Book Description
This second edition describes the computational methods used in theoretical physics, and has been fully updated. New sections have been added to cover finite element methods and lattice Boltzmann simulation, density functional theory, quantum molecular dynamics, Monte Carlo simulation, and diagonalisation of one-dimensional quantum systems. It covers many different areas of physics research and different computational methodologies, including computational methods such as Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics, various electronic structure methodologies, methods for solving partial differential equations, and lattice gauge theory. Throughout the book the relations between the methods used in different fields of physics are emphasised. Several new programs are described and can be downloaded from www.cambridge.org/9780521833462. The book requires a background in elementary programming, numerical analysis, and field theory, as well as undergraduate knowledge on condensed matter theory and statistical physics. It will be of interest to graduate students and researchers in theoretical, computational and experimental physics. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Great for beginners
This is a really good book for people starting out on computational modelling like me.I am currently doing a graduate degree in Materials Science and Engineering and this book has proven to be enormously useful.

Don't buy this (unless you LOVE condensed matter physics)
Ok, ok, my title seems a little aggressive, but trust me, if you are looking for a *computational physics* (C.P.) book, this is not a good choice. I have been lecturing an introductory computational physics course for two years, and, by far, the most adequate books I found (and use) were Giordano & Nakanishi and Landau & Páez ones. Dr. Thijssen's book is highly concentrated on condensed matter physics, and it has *too few* graphics, figures, or illustrations. In my sincere opinion, is by far the worst book on C.P. I have bought, and I do not recommend it, at least for those who want to learn C.P. "from scratch". Ok, ok, it can be considered a "high level" book (maybe adequate for graduate courses), but I think that it lacks the main points on "pure" C.P. The reason for the two stars is because I am a condensed matter physicist, and therefore the book will at least serve as an additional reference on this subject.

A rare book deals with both computation and physics
I read several computational physics books before but never finished the second chapter. Most books on this subject expect the reader to become an expert after reading them, which is impossible! The authors themselves spent years to achieve their levels so they should have a practical expectation for the readers, especially undergraduates.

I am not saying Thijssen's book is easy. It's far from the truth. I am only saying that Thijssen knows about the reader's difficulty when reading this book and doing its exercises! He not only explains the physics problem but also illustrates the technique to do the computation.

Even though, this book is not for beginners, it's ideal for graduate students on experimental physics (students on theoretical physics need to know beyond this book). Also, it will save the read tons of time if he use Mathematica instead of C or Fortran for programming.

The best computational physics book available
This is a very decent book on computational physics, focusing primarily on condensed matter. It's up there with Allen and Tildesley's "Computer Simulation of Liquids", though with a broader selection of subjects and more suited to physicists.

There are inevitable errors, some of which would take a bit of effort to fix were it not for the error web page the author maintains.

Many problems in condensed matter are tackled, always with a view toward implementing an actual numerical investigation (this may sound like a given, but several other texts seem to shy away from actually using a computer, exploiting some variant of 'computational' in the title as an excuse to write yet another redundant physics text that is only cursorily computational). Often, nice snippets of pseudocode are presented, along with suggestions for numerical control parameters to use and the corresponding numerical results obtained - so one can try things out and check the answer. Indeed, the book is best used if one sets about to write code to solve problems, both in the main text and in the exercises at the chapter ends. As is often the case, however, getting a piece of new code to behave correctly can be a bit of a pain, which becomes easier only with experience.

In a real sense, the text helps bring some physics to life, and one is rewarded, I think, with a clearer understanding, and some powerful tools at one's disposal.

Though it doesn't have any real competitor, there is room for a second edition: along with correcting errors, several subjects could do with a bit more discussion or even extensive treatment, and other things could profitably be included, e.g., a DFT implementation of Car-Parrinello quantum atomic dynamics.

stepping stone to a serious research.
I found this book as thorough as I can think of without losing
the depth.
Probably, this book is not intended for anyone without a
solid physics background. You need to have a solid senior level
or beginning graduate school level physics to fully
appreciate the content. If you are not that prepared, then
read first "An Introduction to Computer Simulation Methods"
by H. Gould and J. Tabochnik.

