Surprises In Theoretical Physics

Problems in theoretical physics often lead to paradoxical answers; yet closer reasoning and a more complete analysis invariably lead to the resolution of the paradox and to a deeper understanding of the physics involved. Drawing primarily from his own experience and that of his collaborators, Sir Rudolf Peierls selects examples of such "surprises" from a wide range of physical theory, from quantum mechanical scattering theory to the theory of relativity, from irreversibility in statistical mechanics to the behavior of electrons in solids. By studying such surprises and learning what kind of possibilities to look for, he suggests, scientists may be able to avoid errors in future problems. In some cases the surprise is that the outcome of a calculation is contrary to what physical intuition seems to demand. In other instances an approximation that looks convincing turns out to be unjustified, or one that looks unreasonable turns out to be adequate. Professor Peierls does not suggest, however, that theoretical physics is a hazardous game in which one can never foresee the surprises a detailed calculation might reveal. Rather, he contends, all the surprises discussed have rational explanations, most of which are very simple, at least in principle. This book is based on the author's lectures at the University of Washington in the spring of 1977 and at the Institut de Physique Nucleaire, University de Paris-Sud, Orsay, during the winter of 1977-1978.

Like its predecessor, this book by the renowned physicist Sir Rudolf Peierls draws from many diverse fields of theoretical physics to present problems in which the answer differs from what our intuition had led us to expect. In some cases an apparently convincing approximation turns out to be misleading; in others a seemingly unmanageable problem turns out to have a simple answer. Peierls's intention, however, is not to treat theoretical physics as an unpredictable game in which such surprises happen at random. Instead he shows how in each case careful thought could have prepared us for the outcome. Peierls has chosen mainly problems from his own experience or that of his collaborators, often showing how classic problems can lend themselves to new insights. His book is aimed at both graduate students and their teachers. Praise for Surprises in Theoretical Physics: "A beautiful piece of stimulating scholarship and a delight to read. Physicists of all kinds will learn a great deal from it."--R. J. Blin-Stoyle, Contemporary Physics

This book addresses a fascinating set of questions in theoretical physics which will both entertain and enlighten all students, teachers and researchers and other physics aficionados. These range from Newtonian mechanics to quantum field theory and cover several puzzling issues that do not appear in standard textbooks. Some topics cover conceptual conundrums, the solutions to which lead to surprising insights; some correct popular misconceptions in the textbook discussion of certain topics; others illustrate deep connections between apparently unconnected domains of theoretical physics; and a few provide remarkably simple derivations of results which are not often appreciated. The connoisseur of theoretical physics will enjoy a feast of pleasant surprises skilfully prepared by an internationally acclaimed theoretical physicist. Each topic is introduced with proper background discussion and special effort is taken to make the discussion self-contained, clear and comprehensible to anyone with an undergraduate education in physics.

Despite more than half a century of theoretical work, the Casimir effect is still not as fully understood as some suppose. In this treatise, the author uncovers new puzzles and paradoxes concerning this mysterious phenomenon. In particular, he clearly demonstrates that the most sophisticated theories fail when confronted with dielectrics in which the refractive index is not uniform but gradually changes.

The International Conference on Theoretical Physics, TH-2002, took place in Paris from July 22 to 27 in the Conference Center of the UNESCO, the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, under aegis of the IUPAP, the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics and of the French and Euro pean Physical Societies, with a large support of several French, European and international Institutions. International and crossdisciplinary, TH-2002 welcomed around 1200 partic ipants representing all domains of modern theoretical physics. The conference offered a high-level scientific program, including 18 plenary lectures, 45 general lectures in thematic sessions and 140 more specialized lectures, partly invited and partly selected among proposals received from participants. Around 500 contribu tions were also presented as posters. Plenary lectures as well as general thematic lectures were addressed to a general audience of theoricians, not only to specialists. According to our commitments towards UNESCO and other sponsoring insti tutions, TH-2002 attributed more than 200 fellowships, mostly to scientists from developing countries and Eastern Europe, covering registration fees and, for more than half of them, stay expenses with student type accomodation. Special highlights of the conference included • the opening ceremony on July 22, with the participation of Mrs Claudie Haignere, French Minister of Research, and M. Walter Erdelen, General Ad joint Director for Sciences at UNESCO. Their opening addresses were espe cially appreciated and are reproduced below. This ceremony preceded the first lecture by Professor Cohen-Tannoudji, Physics Nobel prize winner.

