Customer Reviews (1)

A Phenomenal Treatise
Kleinert's work is NOTHING short of phenomenal.
After reading Feynman(+Hibbs) this is the text to follow up.

Sadly the second edition which is in print contained MANY typos.
The third edition fixes much, if not all; it also has added many new topics of various interest.

The core physics remains as solid, and even clearer than the previous editions.

Without casting aspersions on the presentation:
Make no mistake; this is no comic book.
You will suffer, scrape your gyri, and bruise your ego, but will be justly rewarded for your effort in study.

Consider this an unqualified recommendation.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

¿Verano-Invierno?
Estoy iniciando la lectura del libro, por lo que no puedo todavía emitir una opinión global. Pero he hallado una afirmación tan errónea, que no puedo evitar comentarla. En la página 52 de la edición en español (Ediciones B, ISBN: 84-406-9582-9)dice que el Sol, "más próximo a la Tierra en verano que en invierno"... ¿Cómo?¿Desde cuándo las estaciones se relacionan con la proximidad al Sol? Como que dudo de que el Sr. Morris, todo un doctor en Física, según los créditos del libro, cometa un error tan flagrante, pienso que quizá se trate de un error de traducción. ¿O es que estoy equivocado y el Sol sí está más proximo a la Tierra en verano que en invierno?

Achilles in the Quantam Universe
When I picked up "Achilles in the Quantam Universe" it was soley for a school project. We were assigned to read a physics related book and "A Brief History of Time" wasn't at the library. I found, though,that once I picked it up I couldn't stop reading. Not only is it written sothat anyone can understand it, Morris adds humor, anecdotes and footnotesthat keep the reader immersed in the amazing accounts of historical events.Starting with Cantor, Plato and Zeno, the book moves through thediscoveries of some of the world's greatest physicists. It focuses on thehistory of the concept of infinity, but while doing so, explains suchthings as the development of the idea of an electron and the charting ofour solar system. He makes Galileo, Newton and Einstein seem real, as if hewas a friend telling of thier experiments. The book is informative, fun andan amazing account of the history of "infinity", and I wouldrecommend it to anyone.

A book that contemplates the universe in an easy to read way
Achilles in the quantum universe, was one of the best books I've read. It approached the concept of infinity in a way that the common reader could understand.

Wish I had this book before taking calculus
As a lay reader who's interest in math and quantum physics is limited to the "gee whiz" aspects of science, this book is a must read. There are great mind twisters and insights into the reality of math and physics.I was blown away by the discussion about calculus.Wish I had the insights when I flunked the class....may have helped!

Clarity!
Where other science writers leave many ideas murky and impenetrable, Morris has a knack for making everything clear. As the review excerpt on one of his previous books said, he can explain Stephen Hawking better than Hawking does. In this book, he explains the concept of infinity, beginning with Zeno's paradox of Achilles and the Tortoise, and concluding with black holes and the possibility of an infinite number of universe. When I looked at the table ot contents, I thought, "I'll never be able to understand all this." But I did. ... Read more

Book Description
This book presents in a pedagogical yet complete way correlated systems in one dimension. Recent progress in nanotechnology and material research have made one dimensional systems a crucial part of today's physics. After an introduction to the basic concepts of correlated systems, the book gives a step by step description of the techniques needed to treat one dimension, and discusses the resulting physics. Then specific experimental realizations of one dimensional systems such as spin chains, quantum wires, nanotubes, organic superconductors etc. are examined. Given its progressive and pedagogical approach, this book should satisfy both graduate students who want to learn the tools of the trade and become professionals in the field as well as more advanced researchers who want to know more about the physics of a specific one dimensional system without unnecessary technicalities. ... Read more

Book Description
From black holes to holograms, from relativity theory to the discovery of quarks, this book is an original and rich exposition of quantum theory and the way it unravels profound theological questions. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

tough read worth the wading
admittedly a tough read, and i can see why the empircally linearly minded have great difficulty with it. It is after all theology which tends to be difficult to get through when scholarly. What O'Murchu offers is another lens to look at the world and the cosmos that every bit as valid as those more rigid sources. What i dont like about it is that for theology, it lacks foundation . . .is a bit wishy washy. But i gave it five stars because of its audacity and unique approach. We are living in a transitional time of paradigm shifting . . . many disciplines attest to that . . . we need the fresh insights that can be gleaned from those scholars who think and write outside the box. Thank you O'Murchu.

Vacuous Speculations
Quantum Theology is a book that claims to be consistent with Christianity but is clearly at odds with it. The subtitle is "Spiritual Implications of the New Physics," but this is just marketing drivel. The author obviously knows nothing about physics, except for the fact that quantum theory introduces an element of uncertainty into physics. He uses this idea to cast doubt on centuries of Christian tradition, and replace it with his own vacuous speculations. There are some ideas in the book that are worthwhile, but these are carried to ridiculous extremes. For example:
1. "Seek meaning in the journey rather than the destination." That's fine, but then the book goes on to say that the journey does not even have a destination. Enjoying the journey is fine, but just the same I would prefer to have a destination in mind.
2. "God supercedes traditional theology." Of course God is bigger than theology, but then the book goes on to denigrate 2000 years of Christian tradition and hold itself up as the new paradigm.
Some of the claims in the book that are at odds with the Bible are:
1. The notion of "God" is a human construct "that may limit rather than enhance our understanding of life's ultimate source and meaning."
2. "The dilemma of pantheism is resolved."
3. The idea of "original sin" is a human construct.
4. Quantum theology seeks to outgrow the quaint dualism of good vs. evil.
5. The major sin of our time is speciesism. (I don't know about you, but I can think of plenty of sin in this world that is worse than speciesism!)
6. "We live in a world without beginning or end." (This contradicts both the Bible and physics.)
7. It is only systems, rather than individuals, that can be guilty of sin. (So much for individual responsibility.)
8. "Resurrection and reincarnation are not facts." (I agree with half of that statement, but Christianity without resurrection is like a building without a foundation.)
Having criticized the book, I don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater. There's plenty of dirty bathwater in this book, but some ideas of value include:
1. "No one source of knowledge ... can provide a complete description of reality." This emphasizes the Biblical concept of general revelation, which is ignored by too many evangelicals.
2. "Redemption is not just about personal salvation; it also concerns ... planetary and universal life." This idea, which is typically missed by evangelicals, is clearly consistent with the Bible.
In summary, this book provides some food for thought, but it contains far more junk food than nutrition.

