Subject Grouping: Praxis

By César Augusto Zen Vasconcellos (ed.)
World Scientific

In 1915 Albert Einstein presented to the Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences his theory of general relativity (GR), which represented a breakthrough in modern physics and became the foundation of our understanding of the universe at large. A century later, this elegant theory is still the basis of the current description of gravitation and a number of predictions derived from it have been confirmed in observations and experiments – most recently with the direct detection of gravitational waves.

This book celebrates the centenary of GR with a collection of 11 essays by different experts, which offer an overview of the theory and its numerous astrophysical and cosmological implications. After an introduction to GR, the Tolman–Oppenheimer–Volkoff equations describing the structure of relativistic compact stars are derived and their extension to deformed compact stellar objects presented. The book then moves to the so-called pc-GR theory, in which GR is algebraically extended to pseudo-complex co-ordinates in an attempt to get around singularities. Other topics covered are strange matter, in particular a conjecture that pulsar-like compact stars may be made of a condensed three-flavour quark state, and the use of a particular solution of the GR equations to construct multiple non-spherical cosmic structures.

Keeping the book contemporary, it also gives an overview of the most recent experimental results in particle physics and cosmology. Several contributions are devoted to the search for physics beyond the Standard Model at CERN, studies of cosmic objects and phenomena through gamma-ray lenses and, finally, to the recent detection of gravitational waves by the LIGO experiment.

By Gerard Auger and Eric Plagnol (eds)
World Scientific

In 2016, the first direct detection of gravitational waves – produced more than a billion years ago during the coalescence of two black holes of stellar origin – by the two detectors of the LIGO experiment was a tremendous milestone in the history of science. This timely book provides an overview of the field, presenting the basics of the theory and the main detection techniques.

The discovery of gravitational radiation is extraordinarily important, not only for confirming the key predictions of Einstein’s general relativity, but also for its implications. A new window on the universe is opening up, with more experiments – already built or in the planning stage – joining the effort to perform precise measurements of gravitational waves.

The book, composed of eight chapters, collects the contributions of many experts in the field. It first introduces the theoretical basics needed to follow the discussion on gravitational waves, so that no prior knowledge of general relativity is required. A long chapter dedicated to the sources of such radiation accessible to present and future observations follows. A section is then devoted to the principles of gravitational-wave detection and to the description of present and future Earth- and space-based detectors. Finally, an alternative detection technique based on cold atom interferometry is presented.

By Shan Gao
Cambridge University Press

Does the wave function directly represent a state of reality, or merely a state of (incomplete) knowledge of it, or something else? This question is the starting point of this book, in which the author – a professor of philosophy – aims to make sense of the wave function in quantum mechanics and investigate the ontological content of the theory. A very powerful mathematical object, the wave function has always been the focus of a debate that goes beyond physics and mathematics to the philosophy of science.

The first part of the book (chapters 1–5) deals with the nature of the wave function and provides a critical review of its competing interpretations. In the second part (chapters 6 and 7), the author focuses on the ontological meaning of the wave function and proposes his view, which is that the wave function in quantum mechanics is real and represents the state of random discontinuous motion of particles in 3D space. He offers two main arguments supporting this new interpretation. The third part (chapters 8 and 9) is devoted to investigating possible implications. In particular, the author discusses whether the quantum ontology described by the wave function is enough to account for our definite experience, or whether additional elements, such as many worlds or hidden variables, are needed.

Aimed at readers familiar with the basics of quantum mechanics, the book could also appeal to students and researchers interested in the philosophical aspects of modern science theories.

By Marc Cahay and Supriyo Bandyopadhyay
Wiley

With the rapid development of nanoscience and nano-engineering, quantum mechanics can no longer be considered exclusively the interest of physicists. Indeed, a fundamental understanding of physical phenomena at the nanoscale will require future electronic engineers, condensed-matter physicists and material scientists to master the fundamental principles of quantum theory.