I think that the price of the book is very reasonable now.
It used to be 50$+ just a year ago. Cetainly, by NOT
including the CD they could keep low the cost of
production.






... Read more

Book Description

Contains a wealth of topics to allow instructors flexibility in the choice of topics and depth of coverage: Examines

projective motion with and without realistic air resistance. Discusses planetary motion and the three-body problem. Explores

chaotic motion of the pendulum and waves on a string. Includes topics relating to fractal growth and stochastic systems.

Offers examples on statistical physics and quantum mechanics. Contains ample explanations of the necessary algorithms

students need to help them write original programs, and provides many example programs and calculations for reference.

Customer Reviews (2)

great book
This is a great book. I enjoy reading and using it quite a bit. The focus is realistic simulations, not just simulations. Also, this book has a wide scope: there are sections covering random systems, molecular dynamics, even earthqakes and self-organized criticality. I suspect a second edition might even expand on these topics to include, oh perhaps economic simulations? But as it is it's a superb book. The style is even engaging; just enough theory (but indeed the right amount of it) and some pointed results... Where else would you go to find three-body gravitational simulations and protein folding and the brain as a complex system, in the same book? Note: there are code examples and the programming language is True Basic for the Macintosh. If that's not your cup of tea, it should not be too hard to port that to, say, Matlab or something more universal. Perhaps again for the second edition...

good book for physicists who like to write simulations
This is a great book to get you started using you desktop for more than running your screen saver or surfin' the net. Some sections are dealing with elementary physics but most deal with intermediate to even advanced topics. What's also great about this book is that the author doesn't assume you necessarily remember all of your undergrad physics. You're gently reminded of the key concepts and the bottom line you need to remember and then it's off to the good stuff. I liked this book quite a bit; it's really a great book. Unpretentious and striking the right balance between the theory necessary to write realistic or meaningful simulations. Overall I'd say the word superb applies here. Next edition: expand on stochastic processes a bit more, then you get 5 stars... ... Read more

Book Description
This second edition increases the universality of the previous edition by providing all its codes in the Java language, whose compiler and development kit are available for free for essentially all operating systems. In addition, the accompanying CD provides many of the same codes in Fortran 95, Fortran 77, and C, for even more universal application, as well as MPI codes for parallel applications. The book also includes new materials on trial-and-error search techniques, IEEE floating point arithmetic, probability and statistics, optimization and tuning in multiple languages, parallel computing with MPI, JAMA the Java matrix library, the solution of simultaneous nonlinear equations, cubic splines, ODE eigenvalue problems, and Java plotting programs.

From the reviews of the first edition:
"Landau and Paez's book would be an excellent choice for a course on computational physics which emphasizes computational methods and programming." - American Journal of Physics ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

This book is for advanced physics
The number of stars I gave the book is basically irrelevant.

I'm writing the review to point out that the book should be called: "computations for *advanced* physics".

Most of the topics covered in the book are for second year physics, or advanced topics.That's neither good nor bad, it just depends what you're looking for.If you want to find ways to apply computer programs in a first-years course -- this ain't it.There are probably only a few cases in which the topics are close enough to first-year physics to be relevant (multiple waves on a string; contrasting an idealized model of a pendulum with a "real-one").

Having said that, I give the book some pluses for covering a wide range of physics and mathematical topics, and a bit of a minus for writing that can be fairly opaque. ... Read more

Book Description
Providing an accessible introduction to a range of modern computational techniques, this book is perfect for anyone with only a limited knowledge of physics. It leads readers through a series of examples, problems, and practical-based tasks covering the basics to more complex ideas and techniques. The focus is placed on the dynamic area
of modern physics, helping readers understand the power and uses of computational physics.
* Leads the reader from a basic introduction to more sophisticated techniques
* Provides the skill-building exercises necessary to tackle more complex problems
* Applies essential techniques to a wide range of key problems ... Read more

Book Description
Thoroughly updated and revised for its second edition, this advanced textbook provides an introduction to the basic methods of computational physics, and an overview of recent progress in several areas of scientific computing. Tao Pang presents many step-by-step examples, including program listings in JavaTM, of practical numerical methods from modern physics and related areas. Now including many more exercises, the volume can be used as a textbook for either undergraduate or first-year graduate courses on computational physics or scientific computation. It will also be a useful reference for anyone involved in computational research. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Computational Physics...more complex than I thought!
I have taken only 3 calculus classes at my local college.Differential calculus (rates of change), integral calculus (areas under curves), and matrix/power series calculus (e.g. the taylor series).