Update Review
This is one of the most important books for Catholics and Christians to read. O'Murchu is a brilliant and wise writer, and his update with the most current information coming to us today about the Divine Mystery and how we can experience it in our own lives. He brings faith and much more,
spirituality, into today's world.
This is a must read.
Barbara Mayer

A New Approach Toward Spirituality
I recommend this book to all men and women, young or old, who are searching for an understanding of the sacred and their own spirituality. It was an eye-opener to meet people whose spiritual life is at a crossroads. They find no comfort or consolation in their current church and are searching to find a way to deepen their spiritual life. This is a book for them.

It is an opportunity to discover new perspectives on the sense of the sacred through a better appreciation of the cosmos, the universe.

Erroneous review
"Oddly enough O'Murchu ignores Alcoholics Anonymous which has had the greatest success by far in getting people to abstain from drink mainly by entering into a spiritual life much like the one he seems to be advocating."[...] erroneously states this.On Page 195 of the 1998 printed version, it clearly states ... "Practically every approach to the treatment of additions invokes, in one form or another, the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.).Central to this vision is an acknowledgment that we, individually, are no longer in contgrol, and that wae are not ultimately responsible fr what we are or do.We learn, often slowly and painfully, to accept a 'power' higher than ourselves, within whose love and energy we are not absorbed or consumed, but rediscover anew our true selves, as people born with the capacity to love and to be loved.It is in this rediscovery of love that we recapture something of our true nature.We come home to ourselves."
... Read more

Book Description
Quantum theory is considered by many to be the most unfathomable of scientific models.It confronts us with bizarre paradoxes which upset the logical edifice of classical physics.Yet this widely applied theory is amazingly accurate and explains all of chemistry and most of physics. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

In my opinion, the "Introducing" series are well worth the money
This one is in my top 5 of the Introducing... series.I'm not exactly a math/physics whiz, so it was nice to read something that gave me what I believe to be a good introduction to Quantum Theory.

The contradiction of classic physics explained (the one with the cat that is half dead half alive).
Quantum theory is the abstract solution to the problem of the quantities and states of energy on the quantum scale (subatomic levels) in a system. Quantum theory is proved using a form of mathematics called `quantum mechanics'. Quantum theory and mechanics verified subatomic systems for the first time at the start of the 20th century. Atomic models are brand new things

Classical physics since Newton was preoccupied by macro forces and the theory of light. Maxwell unified the forces of electricity and magnetism into electromagnetism and so the study of waves and particles was the first clear quantum in physics that required further explanation.

During early research into quantum results with experiments in light and heat combinations, investigations produced anomalies which contradicted what was known to classical physics at this time. This eventually required the development of an almost completely independent and totally new branch of science to explain the phenomena. In the early years it remained completely outside of the box of modern physics but was about to become a whole new way to explain more about the world we live in.

Quantum theory is the kind of result you would expect of a young Isaac Newton who chose to explore the micro instead of the macro full time. While Newton had investigated light and lent much to the development of the procedures that discovered quantum theory it was quantum theory that was eventually going to shed light on light.

Quantum theory can be better understood as the solution to a series of problems occurring in classical physics experimentations.

The most major of these problems was the discovery of black bodies which absorb radiation without reflection. There are no perfect black bodies. To see it some light must emit back. An example would be an oven burning inside you can peep through a whole and see what is being reflected while the oven absorbs the radiation. Planck eventually explained why this reflected radiation doesn't burn our eyeballs out when we see it by devising and proving Planck's constant. Boer would take this constant and improve it with spectrums of chemical compounds, proving subatomic properties. Schrodinger developed the theory of the motions of subatomic particles called quantum mechanics.

Quantum mechanics is thus the mathematical description of the states particles and waves.

Core criteria:
The Solvay conference (1927) Brussels
The first law of thermodynamics is the conservation of energy.
The entropy (heat transfer from one body to another) of an isolated system always increases reaching a maximum at thermal equilibrium (same temperature).
Maxwell's theory of kinetic gases.
Initial random position and velocities of molecules.
Heat is generated by motion of atoms.
Equipartition of energy theorem - energy equally shared at thermal equilibrium.
Black body radiation and the ultraviolet catastrophe
Planck's constant and quantum size
Photoelectric effect
Spectra effects
Hydrogen frequencies
The discovery of the electron
Neils Bohr
Linear momentum and Angular Momentum
Bohr's postulates
Zeeman Effect
Wolfgang Pauli, the Pauli effect and Pauli's exclusion principle
Closed shells and inert gases
Properties of waves
Diffraction and interference
Prince Louis de Broglie
Matter waves
Heisenberg's atom
Matrix Mechanics
Schrodinger's cat and atom
Probability
Dirac's transformation
Anti-matter
The uncertainty principle
EPR paradox
Bell's inequality

Imagine two great circles. One realm is quantum theory the other is relativity. Sometimes they cross over. Unification of both is still a modern scientific quest today that even baffled Einstein until his death. You will probably also want `Introducing Relativity' if you are in for this one. I would also recommend `Introducing Time' for the best explanation of Boltzmann's statistical mechanics although that book has very little else on Quantum Mechanics.

Introducing Quantum Theory
This is an excellent book for introducing quantum theory.It is presented in a very interesting way through the personalities of the people who created quantum theory.The physics includes enough of the mathematics and equations to be useful as a supplement for a quantum physic text for anyone who desires
a "biographical" approach to quantum physics.The conceptual prersentation of quantum theory in this book ranks with the best I have seen in my 40 year history of teaching quantumphysics.

Brilliant!
This book is in the 'Introducing ...' series of 'comic books'. It's excellent. Perhaps the best thing about it is the structured way in which it describes the development of quantum theory. After being introduced to the key scientists, the reader is told about the nineteenth century developments from which quantum theory arose. It emerges that there were three problems facing classical physics around the year 1900. These were solved by Max Planck, Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr respectively and, in the process, quantum theory was born. The author deals with these problems and their solutions in detail. I found this to be a very clear approach, which seemed to lay things out in chronological order with everything fitting in to place.

