Quantum Computation and Quantum Information

Book Description

In this first comprehensive introduction to the main ideas and techniques of quantum computation and information, Michael Nielsen and Isaac Chuang ask the question: What are the ultimate physical limits to computation and communication? They detail such remarkable effects as fast quantum algorithms, quantum teleportation, quantum cryptography and quantum error correction. A wealth of accompanying figures and exercises illustrate and develop the material in more depth. They describe what a quantum computer is, how it can be used to solve problems faster than familiar "classical" computers, and the real-world implementation of quantum computers. Their book concludes with an explanation of how quantum states can be used to perform remarkable feats of communication, and of how it is possible to protect quantum states against the effects of noise.

Customer Reviews:

Still the Best Overview on Quantum Computing.......2007-03-02

This is an excellent book about a topic which becomes more important
with each passing month. It is written at a graduate level, such that
you really need to have had a college-level quantum mechanics course,
or equivalent. Most of the book uses bracket notation.

Complete, but sloppy.......2007-02-08

This is absolutely the standard introductory text to quantum information and quantum computation. Nielsen and Chuang certainly covered all the basis, and tried to give a self contained book including many reviews of related topics in the appendices. The main complain about the book is that some times it is sloppy, making hard to grasp the concepts. In some parts of the book there are even grammatical errors. My advice, get it, read it, but be very careful.

Complete and didactical.......2007-01-03

It is a book for specialists. In order to fully appreciate the contents you should have a physics, maths or computation science diploma. It contains a good introduction on Quantum mechanics, but for people that have already assited an introductory course on the field. Concerning the main subject: quantum computation, this book is the most complete review of the field and also suitable for a course on QC.

Good book.......2006-03-25

The book is good and gives you a general view of quantum information and computation. However, the size of the book disencourages beginners to read it.

An essential text.......2005-06-17

Despite its age, I keep coming back to this text for the careful prose and knowledgeable authors; so much so that I am ordering the hardback edition, having worn out the binding of the paperback edition. It is both a book to learn from and one to refer to later. It will eventually be outdated, but I don't see this as having happened yet. Although a large book, it is not bulked out like some, containing a lot of useful and relevant material. Perhaps not the text for those setting out from a 'cold start', but then a great follow up to 'The Quest for Quantum Computing" by Julian Brown. Not overtly rigorous, which is to its credit, as the concepts remain clear as a result. Certainly an essential text, where the prose does not get in the way. A very readable book about a very exciting subject, that is sure to deliver to the determined reader.

Understanding Molecular Simulation (Computational Science Series, Vol 1)

Average customer rating:

great book for MD basics
Old fashioned fortran, strong bias on Monte Carlo
Excellent text for beginners in simulation
Perfect for New Grad Students
A nice disappointment

Understanding Molecular Simulation (Computational Science Series, Vol 1)
Daan Frenkel , and B. Smit
Manufacturer: Academic Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Computer Science | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Modeling & Simulation | Computer Science | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

Mathematical Physics | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

Quantum Theory | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

Molecular Chemistry | Chemistry | Science | Subjects | Books

Biotechnology | Special Topics | Medicine | Subjects | Books

General | Engineering | New & Used Textbooks | Stores | Books

All Amazon Upgrade | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Computers & Internet | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Engineering | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Medicine | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Professional & Technical | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Science | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Computers & Internet | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Medicine | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Professional | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Science | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Computer Simulation of Liquids
The Art of Molecular Dynamics Simulation
Molecular Modelling: Principles and Applications (2nd Edition)
An Introduction to Statistical Thermodynamics
Introduction to Modern Statistical Mechanics

ASIN: 0122673514

Book Description

Understanding Molecular Simulation: From Algorithms to Applications explains the physics behind the "recipes" of molecular simulation for materials science. Computer simulators are continuously confronted with questions concerning the choice of a particular technique for a given application. A wide variety of tools exist, so the choice of technique requires a good understanding of the basic principles. More importantly, such understanding may greatly improve the efficiency of a simulation program. The implementation of simulation methods is illustrated in pseudocodes and their practical use in the case studies used in the text.

