Undergraduate Texts in Physics – serie

This textbook on quantum mechanics has been designed for use in two-semester undergraduate courses. It describes the basic concepts of quantum mechanics, explains the use of the mathematical formalism and provides illustrative examples of both concepts and methods. Although the aim is to enable students to master the use of quantum mechanics as a tool, the author also discusses the meaning of quantum concepts. To this end the book contains a variety of relevant examples, worked out in considerable detail, as well as a substantial number of pertinent problems and exercises. The latter will be extremely helpful, if not essential, for gaining a deep understanding and command of the subject. This book is based on the author's thirty years experience of teaching the subject.

This second, revised and thoroughly updated edition of the successful textbook by Claus Grupen describes the branch of astrophysics known as astroparticle physics. Using experimental methods known from cosmic ray and particle physics, astroparticle physics investigates processes of highest energies taking place in the universe. The new edition reports on progress made by recent discoveries in gravitational wave astronomy and neutrino astronomy (including all details needed to understand recent discoveries in multi-messenger experiments) and also astrobiology. After a historical introduction to the basics of elementary particles the author describes their interactions and the relevant detection techniques. The main body of the book concerns cosmic rays as well as particle processes in astrophysics and cosmology including the physics of the early universe.The book provides an orientation in the field of astroparticle physics that many beginners might be looking for.It also presents new sections exploring the interface between particle physics and cosmic radiation and illustrates the impact of particle physics discoveries to astroparticle physics. The physics is presented using little mathematics, and the results are illustrated by many diagrams and illustrative scientific cartoons which ease the reading of the book. Closing the gap between expert and popular level, the book is highly recommended for undergraduate students in physics or astronomy. It also includes an extensive glossary and a detailed index.

The revised and updated 2nd edition of this established textbook provides a self-contained introduction to the general theory of relativity, describing not only the physical principles and applications of the theory, but also the mathematics needed, in particular the calculus of differential forms.Updated throughout, the book contains more detailed explanations and extended discussions of several conceptual points, and strengthened mathematical deductions where required. It includes examples of work conducted in the ten years since the first edition of the book was published, for example the pedagogically helpful concept of a "river of space" and a more detailed discussion of how far the principle of relativity is contained in the general theory of relativity. Also presented is a discussion of the concept of the 'gravitational field' in Einstein's theory, and some new material concerning the 'twin paradox' in the theory of relativity.Finally, the book contains a new section about gravitational waves, exploring the dramatic progress in this field following the LIGO observations.Based on a long-established masters course, the book serves advanced undergraduate and graduate level students, and also provides a useful reference for researchers.

This book, now in its third edition, offers a practical guide to the use of probability and statistics in experimental physics that is of value for both advanced undergraduates and graduate students. Focusing on applications and theorems and techniques actually used in experimental research, it includes worked problems with solutions, as well as homework exercises to aid understanding. Suitable for readers with no prior knowledge of statistical techniques, the book comprehensively discusses the topic and features a number of interesting and amusing applications that are often neglected. Providing an introduction to neural net techniques that encompasses deep learning, adversarial neural networks, and boosted decision trees, this new edition includes updated chapters with, for example, additions relating to generating and characteristic functions, Bayes’ theorem, the Feldman-Cousins method, Lagrange multipliers for constraints, estimation of likelihood ratios, and unfolding problems.

This book on the use of Arduino and Smartphones in physics experiments, with a focus on mechanics, introduces various techniques by way of examples. The main aim is to teach students how to take meaningful measurements and how to interpret them. Each topic is introduced by an experiment. Those at the beginning of the book are rather simple to build and analyze. As the lessons proceed, the experiments become more refined and new techniques are introduced. Rather than providing recipes to be adopted while taking measurements, the need for new concepts is raised by observing the results of an experiment. A formal justification is given only after a concept has been introduced experimentally. The discussion extends beyond the taking of measurements to their meaning in terms of physics, the importance of what is learned from the laws that are derived, and their limits. Stress is placed on the importance of careful design of experiments as to reduce systematic errors and on good practices toavoid common mistakes. Data are always analyzed using computer software. C-like structures are introduced in teaching how to program Arduino, while data collection and analysis is done using Python. Several methods of graphical representation of data are used.

This undergraduate textbook breaks down the basics of Nuclear Structure and modern Particle Physics. Based on a comprehensive set of course notes, it covers all the introductory material and latest research developments required by third- and fourth-year physics students.The textbook is divided into two parts. Part I deals with Nuclear Structure, while Part II delves into Particle Physics. Each section contains the most recent science in the field, including experimental data and research on the properties of the top quark and Higgs boson. Detailed mathematical derivations are provided where necessary to helps students grasp the physics at a deeper level. Many of these have been conveniently placed in the Appendices and can be omitted if desired. Each chapter ends with a brief summary and includes a number of practice problems, the answers to which are also provided.