After this the author goes on to describe the further work of Niels Bohr as well as that of Wolfgang Pauli, Louis de Broglie, Max Born, Werner Heisenberg, Erwin Schrodinger and Paul Dirac. Schrodinger's cat and wave-particle duality are described along the way, the theory of QED gets mentioned but is not described, and the book culminates in an account of the EPR paradox, Bell's inequality theorem and the work of Alain Aspect.

Having said all that, this is not an easy book. I don't think it would be possible to write an easy introduction to quantum theory. I had to read it a few times to understand it (and there are still quite a few pages I don't understand), but I learned a lot in the process. There is an amazing amount of information packed into this book and even someone who is scientifically knowledgable would benefit from it. If you know nothing or little about quantum theory, you're not going to find an easier introduction or one so well organised, and even if you only understand half of the book, you'll learn a great deal.

Quantum theory in a nutshell - more than meets the eye
I own and studied quite some books on this topic. Among them the real works with math and all. This one little Introducing book sums it all up. It's fun, it's understandable, and a very good introduction. The concepts are so deep, that the book explains more than you initially assume. It is a good overview to read once again after a deep study in some specialized topic. Even interesting and necessary to have for a physicist therefore, as well as for any interested newcomer. This is definitely a musth-have! ... 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
This book is an introduction to the techniques of many-body quantum theory with a large number of applications to condensed matter physics. The basic idea of the book is to provide a self-containedformulation of the theoretical framework without losing mathematical rigor, while at the same time providing physical motivation and examples. The examples are taken from applications in electron systems and transport theory.On the formal side, the book covers an introduction to second quantization, many-body Green's function, finite temperature Feynman diagrams and bosonization. The applications include traditional transport theory in bulk as well as mesoscopic systems, where both the Landau-Buttiker formalism and recent developments in correlated transport phenomena in mesoscopic systems and nano-structures are covered. Other topics include interacting electron gases, plasmons, electron-phonon interactions, superconductivity and a final chapter on one-dimensional systems where a detailed treatment of Luttinger liquid theory and bosonization techniques is given.Having grown out of a set of lecture notes, and containing many pedagogical exercises, this book is designed as a textbook for an advanced undergraduate or graduate course, and is also well suited for self-study. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

EXCELLENT BOOK!
This book is exactly what a new student (with some training in basic grad courses in solid state, statistical mechanics, etc.) needs to grasp condensed matter physics without a "research-based bias." Todays programs are so focused on application that a thorough treatment of pedigogical materials get superfically taught. Philip Anderson warns about this in his timeless classic "Basic Notions." This book uses QFT in canonical picture (bootstraps), no mention of path integrals. I started out in HEP, so I got trained fairly well in path integrals, some may find this a barrier with the book. Luttinger theory is the most modern topic touched on, applications to materials science. I recommend Wen's book if you want to look at Quantum Hall Effects and Topological Orders (post 1980's). ... Read more

Book Description
Quantum physics is often perceived as a weird and abstract theory, which physicists must use in order to make correct predictions. But many recent experiments have shown that the weirdness of the theory simply mirrors the weirdness of phenomena: it is Nature itself, and not only our description of it, that behaves in an astonishing way. This book selects those, among these typical quantum phenomena, whose rigorous description requires neither the formalism, nor an important background in physics. The first part of the book deals with the phenomenon of single-particle interference, covering the historical questions of wave-particle duality, objective randomness and the boundary between the quantum and the classical world, but also the recent idea of quantum cryptography. The second part introduces the modern theme of entanglement, by presenting two-particle interference phenomena and discussing Bell's inequalities. A concise review of the main interpretations of quantum physics is provided. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A 'MUST BUY' for novices
I would not give this a five star rating only because it is not PERFECT! I actually intend to give it a 4 1/2 rating in fact.

I liked this book for four things:
1) This is such a small book. (Lesser the words one speaks, the better to listen).
2) No technical blabbering, but STILL maintains clarity of concepts.
3) Tells about real experiments.
4) One of the latest on the old subject (as of July 2006!).

Now to give an example of the minor defects that I noticed - The Unbalanced Franson's Interferometer explanation could leave the novice reader confused as to why the tiny time difference could not lead to distinguishability. There is nothing in the main text that even hints about this.

All in all, this is a MUST BUY for all 'physics-maths' kind of people who have are new to QM. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (6)

Very good book
This book is one of the most known treating about QFT in non-zero temperatures and it doesn't need an advertisement. One think that redactors should think about is size of the fonts. Letters are really to small...

I Believe It's Pronounced: "Ah-brick-oh-sov, Gore-cawV, and Dee-ah-low-shin-ski"
This is a serious book with a seriously long title and three seriously hard-to-pronounce author-names.

Of course, as the other reviewers have already stated, this book is a Classic. It is also, as one other reviewer has proclaimed, not a book from which I would like to learn quantum field theory.

"Methods of Quantum Field Theory in Statistical Physics" by A.A. Abrikosov, L. P. gorkox, and I.E. Dzyaloshinski (or "AGD" as it is known) is thought of by many as the be all and end all of field theory texts in the condensed matter physics world.

But, AGD should not be thought of as a book that introduces the reader to field theory. You definitely must have studied field theory (either relativistic or non-relativistic) from an introductory book that uses the canonical formalism before attempting to get anything out of AGD.


For example, if you are not already familiar with Wick's Theorem and how to prove it, then you will get very little out of AGD's single paragraph of text which "proves" the thoerem. On the other hand, if you already know of Wick's theorem you may find the proof in AGD rather cute. As for me, when I read the one paragraph of text that AGD put forward as a "proof" of Wick's Theorem, I immediately puked in my own mouth.

Yummy.

Another downside to AGD is the fact that they do not even mention the path integral formalism. Everything is done in the canonical formalism, as you might expect from a bunch of old school Russians.

Finally, I will repeat that this book IS a Classic, and there is a ton of great stuff in this book. If you are a serious student of condensed matter physics then you must have this book. If, on the other hand, you are trying to learn field theory for the first time, then go buy "Quantum Field Theory in a Nutshell" by Zee.

Sorry to differ from the reader below.
This book is little or no use unless you have a very strong background in
field theoretical methods. If you are a seasoned pro.you might find it
useful but if you want to teach yourself.... youwill soon get frustrated.
Still my hat's off to the authors who pioneered the area.
Conclusion: if you are a PhD student, get Fetter & Walecka instead.