Since the first edition only five years ago, the simulation world has changed significantly -- current techniques have matured and new ones have appeared. This new edition deals with these new developments; in particular, there are sections on:

· Transition path sampling and diffusive barrier crossing to simulaterare events
· Dissipative particle dynamic as a course-grained simulation technique
· Novel schemes to compute the long-ranged forces
· Hamiltonian and non-Hamiltonian dynamics in the context constant-temperature and constant-pressure molecular dynamics simulations
· Multiple-time step algorithms as an alternative for constraints
· Defects in solids
· The pruned-enriched Rosenbluth sampling, recoil-growth, and concerted rotations for complex molecules
· Parallel tempering for glassy Hamiltonians

Examples are included that highlight current applications and the codes of case studies are available on the World Wide Web. Several new examples have been added since the first edition to illustrate recent applications. Questions are included in this new edition. No prior knowledge of computer simulation is assumed.

Customer Reviews:

great book for MD basics.......2007-05-07

I was especially delighted about the Monte Carlo methods and the free energy calculation techniques.

Old fashioned fortran, strong bias on Monte Carlo.......2006-06-19

There is a very strong bias to MC methods in the book. What they have to say about Molecular Dynamics methods is not really new, most of it is virtually copied from the classic by Allan/Tildesley, and many MD techniques which they consider "advanced" (such as cell list methods, verlet tables, etc.) are shifted to one of the many appendices. They do not talk about ghostparticles for instance or give a detailed account of parallelized algorithms which is really state-of-the art today.
The code examples for download for the exercises, contain subtle errors, are not optimized for performance (which is THE most important thing in simulation business) and worst of all, are written in Fortran. The fact that they publish Fortran code must reflect the fact that at the time they learned how to program a computer there was no C, C++, JAVA, etc. and no object orientation in sight. Nowadays, probably no expert in programming would start a scientific and readable code in fortran. Also their definition of an algorithm is simply technically wrong. The authors are very sloppy here, have obviously no training in theoretical computer science and are obviously no experts for writing optimal code.
Scientifically, as far as physics is concerned, the book is sound, they give good arguments pro and against certain methods, but when you have already worked with Allan/Tildesley or Rappaport for many years you have the eery impression that they simply repeat many arguments from these books or from other research articles (They keep citing Allan/Tildesley a lot) Those things that are not more or less copied from other sources seems to reflect their own experience in this field which seems to be strongly limited to MC methods.
Although this book is sometimes praised I cannot really recommend it. Allan/Tildesley, and in particular the book by Rappaport are superior in stlye and in particluar as code examples are concerned. With Rappaport you get working code right away in proper C (albeit in Fortran-Style C -- again, the reason for this being the fact, that all these authors of Simulation books learned programming probably in the late 70's when Fortran was state-of-the-art). I nevertheless would recommend Rappaports book instead. The authors even offer scientific workshops based on their book (and probably make a lot of money with that). One can only hope that those are better than the coding examples of the exercises. Therefore only 2 stars.

Excellent text for beginners in simulation.......2004-11-20

Its an excellent book for those who are just beginners in MC & MD simulations. everything is very clearly explained with lot of examples and some related unsolved problems. the text explores this topic indetails with advanced chapters in later sections. Good for anybody int hsi field be it in materials science, physics or related fields.

Perfect for New Grad Students.......2002-11-24

This book is how I bootstrapped my way into being a molecular simulationist. Anyone who can program in some language can get started writing simple routines for the basic MD and MC simulations.

I do Monte Carlo simulations at Princeton, and found this book to be the most helpful available for getting my research started. It is my most common reference, and is used extensively in writing background information for various research documents.

However, after you have written your first few codes, you will pass the level of this book and need to move on. I use it less now than I did my first year.

Every student in my group (Panagiotopoulos) has this book I think. And like me, they started with it, but moved on.