Any curriculum involving science and/or engineering will eventually find itself entering the realm of physics. This book seeks to introduce students to a number of the fundamental concepts in physics and illustrate how different theories were developed out of physical observations and phenomena. The book presents multi-chapter sections on electrostatics, magnetism and electromagnetic waves, with eyes on both the past and the future, touching, along the way, on Coulomb, Gauss, Maxwell, Ohm, Biot-Savart, Ampere, Faraday, Fresnel and Lorentz. The book also contains an appendix that provides the reader with a portion of the mathematical background of vector analysis and vector differential operators. The book approaches its topics through a focus on examples and problem-solving techniques, illustrating vividly how physical theories are applied to problems in engineering and science. The book is primarily aimed at undergraduate students in these two fields, but it also featureschapters that are geared towards senior undergraduates working on their final year theses.

This classroom-tested textbook is an innovative, comprehensive, and forward-looking introductory undergraduate physics course. While it clearly explains physical principles and equips the student with a full range of quantitative tools and methods, the material is firmly grounded in biological relevance and is brought to life with plenty of biological examples throughout.It is designed to be a self-contained text for a two-semester sequence of introductory physics for biology and premedical students, covering kinematics and Newton’s laws, energy, probability, diffusion, rates of change, statistical mechanics, fluids, vibrations, waves, electromagnetism, and optics.Each chapter begins with learning goals, and concludes with a summary of core competencies, allowing for seamless incorporation into the classroom. In addition, each chapter is replete with a wide selection of creative and often surprising examples, activities, computational tasks, and exercises, many of which are inspired by current research topics, making cutting-edge biological physics accessible to the student.

This book, based on classroom-tested lecture notes, provides a self-contained one semester undergraduate course on quantum optics, accessible to students (and other readers) who have completed an introductory quantum mechanics course and are familiar with Dirac notation and the concept of entanglement. The book covers canonical quantization, the harmonic oscillator, vacuum fluctuations, Fock states, the single photon state, quantum optical treatment of the beam splitter and the interferometer, multimode quantized light, and coherent and incoherent states. Metrology is a particular area of emphasis, with the book culminating in a treatment of squeezed light and its use in the laser interferometer gravitational-wave observatory (LIGO). The Heisenberg limit is described, along with NOON states and their application in super-sensitivity, super-resolution and quantum lithography. Applications of entanglement and coincidence measurements are described including ghost imaging, quantum illumination, absolute photodetector calibration, and interaction-free measurement. With quantum optics playing a central role in the so-called “second quantum revolution,” this book, equipped with plenty of exercises and worked examples, will leave students well prepared to enter graduate study or industry.

This book deals with theoretical mechanics. Newton published the "Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica" in 1687. In it, he sets out the basic principles of physics that are required to understand the motion of the planets, their moons, and the comets in the solar system. It includes the gravitational (inverse square) law, the inertial principle, and the basic elements of mechanics. Since its publication, a large number of refinements and reformulations have been introduced, thereby adding enormous insight into the structure of mechanics, which is commonly known as “classical mechanics”. All these have in common that by taking a suitable limit, Newton's original principles re-appear. Thus, physicists and mathematicians who work on the subject always have a notion that if their theories do not return to Newton's foundations, then there is something wrong. Newton himself acknowledged that 'if I have seen further (than others), it is by standing on the shoulders of giants'. One of these giants was undoubtedly Galileo who died in the year Newton was born. So, Newton himself adhered to the 'classical limit'.

Experimental physics is an important part of the education of anyone interested in science or engineering, serving as one of the fundamental fields of knowledge for understanding how the world around us functions. This textbook seeks to present the topics usually covered in an experimental physics course for aspiring scientists and engineers in a concise but comprehensive manner. The book is organized into ten chapters on different topics, including work and energy, gravity, relative motions, and fluid mechanics. Proof of the most important theorems is given, and additional information is provided to stimulate the curiosity of the students. At the end of each chapter, performed exercises and exercises with solutions are offered to illustrate the chapter’s points and make their importance even clearer. Based on the author’s teaching notes from his own lectures, this book proves invaluable to anyone with an interest in developing a clearer understanding of such topics as mechanics and thermodynamics.