Noticing that many textbooks on quantum mechanics are not meant for a wide audience of scientists, in particular those interested in practical applications and technologies at the nanoscale, the authors decided to fill this gap. In particular, they focus on the solution of problems that students and researchers working on state-of-the-art material and device applications might have to face. The problems are grouped by theme in 13 chapters, each completed by a section of further readings.

An ideal resource for graduate students, the book is also of value to professionals who need to update their knowledge or to refocus their expertise towards nanotechnologies.

By Pran Nath
Cambridge

This book discusses the role played by supersymmetry, and especially supergravity, in the quest for a unified theory of fundamental interactions. These are vast subjects, which not only embrace particle physics but also have ramifications in many other fields, such as modern mathematics, statistical physics and condensed-matter systems.

The author focuses on a rather specific subject: supergravity as a plausible scenario (perhaps more convincing than supersymmetry itself) for physics beyond the Standard Model. This justifies the way the author has chosen to distribute the material over the 24 chapters, for a total of 500 pages.

The first seven chapters introduce the field theories and symmetry principles on which a framework for the unification of particle forces would be based. After a short history of force unification, the author covers general relativity, Yang–Mills theories, spontaneous symmetry breaking, the basics of the Standard Model, the theory of gauge anomalies, effective Lagrangians and current algebra.

Supersymmetry is introduced next, with a short mathematical formulation including the concepts of graded lie algebras, superfields and the basic tools needed to construct (rigid) supersymmetric field theories, their multiplets and invariant Lagrangians. Non-supersymmetric grand unified theories and their supersymmetric extensions are also reviewed, investigating in particular the potential role they play in gauge coupling unification. It is surprising that the author does not discuss the original motivation for advocating supersymmetry in this context, which is related to the hierarchy problem and to the issue of naturalness of scales. No such discussion occurs in this chapter nor in the following one, devoted to the minimal supersymmetric Standard Model. The theory of supergravity and its mathematical structure, including matter couplings, is briefly exposed as well.

The second half of the book includes five chapters dedicated to the phenomenology of supergravity, covering in detail supergravity unification, CP violation, proton decay and supergravity in cosmology and astroparticle physics. In particular, supergravity inflation and supersymmetric candidates for dark matter are discussed at length. Further theories of supergravity and their connection to string theories in diverse dimensions are only briefly touched upon.

The last part of the book provides some tools, such as anti-commuting variables and spinor formalism, which are needed to write supersymmetric Lagrangians and to extract physical consequences. Notations, conventions and other miscellaneous arguments including further references conclude the volume.

The book can be considered as a valuable and updated addition to Steven Weinberg’s third volume on supersymmetry in The Quantum Theory of Fields series (2000, Cambridge University Press).

The author is a world expert on supersymmetry and supergravity phenomenology, who has contributed to the field with many original and outstanding works.

Certainly useful to graduate students in physics, the book could also prove to be a resource for advanced graduate courses in experimental high-energy physics.

By Richard C Fernow
Cambridge University Press

This book aims to provide a self-contained and concise treatment of the main subjects in magnetostatics, which describes the forces and fields resulting from the steady flow of electrical currents.

The first three chapters briefly present the basics, including the theory of magnetic fields from conductors in free space and from magnetic materials, as well as the general solutions to the Laplace equation and boundary value problems. Then the author moves on to discuss transverse fields in two dimensions. In particular, he covers fields produced by line currents, current sheets and current blocks, and the application of complex variable methods. He also treats transverse field magnets where the shape of the field is determined by the shape of the iron surface and the conductors are used to excite the field in the iron.

The following chapters are dedicated to other field configurations, such as axial field arrangements and periodic magnetic arrangements. The properties of permanent magnets and multiple fields produced by assemblies of them are also discussed.

Finally, the author deals with phenomena where there are slow variations in current or magnetic flux. Since only a restricted group of magnetostatic problems have analytic solutions, in the last chapter numerical techniques for calculating magnetic fields are provided, accompanied by many examples taken from accelerator and beam physics.

Aimed at undergraduates in physics and electrical engineering, the book includes not only basic explanations but also many references for further study.