A nice disappointment.......2001-08-30

The title of the book is overly ambitious and falls short on its promises. The book is a good introduction to Molecular Mechanics (MM), Molecular Dynamics (MD) and Monte Carlo (MC) methods, with detailed descriptions of the methods used and FORTRAN (pseudo)code, covering from the basics to some middle-level and some advanced algorithms.
But it does NOT cover all the fields of Molecular Modelling, just the three mentioned (MM, MD and MC), there's no coverage of quantum mechanics methods, nor QSAR or other technologies. And, while it described the algorithms, I can't think of it going all the way through up to building applications. For this, Rapaport's makes a better job, and for a general intro to Molecular Modelling, Grant & Richards' Computational Chemistry is more comprehensive (albeit at a more superficial level). Nor does it provide much detail on the methods used in modelling biological macromolecules, an increasing application field for the methods discussed in the book.
All in all, this book fails to satisfy its cover title, it won't introduce to the whole field (just the areas of MM, MD and MC) nor does it go up to application level. But it IS a REAL GOOD introduction to the subjects covered and their basic algorithms,
with sample code, detailed descriptions and plenty of references to specialized articles, texts and resources.

Average customer rating:

Great book for learning quantum field theory
Perhaps the best book on QFT
QFT ; This is the way to teach to it
Excellent textbook
Classroom Tested, Student Approved

Quantum Field Theory
Mark Srednicki
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Earth Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

Mathematical Physics | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

Quantum Theory | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Deals | Blowout Books | Stores | Books

Science | Blowout Books | Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

String Theory and M-Theory: A Modern Introduction
Supersymmetry and String Theory: Beyond the Standard Model
String Theory in a Nutshell (In a Nutshell)
Problem Book in Quantum Field Theory
Quantum Field Theory

ASIN: 0521864496

Book Description

Quantum field theory is the basic mathematical framework that is used to describe elementary particles. This textbook provides a complete and essential introduction to the subject. Assuming only an undergraduate knowledge of quantum mechanics and special relativity, this book is ideal for graduate students beginning the study of elementary particles. The step-by-step presentation begins with basic concepts illustrated by simple examples, and proceeds through historically important results to thorough treatments of modern topics such as the renormalization group, spinor-helicity methods for quark and gluon scattering, magnetic monopoles, instantons, supersymmetry, and the unification of forces. The book is written in a modular format, with each chapter as self-contained as possible, and with the necessary prerequisite material clearly identified. It is based on a year-long course given by the author and contains extensive problems, with password protected solutions available to lecturers at www.cambridge.org/9780521864497.

Customer Reviews:

Great book for learning quantum field theory.......2007-09-10

This book is a great resource for learning quantum field theory. People that have already taken QFT courses may also enjoy reading it. The emphasis is on learning the concepts of QFT and the techniques for doing calculations. A very nice feature of this book is that these concepts are often developed using simple examples. While many of these do not describe realistic field theories, they improve the leaning process by isolating specific ideas to be learned and removing many complicating details. The problems at the end of the chapters are instructive and doable. This is a matter of taste, but I liked the fact that most of the chapters were fairly short.

The book starts by considering scalar fields. This material includes: relativistic quantum mechanics, why relativistic quantum mechanics is inconsistent as a single particle theory and how this leads to QFT, Feynman diagrams, cross sections/decay rates, renormalization and spontaneous symmetry breaking. I think covering these topics without the complications of spin makes it much easier to learn them. It also helps that many of the calculations are done in great detail.

Things get more complicated in the next two parts as spin is added. First spin one-half theories are covered and then spin one is covered. As in the first part, the quality of the presentation is excellent. All the topics one would expect are covered such as anomalies, chiral symmetry breaking, Wilson loops and BRST symmetry.

There is also a fair amount of more advanced material. This includes the strong CP problem and various aspects of the standard model. Some of the other more advanced topics are supersymmetry, grand unified field theories, lattice theory and matrix models. I would have liked these sections to been bigger.

In short, this is a great introduction geared towards teaching and it also has a fair amount of coverage of some advanced topics.