Tao Pang introduces a lot of really complex material that is way over my head.But I love to read it anyways, and I highlight the book anyways, because once I _do_ understand what he is talking about in the future, I can go back and say "ooohh right".I mean, I do understand the computing of the integrals and differentiating equations, but it really opens my eyes to see all of these other uses of using using computers to create scientific solutions!It's so much fun to search these concepts up in Wikipedia and Wolfram Mathworld and have them pop up in class.

My goal in life is to become a really good software engineer, or possibly, a really good computational physics scientist dude.The code Tao Pang gives is very precious, and his web site is loaded not only with Java programs but also C and Fortan.I love how he keeps the code short and makes plenty of room in the margins so that I can scribble my own comments and questions.I love how he goes step-by-step with all of the math so you can follow his thinking for a given problem.

What do I not like about this book?Ehh...maybe more pictures would've been nice.But then again, I've always got Google images.

Thorough intro but...
Altohough I am not a fan of Fortran by any means the book (now that many of the original errors are corrected) is extremely thorough and readable, but be aware this is not necessarily for the neophyte. One MUST have a good knowledge of numerical anlaysis since derivations of relevant formulas is scant. The book's strength lies in the breadth of topics covered, here you will not find the often included "sport physics" chapter as an introduction, rather you are introduced to the most common numerical methods used by scientists when an analytical soultion is not feasible. The book does deal with many problems found int physics from scattering to quantum mechancis and molecular modelling, Monte Carlo methods and some case studies of applied physics e.g the chapter including ground water dynamics. In the last chapters the author wisely introduces symbolic computing using Mathematica as an example and this is applauded as many of us are not willing to reinvent the wheel since there many excellent programs like Maple, MathCad, FemLab etc and an introduction to the like is good. He also discusses parallel computing and this is also welcome as it has gained more prevalent use in computational sciences.

A complaint, since the book claims by its title no less, that it is an introduction to computational physics, there should have been explict chapters on or at least a chapter on Sports Physics, Astronomy, Cellular Automata. That said the case studies on molecular dynamics, nuclear waste storage and chaos are great.

All in all, a solid text but one should be aware of the fact that the author (and to some extent, rightly so) assumes that the reader has a solid grasp of numerical analsyis, calculus and physics. Havingsaid that if you need a really simple and thorough, ground up introduction and haven't taken the aforementioned courses then try Giordano's Computational Physics, be warned if you are like me and can barely tolerate Fortran (I grew up on C/C++) then the True Basic code snippets (for Mac) in Giordano's book will irritate you to no end!!

... Read more

Book Description
C++ is rapidly becoming the programming language of choice for science and engineering applications because of its rich object-oriented features. Intended for beginning and intermediate programmers, this book surveys the application of C++ to technical problems. Modern object-oriented software engineering tools are employed to simplify the presentation and all aspects of modern C++ programming practices of relevance to scientific programming are surveyed. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

the best
This is a very good book, the codes are clear and
written from a computational point of view. It is easy
to set up the software. I agree with the authors self
remraks except that he should wirte up some harder examples
in the end. But still, the best.

From the Author:
This book was developed during many years of teaching scientific programming to engineers and scientists in both electrical engineering and physics courses.About 1/3 of the text is accessible to beginning programmers even at a high-school level, while the last part of the book can serve as a second-term undergraduate scientific programming course or as a reference text.While the title indicates that a major focus of the text is computational physics, the book contains problems and examples from numerous scientific and engineering disciplines and can be employed across a wide variety of course offerings.