By R Peron, M Colpi, V Gorini and U Moschella (eds)
Springer

This book, a collection of expert contributions, provides an overview of the current knowledge in gravitational physics, including theoretical and experimental aspects.

After a pedagogical introduction to gravitational theories, several chapters explore gravitational phenomena in the realm of so-called weak-field conditions: the Earth (specifically, the laboratory environment) and the solar system.

The second part of the book is devoted to gravity in an astrophysical context, which is an important test-bed for general relativity. A chapter is dedicated to gravitational waves, the recent discovery of which is an impressive experimental result in this field. The importance of studying radio pulsars is also highlighted.

A section on research frontiers in gravitational physics follows. This explores the many open issues, especially related to astrophysical and cosmological problems, and the way that possible solutions impact the quest for a quantum theory of gravity and a unified theory of the forces.

The book’s origins lie in the 2009 edition of a school organised by the Italian Society of Relativity and Gravitation. As such, it is aimed at graduate students, but could also appeal to researchers working in the field.

By Vasant Natarajan
World Scientific

This book is a collection of essays on various physics topics, which the author aims at presenting in a manner that is accessible to non-experts and, specifically, to non-physics science and arts students at the undergraduate level. The author is motivated by the conviction that understanding fundamental concepts of other subjects facilitates out-of-the-box thinking, which can result in making original contributions to one’s chosen field.

The selection of topics is very personal: some basic-physics concepts, such as standards for units and oscillation theory, are placed next to discussions about general relativity and the famous twin paradox. The author uses an informal style and has particular interest in dispelling some myths about science.

The final chapters cover topics from his area of research, atomic and optical physics, focusing on the Nobel Prizes assigned in the last two decades to scientists in these fields.

Even though the use of equations is kept to a minimum, some mathematics and physics background is required of the reader.

By Pernille Rørth
Springer

Raw Data is a scientific novel that explores the moral dilemmas surrounding the accidental discovery of a case of scientific misconduct within a top US biomedical institute.

The choice of subject is interesting and unusual. Scientific misconduct is not an unprecedented topic for scientific novels, but the focus is usually on spectacular frauds that clearly violate the ethos of the scientific community. This story depicts a more nuanced situation. Readers may even find themselves understanding, if not condoning, the conscious decision of one of the co-protagonists to cheat.

This character chooses to “cut a corner” out of fear of being scooped, to satisfy an unreasonably picky reviewer who had requested an additional control experiment that she deems irrelevant. The stakes for her career are huge because she is competing with other groups on the same research line, and publishing second would cost her a great deal academically. When a co-worker accidentally finds hints of her fabrication and immediately alerts the laboratory’s principal investigator, both find themselves in a bitter no-win situation. “Doing the right thing” has a significant cost, but any other option potentially entails far worse consequences for their careers and their reputations.

Along the way, the author illustrates vividly how people in research think, feel, work and live. Work–life balance in science, especially for young female researchers, is a secondary theme of the book. Overall, the portrait of academia is not a flattering one, but definitely faithful. As someone who works in high-energy physics, I learnt about day-by-day practices in the biomedical sector and how it differs from mine. Although the author focuses on her own area of the scientific environment, some descriptions of “postdoc life” are quite general.

This relatively short novel is followed by a long Q&A section with the author, a former biomedical researcher who left the field after some considerable career achievements. There she makes her opinions explicit about several of the topics, including the “publish or perish” attitude, work–life balance, scientific integrity, and what she perceives as systemic dangers for the academic research world.

Although the author clearly made an effort to simplify the science to the minimum needed to understand the plot (and as a reader with no understanding of microbiology I found her effort successful), I am not sure that a reader with no previous interest in science would be hooked by the story. The book is well written, but the plot has a slow pace and, while Springer deserves credit for publishing it, the text contains many typographical errors.

Overall, I recommend the book to other scientists, regardless of their specialisation, and to the scientifically educated public who may appreciate this insider view of contemporary research life.