Perhaps the best book on QFT.......2007-08-04

This book clarifies a lot of mysteries on QFT for me. The concept is explained so clearly. It may not give you a lot of experimental results. But the methodology of QFT is explained much more clearly than other QFT books in the market. Basically, every one of the chapter in this book is written very well. The calculations involved in different topics are displayed line by line without jumping steps. Reading it is just like attending a tutorial. But you may need some experience on QFT before you can appreciate this book.
If you want to buy one book on QFT, buy this.

QFT ; This is the way to teach to it.......2007-04-13

Aimed towards graduate students, the text is presented with pedagogical brilliance. This is the way one teaches QFT to students who intend to actually use it in their research endeavors. I highly recommend this textbook to any student of high energy particle physics.
DF - Northeastern Univ. Boston MA.

Excellent textbook.......2007-02-17

Srednicki's book provides a brilliantly organized exposition of the fundamental concepts and calculational tools of quantum field theory. The book is self-contained, and divided into many short chapters which makes it convenient to read. The writing style is very pedagogical, essentially avoiding the "black magic" and mystery that seem to be a necessary ingredient in many other QFT textbooks. The material is presented in a logical way, and the author makes sure to address all the necessary details. I won't be surprised if this new book soon becomes the leading book on the subject.

Classroom Tested, Student Approved.......2007-02-07

I have been taught field theory from this text (actually, while it was in the process of being written), and then been a teaching assistant for the course in which it was used a second time.

In my experience, this is the best single text to use to learn field theory that one can buy today. It is completely modern in its presentation, and covers all of the fundamentals of field theory from scalars to spinors to gauge theory, and even has a significant amount of coverage of the standard model, specifically the Electro-weak theory. Additionally, the book is broken up into very short chapters of 4-10 pages each, and clearly cross referenced so you know what chapters are prerequisite knowledge.

There are a very large number of exercises which range in difficulty from very straightforward to very difficult. The problems manage to be educational and help deepen the understanding of what's presented in the text while still being a challenge.

This is an extremely well-rounded text. It is easily readable, and provides good intuition about the theory, but also goes far more in depth then the other "easier-to-read" field theory texts out there. It also generally sticks to the most commonly used notation and in situations where new notation is needed, the ones that are used are clear and well thought out. A solid graduate quantum mechanics background is necessary to get the most out of this test, but much of the more advanced math is covered as the book needs it (or reviewed in the exercises).

One down side to being so thorough on the theoretical framework is the lack of any reference to experiment or historical development of field theory. If your goal is to learn field theory only from the experimental side, there are better books out there. But for a solid grounding in the fundamentals of field theory there is no better place to start then this.

Mathematics of Classical and Quantum Physics

Average customer rating:

Excellent math reference for physicists
Great Physical Mathematics
astonishing!
The real deal.
Dated but a Great Reference

Mathematics of Classical and Quantum Physics
Frederick W. Byron , and Robert W. Fuller
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Mathematics | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

Mathematical Physics | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

Quantum Theory | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Mathematics for Physicists (Dover Books on Mathematics)
Quantum Theory
Quantum Mechanics (Physics)
Calculus of Variations
Principles of Quantum Mechanics

ASIN: 048667164X

Book Description

Well-organized text designed to complement graduate-level physics texts in classical mechanics, electricity, magnetism, and quantum mechanics. Topics include theory of vector spaces, analytic function theory, Green's function method of solving differential and partial differential equations, theory of groups, more. Many problems, suggestions for further reading.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent math reference for physicists.......2007-08-06

As the title says, it's one of the best books for mathematics in physics. Not simple at first glance (not indicated for first students, I guess), but good to review some math...