Because of the practical difficulties faced by beginning students, a first course in scientific programming generally requires very significant personal intervention by the instructor or laboratory assistant.This book effectively removes this issue by providing a common base of free Windows software on CD-ROM that is meticulously documented in the text (the software is also available for Linux).The reader is introduced to programming through numerous assignments containing real-world technical problems.The assignments at first contain nearly the entire program to be developed; as the book develops, however, fewer code sections are provided.This method allows the user to absorb proper program structure while avoiding frustrating and confusing stylistic traps.A solution manual is made available to instructors through Cambridge University Press (see their website for errata) while the CD-ROM also contains copies of all programs presented in the text.

This book presents a compact but completely unified picture of modern programming practice as it applies to scientific programming.The fundamental, underlying principles of the C++ language and scientific programming are stressed in order to simplify retention of complex C++ syntax and of the mathematical and physical content.More involved topics in numerical analysis, scientific programming methods and C++ are presented in an intuitive and easily-understood manner.Examples of the subjects covered are: software engineering principles (UML), numerical analysis, scientific graphics programming, the Standard Template Library (STL), Monte-Carlo methods including the Metropolis and multicanonical techniques, partial differential equation solvers, calling Fortran from C++, C++ program optimization.

not as abstract as a pure physics text
This book can serve several audiences. It teaches both computational physics and the use of C++ in writing object oriented code. Clearly, if you are already know one of these topics, but not the other, then the book is a natural fit. You can concentrate on what is essentially half the book.

The more challenging task is if you are unfamiliar with both. Well, it is reasonable to assume that you know some physics, say at the first year undergraduate level. And perhaps you have done some programming, in a procedural language like Fortran or Basic.

The amount of abstractions, or rather the level of difficulty in this, is less than in a typical physics text that is explaining Maxwell's Equations or Einstein's Special Relativity. The physics in the book revolves around trying to compute certain numbers in an efficient manner.

While from a programming standpoint, computational physics examples are given as an important use case, to help the student grasp the OO concepts. ... Read more

Book Description
The essential point in computational physics is not the use ofmachines, but the systematic application of numerical techniques inplace of, and in addition to, analytical methods, in order to renderaccessible to computation as large a part of physical reality aspossible.
The various available techniques, disparate as they may seem, aretraced back to only three main methodological sources; finitedifference calculus, linear algebra, and stochastics. Each algorithmis carefully introduced and every computational tool is explained interms of fundamental numerical techniques. Examples from statisticalmechanics, quantum mechanics, and hydrodynamics are employed to bridgethe gap between basic methodology and modern research.
This second edition of Franz Vesely's renowned textbook takes intoaccount the new vistas that have opened up recently in this rapidlyevolving field. Furthermore, web-based sample programs augment thetext. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Review from Measurement and Control Volume 37/1 Feb 04
....provides a good working knowledge of the techniques used to solve problems in hydrodynamics, quantum mechanics, and statistical mechanics. To get the most out of the book, the reader should be familiar with vector notation (div, grad and curl), matrix algebra, the theory of ordinary and partial differential equations, and Monte-Carlo simultation techniques. The 2nd edition of Franz Vesely's book includes recent developments in lattice-gas cellular models for hydrodynamics such as the Lattice Boltzmann method. This is an advance on the Frisch, Hasslacher and Pomeau model. The conclusion is that any book attempting to contemporise the field of computational physics will always be worth the expenditure; it not only reaffirms background theory, but also points the way to new ideas and fresh applications. Review by Paul Barker ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Fairly good book on computational physics
This book is a fairly decent overview of computational physics. The author covers most of the topics that one would obtain in taking a senior level or first year graduate course in this subject. It could be used successfully in such a course as there are problem sets at the end of each chapter that can be solved most efficiently by writing programs. In addition, the author gives pseudocode throughout the book for the main algorithms. The most useful chapter to me was Chapter 7, which covered Monte Carlo techniques. The author is pretty thorough in his treatment of this subject, and does discuss how to apply this technique in calculating path integrals in quantum mechanics. Unfortunately, he limits his discussion to the harmonic oscillator and does not give any problem sets at the end of the chapter that will allow the reader to apply the techniques to other potentials in quantum mechanics (such as maybe the anharmonic oscillator or the double well potentials). The author also discusses finite difference methods and finite element methods in the last two chapters. The author unfortunately does not discuss the numerical solution of the Boltzmann transport equation, which is of interest to me.Overall though a pretty nice job, and will introduce the new comer to the field. ... Read more