Possibly the best book on diagrams you can find
This is a classic, and quite possibly it doesn't get any better than this to teach you the technique. For those used to a textbook style, this will be a bit of an unpleasant surprise, because writing is somewhat condensed, but that's quite typical for the old Russian school of theoretical physics. However, all the important issues are properly stressed, all derivations are rigorous, and what is most important, the physical reasoning is clear an to the point.

A Classic
This book is a classic in the subject of quantum many-body theory.Written in the sixties by the Russuian school,it gives extremely succinct but potent account of the the subject.The whole book is guided with the spiritof Landau's Fermi liquid theory. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (13)

Pauling
This is the best ever text in quantum mechanics. Every one which intents start in this field should read this book. It contains all the elementary steps to understand this difficult field in a language and in such detail which is not found any more in the modern books.

Outstanding and a classic, however not for beginners, don't let "introduction" fool you! :)
As an alum holding both undergrad and graduate degrees in a related field, I figured I would pick this title up for some pretty heavy reading.I was right.Even thought the title says "an introduction", there are several pre-requisites to understanding Quantum Mechanics, and the style of Linus Pauling's writing in general.The book reads very much like a textbook, and I would suggest at least a pretty good understanding of physics, mathematics, and technical writing before diving in.It's a great book, and a classic text.It's just not a casual Sunday read.

It's worth a read.
I read it once and don't use it too often.It's still an excellent book, but I think there are newer texts that are based on this one that may "look better" even though they cover the same topics.I enjoyed it very much.Pauling knew how to take a complicated subject and simplify (but not too much) it for ease of teaching.

Great, great book.

Kind of a disappointment
This was the fourth qm book I read. I was expecting it to help me make the transition from quantum mechanics to quantum chemistry, but it didn't quiet succeed in doing so. As for QM there exist better books than this (eg Sakurai) and for QChem, I found Szabo's book to be much more better (with less of fundamentals and directly going towards applications)

Regards
Purushottam

Philosophy: By Socrates, Quantum Chemistry: By Linus Pauling
How would an "Introduction to Philosophy" by Socrates or a "Basics of the Piano" by Mozart sound like? This is something similar. Linus Pauling, the unprecedented pioneer of the application of Quantum Mechanics to Chemistry, had written this book in the 1930s as perhaps the first introduction to QM for Chemists, supported by his colleague, E Bright Wilson, a brilliant chemist in his own right. A generation of Chemists grew up learning from this book, and its content is as relevant and articulate today as it was then. Hundreds of Quantum Chemistry books, some of which are excellent, have been written in the times since it was first published. But this book still retains an incomparable flavour that brings out the fundamental nature of QM and Chemical Bonding. I have to admit that I found this book slightly difficult, because Pauling and Wilson, although being extremely lucid, never compromise on the Math. But gradually I learnt that this is the kind of book which belongs in the same category of, say, Ernest Eliel's stereochemistry book. That means that every moment you spent on it will be worth it, even if it takes you a very long time to go through it. This is one of those books where every word is carefully thought and then stated, making the journey difficult at places, but always rewarding. And why not. It is hard to imagine anyone else writing with so much confidence on the topic. So it is important not to gloss over this book quickly and then discard it as being dry, but persist in reading it and get insight out of it. The book opens with a discussion of Lagrangian mechanics and discusses some simple examples of its applications. It then moves on to the basic principles of QM, and comes to the Hydrogen molecule, which was the pinnacle of succcess for the Physicists. I think that this book has the best discussion of the H molecule ever written. I have seen other excellent Quantum Chemistry books giving a reference to this work whenever they discuss the H molecule. Moreover, I believe that a thorough understanding of the H molecule is of paramount importance for understanding any further application of QM to Chemistry. Discussion of this molecule opens the door to understanding orbitals, spherical harmonics, angular momentum and all the important concepts in theoretical Chemistry. So the book will score top points for this alone. Later on there are excellent discussions of the Variational Method, Perturbation theory and finally the various important approximations like Hartree-Fock theory and the structure of molecules. The appendices deal with detailed discussions of derivation and some mathematical topics. All in all, a clear and extremely lucid presentation, well worth every moment you can spend on it, by one of the greatest scientists of all time. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Good overview for the popular audience of quantum physics
A very good overview, written for the popular audience, of quantum physics, originally written in 1982, by physicist Heinz Pagels. The first part of the book deals with the history of the subject. The second part, the (then) newer stuff, including complex subjects like Bell's Theorem. Unfortunately, since Pagels died in a mountaineering accident in 1988, there hasn't been an update of the book (because of the speed of the scientific discovery, even the best science books can get quickly outdated). That's why the newer stuff in physics, mainly string theory, is not covered here. Still, a very good book.

Cosmic Code
This book was mentioned in a previous book I have read (The Biology of Belief - Lipton).This book easily explains a tough subject like quantum physics.I found it strange that someone like myself (mostly read spiritual books) would enjoy a scientific discussion of the very small.I could not put the book down.If you enjoy reading spiritual books, you will enjoy this book.

Great outline of quantum theory
Wonderfully and lucidly written. Lays out most of the basics of quantum theory in an accessible way.

Good...
Excellent transaction...would do business with again.Book a little more worn than stated.

The best book on a complex, abstract subject
This is the best Quantum Physics book even written for the lay man. Infact, it might even be the best popular science book ever written. I have been a fan of this book for over 15 years and I feel that it is "must read" for every student involved or pursuing any branch of pure science (not necessarily physics).

Amazingly well explained concepts that stream you to the miniscule, abstract world of Quantum Mechanics. ... Read more

Book Description
Gauge Theories in Particle Physics, Volume 1: From Relativistic Quantum Mechanics to QED, Third Edition introduces the three gauge theories of the standard model of particle physics: quantum electrodynamics (QED), quantum chromodynamics (QCD), and the electroweak theory. For each of them, the authors provide a thorough discussion of the main conceptual points, a detailed exposition of many practical calculations of physical quantities, and a comparison of these quantitative predictions with experimental results. This edition includes new introductory chapters, expanded treatment of relativistic quantum mechanics, and a self-contained introduction to quantum field dynamics as described by Feynman graphs. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Strongly Recommend

I received my copy of Aitchison and Hey last week and have nearly finished reading the first volume. So far, the text is living up to its legend: it is very readable, well cited (so the historical context can be reconstructed) and pitched for a graduate student who has seen the topic before but is looking for the kind of "handle" on the subject that is missing in nearly all other volumes on QFT (esp so Peskin). If you are struggling with your first look at QFT, reviewing the subject or trying to get a headstart through self instruction --- this book is essential. I would strongly recommend that all physics graduate students read this text after completing the usual third semester grad course in QM that often includes a first look at relativistic QM, KG eqn, and Spinors. I would also recommend that one begin by just READING the book carefully before trying problems. Aitchison and Hey have created a very reader friendly intro to QFT and the standard model that is not watered down.