Great Physical Mathematics.......2007-07-31

Great mathematical physics book. I bought it as a supplement text for a mathematical physics course as well as help in quantum physics course. Got me through a lot of Quantum homeworks. I still use this book as a reference for math and physics concepts. The ordering of the book is a little weird and skips the some of the basic concepts in linear algebra but explores a wide variety of other topics including Green Functions, Cauchy-Riemann, Fourier analysis and transforms, Dirac notation, ect. At the end of topic the book works through examples. A must have for physicist, engineers, and mathematicians.

astonishing!.......2007-06-08

this book chose the best way to convey the mathematics behind a physical idea just by proving it through the mathematics involved . With that , one has a lucid idea about the language of physical laws . I can simply assure anybody who wants to buy this book that it is worthy .

The real deal........2007-05-16

Over my head, but clearly a solid rung in the ladder for those who are capable of mastering quantum physics. Not that I couldn't - it would just take 10-20 years that I don't have.

Dated but a Great Reference.......2007-03-20

There's hardly anything in this book (two volumes bound as one) that you won't find of use sometime in your career as a physicist or engineer. I especially liked the authors' lucid treatment of Green's functions, a subject that for some reason keeps escaping my aging mind. Basically an undergraduate text but can also be used as a beginning graduate reference.

Programming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos

Average customer rating:

Another paradigm about the universe
A new spin on the old universe
Good Overview of Computing, Information and Quantum Mechanics
Mumble Jumble designed to con laymen
Computations are everywhere

Programming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos
Seth Lloyd
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

Quantum Theory | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Programming | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Computer Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Decoding the Universe: How the New Science of Information Is Explaining Everything in the Cosmos, from Our Brains to Black Holes
The Trouble With Physics: The Rise of String Theory, The Fall of a Science, and What Comes Next
The Cosmic Landscape: String Theory and the Illusion of Intelligent Design
Not Even Wrong: The Failure of String Theory And the Search for Unity in Physical Law
Warped Passages: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe's Hidden Dimensions

ASIN: 1400033861
Release Date: 2007-03-13

Book Description

Is the universe actually a giant quantum computer? According to Seth Lloyd, the answer is yes.

All interactions between particles in the universe, Lloyd explains, convey not only energy but also information–in other words, particles not only collide, they compute. What is the entire universe computing, ultimately? “Its own dynamical evolution,” he says. “As the computation proceeds, reality unfolds.” Programming the Universe, a wonderfully accessible book, presents an original and compelling vision of reality, revealing our world in an entirely new light.

Customer Reviews:

Another paradigm about the universe.......2007-09-18

What would you think of a professor who starts his course this way: " First you ask questions and I'll try to answer them. Second, if you don't ask questions, I'll ask you questions. Third, if you don't answer my questions, I'll tell you something I think you ought to know. Any questions? " And then, when there are no questions, he throws in his own: "What is information?".
Well, this is, apparently, the style of professor Seth Lloyd and I would certainly enjoy to be in his class and , by the way, his question stimulated my brain , so my answer would be: "Information implies some kind of `language', the elements of language being the signs, the syntactic rules and the interpretation (the meaning). Information normally goes from an emitter to a receiver through some channel. Information can also be processed and stored."
So what is this book about? Well, the standard paradigm of the universe is mechanistic and energy is the most important quantity. Lloyd advocates a new complementary paradigm: the universe is a machine that computes and the two primary quantities are energy and information. A phrase summarizes the main idea of the book: "It from bit "or , rather, "It from qubit". The new paradigm solves the problem of the natural emergency of complexity (although Darwin already partly tackled this problem) and does away the need of the God Watchmaker. It all starts from nothing, quantum mechanics provides the random fluctuations and the computer gets self started (according to Lloyd, "Quantum mechanics, unlike classical mechanics, can create information out of nothing"). Yes, there is a new version of the famous story about monkeys (unsuccessfully) trying to type Hamlet or other Shakespeare works with typewriters (by the way, a simulation has only managed to type the first 24 letters of Henry IV, Part 2 after trillions and trillions of monkey-years). The new version is to use computers instead of typewriters and interpret the output as computer programs in one of the standard languages. Yes, there are relatively short programs that produce astounding outputs.
So the book, to explain all this starts to talk about computers in one of the most concise and clear ways I have ever seen . It goes on to describe the universe as a computer, one that computes itself, that is, its dynamical evolution. But since the universe is a quantum computer, quantum mechanics needs to be discussed, in particular the beautiful double slit experiment (an excellent video can be seen at www.hqrd.hitachi.co.jp/em/movie/doubleslite-n.wmv ) and other weird aspects of QM such as entanglement, spooky action at distance, the different interpretations of QM, etc. Well the lay reader will find some difficulties in these chapters about quantum mechanics and quantum computers, but the effort is worthwhile. Quantum computers pose a threat to Internet security, because using Schor's algorithm, a quantum computer could easily factorize 400 digit numbers. However, the technical difficulties in building but the most elementary quantum computers (to insulate them to avoid decoherence) make this threat still a chimera (only a number such as 15 has been factorized by a quantum computer). However, quantum computers have done simulations that no classical computer could achieve.
On the side, you will get some philosophical, physical and mathematical servings. For example, the relation of Gödel's theorem , or the related Turing's halting problem, to free will. "Rationality combines with self-reference to make our actions intrinsically paradoxical and uncertain", claims Lloyd. You will also learn about a fourth road to quantum gravity via quantum computation and some notions of the complexity theory of Chaitin and Bennett.
To sum up, a good book, with some easy chapters and some more difficult ones.

