Modern Physics for Scientists and Engineers

Stephen Thornton is Emeritus Professor of Physics at the University of Virginia. He has published over 130 research articles in experimental nuclear physics and has done research at several accelerator facilities in the United States and Europe. He has directed research for 25 graduate students and has held two U.S. Senior Fulbright-Hays Fellowships and a Max-Planck Fellowship to do research at the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg, Germany on two occasions. He was the founding Director of the University of Virginia Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics. He has published three college textbooks for physics: "Classical Dynamics," "Modern Physics, " and "Physics for Scientists and Engineers. He was Director of the Master of Arts in Physics Education program at the University of Virginia, which has graduated more than 150 high school physics teachers. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and a member of several organizations including American Association of Physics Teachers, American Association for the Advancement of Science, National Science Teachers Association, Virginia Association of Science Teachers (past President), and the Virginia Math and Science Coalition. He was awarded the Pegram Award by the Southeastern Section of the American Physical Society for “Excellence in Physics Education in the Southeast.” He has developed multiple courses for undergraduate students and high school physics teachers. Andrew Rex has been Professor of Physics at the University of Puget Sound since 1982. He frequently teaches the Modern Physics course, so he has a deep sense of student and instructor challenges. He is the author of several textbooks, including "Modern Physics," "Essential College Physics," "Integrated Physics and Calculus," and "Finn's Thermal Physics, Third Edition." In addition to textbook writing, he studies foundations of the second law of thermodynamics, which has led to the publication of several papers and the widely acclaimed book, "Maxwell's Demon: Entropy, Information, Computing." He has also written the general-audience book "Commonly Asked Questions in Physics." Carol Hood is an Associate Professor of Physics at California State University, San Bernardino, a primarily undergraduate Hispanic serving institution. In addition to teaching Modern Physics and other introductory and advanced physics courses, she has spent significant time in the past few years redesigning program curriculum and courses throughout the undergraduate physics and general education levels. Her research focuses on the growth of active galactic nuclei over cosmic time and faculty development in STEM pedagogy. Dr. Hood is the Co-Director of the southern portion of Cal-Bridge, a state-wide scholarship and mentoring program for California State University students designed to increase minority participation in physics and astronomy Ph.D. programs, in particular to the University of California.

• 1. THE BIRTH OF MODERN PHYSICS.Classical Physics of the 1890s. The Kinetic Theory of Gases. Waves and Particles. Conservation Laws and Fundamental Forces. The Atomic Theory of Matter. Unresolved Questions of 1895 and New Horizons. Summary.2. SPECIAL THEORY OF RELATIVITY.The Apparent Need for Ether. The Michelson-Morley Experiment. Einstein's Postulates. The Lorentz Transformation. Time Dilation and Length Contraction. Addition of Velocities. Experimental Verification. Twin Paradox. Spacetime. Doppler Effect. Special Topic: Applications of the Doppler Effect. Relativistic Momentum. Relativistic Energy. Computations in Modern Physics. Electromagnetism and Relativity. Summary.3. THE EXPERIMENTAL BASIS OF QUANTUM PHYSICS.Discovery of the X-Ray and the Electron. Determination of Electron Charge. Line Spectra.Special Topic: The Discovery of Helium. Quantization. Blackbody Radiation. Photoelectric Effect. X-Ray Production. Compton Effect. Pair Production and Annihilation. Summary.4. STRUCTURE OF THE ATOM.The Atomic Models of Thomson and Rutherford. Rutherford Scattering. Special Topic: Lord Rutherford of Nelson. The Classical Atomic Model. The Bohr Model of the Hydrogen Atom.Successes and Failures of the Bohr Model. Characteristic X-Ray Spectra and Atomic Number. Atomic Excitation by Electrons. Summary.5. WAVE PROPERTIES OF MATTER AND QUANTUM MECHANICS I.X-Ray Scattering. De Broglie Waves. Special Topic: Cavendish Laboratory. Electron Scattering.Wave Motion. Waves or Particles? Uncertainty Principle. Probability, Wave Functions, and the Copenhagen Interpretation. Particle in a Box. Summary.6. QUANTUM MECHANICS II.The Schrödinger Wave Equation. Expectation Values. Infinite Square-Well Potential. Finite Square-Well Potential. Three-Dimensional Infinite-Potential Well. Simple Harmonic Oscillator.Barriers and Tunneling. Special Topic: Scanning Probe Microscopes. Summary.7. THE HYDROGEN ATOM.Application of the Schrödinger Equation to the Hydrogen Atom. Solution of the Schrödinger Equation for Hydrogen. Quantum Numbers. Magnetic Effects on Atomic Spectra--The Normal Zeeman Effect. Intrinsic Spin. Special Topic: Hydrogen and the 21-cm Line Transition. Energy Levels and Electron Probabilities. Summary.8. ATOMIC PHYSICS.Atomic Structure and the Periodic Table. Special Topic: Rydberg Atoms. Total Angular Momentum. Anomalous Zeeman Effect. Summary.9. STATISTICAL PHYSICS.Historical Overview. Maxwell Velocity Distribution. Equipartition Theorem. Maxwell Speed Special Topic: Superfluid 3^He. Summary.10. MOLECULES AND SOLIDS.Molecular Bonding and Spectra. Stimulated Emission and Lasers. Structural Properties of Solids. Thermal and Magnetic Properties of Solids. Superconductivity. Special Topic: Low-Temperature Methods. Applications of Superconductivity. Summary.11. SEMICONDUCTOR THEORY AND DEVICES.Band Theory of Solids. Semiconductor Theory. Special Topic: The Quantum Hall Effect. Semiconductor Devices. Nanotechnology. Summary.12. THE ATOMIC NUCLEUS.Discovery of the Neutron. Nuclear Properties. The Deuteron. Nuclear Forces. Nuclear Stability. Radioactive Decay. Alpha, Beta, and Gamma Decay. Special Topic: Neutrino Detection. Radioactive Nuclides. Special Topic: The Formation and Age of the Earth. Summary.13. NUCLEAR INTERACTIONS AND APPLICATIONS.Nuclear Reactions. Reaction Kinematics. Reaction Mechanisms. Fission. Fission Reactors.Fusion. Special Applications. Special Topic: The Search for New Elements. Summary.14. PARTICLE PHYSICS.Early Discoveries. The Fundamental Interactions. Classification of Particles. Conservation Laws and Symmetries. Quarks. The Families of Matter. Beyond the Standard Model. Accelerators. Special Topic: Experimental Ingenuity. Summary.15. MODERN ASTROPHYSICS AND GENERAL RELATIVITY.Stellar Evolution. Special Topic: Computers. Special Topic: Are Other Earths Out There? Galaxies and the Discovery of Dark Matter. Tenets of General Relativity. Tests of General Relativity. Black Holes. Gravitati