Gibbs William R Gibbs – författare

The use of computers to solve modern scientific problems is very widespread. The impact of the improvement of our techniques on the solution of complex problems is difficult to overstate. Even our approach to most problems has been changed. Solutions to problems once thought intractable are being routinely secured. Instead of using oversimplified models, as has been the practice for the treatment of scientific systems in the past, the entire problem can now be tackled successfully.The second edition of Computation in Modern Physics develops and presents algorithms for the solution of many types of mathematical systems, some dating as far as the last few centuries, but also quite a number that have been developed within the last 10-50 years. In this latter category, close attention is paid to the rapidly developing area of Monte Carlo techniques, where new conceptual views of physics problems are being brought into play. With this method, problems in a large number of dimensions can be solved through the introduction of a modern method for the representation of multidimensional functions.This invaluable book is suitable for two different levels of computational physics. The first part of the book is of an advanced introductory level and is appropriate for good students with no previous experience in computational methods or any student with some experience. Here the student is introduced to integral and differential techniques, Monte Carlo integration, basic computer architecture, methods of linear algebra, finite element techniques, digital signal processing and chaos.The second part of the book is more specialized for problems in strong interaction with emphasis on solutions to many-body scattering problems and several-body bound state calculations with Monte Carlo techniques. It also contains a chapter dealing with techniques for the summation of divergent series.

This textbook is suitable for two courses in computational physics. The first is at an advanced introductory level and is appropriate for seniors or first year graduate students. The student is introduced to integral and differential techniques, Monte Carlo integration, basic computer architecture, linear algebra, finite element techniques, digital signal processing and chaos. In this first part of the book, no knowledge of quantum mechanics is assumed. The third edition has expanded treatments of the subjects in each of the first nine chapters and a new section on modern parallel computing, in particular, Beowulf clusters.The second course (the last four chapters) deals with problems in the strong interaction using quantum mechanical techniques, with emphasis on solutions of many-body scattering problems and several-body bound state calculations with Monte Carlo techniques. It also contains a chapter dealing with the numerical summation of divergent series.

The first half of this book is designed as a course for first year graduate students in the sciences. Problems are chosen to illustrate mathematical and physical subjects. In this first half only a moderate background in physics and mathematics is assumed. Integration, Monte Carlo techniques, the solution of linear systems and finite element methods are treated with enough depth to allow the student to understand them. An introduction to modeling with differential methods, digital signal processing and chaos is given. One chapter provides an introduction to common computer architectures.In the second half a thorough understanding of quantum mechanics is assumed with the Schrodinger equation being treated with scattering and bound state conditions. The time-dependent Schrodinger equation is also solved. A thorough introduction to the solution of the quantum-mechanical bound state with variational and Monte Carlo Green's function is given, with two examples being the solution of the bound state nuclear helium 4 and the energy of atomic liquid helium 4 at zero temperature. The exact solution of the low energy scattering problem is presented. Algorithms for the Borel and Pade methods for the summation of divergent series are studied. In the final chapter, methods for the solution of hadronic scattering from nuclei are treated including single, double and multiple scattering as well as the derivation and calculation of multiple scattering through fundamental optical models.The first half of the book will be suitable for a general course in computational methods while the second half can serve as a second semester course for Physics majors intending to do work in hadronic physics or scattering.