A new spin on the old universe.......2007-09-10

Lloyd examines a fascinating perspective on the universe as a massive quantum computer continually calculating its actions and increasing in complexity. If you have taken a year of college level physics then I highly recommend this book. You'll still get a headache from the conceptual gymnastics quantum theory puts your brain through, but you won't be frustrated to the point of dropping the book. Even though there were no formulas to decipher and Lloyd simplifies concepts tremendously and reiterates, keeping up with understanding quantum physics and the universe is challenging.

He does an excellent job building up to quantum mechanics. He starts from the basic concepts like duality of photons to the theories of Schrödinger. He covers the mechanics of quantum computing and algorithms to a lesser degree. Ultimately he brings the reader to his view that the universe is one enormous computer. A scary thought, in my opinion.

At the end, the concepts get a little more blurry when he discusses the natural increases in complexity the universe experiences. There is a lot of hand waving at that goes on and you start to question some of the things he proposes. I don't doubt that he thought through all the arguments and has strong counterarguments, but sometimes his arguments take large leaps. That's where the reader may find exceptions to his theories.

Good Overview of Computing, Information and Quantum Mechanics.......2007-07-23

Lloyd provides a concise and easy-to-follow overview of some complex topics, including computing, information and quantum mechanics.

I found the coverage of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle -- in general terms, a trade-off between the level of certainty related to one physical quantity versus the level of certainty related to a complementary physical quantity -- to be quite good.

Lloyd effectively explains complex topics in an accessible, yet non-simplistic, manner. I recommend this book to readers interested in learning about the basics of quantum mechanics.

Mumble Jumble designed to con laymen.......2007-04-27

The premise of the universe being nothing more than a giant computer is sexy and the author apparently has been very successful in milking every bit of it to advance his career and make some money selling books on the side. Sadly, the whole thesis is a tautology. It adds no real insight. It predicts nothing. It can neither be proven nor disproved. In short, it is just like String Theory. But considering that there are only a handful of quantum computer cosmologists while string theorists number in the tens of thousands, it is not a serious offense.

Computations are everywhere.......2007-04-23

Computations are everywhere. Sure, your modern day laptop computer is doing a lot of computation. But look further and you will find computation everywhere.

In Seth Lloyds book, we are taken on a journey, where we start with the dance of atoms and light. All we need to produce everything we see. Here quantum fluctuations inject information (virtual particles) into empty vacuum for the laws of nature to process (i.e. to compute).

Pretty amazing computation this atomic dance btw. To simulate accurately just a just a tiny fraction of the universe on a classical computer for just a fraction of second - say just a few hundreds atoms for less than a second - would be outside the reach of modern computers. Here we would need something better - a quantum computer.