Book Description
Computers are one of the most important tools available to physicists, whether for calculating and displaying results, simulating experiments, or solving complex systems of equations. Introducing students to computational physics, this textbook reveals how to use computers to solve mathematical problems in physics and teaches students about choosing different numerical approaches. It also introduces students to many of the programs and packages available. The book relies solely on free software: the operating system chosen is Linux, which comes with an excellent C++ compiler, and the graphical interface is the ROOT package available for free from CERN. ... Read more

Book Description
The rapid advancement of computational physics has left a gap in the available literature adequately covering this important subject. This book fills that need. It demonstrates how numerical methods are used to solve the problems that physicists face. Chapters discuss different types of computational problems, with exercises developed around problems of physical interest. Within each chapter, students are lead from discussions of elementary problems and simple numerical approaches through derivations of more complex and sophisticated methods. Includes non-standard material such as Monte Carlo Methods, orthogonal polynomials and computerized tomography, and uses FORTRAN as the programming language. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

very good book for numerical methods
I found this book when I was trying to find an in-depth explanation about the step size updating scheme of the RKF45 method. I had seen some other books (Including Numerical Recipes) but this one was the easiest tounderstand. It has many examples, tips and tricks about practical problems.It is definetely a must for people interested in numerical methods.The onlydownside of it is its price. ... Read more

Book Description
Carbon nanotubes are the fabric of nanotechnology. Investigation into their properties has become one of the most active fields of modern research. This book presents the key computational modeling and numerical simulation toolsto investigate carbon nanotube characteristics. In particular, methods applied to geometry and bonding, mechanical, thermal, transport and storage properties are addressed. The first half describes classic statistical and quantum mechanical simulation techniques, (including molecular dynamics, monte carlo simulations and ab initio molecular dynamics), atomistic theory and continuum based methods. The second half discusses the application of these numerical simulation toolsto emerging fields such as nanofluidics and nanomechanics.With selected experimental results to help clarify theoretical concepts, this is a self-contained book that will be of interest to researchers in a broad range of disciplines, including nanotechnology, engineering, materials science and physics. ... Read more

Book Description
Computer science and physics have been closely linked since the birth of modern computing.In recent years, an interdisciplinary area has blossomed at the junction of these fields, connecting insights from statistical physics with basic computational challenges.Researchers have successfully applied techniques from the study of phase transitions to analyze NP-complete problems such as satisfiability and graph coloring.This is leading to a new understanding of the structure of these problems, and of how algorithms perform on them.Computational Complexity and Statistical Physics will serve as a standard reference and pedagogical aid to statistical physics methods in computer science, with a particular focus on phase transitions in combinatorial problems.Addressed to a broad range of readers, the book includes substantial background material along with current research by leading computer scientists, mathematicians, and physicists.It will prepare students and researchers from all of these fields to contribute to this exciting area. ... Read more

Book Description
This book discusses the computational approach in modern statistical physics in a clear yet accessible way, and works out its intimate relations with other approaches in theoretical physics. Individual chapters focus on subjects as diverse as the hard sphere liquid, classical spin models, single quantum particles and Bose-Einstein condensation. They contain in-depth discussions of algorithms ranging from basic enumeration methods to modern Monte Carlo techniques. The emphasis is on orientation. Discussions of implementation details are kept to a minimum.The book heavily relies on illustrations, tables and concise printed algorithms to convey key information: all the material remains easily accessible.The book is fully self-contained: graphs and tables can be readily reproduced by programming at most a few dozen lines of computer code. Most sections lead from an elementary discussion to the rich and difficult problems of contemporary computational and statistical physics, and will be of interest to a wide range of students, teachers and researchers in physics and the neighboring sciences. An accompanying CD allows to incorporate the layout material (illustrations, tables, schematic programs) into the reader's own presentations. ... Read more

Book Description
Quantum Wells, Wires and Dots Second Edition: Theoretical and Computational Physics of Semiconductor Nanostructures provides all the essential information, both theoretical and computational, for complete beginners to develop an understanding of how the electronic, optical and transport properties of quantum wells, wires and dots are calculated. Readers are lead through a series of simple theoretical and computational examples giving solid foundations from which they will gain the confidence to initiate theoretical investigations or explanations of their own.