Take my advice: start reading this book in parallel with your QFT coursework or beforehand if you can. These books are worth every penny and every minute of your study time. Many mysteries are resolved! Enjoy.

Very clear and readable
Like the 2nd edition this 2 volume set is very readable. I like it's informal style, and the wealth of background material presented, as well as the hints about when to expect further discussions of a subject in succeding chapters. By far the best Quantum Field Theory book I've come across.

more understandable QFT for beginners

The 3rd edition of that book clarified to a degree the fog left in my mind by a two-semester QFT course. The book is better suited for beginners than Peskin & Shroeder, Mandl & Show or Lahiri & Pal simply because it senses better the difficult points for beginners and tries to explain them at lower level. It focuses on the main concepts and doesn't try to `cover broad material in shortest time' or get into extreme computational technicalities totally irrelevant to beginners. The correct historical perspective of many ideas is given and the important historical papers are cited. The theory is frequently compared to the experimental results. Violin string is used as a prototype of a continuous system described by a classical field which is the first field quantized later. The book develops physical intuition showing how a scattering process can be analyzed in full QED (all fields are operators), in semiclassical approximation (all fields are operators except the EM field) or using the lowest level wavefunction approximation (all fields are treated like wave functions just like scattering in nonrelativistic QM) often getting the same result (see chapter 8). Important concepts like Feynman diagrams and Renormalization of a theory are first explored in a simple theoretical playground - a hypothetical `ABC theory' of three massive scalar fields with an interaction ABC term - and later discussed again in the case of QED with all the complications like fermions and Electromagnetic gauge field.

Topics discussed include gauge invariance principle; relativistic field equations describing free particles like Klein-Gordon and Dirac; Feynman interpretation of the negative energy solutions of Dirac eq. (no its not `antiparticle going back in time'); Dirac equation with EM field; Lagrangian and Hamiltonian densities for continuous systems; quantization of free fields like KG (real and complex scalar), Dirac and Electromagnetic field [the quantization is by postulating commutators/anticommutators, no path integrals]; Normal ordering of operators; Interaction picture for interacting fields, Time ordering of operators, Dyson expansion of the S matrix; Wick's theorem; scattering processes in QED at tree level; Ward identity; form factors for scattering from non point particle; parton model, Bjorken scaling; diagrams with loops, regularization and renormalization of ultraviolet divergences in QED.

It took me a month and a half to read the book and solve all problems (10 problems per chapter on average). The problems are exactly the ones every beginner should solve and usually revolve about filling in details from the text or proving statements in the text. Solving them is usually easy with a few exceptions and teaches you the typical computational tricks of the trade. You have to know quantum mechanics (at least have seen scattering theory) and special relativity. You have to at least have heard of Green function and contour integration in the complex plane. The book provides nice appendices about all these.

Not everything is crystal clear in that book, sometimes it took me a few days for an idea to sink in or I understood some paragraphs only after I read the whole book. Other ideas I did not understand at all. Sometimes it's hard to tell what they are trying to say although they say it several times from different angles ... The authors should work on expressing an idea in a direct succinct wayonce and for all instead of repeating several fuzzy versions of it. Overall that book made me understand MUCH more than a regular QFT course and I highly recommend it as a prep for such a course.

If you are having trouble with QFT - BUY THIS BOOK!
This book (2nd edition) has 15 chapters .I have just finished chapter 4 entitled QFT and I am compeled to write this review!After a year of studying of QFT informally I can report that this is the way to introduce yourself to the topic.I've been through Mandl & Shaw, Peskin & Schoeder, Ryder, Weinberg and a few others and this is heads and tails the BEST intro available. In 42 pages, Aitchison & Hey make the transistion from classical to QM and from QM to QFT as gracefully as I can conceive.For example, the transition from the discrete Lagrangian to the field Lagrangian is very explicit. One benfit of this is that the dependence of L on partial of phi wrt x is clearly motivated leading to the manifestly relativistically invariant form of L.They explicitly develop physical intuition at every step of the way - for example, this is the only book that I have found that explicitly asks the question where is QM's wavefunction in the QFT formalism? Answer - The vacuum to one-particle matrix elements of the field operators.The transistion from free fields to interacting fields is far clearer than any other treatment I've seen.I also appreciated that the problems were used to basically fill in details left out of the text.I was able to 'practice' the various kinds of manipulations that are required.

Amazingly clear introduction to the subject
This book is the best book I've seen on the subject.The qualitative description of qunatum field theory in particular are amazingly lucid for the subject.The only possible flaw in the book is that the problems at the end of each chapter are both few in number and for the most part do not challenge the student at all; for the most part they are just rote calculations. ... Read more

Book Description
This book gives a comprehensive account of local quantum physics, understood as the synthesis of quantum theory with the principle of locality. Centered on the algebraic approach it describes both the physical concepts and the mathematical structures, and their consequences. These include the emergence of the particle picture, general collision theory covering the cases of massless particles and infraparticles, the analysis of possible charge structures and exchange symmetries, including braid group statistics. Thermal states of an unbounded medium and local equilibrium are discussed in detail. The author takes care both to describe the ideas and to give a critical assessment of future perspectives. The new edition contains numerous improvements and a new chapter concerning formalism and interpretation of quantum theory. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

I practically owe my today's academical self to this work...
As someone working in the field created by Prof. Haag - Local Quantum Physics, aka Algebraic Quantum Field Theory - I feel somewhat oblidged to write a review on this book. This is all the more true when a large amount of misunderstandings about this subject among, so to speak, "outsiders", pervade the community of theoretical physics. As for me, I had the good luck of having Local Quantum Physics as my entering door to Quantum Field Theory, after my undergraduate involvement with Nuclear Physics. Learning this through (in a major part) Prof. Haag's book, alongside with a conventional course in QFT, has helped me clear several conceptual issues underlying QFT tools and calculations - specially renormalization - which alone seemed to me more witchcraft than physics.

