A compilation of previously unpublished lectures delivered at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics by the pioneers and creators of modern physics --Bethe, Dirac, Heisenberg, Wigner, Klein and Landau (the sixth delivered by E Lifshitz). By sharing with us their own lives of physics, these outstanding physicists convey the sense of total dedication, the pleasure and elegance of scientific creation at its peak. Readers would acquire a deeper sense of the scope and nature of physics, and the insights of its fascinating diverse disciplines as the developments of modern physics are being unfolded through history.

These essays (non-technical), written since the end of WWII by the eminent physicist and outspoken advocate of nuclear disarmament, focus on weapons research, arms control, and nuclear power (of which he approves) and include reflections on friends and colleagues as well as a summary of Bethe's own

Nearly all of this book is taken from an article prepared for a volume of the Encyclopedia of Physics. This article, in turn, is partly based on Dr. Norbert Rosenzweig's translation of an older article on the same subject, written by one of us (H.A.B.) about 25 years ago for the Geiger-Scheel Handbuch der Physik. To the article written last year we have added some Addenda and Errata. These Addenda and Errata refer back to some of the 79 sections of the main text and contain some misprint corrections, additional references and some notes. The aim of this book is two-fold. First, to act as a reference work on calcu lations pertaining to hydrogen-like and helium-like atoms and their comparison with experiments. However, these calculations involve a vast array of approxi mation methods, mathematical tricks and physical pictures, which are also useful in the application of quantum mechanics to other fields. In many sections we have given more general discussions of the methods and physical ideas than is necessary for the study of the H- and He-atom alone. We hope that this book will thus at least partly fulfill its second aim, namely to be of some use to graduate students who wish to learn "applied quantum mechanics". A basic knowledge of the principles of quantum mechanics, such as given in the early chapters of Schiff's or Bohm's book, is presupposed.

This book was written twenty years ago, but we are leaving it unchanged-not because little has happened to the subject, but because so much has happened that any change would require very major rewriting. On the other hand, no other book on the subject seems to have appeared and we hope this paperback edition will be of some use to a younger generation-if not for another twenty years, at least until someone else has the patience to write a new book. Although we have added no new material we have corrected some misprints. We have added new references only where they correct actual errors. Weare grateful to Drs. G. Feinberg, M. Inokuti, Y. Kim, and A. Petermann for pointing out errors. Preface. Nearly aU of this book is taken from an article prepared in 19;6 for a recent volume of the Encyclopedia of Physics. This article, in tum, is partly based on Dr. NORBERT ROSENZWEIG'S translation of an older article on the same subject, written by one of us (HAB) about 25 years ago for the GEIGER-SCHEEL Handbuch der Physik. To the article written last year we have added some Addenda and Errata. These Addenda and Errata refer back to some of the 79 sections of the main text and contain some misprint corrections, additional references and some notes.

In Two Volumes. Volume 1, Fields; Volume 2, Mesons.

2014 Reprint of 1957 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. This classic of modern physics includes a vast array of approximation methods, mathematical tricks, and physical pictures that are also useful in the application of quantum mechanics to other fields. Students and professionals should find it an essential reference for calculations pertaining to hydrogen-like and helium-like atoms and their comparison with experimental results. In-depth explorations of the Dirac theory of the electron and of radiative effects include brief accounts of relevant experiments. The specific application of general field-theoretic results to atomic systems also receives a thorough examination. Author Hans A. Bethe (1906-2005), Professor of Physics at Cornell University, won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1967. Co-author Edwin E. Salpeter is James Gilbert White Distinguished Professor of the Physical Sciences at Cornell University.

In Two Volumes. Volume 1, Fields; Volume 2, Mesons.

In Two Volumes. Volume 1, Fields; Volume 2, Mesons.

2013 Reprint of 1958 Edition. Exact facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. In 1947, Bethe Edited the Los Alamos Report "Blast Wave" Rept. LA-2000], one of his most cited works among shock physicists, which describes how a nuclear weapon blast wave develops over time and distant. This report also contains contributions by John von Neumann, John Magee, Klaus Fuchs and other prominent scientists. Reprints the expanded edition of 1958 with all supplements. Very rare in the original edition.

In Two Volumes. Volume 1, Fields; Volume 2, Mesons.