The Physics of Plasmas by T J M Boyd and J J Saunderson, Cambridge University Press. Hardback ISBN 0521452902, £80 ($120). Paperback ISBN 0521459125, £29.95 ($50).
Plasma physics is the study of the ionized state of matter; most of the baryonic matter in the universe is in the plasma state. Plasmas occur quite naturally whenever ordinary matter is heated to temperatures greater than 104 K. The resulting plasmas are electrically charged gases or fluids. They are profoundly influenced by the long-range Coulomb interactions of the ions and electrons, and by magnetic fields, either applied externally or generated by currents within the plasma.
The plasma medium is inherently nonlinear because the electromagnetic fields are produced self-consistently by the charge density and currents associated with the plasma particles. The dynamics of such systems are complex, and understanding them requires new concepts and techniques. Plasma physics describes elementary processes in completely or partially ionized matter, using well-known principles at the microscopic level.
The Physics of Plasmas provides a systematic approach to the subject by discussing the models used to describe plasmas, starting with particle-orbit theory, then proceeding to the fluid description, magneto-hydrodynamics, wave modes, the kinetic description, radiation processes, nonlinear effects, and ending with a chapter on the mathematical structure underlying the theoretical models used in plasma physics.
The book provides a comprehensive and refreshing view of plasmas concentrating on the physical interpretation of plasma phenomena. It is advertised as ideally suited to advanced graduate and graduate students of physics, astronomy, applied physics and engineering, with which I wholly agree. The advanced researcher will also find the book of interest and value in its treatment of both natural and laboratory plasmas. In fact anyone interested in plasma physics will find it a very useful book.
Bob Bingham, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory.
The Discovery of Subatomic Particles, Revised Edition by Steven Weinberg, Cambridge University Press. Hardback ISBN 052182351X, £18.95 ($25).
I have been an admirer of this book since its first edition 20 years ago, and have recommended it on many courses for the general public, where people might be making their first encounter not only with particle physics but with physics itself. In my opinion that is the great strength of Weinberg's book: it sets the discoveries of the first subatomic particles - the electron, proton and neutron - against a background of experimentation in physics, explaining in simple terms how we know that this is the way that matter is.
The electron, the longest- and best-known of subatomic particles, takes up the first half of the book, which is enriched by "flashbacks" to discuss topics such as energy and electric and magnetic forces. These subjects may be the bread-and-butter of the physicist's world, but they are often less than obvious to most other people, who left these ideas behind when they left school. By presenting such concepts in an historical manner, Weinberg allows the reader to learn in a way that mirrors how the physicists of the 18th and 19th centuries themselves learned.
The members of the subatomic "zoo" discovered in the second half of the 20th century - from neutrinos to gluons - are covered in 10 or so pages at the end of the book. As Weinberg points out, it was not his intention to write another popular book on modern physics, and nowadays there are other books that readers can pick up once they have read Weinberg's. This revised edition, however, brings the section on the modern particles up to date, and Weinberg has also taken the opportunity to point out the links between the historic discoveries and the work of particle physics today. I'm pleased the book is back in print and shall certainly continue to recommend it.
Christine Sutton, CERN.
Books received
Fundamentals in Hadronic Atom Theory by A Deloff, World Scientific. Hardback ISBN 9812383719, £46 ($68).
This is the first book to describe the theory of hadronic atoms and the unique laboratory they provide for studying hadronic interactions at threshold. With an emphasis on recent developments, it is aimed at advanced students and researchers in nuclear, atomic and elementary particle physics.
Finite Element Methods for Structures with Large Stochastic Variations by Isaac Elishakoff and Yongjian Ren, Oxford University Press. Hardback ISBN 0198526318, £45 ($74.50).
Published in the series of Oxford texts on applied and engineering mathematics, this book is the first to discuss the finite-element method for structures with large stochastic variations. It has an impressive bibliography.