Beautifully illustrated and engagingly written, Twelve Lectures in Quantum Mechanics presents theoretical physics with a breathtaking array of examples and anecdotes. Basdevant's style is clear and stimulating, in the manner of a brisk lecture that can be followed with ease and enjoyment. Here is a sample of the book's style, from the opening of Chapter 1: "If one were to ask a passer-by to quote a great formula of physics, chances are that the answer would be 'E = mc2'.... There is no way around it: all physics is quantum, from elementary particles, to stellar physics and the Big Bang, not to mention semiconductors and solar cells."

The 1990 Cargese Summer Institute on ZO-Physics was organized by the Univer- site Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris (M. Levy and J.-L. Basdevant), CERN (M. Jacob), the Universite Catholique de Louvain (D. Speiser and J. Weyers), and the Katholieke Universiteit te Leuven (R. Gastmans), which, since 1975, have joined their efforts and worked in common. It was the ninth Summer Institute on High Energy Physics orga- nized jointly at Cargese by these three universities. Because of the start-up of LEP in the summer of 1989, we broke with our tradition of having our Summer Institutes in the odd years. Indeed, it seemed to us that the many new data from LEP had to be presented in detail as soon as possible in order to prepare the young researchers in particle physics better for the experimental results with which they will be confronted in the coming years. The main theme of the school was therefore ZO-physics, with particular emphasis on the way the experiments at LEP are analyzed. We had one lecturer from each LEP experiment: they agreed among each other to present different topics in e+e- physics. Nevertheless, they made sure that all the major topics were discussed and that the results could be critically compared.

The 1981 Cargese Summer Institute on Fundamental Interactions was organized by the Universite Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris (M. LEVY and J-L. BASDEVANT), CERN (M. JACOB), the Universite Catholique de Louvain (D. SPEISER and J. WEYERS), and the Kotholieke Universiteit te Leuven (R. GASTMANS), which, since 1975 have joined their efforts and worked in common. It was the 24th Summer Institute held at Cargese and the 8th one organized by the two institutes of theoretical physics at Leuven and Louvain-Ia-Neuve. The 1985 school was centered around two main themes : the standard model of the fundamental interactions (and beyond) and astrophysics. The remarkable advances in the theoretical understanding and experimental confirmation of the standard model were reviewed in several lectures where the reader will find a thorough analysis of recent experiments as well as a detailed comparaison of the standard model with experiment. On a more theoretical side, supersymmetry, supergravity and strings were discussed as well. The second theme concerns astrophysics where the school was quite successful in bridging the gap between this fascinating subject and more conventional particle physics. We owe many thanks to all those who have made this Summer Institute possible ! Thanks are due to the Scientific Committee of NATO and its President and to the "Region Corse" for a generous grant. .. We wish to thank Miss M-F. HANSELER, Mrs ALRIFRAI, Mr and Mrs ARIANO, and Mr BERNIA and all others from Paris, Leuven, Louvain-la-Neuve and especially Cargese for their collaboration.

The 1979 Cargese Summer Institute on Quarks and Leptons was organized by the Universite Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris (M. LEVY and J.-L. BASDEVANT), CERN (M. JACOB), the Universite Catholi~ue de Louvain (D. SPEISER and J. WEYERS), and the Katholieke Universiteit te Leuven (R. GASTMANS), who, like in 1975 and 1977, had joined their efforts and worked in common. It was the 20th Summer Institute held at Cargese and the 5th one organized by the two institutes of theoretical physics at Leuven and Louvain-la- Neuve. This time, the school was dominated by the impressive advances which were made in the field of perturbative ~uantum chromodyna- mics and its applications to high energy phenomena involving strongly interacting particles. The unification of weak and electromagnetic interactions being well established, a new picture in particle physics emerges wherein a possible unification of weak, electromagnetic, and strong forces is put forward. Its conse~uences were also discussed in detail. Finally, to complete the picture of the present status of high energy physics, experi- mentalists from the major laboratories around the world reported on the latest developments in electron-positron scattering, neutrino induced reactions, and hadron collisions. We owe many thanks to all those who have made this Summer Institute possible! Thanks are due to the Scientific Committee of NATO and its President for a generous grant and especially to the head of the Scientific Affairs Division, Dr. M. DI LULLO for his constant help and encouragements.

