Subject Grouping: Praxis

By J Quaintance and H W Gould
World Scientific

Written by Henry Gould’s assistant Jocelyn Quaintance, this book is the result of the deep work and personal relationship between the great mathematician and the author. They met when Quaintance had recently graduated with a PhD, and was looking for a career in research and an advisor who could guide him. He had the luck to collaborate with Gould, who showed him his manuscripts: several handwritten volumes on combinatorial identities. Quaintance offered to edit a text collecting together all of that material, which led to the publication of this book.

The first eight chapters introduce readers to the special techniques that Gould used in proving his binomial identities. This first part is easily accessible to people who have taken basic courses in calculus and discrete mathematics. The second half of the book applies the techniques from the first part, and is particularly relevant for mathematics researchers. It focuses on the connection between various classes of Stirling numbers, and between them and Bernoulli numbers.

Some of the demonstrations presented in the volume represent the only systematic record of Gould’s results. As such, this book is a unique work that could appeal to a wide audience: from graduate students to specialists in enumerative combinatorics, to enthusiasts of Gould’s work.

By Y Liu
World Scientific

The challenge of developing more intense, shorter-pulse lasers has already seen outstanding results and opened up completely new perspectives. In fact, the next generation of very-high-power laser facilities will provide the opportunity to explore even ultrarelativistic and vacuum nonlinearity at unprecedented levels, moving towards a QCD regime. At the same time, during the last few years, attosecond physics has provided a new, intriguing way to visualise both atoms and molecules, and the electromagnetic-field structure of the excitation wave packet itself, because this time domain is comparable with the classical periods of electrons orbiting around the nucleus. This growing research field is so recent that the literature on the subject is not yet adequate: in this sense, this book partially fills the gap. It contains contributions from several Chinese groups, both experimental and theoretical, and reports on recent studies of bound electron and molecular nonlinearities. The content is organised over eight chapters and spans a broad range of topics of this specialist subject.

Strong-field tunnelling is a possible key to the ionisation of neutrals. It offers a sophisticated method to image and probe atomic and molecular quantum processes. In fact, the study of direct and rescattered (by the nucleus) electrons in the ionisation process is able to resolve orbitals; in this context, it becomes important to go beyond strong-field approximation, and to evaluate the contribution of the long-range Coulomb field generated by the ion in the electron dynamical evolution (chapter 1).

Direct and rescattered electrons can be recorded together as a reference wave and a signal wave, respectively: the interferential patterns constitute the analogue of optical holography, reconstructing the illuminated objects. It is possible to integrate the influence of the Coulomb field, either in a numerical solution of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation (TDSE) or in a more intuitive quantum-trajectories Monte Carlo method describing the formation mechanisms of the photoelectron angular distribution of above-threshold ionisation (chapter 2).

Dissociation is a basic process of physical chemistry and, before the advent of new ultrafast tools, seemed completely out of scientists’ control, because the typical timescale is below the femtosecond range. For an easier comparison of theoretical predictions and experimental results for a molecule interacting with a strong ultrashort laser pulse, it is necessary to start with the simplest systems – the hydrogen molecular ion H⁺₂. In chapter 3, on the basis of a numerical analysis of the related TDSE, the author suggests a pump–probe strategy to understand dissociation.

The theoretical discussion of double ionisation in a strong laser field is treated in chapters 4 and 5 for different kinds of atoms. In the case of high Z, the experiments show a different degree of correlation of the two expelled electrons, with respect to the low-Z case: this is due to the major importance of rescattering, as described by a semiclassical model. For the simpler systems H₂ and He, TDSE is a powerful tool for calculating all of the main features of double ionisation (total and differential cross-sections, recoil-ion momentum spectra, two electron angular distributions, and two electron-interference phenomena).

A promising application of strong-field excitation on atoms and molecules is high-order harmonics generation (HHG), usually providing a XUV comb with different harmonics at the same intensities, both in a single attosecond pulse and in a train of attosecond pulses, by a conversion of the light frequency from IR to the X-ray regime. This technique provides a tomographic image of molecular orbitals as an alternative to scanning tunnelling microscopy or angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy, as well as a way to study ultrafast electronic structures, electron dynamics and multichannel dynamics (chapters 6 and 7).

Finally, chapter 8 presents an interesting review of the properties of free electron laser radiation, showing how nuclear motion in photo-induced reactions can be monitored in real time, the electronic dynamics in molecular co-ordinates can be extracted, and the site-specific information in the structural dynamics of chemical reactions can be provided. The experiments are based on EUV pump–probe and optical pump-X-ray probe excitation techniques, and are located at FLASH (Hamburg) and LCLS (SLAC), respectively.

As a summary, the book is a useful update for people who are interested in the specialised field of the interaction of atoms and molecules with femtosecond or sub-femtosecond high-intensity fields. The comprehensive bibliography allows the reader to gain a more exhaustive view of the subject.