This particle physics textbook for senior undergraduates and early graduates explains the Standard Model of particle physics, both the theory and its experimental basis. The point of view is thoroughly modern. Theory relevant to the experiments is developed in detail but in a simplified way without needing full knowledge of quantum field theory.

This 1983 book, reissued as OA, introduces the lattice approach to QFT for elementary particle and solid state physicists.

In one way or another, Gerry Brown has been concerned with questions about the universe, about its vast expanse as well as about its most miniscule fundamental constituents of matter throughout his entire life. In his endeavours to understand the universe in many manifestations from nuclei all the way to the stars, he has been influenced by some of the most prominent physicists of the 20th century, and he himself, in turn, has influenced a great many scholars. This volume, a collection of articles dedicated to Gerry on his 85th birthday, contains discussions of many of the issues which have attracted his interest over the years. The contributions are written by his former students, co-authors, colleagues and admirers and they are strongly influenced by Gerry's own scientific tastes. With this compilation we want to express our respect, admiration and gratitude; we want to celebrate Gerry's scientific and scholarly achievements, the inspirational quality of his teaching and the enthusiasm which he himself displayed in his research and which stimulated so many of his students and colleagues over the decades. Contents:What is the Universe? G E Brown — His Life and Work (Sabine Lee)Toward a Fully Relativistic Theory of Quantum Information (Christoph Adami)Hadron Production in Ultra-relativistic Nuclear Collisions and the QCD Phase Diagram: an Update (P Braun-Munzinger and J Stachel)The Nuclear Shell Model for Nuclei in the Region of 208Pb (B Alex Brown)Nuclear Medium Effects from Hadronic Atoms (E Friedman and A Gal)Three-Body Interactions in Fermi Systems (B Friman and A Schwenk)Meson Assisted Strange Dibaryons (A Gal)Lattice Nuclear Force (T Hatsuda)Density-Dependent Nuclear Interactions and the Beta Decay of 14C: Chiral Three-Nucleon Forces and Brown-Rho Scaling (J W Holt, N Kaiser and W Weise)Effective Field Theory and High-Precision Calculations of Nuclear Electroweak Processes (Kuniharu Kubodera and Mannque Rho)The Vlow-k Low-Momentum Interaction and its Application to Finite-Nuclei and Neutron Stars (T T S Kuo)What a Two Solar Mass Neutron Star Really Means (James M Lattimer and Madappa Prakash)Formation and Evolution of Black Hole Binaries in the Galaxy (Chang-Hwan Lee)Chiral Symmetry and the Nucleon-Nucleon Interaction (R Machleidt and D R Entem)Chiral Symmetry, Nuclear Forces and All That (Ulf-G Meiβner)Transport Properties of a Non-Relativistic Delta-Shell Gas with Long Scattering Lengths (Sergey Postnikov and Madappa Prakash)Subtle is the Manifestation of Chiral Symmetry in Nuclei and Dense Nuclear Matter (Mannque Rho)Multi-W-Z-top Bags, and their Possible Role in Cosmological Baryogenesis (Edward Shuryak)Theory of Finite Fermi Systems — The Stony Brook Jülich Interaction (J Speth, S Krewald and F Grümmer)Separation Energy, Rearrangement Energy and Single Nucleon Wave Functions in Nuclei (Igal Talmi)Holographic Nucleons (Ismail Zahed) Readership: Students, researchers and academics interested in nuclear physics, quantum physics and astrophysics. Keywords:Nuclear Physics;QED;Astrophysics;History of Physics;Quantumchromodynamics