Cambridge Monographs on Physics – serie

The phenomenon of superconductivity, fist discovered by Kamerlingh Onnes in 1911, offers considerable fundamental interest as an unusual example of quantum effects on a macroscopic scale and of interest also in respect of its possible technological applications. Although Dr Shoenberg's classic monograph was written in 1938, before the great burst of activity which followed the development of a fundamental theory of superconductivity, its phenomenological description of the magnetic and thermodynamic properties and of size effects in superconductors, which are taken for granted in most accounts, are essential parts of the subject which must be properly understood before the newer ideas can really be appreciated. Reissued in 1952 and again in 2010, the book will continue to serve therefore as an intriguing study in this field and for those interested in superconductivity.

The study of radiation damage in solids generally has been stimulated by the technological demands of nuclear energy and space research. Professor Thompson's 1969 book discusses the basic atomic mechanisms which give rise to the main effects induced by radiation in metals, since it is in their relatively simple structures that the fundamental processes can be most easily identified. The first part of the book describes the nature of lattice defects in metal crystals. The presentation leads naturally into the discussion of radiation damage in the second part and recognises the important contribution that the study of irradiated metals has made to our general knowledge of defects. The wide coverage of this book includes developments in our understanding of collision cascades, of the clustering of point defects and the behaviour of impurities induced by irradiation.

The first stage in the determination of a crystal structure is the measurement of the intensities of the Bragg reflexions. This book is concerned with counter-methods of measuring these intensities. The use of counter methods has spread rapidly in recent years with the development of quantum detectors and of automatically controlled diffractometers. The authors of this book were among the first workers to design and operate automatic X-ray and neutron diffractometers; they have visited laboratories throughout the world where such instruments have been installed. Originally published in 1966, this book covers all aspects of single crystal diffractometry. A discussion of the geometrical principles of diffraction by single crystals is followed by a description of diffractometers and of their component parts, including radiation detectors and detector circuits.

Originally published in 1970, this book gives a comprehensive account of the properties of ice, the connections between them and the way in which they derive from the structure of the water molecule and the small mass of the proton. The properties are discussed in terms of quantum mechanics and solid state theory with emphasis on physical principles rather than on theoretical models. The book is intended as an exemplification of the principles of chemical physics for beginning graduate students in physics of physical chemistry and as a text and reference book on the properties of ice for research workers in glaciology, cloud physics, meteorology and associated fields. Although the author assumes a familiarity with fundamental physics, he has taken some trouble to make his account self-contained by reference to the underlying principles in every case or by more detailed discussion where the application is not a standard one.

Like the earth itself, the nucleus of an atom frequently rotates about an axis. Under the influence of a magnetic field the axis of rotation itself rotates. The rate of this 'precessional' motion is proportional to the strength of the magnetic field and usually lies in the region of radio-frequencies. If a collection of such nuclei is placed in a magnetic field is subjected to radio waves at exactly the frequency of precession, there is a resonance effect, which can be used to measure the frequency of the precession. This effect is called nuclear magnetic resonance. The subject concerns all physicists, particularly nuclear physicists and those interested in the solid state. It is of growing importance to chemists, metallurgists and electrical engineers and there have been some biological and geophysical applications. Nuclear magnetic resonance has already found considerable uses in the oil industry, in industries connected with magnet construction, isotope extraction, plastics and rubber.

First published in 1974, Dr Croxton's book takes the reader from a consideration of the early ways in which the kinetic theory of gases was modified and applied to the liquid state, through a classical thermodynamic approach, to the modern cluster-diagrammatic quantum and statistical mechanical techniques. He includes chapters on the development and numerical solution of the integral equations relating the atomic structure to the pair potential, on the nature of the liquid surface, on the computer simulation schemes and on transport processes and irreversibility in the liquid phase.

First published in 1979, this is a self-contained account of the theory of surface physics. In drawing together many results only previously reported in research papers, the authors emphasise basic disciplines such as electrodynamics and electron gas theory and demonstrate their application to simple models. Connections between intuitive derivations and more rigourous formulations are explained and there is an extensive treatment of the general problem of matching at a surface as a mathematical formalism with a physical meaning. Commonly recurring concepts such as surface modes, Green functions and phase shifts link different parts of the book, so giving coherence to the theory as a whole. A good background in physics is assumed but no previous acquaintance with surface physics. Starting from first principles, the reader is led from elementary analysis to the level of current research literature. The book is thus suitable for postgraduate students, post-doctoral workers or anyone wanting a systematic introduction to the field.

