considers various countries at different stages of nuclear industry development, and discusses their political, legal and technical institutions that provide the framework for both existing nuclear facilities and new build, as well as a country's technical capability. He also highlights the critical issue of nuclear safety culture, exploring how organisations go about instilling it and maintaining it in their operations and encouraging it in their supply chains; the critical role played by independent regulators and international institutions in ensuring the integrity of the industry is also highlighted. This book provides a balanced and holistic view of nuclear power for both an expert and non-expert audience, and a realistic assessment of the potential for this technology over the critical period to 2050 and beyond.

In the fourty-six years that have gone by since the first volume of Progress in Optics was published, optics has become one of the most dynamic fields of science. The volumes in this series which have appeared up to now contain more than 300 review articles by distinguished research workers, which have become permanent records for many important developments.
- Metamaterials
- Polarization Techniques
- Linear Baisotropic Mediums
- Ultrafast Optical Pulses
- Quantum Imaging
- Point-Spread Funcions
- Discrete Wigner Functions

This book reviews basic electromagnetic (EM) wave theory and applies it specifically to lasers in order to give the reader not only tangible examples of how the theory is manifested in real life, but also practical knowledge about lasers, and their operation and usage. The latter can be useful for those involved with using lasers. As a short treatise on this subject matter, this book is not intended to dwell deeply into the details of EM waves nor lasers. A bibliography is provided for those who wish to explore in more depth the topics covered in this book. Rather the aim of this book is to offer a quick overview, which will allow the reader to gain a competent general understanding of EM waves and lasers.