The aims of Local Quantum Physics, even when linked to computational issues, are eminently structural and conceptual, going beyond particular models. These concerns are transparentin this book, where only the essentials of the Lagrangian approach are mentioned, and even these with a conceptually clean and deep purpose (just to cite an example, quantization of free fields are treated in a covariant way by using the Peierls' bracket, instead of canonical quantization), and with no predilection whatsoever by any particular quantization technique (for instance, path integrals are only mentioned "en passant", with no formulas, in Section VIII.1, in the discussion on the Euclidean/Lagrangian approach to QFT). This last proviso, which is a common source of complaint, actually (at least, it looks so to me) bears the following message under the aegis of the aims above: the physical concepts of QFT have nothing to do with the quantization method chosen. Although the justification for this is somewhat subtle, it ends up being a natural consequence of the line of thinking along which this book proceeds.

Most of the things about which Prof. Haag writes in this book seem to have been thought about for a pretty long time. It's thanks to this that the formalism of Local Quantum Physics acquired a remarkably flexible and synthetic language. The underlying idea, present in almost every topic treated in the book, is the principle of locality ("Nahwirkungsprinzip" = "Principle of local action", i.e., no action at a distance). Namely, that physical procedures are all localized in finitely extended regions of spacetime, as it "usually" happens in experimental situations, and that the matter of choosing a Hilbert space on which these procedures act (often based on global criteria such as the concept of a vacuum state) is mainly a matter of convenience. The abstract framework of C*- and von Neumann algebras is what allows one to work independently of a particular representation. This is strengthened by Einstein causality - physical procedures localized at causally disjoint regions commute with each other (This is quite distinct from locality in the sense of the EPR phenomenon, which is intrinsically linked to the notion - here generalized - of states, this one still highly nonlocal, as restrictions of a state to two causally disjoint local algebras of procedures can, and do, present quantum entanglement if this state is suitably prepared), and Poincaré covariance.

The principle of locality, when applied to the myriad of inequivalent representations of the local algebras which is characteristic of QFT, lead to enormous achievements (most of them described in the book), such as: the meaning of internal global symmetries and fermion degrees of freedom, and how these emerge from the observables alone, independently of the assumption of an underlying field theory (superselection sectors); the meaning of infinities and renormalization in perturbation theory (disjointness and quasi-equivalence of representations); a natural setting for QFT at finite temperature and its thermodynamics (KMS condition, modular techniques, phase space conditions); when moving to curved spacetime, the clarification of the (still open) issue of the choice of physical states from nonessentials and how this forces us to "unlearn" several concepts of Minkowski QFT (Unruh effect, etc.). Recent developments by the schools of Wald and Fredenhagen show the growing importance of the latter and related problems.

Finally, other two admirable aspects of Haag's book are the honest treatment of latest developments regarding conceptual open issues such as the meaning of local gauge invariance in quantum theory, the infrared problem, and questions regarding the interpretation of quantum mechanics and the meaning o spacetime itself. Haag's closing personal views on the latter, in the light of the mathematical formalism of Local Quantum Physics, bear an intriguing resemblance with modern ideas by Rovelli, Ashtekar, etc. on loop quantum gravity.

The book as a whole takes quite some time to digest, due to the mathematical machinery involved (functional analysis and an acquaintance in C*-algebra theory are a rather strongly recommended background) and the subtlety of the physical ideas. But, to sum up, for me it was, in due time, the ultimate temptress.

A complete recapitulation
LQFT, a kind of Axiomatic Quantum Field theory, was slowly
developed during the 1970 age to provide solid fundamentals
to quantum fields. Haag was one of the leaders of the
development, and this book resumes the climax of the theory.

From here the development has continued, looking for nets
of observables as a tool to incorporate the renormalization
mechanism. But it is to be noted that, since then, a branch
of C* algebras has developed to formulate NonCommutative
geometry, a tool completely unavailable to the people working
in Local Quantum Field Theory. One should kept a leg in
each side, aiming to marry both formalims.

Deserves 10 stars
Quantum field theory is a subject that has occupied the time of an enormous number of researchers, both in physics and in mathematics. Those who have studied perturbation methods in quantum field theory have no doubt run acroos "Haag's theorem" that is usually loosely stated as saying that "the interactive representation does not exist". The statement of this theorem, and many other results in quantum field theory, particularly the procedure of renormalization, have been viewed by many as unsound from a mathematical standpoint, and so efforts were begun to put quantum field theory on a rigorous mathematical foundation. Going by the names of axiomatic or constructive quantum field theory, these approaches are interesting, but also a little troubling from a scientific perspective. Axiomitization is usually appropriate in mathematics when a subject has matured to the point where it can be "closed off", and this usually happens when the theory is very well understood and so its essence can be codified in a few well-forumlated axioms. But quantum field theory is no where near that stage; indeed one can say that it continues to be a theory that, oddly, has immense predictive power but whose rigorous mathematical formulation remains elusive. Not only that, quantum field theory is still in a course of evolution, and any attempt at axiomitization might become obsolete as soon as it is put down on paper. In addition, physical insight, as much as mathematical understanding, must not be sacrificed in any resulting axiomatization of quantum field theory. Frequently, the result of axiomatization is to divorce a physical theory from its physical roots, and beginning students of the theory then have difficulty in acquiring intuition of the essential physics of the theory.

One of the best attributes of this book is that the author realizes this, and early on he refers to "general", rather than "axiomatic" QFT as being more appropriate since it allows flexibility in relation to future discoveries. Not only that, the author endeavors to explain the formalism that he is expousing in the book, and he succeeds brilliantly. Anyone interested in the mathematical physics behind quantum field theory, and not just doing bread-and-butter perturbation calculations, will gain a lot from the reading of this book. It is packed full of insight, a rare occurence in books that employ the heavy mathematical formalism that this one does. One will need a strong background in operator theory, abstract theory, and several complex variables to read the book, but a lot of this is developed impromptu as the text unfolds. When it is not, the author gives references for those readers who need more in-depth discussion.

