Morten Willatzen – författare

Innovative developments in science and technology require a thorough knowledge of applied mathematics, particularly in the field of differential equations and special functions. These are relevant in modeling and computing applications of electromagnetic theory and quantum theory, e.g. in photonics and nanotechnology. The problem of solving partial differential equations remains an important topic that is taught at both the undergraduate and graduate level.

Separable Boundary-Value Problems in Physics is an accessible and comprehensive treatment of partial differential equations in mathematical physics in a variety of coordinate systems and geometry and their solutions, including a differential geometric formulation, using the method of separation of variables. With problems and modern examples from the fields of nano-technology and other areas of physics.

The fluency of the text and the high quality of graphics make the topic easy accessible. The organization of the content by coordinate systems rather than by equation types is unique and offers an easy access.

The authors consider recent research results which have led to a much increased pedagogical understanding of not just this topic but of many other related topics in mathematical physics, and which like the explicit discussion on differential geometry shows - yet have not been treated in the older texts. To the benefit of the reader, a summary presents a convenient overview on all special functions covered. Homework problems are included as well as numerical algorithms for computing special functions. Thus this book can serve as a reference text for advanced undergraduate students, as a textbook for graduate level courses, and as a self-study book and reference manual for physicists, theoretically oriented engineers and traditional mathematicians.

Innovative developments in science and technology require a thorough knowledge of applied mathematics, particularly in the field of differential equations and special functions. These are relevant in modeling and computing applications of electromagnetic theory and quantum theory, e.g. in photonics and nanotechnology. The problem of solving partial differential equations remains an important topic that is taught at both the undergraduate and graduate level.

Separable Boundary-Value Problems in Physics is an accessible and comprehensive treatment of partial differential equations in mathematical physics in a variety of coordinate systems and geometry and their solutions, including a differential geometric formulation, using the method of separation of variables. With problems and modern examples from the fields of nano-technology and other areas of physics.

The fluency of the text and the high quality of graphics make the topic easy accessible. The organization of the content by coordinate systems rather than by equation types is unique and offers an easy access.

The authors consider recent research results which have led to a much increased pedagogical understanding of not just this topic but of many other related topics in mathematical physics, and which like the explicit discussion on differential geometry shows - yet have not been treated in the older texts. To the benefit of the reader, a summary presents a convenient overview on all special functions covered. Homework problems are included as well as numerical algorithms for computing special functions. Thus this book can serve as a reference text for advanced undergraduate students, as a textbook for graduate level courses, and as a self-study book and reference manual for physicists, theoretically oriented engineers and traditional mathematicians.

I ?rst heard of k·p in a course on semiconductor physics taught by my thesis adviser William Paul at Harvard in the fall of 1956. He presented the k·p Hamiltonian as a semiempirical theoretical tool which had become rather useful for the interpre- tion of the cyclotron resonance experiments, as reported by Dresselhaus, Kip and Kittel. This perturbation technique had already been succinctly discussed by Sho- ley in a now almost forgotten 1950 Physical Review publication. In 1958 Harvey Brooks, who had returned to Harvard as Dean of the Division of Engineering and Applied Physics in which I was enrolled, gave a lecture on the capabilities of the k·p technique to predict and ?t non-parabolicities of band extrema in semiconductors. He had just visited the General Electric Labs in Schenectady and had discussed with Evan Kane the latter’s recent work on the non-parabolicity of band extrema in semiconductors, in particular InSb. I was very impressed by Dean Brooks’s talk as an application of quantum mechanics to current real world problems. During my thesis work I had performed a number of optical measurements which were asking for theoretical interpretation, among them the dependence of effective masses of semiconductors on temperature and carrier concentration. Although my theoretical ability was rather limited, with the help of Paul and Brooks I was able to realize the capabilities of the k·p method for interpreting my data in a simple way.

I ?rst heard of k·p in a course on semiconductor physics taught by my thesis adviser William Paul at Harvard in the fall of 1956. He presented the k·p Hamiltonian as a semiempirical theoretical tool which had become rather useful for the interpre- tion of the cyclotron resonance experiments, as reported by Dresselhaus, Kip and Kittel. This perturbation technique had already been succinctly discussed by Sho- ley in a now almost forgotten 1950 Physical Review publication. In 1958 Harvey Brooks, who had returned to Harvard as Dean of the Division of Engineering and Applied Physics in which I was enrolled, gave a lecture on the capabilities of the k·p technique to predict and ?t non-parabolicities of band extrema in semiconductors. He had just visited the General Electric Labs in Schenectady and had discussed with Evan Kane the latter’s recent work on the non-parabolicity of band extrema in semiconductors, in particular InSb. I was very impressed by Dean Brooks’s talk as an application of quantum mechanics to current real world problems. During my thesis work I had performed a number of optical measurements which were asking for theoretical interpretation, among them the dependence of effective masses of semiconductors on temperature and carrier concentration. Although my theoretical ability was rather limited, with the help of Paul and Brooks I was able to realize the capabilities of the k·p method for interpreting my data in a simple way.