This textbook serves as a comprehensive introduction to quantum technology for advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students in physics and engineering. It provides readers with an in-depth overview of the wide range of quantum technology applications, from more well-known areas of quantum computing and quantum cryptography to lesser-known applications such as quantum communication, quantum-assisted measurement and sensing, and quantum microscopy. This book only assumes that the reader has had the standard courses in quantum mechanics and electromagnetism that are normally taken by physics majors during their sophomore or junior years. The overall structure of this textbook is divided into four parts. Part I covers background material in elementary quantum mechanics, electromagnetism, optics, solid state physics, and other areas. Since the quantum states required for applications can exist in many types of physical systems, a broad background in many areas of physics is needed. This part of the book aims to ensure that all students have the necessary prerequisites, and to fill any gaps in their prior backgrounds. Part II covers additional topics in quantum mechanics beyond the basics. This includes topics such as interference of quantum states, unusual quantum effects that can be useful for applications, and the quantification of the amount of information carried by a quantum state. Part III is the heart of the book, discussing applications of the material from the previous chapters to real world problems such as high precision measurement, high resolution microscopy, quantum cryptography, and quantum information processing. Part IV covers more practical aspects, discussing detectors, light sources, atomic systems, and other topics that are essential for experimental implementation applications that were described from a more theoretical viewpoint in Part III. Each chapter also contains worked examples, additional problems, as well as supplementary "highlighted boxes" containing interesting applications, historical asides, advanced topics, or recent cutting-edge developments. This self-contained textbook provides a foundation for undergraduates that will prepare them to immediately enter quantum-based graduate research or to give them a head start when seeking employment in quantum-related industries.

Classical electrodynamics is a cornerstone of physics and engineering education. Its principles underpin a vast array of technologies and serve as a foundation for advanced topics such as quantum mechanics, statistical physics, and relativity. This textbook aims to provide a unified treatment of classical electrodynamics and its applications, incorporating mathematical rigour, clear explanations of symmetry and invariance principles, and concrete connections to modern technologies. Each chapter is enriched with illustrations of contemporary applications, from the working principles of touchscreens, particle accelerators, 3D glasses and liquid crystal displays to medical imaging technologies like MRI. These real-world examples ground the theory in practical contexts and also inspire readers to see the relevance of electromagnetism in everyday life. Additionally, brief notes are provided on the most influential scientists who shaped the laws and principles discussed. Numerous fully solved exercises are available at the end of each chapter to deepen the knowledge. An ideal companion for any undergraduate and graduate course on this subject.

This textbook aims to provide computing skills to analyze data collected by means of several types of experiments. Generally speaking, the analysis of data is complementary to experimental and/or theoretical activities, but, as a matter of fact, a fundamental part of the training process in scientific degree courses (such as physics, mathematics, chemistry, biology, and engineering) consists in different laboratory activities, collecting data and then analyzing and interpreting them. Different analysis tools are available for this purpose, including commercial and open-sources ones. Some of them allow to analyze data in a user-friendly manner, and it can be helpful for the first approach for a student to a data analysis problem, but, at the same time, it represents a limit on the real possibility that students can achieve by using the computation potentiality offered by a good knowledge of programming languages. For this reason, at least a computing course is generally present in scientific degree courses, as well as in experimental laboratories in which part of the training time is devoted to analyze and visualize data.Part of the book is devoted to furnishing the rudiments of programming in C++, Python, and other open-source languages. In the second part, Root, a powerful and open-source data analysis framework, and the universe of the Python libraries will be introduced as a complete tool for data analysis, as well as their application and examples regarding physics experiments performed in laboratories.

This textbook presents the core elements of an introductory electromagnetism course, integrating computational methods throughout the explanations, examples, and exercises. This approach helps students develop stronger problem‑solving skills, enabling them to tackle complex and realistic physics problems earlier than would be possible using only analytical techniques. It promotes creativity, encourages exploration, and equips students with the tools to become active investigators while learning physics.The book’s philosophy is to provide worked examples that demonstrate the full workflow of solving physics problems, from modeling a system and simplifying it to an analytically solvable form to solving the complete model using computational methods. Each theoretical and computational step is clearly explained. Key computational techniques include numerical line, surface, and volume integrals; solutions to Laplace’s and Poisson’s equations; and computational analyses of simple and complex circuits. Laplace’s and Poisson’s equations receive particular emphasis, as the computational tools developed allow students to study complex systems in depth. By applying similar computational methods across different topics, students can identify connections within the theory and build confidence and proficiency.The book offers clear explanations of both analytical and computational techniques and includes a wide range of exercises: discussion questions, skill‑building tutorials, advanced homework problems, and extended projects that combine analytical and computational approaches in rich, contextual settings.