Basic Theoretical Physics: A Concise Overview

✍ Scribed by Prof. Dr. Uwe Krey, Dr. rer nat habil Anthony Owen (auth.)

• Publisher: Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
• Year: 2007
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 433
• Edition: 1
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

This concise treatment embraces, in four parts, all the main aspects of theoretical physics (I . Mechanics and Basic Relativity, II. Electrodynamics and Aspects of Optics, III. Non-relativistic Quantum Mechanics, IV. Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics). It summarizes the material that every graduate student, physicist working in industry, or physics teacher should master during his or her degree course. It thus serves both as an excellent revision and preparation tool, and as a convenient reference source, covering the whole of theoretical physics. It may also be successfully employed to deepen its readers' insight and add new dimensions to their understanding of these fundamental concepts. Recent topics such as holography and quantum cryptography are included, thus making this a unique contribution to the learning material for theoretical physics.

✦ Table of Contents

Front Matter....Pages I-XV
Front Matter....Pages 1-1
Space and Time....Pages 3-4
Force and Mass....Pages 5-9
Basic Mechanics of Motion in One Dimension....Pages 11-15
Mechanics of the Damped and Driven Harmonic Oscillator....Pages 17-21
The Three Classical Conservation Laws; Two-particle Problems....Pages 23-29
Motion in a Central Force Field; Kepler’s Problem....Pages 31-40
The Rutherford Scattering Cross-section....Pages 41-43
Lagrange Formalism I: Lagrangian and Hamiltonian....Pages 45-53
Relativity I: The Principle of Maximal Proper Time (Eigenzeit)....Pages 55-62
Coupled Small Oscillations....Pages 63-69
Rigid Bodies....Pages 71-84
Remarks on Non-integrable Systems: Chaos....Pages 85-87
Lagrange Formalism II: Constraints....Pages 89-93
Accelerated Reference Frames....Pages 95-100
Relativity II: E=ms 2 ....Pages 101-105
Front Matter....Pages 107-107
Introduction and Mathematical Preliminaries to Part II....Pages 109-117
Electrostatics and Magnetostatics....Pages 119-144
Magnetic Field of Steady Electric Currents....Pages 145-152
Maxwell’s Equations I: Faraday’s Law of Induction; the Continuity Equation; Maxwell’s Displacement Current....Pages 153-162
Maxwell’s Equations II: Electromagnetic Waves....Pages 163-177
Front Matter....Pages 107-107
Applications of Electrodynamics in the Field of Optics....Pages 179-201
Conclusion to Part II....Pages 203-203
Front Matter....Pages 205-205
On the History of Quantum Mechanics....Pages 207-210
Quantum Mechanics: Foundations....Pages 211-221
One-dimensional Problems in Quantum Mechanics....Pages 223-230
The Harmonic Oscillator I....Pages 231-233
The Hydrogen Atom according to Schrödinger’s Wave Mechanics....Pages 235-240
Abstract Quantum Mechanics (Algebraic Methods)....Pages 241-248
Spin Momentum and the Pauli Principle (Spin-statistics Theorem)....Pages 249-254
Spin-orbit Interaction; Addition of Angular Momenta....Pages 255-257
Ritz Minimization....Pages 259-260
Perturbation Theory for Static Problems....Pages 261-265
Time-dependent Perturbations....Pages 267-270
Magnetism: An Essentially Quantum Mechanical Phenomenon....Pages 271-276
Cooper Pairs; Superconductors and Superfluids....Pages 277-278
On the Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics (Reality?, Locality?, Retardation?)....Pages 279-291
Quantum Mechanics: Retrospect and Prospect....Pages 293-296
Appendix: “Mutual Preparation Algorithm” for Quantum Cryptography....Pages 297-298
Front Matter....Pages 299-299
Introduction and Overview to Part IV....Pages 301-302
Phenomenological Thermodynamics: Temperature and Heat....Pages 303-311
Front Matter....Pages 299-299
The First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics....Pages 313-325
Phase Changes, van der Waals Theory and Related Topics....Pages 327-334
The Kinetic Theory of Gases....Pages 335-341
Statistical Physics....Pages 343-347
The Transition to Classical Statistical Physics....Pages 349-352
Advanced Discussion of the Second Law....Pages 353-358
Shannon’s Information Entropy....Pages 359-361
Canonical Ensembles in Phenomenological Thermodynamics....Pages 363-368
The Clausius-Clapeyron Equation....Pages 369-370
Production of Low and Ultralow Temperatures; Third Law of Thermodynamics....Pages 371-375
General Statistical Physics (Formal Completion; the Statistical Operator; Trace Formalism)....Pages 377-378
Ideal Bose and Fermi Gases....Pages 379-381
Applications I: Fermions, Bosons, Condensation Phenomena....Pages 383-412
Applications II: Phase Equilibria in Chemical Physics....Pages 413-425
Conclusion to Part IV....Pages 427-430
Back Matter....Pages 431-452

✦ Subjects

Quantum Physics;Thermodynamics;Mechanics;Solid State Physics and Spectroscopy;Physics and Applied Physics in Engineering