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This month's display highlights our Cambridge University Press EBA. Find links to the display's contents below!
Display Contents
- Cambridge University Press Physics & Astronomy TitlesQR Code Link on Display - View Cambridge University Press titles in their Physics & Astronomy collection. The search filters the results to titles published within the last 12 months that we have access to.
Star Noise: Discovering the Radio Universe by Call Number: Electronic Book, also in Print QB475.A25 K45 2023ISBN: 9781316519356Publication Date: 2023Until Karl Jansky's 1933 discovery of radio noise from the Milky Way, astronomy was limited to observation by visible light. Radio astronomy opened a new window on the Universe, leading to the discovery of quasars, pulsars, the cosmic microwave background, electrical storms on Jupiter, the first extrasolar planets, and many other unexpected and unanticipated phenomena. Theory generally played little or no role - or even pointed in the wrong direction. Some discoveries came as a result of military or industrial activities, some from academic research intended for other purposes, some from simply looking with a new technique. Often it was the right person, in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing - or sometimes the wrong thing. Star Noise tells the story of these discoveries, the men and women who made them, the circumstances which enabled them, and the surprising ways in which real-life scientific research works.
The ALMA Telescope by Call Number: Electronic BookISBN: 9781009279680Publication Date: 2023ALMA, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, situated high in the Chilean desert, is the largest ground-based telescope on Earth. This is an insiders' account of how this complex mega-project came to fruition from authors with intimate knowledge of its past and present. The separate roots of ALMA in the United States, Europe, and Japan are traced to their merger into an international partnership involving more than 20 countries. The book relates the search for a suitable telescope site, challenges encountered in organization, funding, and construction, and lessons learned along the way. It closes with a review of the most significant results from ALMA, now one of the most productive telescopes in the world. Written for a broad spectrum of readers, including astronomers, engineers, project managers, science historians, government officials, and the general public, the eBook edition is available to download as an Open Access publication on Cambridge Core.
Supermassive Black Holes by Call Number: Electronic BookISBN: 9781108488051Publication Date: 2023Written by an international leader in the field, this is a coherent and accessible account of the concepts that are now vital for understanding cutting-edge work on supermassive black holes. These include accretion disc misalignment, disc breaking and tearing, chaotic accretion, the merging of binary supermassive holes, the demographics of supermassive black holes, and the defining effects of feedback on their host galaxies. The treatment is largely analytic and gives in-depth discussions of the underlying physics, including gas dynamics, ideal and non-ideal magnetohydrodynamics, force-free electrodynamics, accretion disc physics, and the properties of the Kerr metric. It stresses aspects where conventional assumptions may be inappropriate and encourages the reader to think critically about current models. This volume will be useful for graduate or Masters courses in astrophysics, and as a handbook for active researchers in the field. eBook formats include colour figures while print formats are greyscale only.
The Irresistible Attraction of Gravity by Call Number: Electronic BookISBN: 9781009198752Publication Date: 2023The mystery of gravity has captivated us for centuries. But what is gravity and how does it work? This engaging book delves into the bizarre and often counter-intuitive world of gravitational physics. Join distinguished astrophysicist Professor Luciano Rezzolla on this virtual journey into Einstein's world of gravity, with each milestone presenting ever more fascinating aspects of gravitation. Through gentle exposure to concepts such as spacetime curvature and general relativity, you will discover some of the most curious consequences of gravitational physics, such as black holes, neutron stars and gravitational waves. The author presents and explains one of the most impressive scientific achievements of recent times: the first image of a supermassive black hole. Written by one of the key scientists involved in producing these results, you'll get a behind-the-scenes view of how the image was captured and discover what happens to matter and light near a black hole.
An Introduction to Special Relativity for Radiation and Plasma Physics by Call Number: Electronic BookISBN: 9781009236065Publication Date: 2022This textbook introduces the topic of special relativity, with a particular emphasis upon light-matter interaction and the production of light in plasma. The physics of special relativity is intuitively developed and related to the radiative processes of light. The book reviews the underlying theory of special relativity, before extending the discussion to applications frequently encountered by postgraduates and researchers in astrophysics, high power laser interactions and the users of specialized light sources, such as synchrotrons and free electron lasers. A highly pedagogical approach is adopted throughout, and numerous exercises are included within each chapter to reinforce the presentation of key concepts and applications of the material.
Condensed Matter Field Theory by Call Number: Electronic BookISBN: 9781108494601Publication Date: 2023The methods of quantum field theory underpin many conceptual advances in contemporary condensed matter physics and neighbouring fields. This book provides a praxis-oriented and pedagogical introduction to quantum field theory in many-particle physics, emphasizing the application of theory to real physical systems. This third edition is organized into two parts: the first half of the text presents a streamlined introduction, elevating readers to a level where they can engage with contemporary research literature, from the introduction of many-body techniques and functional integration to renormalization group methods, and the second half addresses a range of advanced topics including modern aspects of gauge theory, topological and relativistic quantum matter, and condensed matter physics out of thermal equilibrium. At all stages, the text seeks a balance between methodological aspects of quantum field theory and practical applications. Extended problems with worked solutions provide a bridge between formal theory and a research-oriented approach.
Numerical Methods in Physics with Python by Call Number: Electronic BookISBN: 9781009303859Publication Date: 2023Bringing together idiomatic Python programming, foundational numerical methods, and physics applications, this is an ideal standalone textbook for courses on computational physics. All the frequently used numerical methods in physics are explained, including foundational techniques and hidden gems on topics such as linear algebra, differential equations, root-finding, interpolation, and integration. The second edition of this introductory book features several new codes and 140 new problems (many on physics applications), as well as new sections on the singular-value decomposition, derivative-free optimization, Bayesian linear regression, neural networks, and partial differential equations. The last section in each chapter is an in-depth project, tackling physics problems that cannot be solved without the use of a computer. Written primarily for students studying computational physics, this textbook brings the non-specialist quickly up to speed with Python before looking in detail at the numerical methods often used in the subject.
Idealizations in Physics by Call Number: Electronic BookISBN: 9781108925044Publication Date: 2023This Element offers an opinionated and selective introduction to philosophical issues concerning idealizations in physics, including the concept of and reasons for introducing idealization, abstraction, and approximation, possible taxonomy and justification, and application to issues of mathematical Platonism, scientific realism, and scientific understanding.
Copy of Informational Email about Display
Hi P&A faculty!
You may have noticed yesterday that there is a new display on the bulletin board between Meg and Tressy's office and the lounge. This month, I highlighted our Cambridge University Press e-books since we have an EBA with them this fiscal year that gives us access to all of their current and archival e-books (48,000+ titles) until June 2024.
Evidence-Based Acquisition (EBA) is a purchasing model where the library pays a sum of money to get access to a publisher's entire collection for the year. At the end of the year, we get to choose which ebooks to purchase for our collection using the sum of money that we fronted at the beginning of the year. In doing this, we can see what patrons clicked on and read over the course of the year to help us inform our decisions.
Spotlighted on the display are some physics and astronomy titles published in 2023 that are part of this package, and the QR code will take you to the Cambridge Core Physics & Astronomy collection so that you can browse further. I've filtered the search so that you'll see books published in the last year that we have access to. Feel free to refine the search based on your interests!
If you'd like to provide some feedback or suggestions for future displays, I'd love to hear your thoughts! I plan to create one display per month. Last month's display highlighted our Popular Science collection.