The 1983 Cargese Summer Institute on Particles and Fields was organized by the Universite Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris (M. LEVY and J.-L. BASDEVANT), C.E.R.N. (M. JACOB), the Universite Catholique de Louvain (D. SPEISER and J. WEYERS), and the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (R. GASTMANS). After 1975, 1977, 1979, and 1981, it was the fifth time they joined their efforts for organizing this Summer Insti- tute. This school was characterized by simultaneous progress in the theory of elementary particles and by impressive experimental advances. On the theoretical front, one witnessed the new developments in lattice gauge theories, which explore the world of strongly interacting par- ticles in a non-perturbative way, and progress in a better understan- ding of the unity of all interactions based on supersymmetry. The experimentalists were ~roud to announce the discovery of the interme- diate vector bosons; W- and ZO, at C.E.R.N., while physicists working with e+e- colliding beams continued to probe more deeply the validity of the theoretical models of strong, weak and electromagnetic inter- actions. We owe many thanks to all those who have made this Summer Insti- tute possible! Thanks are due to the Scientific Committee of NATO and its Presi- dent for a generous grant and especially to the head of the Advanced Study Institute Program and his collaborators for their constant help and encouragement. We also thank the National Science Foundation (USA) for their financial assistance.

The 1992 Cargese Summer Institute on Quantitative Particle Physics was organized by the Universite Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris (M. Levy and J. -L. Basdevant), CERN (M. Jacob), the Ecole Normale Superieure, Paris (J. Diopoulos), the Katholieke Universiteit te Leuven (R. Gastmans) and the Universite Catholique de Louvain (J-M. Gerard), which, since 1975, have joined their efforts and worked in common. It was the tenth Summer Institute on High Energy Physics organized jointly at Cargese by these three universities. The 1992 School centered on quantitative tests of the Standard Model for electroweak and strong interactions. First, Professor T. D. Lee reviewed the fascinating history of weak interactions. Professor R. Barbieri then discussed the implications of the of LEP presented by Professor Foil. . Professor G. Ecker latest experimental results described in detail the interplay between electroweak and strong interactions at low energy. Professors K. Berkelman and J-M. Gerard stressed the necessity to study the effects of CP-violation in both B-and K-physics. The first results of the HERA machine were presented by Professor G. Wolf, while Professor M. Shochet reviewed heavy flavor physics in hadron collider experiments. Recent non-accelerator experiments in neutrino physics were presented by Professor B. Barish. Finally, Professor M. Turner reviewed Cosmology after COBE. We owe many thanks to all those who have made this Summer Institute possible! Special thanks are due to the Scientific Committee of NATO and its President for a generous grant.

The 1989 Cargese Summer Institute on Particle Physics was organized by the Universite Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris (M. Levy and J.-L. Basdevant), CERN (M. Jacob), the Universite Catholique de Louvain (D. Speiser and J. Weyers) and the Katholieke Universiteit te Leuven (R. Gastmans), which, since 1975, have joined their efforts and worked in common. It was the twenty-sixth Summer Institute held at Cargese and the tenth organized by the two Institutes of Theoretical Physics at Leuven and Louvain-la-Neuve. The 1989 school centered on the following topics - new experimental results - strings, superstrings and conformal field theory - lattice approximations. Of the many new experimental results, we would like to mention especially those from SLAC presented by Professor G. Feldman. On the other hand, we had the tantalizing knowledge that LEP would begin to operate only right after the end of the school! For this we received ample replacement: Professor J. Steinberger summed up all major CP violation experiments done to date and commented upon them. The reader will find also various other most interesting contributions, for instance on high energy ion beams. Once more theoreticians and experimentalists (this time more than usual) came together to discuss high energy particle physics.

