P. V. Landshoff - Böcker

This 2001 book gives a self-contained exposition of the theory of gravitational solitons and provides a comprehensive review of exact soliton solutions to Einstein's equations. The text begins with a detailed discussion of the extension of the Inverse Scattering Method to the theory of gravitation, starting with pure gravity and then extending it to the coupling of gravity with the electromagnetic field. There follows a systematic review of the gravitational soliton solutions based on their symmetries. These solutions include some of the most interesting in gravitational physics such as those describing inhomogeneous cosmological models, cylindrical waves, the collision of exact gravity waves, and the Schwarzschild and Kerr black holes. A valuable reference for researchers and graduate students in the fields of general relativity, string theory and cosmology, this book will also be of interest to mathematical physicists in general.

This highly acclaimed series of monographs provides introductory accounts of specialized topics in mathematical physics for graduate students and research workers. The monographs in this series are of outstanding scholarship and written by those at the very frontiers of research. Subject areas covered include cosmology, astrophysics, relativity theory, particle physics, quantum theory, nuclear physics, statistical mechanics, condensed matter physics, plasma physics and the theory of chaos.

Liquid metals remain of both fundamental and technological interest and the concepts needed to understand their properties are set out in this book, starting from a survey of the basic experimental facts to be explained. The quantitative theory of liquid pair correlation functions, effective ion-ion interactions, thermodynamic properties and electronic and atomic transport is then developed. The book goes on to discuss inelastic neutron scattering, critical behaviour, magnetism, the liquid/metal surface, binary liquid metal alloys, the two component theory of pure liquid metals, shock wave studies, liquid hydrogen plasmas and the constitution of giant planets.

The interacting boson-fermion model has become in recent years the standard model for the description of atomic nuclei with an odd number of protons and/or neutrons. This book describes the mathematical framework on which the interacting boson-fermion model is built and presents applications to a variety of situations encountered in nuclei. The book addresses both the analytical and the numerical aspects of the problem. The analytical aspect requires the introduction of rather complex group theoretic methods, including the use of graded (or super) Lie algebras. The first (and so far only) example of supersymmetry occurring in nature is also discussed. The book is the first comprehensive treatment of the subject and will appeal to both theoretical and experimental physicists. The large number of explicit formulas for level energies, electromagnetic transition rates and intensities of transfer reactions presented in the book provide a simple but detailed way to analyse experimental data. This book can also be used as a textbook for advanced graduate students.

The interacting boson model was introduced in 1974 as an attempt to describe collective properties of nuclei in a unified way. Since 1974, the model has been the subject of many investigations and it has been extended to cover most aspects of nuclear structure. This book gives an account of the properties of the interacting boson model. In particular, this book presents the mathematical techniques used to analyze the structure of the model. It also collects in a single, easily accessible reference all the formulas that have been developed throughout the years to account for collective properties of nuclei. Suitable for both theorists and experimentalists.

Liquid metals remain of both fundamental and technological interest and the concepts needed to understand their properties are set out in this book, starting from a survey of the basic experimental facts to be explained. The quantitative theory of liquid pair correlation functions, effective ion-ion interactions, thermodynamic properties and electronic and atomic transport is then developed. The book goes on to discuss inelastic neutron scattering, critical behaviour, magnetism, the liquid/metal surface, binary liquid metal alloys, the two component theory of pure liquid metals, shock wave studies, liquid hydrogen plasmas and the constitution of giant planets.

This highly acclaimed series of monographs provides introductory accounts of specialized topics in mathematical physics for graduate students and research workers. The monographs in this series are of outstanding scholarship and written by those at the very frontiers of research. Subject areas covered include cosmology, astrophysics, relativity theory, particle physics, quantum theory, nuclear physics, statistical mechanics, condensed matter physics, plasma physics and the theory of chaos.

This graduate/research level text is a self-contained exposition of the applications of kinetic theory to basic problems in modern cosmology, such as the role of stable and unstable massive neutrinos and the theory of cosmological helium production. There has been rapid development of the theory of the origin and evolution of the universe in recent years, stimulated in large part by new observations and theories in astrophysics and particle physics. This book takes a different approach and studies what can be concluded from the application to cosmological problems of kinetic theory and, in particular, the Boltzmann equation and its solutions. The book begins with a brief survey of the necessary relativity, cosmodynamics, and kinetic theory, before going on to discuss specific problems, such as the role of stable and unstable massive neutrinos, electron-poritron annihilation, and the theory of cosmological helium production. The focus is in obtaining both theoretical understanding and concrete numerical results.

Certain interactions, such as nuclear forces and the forces of 'high-energy' physics, which arise in the theory of elementary particles, cannot be described successfully by quantum field theory. Considerable interest has therefore centred on attempts to formulate interactions between elementary particles in terms of the S-Matrix, an operator introduced by Heisenberg which connects the input and output of a scattering experiment without seeking to give a localized description of the intervening events. In this book four authors, who are together responsible for many of these developments, set out a theory of the S-Matrix starting, as far as possible, from physically plausible assumptions and investigate the mathematical consequences. The least understood of these assumptions is the vital postulate of analyticity; much insight can however be gained into its working by a study of the Feyman integrals and the book describes what is known about their analytic and high energy properties. Originally published in hardback in 1966.

This volume provides a comprehensive and coherent introduction to modern quantum cosmology - the study of the universe as a whole according to the laws of quantum mechanics. In particular, it presents a useful survey of the many profound consequences of supersymmetry (supergravity) in quantum cosmology. After a general introduction to quantum cosmology, the reader is led through Hamiltonian supergravity and canonical quantization and quantum amplitudes through to models of supersymmetric mini superspace and quantum wormholes. The book is rounded off with a look at exciting further developments, including the possible finiteness of supergravity. Ample introductory material is included, ensuring this topical volume is well suited as a graduate text. Researchers in theoretical and mathematical physics, applied maths and cosmology will also find it of immediate interest.