• Emphasis on combining the analysis and interpretation of experimental data with the development of theoretical ideas
• Complementary to the more standard texts
• Aimed at the physics community at large, rather than just the low-dimensional semiconductor expert
• The text present solutions for a large number of real situations
• Presented in a lucid style with easy to follow steps related to accompanying illustrative examples

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent Book
This book is the best you are going to find for new quantum electronics.It covers all the essentials (wells, wires and dots as the title says) and, AND it gives you all the code used to generate every figure.This way you can work all the numbers and equations yourself.Yes, it is very expensive, but hey, Harrison has to eat man; a book like this has a real limited audience, so you have to bear the cost to be elite.

The code is all C code and can be run in unix or linux.You can also get an emulator (cygwin.com) or translate into your favorite C.The author has a great website with errata and software updates.

Again, the ability to follow along by running your own code helps really bring the information across.The book and the code are both well written.

Excellent book.

a great work
It is a great work of this book. I think it is very useful to readers with all kinds of levels. But it is a pity I can't buy it in my own country-mainland of China.Could you give me a chance? Thanks! ... Read more

Book Description
Unlike existing texts, this book blends for the first time three topics in physics - symmetry, condensed matter physics and computational methods - into one pedagogical textbook. It includes new concepts in mathematical crystallography, experimental methods capitalizing on symmetry aspects, non-conventional applications such as Fourier crystallography, color groups, quasicrystals and incommensurate systems, as well as concepts and techniques behind the Landau theory of phase transitions. Ideal for graduate students in condensed matter physics, materials science, and chemistry. ... Read more

Book Description
The physics of plasmas is an extremely rich and complex subject as the variety of topics addressed in this book demonstrates. This richness and complexity demands new and powerful techniques for investigating plasma physics. An outgrowth from his graduate course teaching, now with corrections, Tajima's text provides not only a lucid introduction to computational plasma physics, but also offers the reader many examples of the way numerical modeling, properly handled, can provide valuable physical understanding of the nonlinear aspects so often encountered in both laboratory and astrophysical plasmas. Included here are computational methods for modern nonlinear physics as applied to hydrodynamic turbulence, solitons, fast reconnection of magnetic fields, anomalous transports, dynamics of the sun, and more. The text contains examples of problems now solved using computational techniques including those concerning finite-size particles, spectral techniques, implicit differencing, gyrokinetic approaches, and particle simulation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

They call this a computational book?????
Collection of theoretical background for computational methods. Poor description of the methods themselves. This book is difficult to read. You better be a top notch expert in plasma physics to get anything out of this one. I was able to learn a few bits here and there, save your money and buy something else. ... Read more

Book Description
Since the first attempts to model proteins on a computer began almost thirty years ago, our understanding of protein structure and dynamics has dramatically increased. Spectroscopic measurement techniques continue to improve in resolution and sensitivity, allowing a wealth of information to be obtained with regard to the kinetics of protein folding and unfolding, and complementing the detailed structural picture of the folded state. Concurrently, algorithms, software, and computational hardware have progressed to the point where both structural and kinetic problems may be studied with a fair degree of realism. Despite these advances, many major challenges remain in understanding protein folding at both the conceptual and practical levels.

Computational Methods for Protein Folding seeks to illuminate recent advances in computational modeling of protein folding in a way that will be useful to physicists, chemists, and chemical physicists. Covering a broad spectrum of computational methods and practices culled from a variety of research fields, the editors present a full range of models that, together, provide a thorough and current description of all aspects of protein folding. A valuable resource for both students and professionals in the field, the book will be of value both as a cutting-edge overview of existing information and as a catalyst for inspiring new studies.

Computational Methods for Protein Folding is the 120th volume in the acclaimed series Advances in Chemical Physics, a compilation of scholarly works dedicated to the dissemination of contemporary advances in chemical physics, edited by Nobel Prize-winner Ilya Prigogine. ... Read more