Professor Buchdahl presents a systematic exposition of classical thermodynamics, against a background of general physical theory and on a purely phenomenological (i.e. non-statistical) level. Although particular attention is paid to the meaning of the various concepts introduced, Professor Buchdahl is not afraid of making simplifications where these are likely to enhance the reader's understanding of the subject and the relationships between the principal and ancillary laws. The emphasis throughout is on meaning and physical significance. Specific applications of the general theory are discussed in two final chapters. This book, first published in 1966, is intended for the student who has taken a first course in analytical, though not axiomatic, development of the subject. It will supplement rather than replace, the many familiar introductory treatments of thermodynamics.

It is just over 80 years ago that a striking oscillatory field dependence was discovered in the magnetic behaviour of bismuth at low temperatures. This book was first published in 1984 and gives a systematic account of the nature of the oscillations, of the experimental techniques for their study and of their connection with the electronic structure of the metal concerned. Although the main emphasis is on the oscillations themselves and their many peculiarities, rather than on the theory of the electronic structure they reveal, sufficient examples are given in detail to illustrate the kind of information that has been obtained and how this information agrees with theoretical prediction.

This 1972 book brings together the results of a decade of research into the physics of liquid metals and alloys, a subject of growing interest to physicists, metallurgists and materials scientists at the time. It covers a wide range of phenomena, and for the benefit of newcomers to the field, Dr Faber provides a clear exposition of the physical properties involved, and the relevant theoretical arguments are developed in sufficient detail for an experimentalist who carries rather little in the way of mathematical equipment to follow them. Experienced researchers will appreciate Dr Faber's critical approach and the many previously unpublished results which he has included. The mass of experimental data which he has brought together and the comprehensive bibliography will make the book of great use to readers of both classes.

The third edition of Dr Klemperer's Electron Optics was published in 1971. It is concerned primarily with the experimental aspects of electron optics. It introduces the student to a specialized topic, and summarizes the basic principles and essential data related to the subject. With the assistance of Dr Barnett, this third edition discusses methods of trajectory tracing by digital computer and the optics of quadrupole lenses. Practical applications of electron optics have been used to illustrate the principles under discussion. The book will be of interest to any scholar of general physics, geometrical optics or electron physics. The extensive bibliography lists the more important original literature and provides a guide to further reading.

This 1980 monograph develops from first principles the description of finite deformations of solids under stress and the forces acting, and also the expression of internal forces in terms of stress tensors. The important feature of the book is that elastic properties are discussed and developed consistently from classical thermodynamics. In other books, this point of view is acknowledged only by assuming the existence of an elastic energy function, thus restricting their range mainly to the problem of the spatial distribution of stresses and strains. Topics discussed as applications of the theory include thermal expansion, specific heats, stiffness and complicances, the effects of symmetry on thermodynamic properties, diffusion in a stressed solid, equilibrium in contact with a solution of the solid, phase stability, solid state phase transitions and twinning.

This book was originally published in 1976 as the third edition of a book first published in 1938. After 1950, when the previous edition was published, advancing technology made possible a great deal of experimental work on the properties of negative ions in gases. Photodetachment techniques became an important source of information about negative ions and provided values of electron affinities with accuracies which were previously unavailable. As knowledge of negative ions increased, the nature of their influence on the physical phenomena in which they are concerned was more readily understood. Inclusion of so much fresh material means that less emphasis is placed on some earlier knowledge and techniques. While it was necessary to restrict the introductory discussion of different branches of physics concerned, sufficient background is included to make comprehensible the subsequent specific discussion of applications to negative ions.

An understanding of the properties and interactions of the elementary particles is an essential prerequisite of research work in high energy physics. Much progress in the subject has been achieved with the aid of symmetry principles. In this 1980 book the concept of symmetry or invariance is employed as a unifying theme. Using a careful explanation of the mathematical formalism and with many applications to particular cases, the authors introduce the reader to the symmetry schemes which dominate the world of the particle physicist. The presentation will also appeal to mathematicians and physicists in other fields who are interested in the applications of the general principles of symmetry. After a brief survey of the particles and a review of the relevant quantum mechanics, the principal symmetries are studied in turn. Some technical points are relegated to appendices and the book contains extensive references.

This 1984 book brings together 48 studies and essays written by physicists from around the world to mark the 90th birthday of Louis de Broglie and the 80th birthdays of Paul Dirac and Eugene Wigner. Publication under one cover of studies based on the discoveries of scientific personalities as diverse as those to whom this volume is dedicated serves at least one important purpose: it concretely reflects the rival pathways in quantum physics at the time of this book's publication. From one perspective, the papers contrast the strategies of a champion of the mathematical approach (Wigner) with those of a thinker who relied on physical intuition (de Broglie). From another, they compare the views of a defender (Wigner) and and opponent of the Copenhagen school (de Broglie), as well as those of an individual who helped to reconstruct the prevailing quantal paradigm, only later to advocate a return to causality (Dirac).