By T Iida and R I L Guthrie
Oxford University Press

Authored by two leading experts in the field, these books provide a complete review of the static and dynamic thermophysical properties of metallic liquids. Divided into two volumes, the first one (Fundamentals) is intended as an introductory text in which the basic topics are covered: the structure of metallic liquids, their thermodynamic properties, density, velocity of sound, surface tension, viscosity, diffusion, and electrical and thermal conductivities. Essential concepts about the methods used to measure these experimental data are also presented.

In the second volume (Predictive Models), the authors explain how to develop reliable models of liquid metals, starting from the essential conditions for a model to be truly predictive. They use a statistical approach to rate the validity of different models. On the basis of this assessment, the authors have compiled tables of predicted values for the thermophysical properties of metallic liquids, which are included in the book. A large amount of experimental data are also given.

The two books are particularly oriented to students of materials science and engineering, but also to research scientists and engineers engaged in liquid metallic processing. They collect a large amount of information and are written in a clear and readable way, therefore they are bound to become an essential reference for students and researchers involved in the field.

By M Bucchi and B Trench (eds)
Routledge

With scientists increasingly asked to engage the public and society-at-large with their research, and include outreach plans as part of grant applications, it helps to have a guide to various involvement possibilities and the research behind them. The second edition of the Routledge Handbook of Public Communication of Science and Technology (henceforth referred to as “the Handbook”) provides a thorough introduction to public engagement – or outreach, as it is sometimes called – through a varied collection of articles on the subject. In particular, it brings to attention the underlying issues associated with the old “deficit model of science communication”, which presupposes a knowledge deficit about science among the general public that must be filled by scientists providing facts, and facts alone. Although primarily targeting science-communication practitioners and academics researching the field, the Handbook can also help scientists to reflect on their outreach efforts and to appreciate the interplay between science and society.

Before plunging into the depths of the book, it is important to remember that the study of science communication is the study of evolving terminology. Historically, an effort was made to determine the “scientific literacy” of society, under the assumption that a society knowledgeable in the facts and methods of science would support research endeavours without much opposition. This approach was made obsolete by the introduction of the “public communication of science and technology” paradigm, which itself was superseded by what is today called “public engagement with science and technology”, or “public engagement” for short. The first chapter, written by the editors, is the best place to familiarise oneself with the various science-communication models, as well as the terms and phrases used throughout the Handbook. That said, those with backgrounds in natural sciences might feel somewhat out of their depth, due to a lack of definitions in the rest of the Handbook for words and phrases used on a daily basis by their social-science counterparts. However, this is largely mitigated by each chapter containing a wealth of notes and references at the end, pointing readers in the direction of further reading.

The chapters themselves are stand-alone articles by experts in their respective topics, many written in engaging, conversational styles. They cover everything from policy and participants, to the handling of “hot-button” issues, to research and assessment methodology. Readers of the Courier may find the chapters on science journalism, on public relations in science, on the role of scientists as public experts and on risk management particularly illuminating.

What the same readers might find missing from the book is a specific treatment of fundamental research: the Handbook focuses on domains of science – such as climate change – that tend to have a direct or immediate impact on society. Scientists from other areas of research might therefore consider shoehorning (perhaps non-existing) societal impact into their science-communication efforts, rather than learning how to adapt the lessons learnt from fields such as climate science to their own work. It is therefore this reviewer’s desire that future editions of the Handbook address the science-communication challenges of more diverse areas of research, proposing ways in which scientists and practitioners can tackle them.

Overall, the Handbook gives readers valuable insight into science-communication research, and merits a place on the library shelves of every university and research institution.

By E C G Sudarshan and N Mukunda
World Scientific

More than 40 years since the appearance of the first edition, this book in now published in a revised version that is presented with the same passion and dedication as the original. The authors confess that they have always had an “affair of the heart” with classical dynamics, and this remains alive.

In the volume, classical dynamics is treated as a subject in its own right, as well as a research frontier. While presenting all of the essential principles, the authors demonstrate that a number of key results originally considered only in the context of quantum theory and particle physics have their foundations in classical dynamics.

Even if the text is based on what the authors define as “our understanding of quantum mechanics”, this new version builds on many suggestions coming from other physicists and continuous dialogue with students using the book as a reference.

By Hans Paetz gen. Schieck
IOP Publishing

Nuclear physics has seen enormous developments in the last century. The study of nuclear reactions has given fundamental insights into the nature of the forces that act within nuclei and on the structure of nuclides.

This book traces the history of the development of nuclear physics by reviewing key experiments that have shaped our understanding of the field. It is interesting to look back to the beginning and discover how crucial results were obtained by very simple means, and how the sophisticated and complex experiments of today came about. Experiments are described in detail and their outcomes are discussed. In some cases, original drawings are included, accompanied by new figures and plots when needed.

The theoretical background to the experiments is also given, but is kept concise. Nevertheless, the reader can refer to the references at the end of each chapter for a more in-depth treatment of individual subjects.

