In addition to his ground-breaking research, Nobel Laureate Steven Weinberg is known for a series of highly praised texts on various aspects of physics, combining exceptional physical insight with a gift for clear exposition. Describing the foundations of modern physics in their historical context and with some new derivations, Weinberg introduces topics ranging from early applications of atomic theory through thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, transport theory, special relativity, quantum mechanics, nuclear physics, and quantum field theory. This volume provides the basis for advanced undergraduate and graduate physics courses as well as being a handy introduction to aspects of modern physics for working scientists.
Steven Weinberg is a member of the Physics and Astronomy Departments at the University of Texas at Austin. He has been honored with numerous awards, including the Nobel Prize in Physics, the National Medal of Science, the Heinemann Prize in Mathematical Physics, and most recently a Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics. He is a member of the US National Academy of Sciences, the UK’s Royal Society, and other academies in the US and internationally. The American Philosophical Society awarded him the Benjamin Franklin medal, with a citation that said he is “considered by many to be the preeminent theoretical physicist alive in the world today.” He has written several highly regarded books, including Gravitation and Cosmology, the three-volume work The Quantum Theory of Fields, Cosmology, Lectures on Quantum Mechanics, and Lectures on Astrophysics.
Author(s): Steven Weinberg
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Year: 2021
Language: English
Pages: 325
Foundations of Modern Physics
Contents
Preface
1 Early Atomic Theory
1.1 Gas Properties
Experimental Relations
Temperature Scales
Theoretical Explanations
1.2 Chemistry
Elements
Law of Combining Weights
Law of Combining Volumes
The Gas Constant
Avogadro’s Number
1.3 Electrolysis
Early Electricity
Early Magnetism
Electromagnetism
Discovery of Electrolysis
1.4 The Electron
2 Thermodynamics and Kinetic Theory
2.1 Heat and Energy
Heat as Energy
Kinetic Energy
Specific Heat
Adiabatic Changes
2.2 Absolute Temperature
2.3 Entropy
Neutral Matter
The Laws of Thermodynamics
2.4 Kinetic Theory and Statistical Mechanics
The Maxwell–Boltzmann Distribution
The General H-Theorem
Canonical and Grand Canonical Ensembles
Connection with Thermodynamics
Compound Systems
Gases
Equipartition
Entropy as Disorder
2.5 Transport Phenomena
Conservation Laws
Momentum Flow
Galilean Relativity
Navier–Stokes Equation
Viscosity
Mean Free Path
Diffusion
2.6 The Atomic Scale
Nineteenth Century Estimates
Electronic Charge
Brownian Motion
Black Body Radiation
Consistency
Appendix: Einstein’s Diffusion Constant Rederived
3 Early Quantum Theory
3.1 Black Body Radiation
Radiation Absorption, Emission, and Energy Density
Electromagnetic Degrees of Freedom
The Rayleigh–Jeans Distribution
The Planck Distribution
Finding the Boltzmann Constant
Radiation Energy Constant
3.2 Photons
Quantization of Radiation Energy
Derivation of Planck Distribution
Photoelectric Effect
Particles of Light
3.3 The Nuclear Atom
Radioactivity
Discovery of the Atomic Nucleus
Nuclear Mass
Nuclear Size
Scattering Pattern
Nuclear Charge
3.4 Atomic Energy Levels
Spectral Lines
Electron Orbits
The Combination Principle
Bohr’s Quantization Condition
The Correspondence Principle
Comparison with Observed Spectra
Reduced Mass
Atomic Number
Outstanding Questions