There are so many ineresting discussions in this book that space does not permit an evaluation of all of them, but the following is a short list of points in the book that I found particularly well-written: 1. The Wigner analysis of irreducible unitary representations of the Poincare group. This is not a mathematically rigorous discussion, but the author points out the physical relevance of the fact that the spectrum of the 4-momentum operator must be concentrated on a single orbit. This fact ensures the stability of matter. And, as frequently happens in physics, several mathematical consequences of a particular physical theory are discarded as not being relevant; in this case the other three classes of the irreducible representations. That being said, the author does include as of possible physical relevance the idea of parastatistics. He points out his reasons for this, namely that a strict adherence to the Bose-Fermi alternative is not operationally justified. 2. The role of fields in implementing the principle of locality and not as observable particles. This fact is usually not emphasized in books on quantum field theory. 3. The author clarifies the distinction between the notion of locality that deals with the commutation of two observables that are space-like separated, and the one dealing with the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox and Bell's inequality. 4. The discussion on the Bose-Einstein alternative, in particular the suggestion that parastatistics can be replaced by Bose or Fermi statistics in the presence of a non-Abelian unbroken global gauge group. 5. The discussion on topological charges and their prohibition by the Doplicher-Haag-Roberts selection criterion. The Doplicher-Haag-Roberts criterion was used in scattering theory and thought to be reasonable, but the author shows that its use is problematic in this case also, as well as in prohibiting topological charge. Purely massive fields can, it turns out, have measurable correlations at large distances, and Borcher's selection criterion, also discussed along these lines, gives topological charges. 6. The treatment of the Tomita-Takesaki theorem, modular automorphisms, and their connection to the KMS-condition. 7. The discussion on the need for type III-1 von Neumann algebras in relativistic quantum field theory versus type I in ordinary quantum mechanics. Such a von Neumann algebra is hyperfinite and is unique. 8. The discussion on the impossibility of coherent wave packets of one-electron states in quantum field theory, as contrasted with the usual practice in quantum mechanics. This is dues to superselection rules and the "infraparticle" nature of electrically charged particles, which are not associated with discrete eigenvalues of the mass operator. The author asks the reader to justify electron interference experiments in quantum field theory.

The most important book about algebraic qft by its founder
In spite of the succes of quantum field theory it became very early clear that this theory needed a new mathematical formulation. Haag was one of the founders of this new theory which was later called algebraic quantumfield theory but Haag himself preferred "local quantum physics".

The algebra of observables is designed as the C*-inductive limit of anet of von Neumann-algebras the index set of which is formedof opensubsets of space-time. The book discusses the DHR-selection criterion aswell as the BF-criterion of Buchholz and Fredenhagen that is more adequateto massive fields. Furthermore Haag gives a short introduction tostatistical qft in the algebraic framework. Especially the KMS-conditionwhich was formulated in the sixties by Haag, Hugenholtz and Winnink isdiscussed.

A highly recommended book! ... Read more

Book Description
Quantum theory, the most successful physical theory of all time, provoked intense debate between the twentieth century's two greatest physicists, Niels Bohr and Albert Einstein. Quantum information theory has emerged from intensive study of the structure and interpretation of quantum theory to become one of the fastest growing areas of twenty-first century science. This second edition has been extensively revised and updated to cover recent developments, including the findings of papers published since the well-received first edition. A substantial new chapter is devoted to the development and structure of quantum information theory. Developments in the experimental and theoretical study of Bell's Theorem are also covered in detail, and the accounts of ongoing work have been brought up to date. A fascinating account of the development of quantum theory, this book will appeal to anyone with an interest in the fundamental questions of physics, its philosophy and its history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Excellent overview
For students of physics, professional physicists and interested lay persons this is undoubtedly the most complete and objective overview of the many 'interpretations' of quantum mechanics as of today.For those interested in looking "behind the mathematical formalism of QM" an absolute must read.

One minor point of critique though: this book explicitly addresses lay persons (which is supposedly why you won't find many equations in the book). Although in chapters 2 - 4 prof Whitaker splendidly epitomizes the evolution of classical (with a glance at relativity) and quantum mechanics, I fear those readers not already familiar with physics may find this a little too terse (a lot of ground is covered in very few pages). Chapters 5 - 7 explaining the Bohr-Einstein debate and Bell's theorem are simply splendid reading for everyone. Chapter 8, rounding up recent developments, is very comprehensive, but again, the average lay person may find the summaries of quite a number of recent articles a bit tedious in the end (but ideal for students or physicists). Chapter 9 introduces quantum information theory, again a very good overview, but in my opinion a bit out of place and surely a subject that is worthy of a book on its own.

All in all, there are many good popular science books out there explaining one or two QM interpretations, but this one covers them all, and it's absolutely the best explaining the Bohr-Einstein debate and the impact of Bell's theorem on this debate.

Superb history and introduction
This is not a textbook; it is a combined history and introduction to modern physics. It is clear, well written and a good starting point for anyone interested in Relativity or Quantum Theory.

A truly excellent book
I have found this to be an extremely helpful book due to my interests in physics.It is an interesting philosophical taint on a subject matter which is mostly fought in obscure mathematics.I would highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in quantum physics philosophies.

Dillema is spelt "dilemma"
This book is an excellent introduction, summary of and history of the debate on interpretation of quantum theory, a subject which demands careful reading. As such, it may be read to profit by those interested in some ofthe twists and turns of "received opinion". It is not for thosewho might like their pages covered in equations (- the text discusses J SBell's elucidation of Von Neumann's errors on the subject of hiddenvariable theories- a clear case where the mathematics concealed ratherthan revealed). The book is widely referenced which should have enoughrange of material to satisfy and extend readers at all levels. In my topten on the subject area.