The 1981Cargese Summer Institute on Fundamental Interactions was organized by the Universite Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris (M. LEVY and J.-L. BASDEVANT), CERN (M. JACOB), the Universite Catholique de Louvain (D. SPEISER and J. WEYERS), and the Katholieke Universiteit te Leuven (R. GASTMANS), which, like in 1975, 1977 and 1979, had joined their efforts and worked in common. It was the 22nd Summer Institute held at Cargese and the 6th one organized by the two institutes of theoretical physics at Leuven and Louvain-la-Neuve. This time, while the last school was dominated by the impres- sive advances which were made in the field of perturbative quantum chromodynamics and its applications to high energy phenomena invol- ving strongly interacting particles, the 1981 school clearly reflected a period of transition, where the new insights gained by experiment and theory are digested and put in order. Place of pride among the experiments belonged this time to DESY. On the theore- tical side the reader will find a more thorough interpretation and understanding of the experiments as well as approaches to new theories. Finally several talks were devoted to experiments of the future. We owe many thanks to all those who have made this Summer Institute possible! Thanks are due to the Scientific Committee of NATO and its President for a generous grant and especially to the head of the Advanced Study Institute Program, Dr. R. Chabbal and his collabora- tors for their constant help and encouragements.

Covers all the phenomenological and experimental data on nuclear physics and demonstrates the latest experimental developments that can be obtained.

Introduces modern theories of fundamental processes, in particular the electroweak standard model, without using the sophisticated underlying quantum field theoretical tools.

Incorporates all major present applications of nuclear physics at a level that is both understandable by a majority of physicists and scientists of many other fields, and usefull as a first introduction for students who intend to pursue in the domain.

Beautifully illustrated and engagingly written, Twelve Lectures in Quantum Mechanics presents theoretical physics with a breathtaking array of examples and anecdotes. Basdevant's style is clear and stimulating, in the manner of a brisk classroom lecture that students can follow with ease and enjoyment. Here is a sample of the book's style, from the opening of Chapter 1: If one were to ask a passer-by to quote a great formula of physics, chances are that the answer would be E = mc2. In fact, of the three watershed years for physics toward the beginning of the 20th century - 1905: the Special Relativity of Einstein, Lorentz and Poincare; 1915: the General Relativity of Einstein, with its extraordinary reflections on gravitation, space and time; and 1925: the development of Quantum Mechanics; it is surely the last which has the most profound implications for the development of science and technology. There is no way around it: all physics is quantum, from elementary particles, to stellar physics and the Big Bang, not to mention semiconductors and solar cells. and Chair of the Department of Physics at the Ecole Polytechnique, and Director of Research for the CNRS. Specializing in the theoretical physics of elementary particles, quantum field theory and astrophysics, Prof. Basdevant works in the Leprince-Ringuet Laboratory at the Ecole Polytechnique.

Motivates students by challenging them with real-life applications of the somtimes esoteric aspects of quantum mechanics that they are learning.

Offers completely original excerices developed at teh Ecole Polytechnique in France, which is know for its innovative and original teaching methods.

Problems from modern physics to help the student apply just-learnt theory to fields such as molecular physics, condensed matter physics or laser physics.

Gives a fresh and modern approach to the field. It is a textbook on the principles of the theory, its mathematical framework and its first applications. It constantly refers to modern and practical developments, tunneling microscopy, quantum information, Bell inequalities, quantum cryptography, Bose-Einstein condensation and quantum astrophysics. The book also contains 92 exercises with their solutions.

Covers all the phenomenological and experimental data on nuclear physics and demonstrates the latest experimental developments that can be obtained.

Introduces modern theories of fundamental processes, in particular the electroweak standard model, without using the sophisticated underlying quantum field theoretical tools.

Incorporates all major present applications of nuclear physics at a level that is both understandable by a majority of physicists and scientists of many other fields, and usefull as a first introduction for students who intend to pursue in the domain.

The 1990 Cargese Summer Institute on ZO-Physics was organized by the Univer- site Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris (M. Levy and J.-L. Basdevant), CERN (M. Jacob), the Universite Catholique de Louvain (D. Speiser and J. Weyers), and the Katholieke Universiteit te Leuven (R. Gastmans), which, since 1975, have joined their efforts and worked in common. It was the ninth Summer Institute on High Energy Physics orga- nized jointly at Cargese by these three universities. Because of the start-up of LEP in the summer of 1989, we broke with our tradition of having our Summer Institutes in the odd years. Indeed, it seemed to us that the many new data from LEP had to be presented in detail as soon as possible in order to prepare the young researchers in particle physics better for the experimental results with which they will be confronted in the coming years. The main theme of the school was therefore ZO-physics, with particular emphasis on the way the experiments at LEP are analyzed. We had one lecturer from each LEP experiment: they agreed among each other to present different topics in e+e- physics. Nevertheless, they made sure that all the major topics were discussed and that the results could be critically compared.