Besides drawing on the history of experiments and related discoveries, the book shows how misinterpretations and prejudices in some cases prevented or delayed fundamental breakthroughs.

By Steven Weinberg
Cambridge University Press
Also available at the CERN bookshop

After the great success of the 1st edition, the textbook on modern quantum mechanics by Nobel laurate Steven Weinberg is presented in a fully updated 2nd edition.

Thanks to his profound knowledge and expertise, the author explains in an exceptionally clear and rigorous way the topics of the subject that he considers to be the most important for a one-year graduate course. He begins with an historical review of quantum mechanics and an account of classic solutions to the Schrӧdinger equation, then goes on to develop quantum mechanics in a modern Hilbert-space approach.

Weinberg gives much greater emphasis than usual to principles of symmetry, and covers subjects that are often omitted in books on quantum mechanics, such as Bloch waves, time-reversal invariance, the Wigner–Eckart theorem, isotopic spin symmetry, Levinson’s theorem, etc. This 2nd edition includes major additions to existing chapters and has also been enriched by the addition of six new sections, covering topics such as the rigid rotor and quantum-key distribution.

The author takes care to explain the formalism, to be clear and coherent, and includes numerous examples from elementary particle physics. Problems are also included at the end of each chapter. Well-structured and easily readable, this book is bound to receive the same approval as the 1st edition did.

By C Daviau and J Bertrand
World Scientific

In this book, the authors discuss the Standard Model, drawing upon Clifford algebra (a special case of geometric algebra) of space–time, following the work of Hestenes and other physicists that in the 1980s revisited Dirac theory using Clifford formalism.

After an introduction on the basics of Clifford algebra and the Dirac equation, the authors move on to place Dirac theory in a 3D framework, based on the Clifford algebra Cl₃ of 3D space. They introduce their homogeneous nonlinear equation and explain why, in their opinion, it is better than the Dirac equation, which is its linear approximation.

Several consequences deriving from these novelties are then discussed extensively. In particular, a first attempt to reconcile the quantum world with inertia and gravitation is made.

The book also includes three appendices, reporting demonstrations and calculations related to the concepts explained in the text, and a rich bibliography.

By Horaţiu Năstase
Cambridge University Press

The aim of this book is to give a pedagogical introduction to Anti-de Sitter/Conformal Field Theory, or AdS/CFT, which is the relation between quantum field theory with conformal invariance, living in our flat 4D space, and string theory, which is a quantum theory of gravity and other fields, living in the background solution of AdS₅ × S⁵ (5D anti-de Sitter space multiplied by a five-sphere).

Assuming knowledge of only the basics of quantum field theory, the text provides readers with all of the concepts and tools needed to engage with AdS/CFT. In the first part, the author describes some fundamental concepts of general relativity, supersymmetry, supergravity, string theory, conformal field theory and D-branes. He has chosen not to overload the text with too many details about these fields, to keep the reader focused. The second section provides a clear and rigorous dissertation on AdS/CFT correspondence (in the context of its best understood example). Finally, in the third part, more specialised applications are discussed, such as QCD, quark–gluon plasma and condensed matter.

The book is self-contained, introducing all of the necessary basic concepts and most of the AdS/CFT methods and tools, but for an in-depth or exhaustive treatment, the reader is advised to refer to research articles. The many examples and exercises at the end of each chapter reveal the pedagogical vocation of the volume, nevertheless it will also be a useful reference for researchers in the fields of particle, nuclear and condensed-matter physics.

By Tadaaki Tani
Oxford University Press

This book gives a comprehensive review of the synthesis, optical properties and applications of silver nanoparticles and nanomaterials.

Today, nanoscience, which is the study of extremely small things, plays a fundamental role in technology, and is connected to many scientific fields: physics, chemistry, biology, material science and engineering. Nanoparticles are of great scientific interest because they provide a bridge between bulk materials and atomic or molecular structures. We know that bulk material normally has constant physical properties regardless of its size, whereas size-dependent properties are often observed at the nanoscale.

Researchers are interested in nanoparticles of noble metals, including silver (Ag), because they show high potential for possible future plasmonic devices. On the other hand, nanoparticles of silver and silver halides (AgX) have been extensively studied in silver-halide photography.

The author offers an overview of both the properties of silver nanoparticles and related materials, and know-how in AgX photography. The first part (chapters 1–3) introduces the structure and preparation of nanoparticles of Ag and other noble metals for plasmonics, as well as those of Ag and AgX nanoparticles in photography. Then, in chapter 4, the relevant properties and performance of nanoparticles of Ag and related materials are presented, focusing in particular on light absorption and scattering. In the third part (chapters 5–7), the author discusses the applications of this research in catalysis, photovoltaic effects and plasmonics. New ideas in the field are also presented at the end.

Full of pictures and references, this text represents a synthesis of up-to-date knowledge in the field.