Dillema is spelt "dilemma"
This book is an excellent introduction, summary of and history of the debate on interpretation of quantum theory, a subject which demands careful reading. As such, it may be read to profit by those interested in some ofthe twists and turns of "received opinion". It is not for thosewho might like their pages covered in equations (- the text discusses J SBell's elucidation of Von Neumann's errors on the subject of hiddenvariable theories- a clear case where the mathematics concealed ratherthan revealed). The book is widely referenced which should have enoughrange of material to satisfy and extend readers at all levels. In my topten on the subject area. ... Read more

Book Description

This book gives a modern, comprehensive introduction to the principles of quantum mechanics, to the main approximation methods and to the application of quantum theory to a wide variety of systems. The needs of students having an average mathematical ability are kept very much in mind, with the avoidance of complex mathematical arguments and any undue compression of material

Customer Reviews (6)

Great QM Text
I have to agree with the other reviews. This is an excellent QM book for advanced undergrads or grad students. Beware, you'll need pencil and plenty of paper to read through the text and fill in the gaps between some calculations(like from equations a,b,c,d we can derive e).

A quantum leap in the right direction!
This book is a rare Physics text that successfully bridges the gap from the undergrad to the grad curriculum. The math is accessible to anyone who has passed Junior level linear algebra and math methods while the Physics is more detailed than that of the typical undergrad quantum mechanics course. The authors give careful details of many important calculations, together with the interpretations of the steps in the context of both math and physics. All these features together with the clarity of the writing and diagrams go to make this a great transitional text.

Throughout the book Bransden and Joachain give equal importance to the wave and matrix formalisms of quantum mechanics. A nice feature of this book is the presentation of the Schrodinger equation in momentum space - a treatment not found in much detail in many undergrad texts. Significant amounts of theoretical background required by Chemists (especially on atomic spectra) is also developed in the book. This renders the text of use to Chemistry majors who have had the requisite mathematical background mentioned earlier on in this review.

I bought this book as a Senior but kept referring to it again and again as a grad student. Recently, I've begun to rely on it for the Quantum Mechanics portion of the Modern Physics class that I now teach. Each time I look at it, I appreciate the clarity, breadth and depth of the material presented. This tome is definitely worthy of greater publicity.

Excellent
This is a great book. The most comprehensive undergrad QM book there is. Everything is clear and to the point-- no unnecessary fluff and no skimping out on the math (for the most part). If you find the Griffiths text to be lacking then I highly recommend this one. Although I will say this is written more like a Math book than a physics book (which I happen to like). The problems at the end of the chapter certainly reflect this as they are usually of the form: Prove equation .... Show that the energy levels are approximately ....

The fundamental difference between B&J and Griffiths is that Griffiths will often leave important results as problems-- whereas B&J will not skip out on them. While it is instructive to work out the important stuff at least once-- its pretty damn annoying when you're trying to review the material later on and don't want to work anything out.

This book has more than you'll ever need as an undergrad. I'm also surprised that a book of this caliber is so cheap. Buy it-- its worth the money.

The best advanced undergraduate quantum textbook
In my oponion this book is one of the best books about quantum mechancis. It has verygood explanations and clear expression. I have studied several books about quantum mechanics such as Gasiorowics, Liboff and Ohanian but this book is the best one.

45656
I've scanned through at least 10 QM textbooks for advanced undergraduate and none is better than this!!!!!If you find this book too easy, then try Sakurai' QM, even though it cost twice the price.
If you like neither, then I recommnend the magazine "Maxim".It's probably more exciting to you then. ... Read more

Book Description
Quantum Theory is the most revolutionary discovery in physics since Newton. This book gives a lucid, exciting, and accessible account of the surprising and counterintuitive ideas that shape our understanding of the sub-atomic world. It does not disguise the problems of interpretation that still remain unsettled 75 years after the initial discoveries. The main text makes no use of equations, but there is a Mathematical Appendix for those desiring stronger fare. Uncertainty, probabilistic physics, complementarity, the problematic character of measurement, and decoherence are among the many topics discussed. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

This is NOT "Quantum Theory for Dummies"--but it's good.
This pocket-sized, 92-page text--113 pages with appendices and index--professes to be a "very short introduction" to an understanding of quantum theory, to the unseen world that's so many millions of times smaller than even atoms.

It's not at all a bad summary of the field of quantum mechanics, written fairly lucidly, concisely, and with interest, but I'd have to say it's lacking as an introduction to the subject, in that it really does assume its readers are intelligent people with something of a science background.Do not buy this expecting it to be QUANTUM THEORY FOR DUMMIES, because it's still fairly dense and heavy, and not written as clearly or as startlingly as much of Stephen Hawking's stuff.To some readers, this assumption of their intelligence may be refreshing, and it is to a degree, but with a subject as complex and bizarre as quantum mechanics, most non-scientists will need as much help as they can get, help not necessarily to be found in here.

I do have to say, though, that this is a book worth reading, and, then, re-reading.After I read it, I went back through and looked up a few of the more major concepts--quantum entanglement, in which two particles that interact will continue to affect each other no matter how far apart they're separated; Schrödinger's Cat and the idea of a state between life and death, between here and there, between being and non-being; Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle and how you can't have a knowledge ofboth position and momentum of a particle; et cetera--and just that brief re-reading was a huge help to me.

The book will teach you a lot about the subject, and will give you a good start toward further educating your knowledge of this awesome and frustrating topic, this topic which has already done so much toward unlocking the secrets of our existence and our universe--and toward confusing everyone.

Its glossary is lacking, its author has a subtle but evident Christian bias, but overall it's a good little book, and I enjoyed it.I recommend it.

Not as introductory as it could be
In an introduction to a topic, one expects lots of figures to explain just about every topic.This book, and indeed the entire series, generally has rather few figures.The series also, generally, focuses on the historical development of the topic and not necessarily on the current understanding of the topic.Therefore, the series sacrifices a better explanation of our current understanding to explain who thought what and when.Nonetheless, this book serves adequately in the capacity of a "very short introduction."

Not short enough
I'm thoroughly unimpressed by Rev. Polkinghorne's account of quantum physics.Even though he is technically competent, Polkinghorne seems to get every major interpretation wrong.For example, he thinks Bohr in error to consider free will and determinism complementary.But Bohr's colleague and Nobel Laureate Max Born did say that Bohr's complementarity applies precisely to this situation.

Right on page 1 Polkinghorne shows his tendency to misunderstand.Speaking of Laplace's conjecture, the physicist-turned-Anglican priest writes "In fact, this rather chilling mechanistic claim always had a strong suspicion of hubris about it.For one thing, human beings do not experience themselves as being clockwork automata...."

This is like accusing someone of arrogrance because he said "If I were the president of the United States I would eli