Ultracold Quantum Fields provides a self-contained introduction to quantum field theory for many-particle systems, using functional methods throughout. The emphasis is on the behaviour of so-called quantum fluids, namely quantum gases and liquids, where trapped
atomic gases are always used as an example to compare the outcome of theory with experiments. After a detailed derivation of [...]
The purpose of the book is to show how general principles can be used to obtain insight into laser processes. The principles used may come from fundamental physical theory or from direct observation of experimental results, but an understanding of the general characteristics of the behaviour of a process is essential for intelligent investigation and [...]
The fifteenth international conference on Microscopy of Semiconducting Materials took place in Cambridge, UK on 2-5 April 2007. It was organised by the Institute of Physics, with co-sponsorship by the Royal Microscopical Society and endorsement by the Materials Research Society. The conference focused upon the most recent advances in the study of the structural and [...]
Narrow gap semiconductors have provided an exciting field of research and show a number of extreme physical and material characteristics. They are the established material systems for infrared detectors and emitters, and with new developments in the technology these materials are emerging as a viable route to high speed, low power electronics. New kinds of [...]
This book provides a comprehensive, authoritative and timely review of the astrophysical approach to the investigation of gravity theories. Particular attention is paid to strong-field tests of general relativity and alternative theories of gravity, performed using collapsed objects (neutron stars, black holes and white dwarfs) in relativistic binaries as laboratories.
The book starts with an introduction [...]
Is the story about the Star in the East true? And, if so, what exactly was the ’star’? While Sir Patrick cannot give a definitive answer, in The Star of Bethlehem he looks at various astronomical theories and comes up with a possible answer of his own. Who has not heard of the Star in [...]
Every day millions of individuals consult astrologers, mostly in daily newspapers or on the radio, though some potentates still possess their own personal astrologers. And each year, thousands of new books about astrology are added to the vast numbers that have been previously been published. Is there room for another book? Since this is Sir [...]
Astronomy is advancing at an unprecedented rate, and there have never before been so many backyard astronomers, from beginners to those at the professional frontier. There is also huge interest in the startlingly imaginative concepts that professional astronomers use to explain our place, and existence, in the universe at large.
This established A-Z encyclopedia is a [...]
Why BANG!? Why did three men from markedly different backgrounds come together and spend two years passionately thrashing out the text of a book about a Big Bang? Because they believe that every intelligent, inquisitive human being should have the chance to hear this astounding story, only very recently beginning to make sense – The [...]
The Zodiacal Light, that misty diffuse cone of light seen in the West after Sunset and the East before Sunrise, is a beautiful and intriguing phenomenon. Even though everyone can enjoy the sight from a suitably dark location, it is poorly understood, and has been the subject of relatively little research. Brian May began his [...]