The 1981Cargese Summer Institute on Fundamental Interactions was organized by the Universite Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris (M. LEVY and J.-L. BASDEVANT), CERN (M. JACOB), the Universite Catholique de Louvain (D. SPEISER and J. WEYERS), and the Katholieke Universiteit te Leuven (R. GASTMANS), which, like in 1975, 1977 and 1979, had joined their efforts and worked in common. It was the 22nd Summer Institute held at Cargese and the 6th one organized by the two institutes of theoretical physics at Leuven and Louvain-la-Neuve. This time, while the last school was dominated by the impres- sive advances which were made in the field of perturbative quantum chromodynamics and its applications to high energy phenomena invol- ving strongly interacting particles, the 1981 school clearly reflected a period of transition, where the new insights gained by experiment and theory are digested and put in order. Place of pride among the experiments belonged this time to DESY. On the theore- tical side the reader will find a more thorough interpretation and understanding of the experiments as well as approaches to new theories. Finally several talks were devoted to experiments of the future. We owe many thanks to all those who have made this Summer Institute possible! Thanks are due to the Scientific Committee of NATO and its President for a generous grant and especially to the head of the Advanced Study Institute Program, Dr. R. Chabbal and his collabora- tors for their constant help and encouragements.

Beautifully illustrated and engagingly written, Twelve Lectures in Quantum Mechanics presents theoretical physics with a breathtaking array of examples and anecdotes. Basdevant's style is clear and stimulating, in the manner of a brisk lecture that can be followed with ease and enjoyment. Here is a sample of the book's style, from the opening of Chapter 1: "If one were to ask a passer-by to quote a great formula of physics, chances are that the answer would be 'E = mc2'.... There is no way around it: all physics is quantum, from elementary particles, to stellar physics and the Big Bang, not to mention semiconductors and solar cells."

Variational principles have proven to be surprisingly fertile. For example, Fermat used variational methods to demonstrate that light follows the fastest route from one point to another, an idea which came to be a cornerstone of geometrical optics. This book explains variational principles and charts their use throughout modern physics. It examines the analytical mechanics of Lagrange and Hamilton, the basic tools of any physicist. The book also offers simple but rich first impressions of Einstein’s General Relativity, Feynman’s Quantum Mechanics, and more that reveal amazing interconnections between various fields of physics.

Motivates students by challenging them with real-life applications of the somtimes esoteric aspects of quantum mechanics that they are learning. Offers completely original excerices developed at teh Ecole Polytechnique in France, which is know for its innovative and original teaching methods. Problems from modern physics to help the student apply just-learnt theory to fields such as molecular physics, condensed matter physics or laser physics.

Optimization under constraints is an essential part of everyday life. Indeed, we routinely solve problems by striking a balance between contradictory interests, individual desires and material contingencies. This notion of equilibrium was dear to thinkers of the enlightenment, as illustrated by Montesquieu's famous formulation: In all magistracies, the greatness of the power must be compensated by the brevity of the duration. Astonishingly, natural laws are guided by a similar principle. Variational principles have proven to be surprisingly fertile. For example, Fermat used variational methods to demonstrate that light follows the fastest route from one point to another, an idea which came to be known as Fermat's principle, a cornerstone of geometrical optics. Variational Principles and Dynamics explains variational principles and charts their use throughout modern physics. The heart of the book is devoted to the analytical mechanics of Lagrange and Hamilton, the basic tools of any physicist. General Relativity, Feynman's Quantum Mechanics, and more, revealing amazing interconnections between various fields of physics. A graduate of the Ecole Normale Superieure, Jean-Louis Basdevant is Professor and Chair of the Department of Physics at the Ecole Polytechnique, and Director of Research for the CNRS. Specializing in the theoretical physics of elementary particles, quantum field theory and astrophysics, Prof. Basdevant works in the Leprince-Ringuet Laboratory at the Ecole Polytechnique.

Motivates students by challenging them with real-life applications of the somtimes esoteric aspects of quantum mechanics that they are learning. Offers completely original excerices developed at teh Ecole Polytechnique in France, which is know for its innovative and original teaching methods. Problems from modern physics to help the student apply just-learnt theory to fields such as molecular physics, condensed matter physics or laser physics.