3.5 Emission and Absorption of Radiation
A and B Coefficients
Lasers
Suppressed Absorption
4 Relativity
4.1 Early Relativity
Motion of the Earth
Relativity of Motion
Speed of Light
Michelson–Morley Experiment
4.2 Einsteinian Relativity
Postulate of Invariance
Lorentz Transformations
The Galilean Limit
Maximum Speed
General Directions
Special and General Relativity
4.3 Clocks, Rulers, Light Waves
Clocks
Rulers
Light Waves
4.4 Mass, Energy, Momentum, Force
Einstein’s Thought Experiment
General Formulas for Energy and Momentum
E = mc^2
Force
4.5 Photons as Particles
Photon Momentum
Compton Scattering
4.6 Electromagnetic Fields and Forces
Density and Current
The Inhomogeneous Maxwell Equations
Upstairs, Downstairs
The Homogeneous Maxwell Equations
Electric and Magnetic Forces
4.7 Causality
Invariance of Temporal Order
Light Cone
5 Quantum Mechanics
5.1 De Broglie Waves
Application to Hydrogen
Group Velocity
Davisson–Germer Experiment
Appendix: Derivation of the Bragg Formula
5.2 The Schrödinger Equation
Wave Equation in a Potential
Boundary Conditions
Spherical Symmetry
Radial and Angular Wave Functions
Angular Multiplicity
Spherical Harmonics
Hydrogenic Energy Levels
5.3 General Principles of Quantum Mechanics
States and Wave Functions
Observables and Operators
The Hamiltonian
Adjoints
Expectation Values
Probabilities
Continuum Limit
Momentum Space
Commutation Relations
Uncertainty Principle
Time Dependence
Conservation Laws
Heisenberg and Schrödinger Pictures
5.4 Spin and Orbital Angular Momentum
Spin Discovered
Rotations
Spin and Orbital Angular Momenta
Multiplets
Adding Angular Momenta
Fine Structure and Space Inversion
Hyperfine Structure
Appendix: Clebsch–Gordan Coefficients
5.5 Bosons and Fermions
Identical Particles
Statistics
The Hartree Approximation
The Pauli Exclusion Principle
The Periodic Table
Diatomic Molecules
5.6 Scattering
Scattering Wave Function
Representations of the Delta Function
Calculation of the Green’s Function
The Scattering Amplitude
Probabilistic Interpretation
The Born Approximation
Coulomb Scattering
Appendix: General Transition Rates
5.7 Canonical Formalism
Hamiltonian Formalism
Lagrangian Formalism
Noether’s Theorem
5.8 Charged Particles in Electromagnetic Fields
Scalar and Vector Potentials
Gauge Transformations
Magnetic Interactions
Spin Coupling
5.9 Perturbation Theory
First-Order Perturbation Theory
Zeeman Effect
Second-Order Perturbation Theory
5.10 Beyond Wave Mechanics
6 Nuclear Physics
6.1 Protons and Neutrons
Discovery of the Proton
Electrons in the Nucleus?
Discovery of the Neutron
Nuclear Radius and Binding Energy
Liquid Drop Model
Surface Tension
Coulomb Repulsion
Neutron–Proton Inequality
Stable Valley and Decay Modes
6.2 Isotopic Spin Symmetry
Nuclear Forces
Isotopic Spin Rotations
Multiplets
Why Isotopic Spin Symmetry?
Pions
Appendix: The Three–Three Resonance
6.3 Shell Structure
6.4 Alpha Decay
Appendix: Quantum Theory of Barrier Penetration Rates
6.5 Beta Decay
7 Quantum Field Theory
7.1 Canonical Formalism for Fields
Field Equations
Commutation Relations
Energy and Momentum
7.2 Free Real Scalar Field
7.3 Interactions
Time-Ordered Perturbation Theory
Lorentz Invariance
Example: Scattering
Calculation of the Propagator
7.4 Antiparticles, Spin, Statistics
Appendix: Dirac Fields
7.5 Quantum Theory of Electromagnetism
Lagrangian Density
Gauge Transformations
Coulomb Gauge
Free Fields
Radiative Decay
Selection Rules
Gauge Invariance and Charge Conservation
Local Phase and Matrix Transformations
Assorted Problems
Bibliography
Author Index
Subject Index