Actually, according to Seth Lloyd, the universe is indistinguishable from a quantum computer. The universe supports quantum computation and can be efficiently simulated by a quantum computer. Put another way - when two physics systems can simulate each other efficiently - they are logically equivalent. No easy trick though - to simulate the entire universe - in order to it, a quantum computer would need exactly as many qubits as the universe. Talk about Jupitor sized computers.

Still, quantum computers can do stuff that normal classical computers cant do. With Shors factoring algorithm a quantum computer can factor large numbers far more efficiently than a classical computer. And with Grovers search algorithm quantum computers can find things much faster then classical computers etc.

All very well described in the book. So ok, the book gives an insight into computation with atoms in a quantum world. And perhaps this is more than enough for most readers to come to grasps with - Surely, it alone will keep humanity occupied for decades to come. Still, for a book that claims to take on computation in all its glory a lot of stones are left unturned.

E.g. we all know that work is being done on quantum gravity theories. What is computation like here? I suspect that Seth Lloyd wanted to keep the reading "light" and as compact as possible or perhaps he thinks quantum gravity theories will add nothing new to our understanding of computation - but ignoring these questions in the book, whatever his opinion, seems strange.

If there is no efficient algorithm for simulating quantum systems on classical computers. Then - If a quantum computer can't simulate a quantum gravity computer that would highlight yet another huge leap in computing power? And wouldn't the gates of quantum gravity computer work at scales where there is no causality? If a quantum gravity computer can see its result before running its algorithms - it is essential the same as quantum computer strapped to a timemachine. But not a word about such ideas in Seth Lloyds book?

I.e. Quantum gravity does away with cause and effect. In classical computing one thing follows after another. "if" is usually followed by "then". Even quantum computers has this notion of input followed by output. Quantum gravity computers will not be constrained by such considerations. Noone knows how space and time act on the scale of quantum gravity, but there will certainly be no such thing as a fixed sequence of processing steps.

And what about logic in the world of quantum computers?

I.e. Sets are merely the most familiar example of the more general concept of a topos. A topos is a somewhat technical concept. But all topos share one feature, they give rise to their own variety of logic. Sets obey the laws of standard logic and boolean alegebra. For a general topos one would new definitions for AND, OR and NOT operations. Boolean algebra would normally allow a statement to be either true or false. However, this turns out out to be the exception in the world of topos. Normally one find statements to true, false and all shades of grey in between. E.g. in the world of quantum physics - the associated topos might allow a statement to be both true and false and all in between..

This is all only hinted at in lloyds book. One might suspect that he thinks such ideas are above a casual reader. But come on - would a casual reader pick up a book on quantum computations anyway?

And what about the brain - what kind of computations do we have here? If Seth Lloyd thinks that we have nothing but classical computation here - he should have said so. But he gives us nothing here.

A comment about physicists Freeman Dysons remark that mind and intelligence are "woven into the fabric of the universe" would have been appropriate imho.

But ok - quantum computers are only getting started and something like IBMs Blue Gene computer with these 280 trillion calculations per second - the current record - would have been hard to imagine back in 1942, when classical computers got started. So we shouldn't be surprised that not all is crystal clear in the world of quantum computers as we speak.

-Simon

Schaum's Outline of Quantum Mechanics (Schaum's)

Average customer rating:

Schaum's Outline of Quantum Mechanics
Very useful, needs a rewrite ...
Best value for money
Excelente libro de texto sobre Física Cuántica.
Not great

Schaum's Outline of Quantum Mechanics (Schaum's)
Eliahu Zaarur , and Phinik Reuven
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

Quantum Theory | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

Study Guides | Reference | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Reference Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Amazon Upgrade | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Professional & Technical | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Reference | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Science | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Schaum's Outlines | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Professional | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Reference | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Science | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Schaum's Outline of Modern Physics
Schaum's Outline of Electromagnetics
Problems in Quantum Mechanics: With Solutions
Schaum's Outline of Tensor Calculus (Schaum's)
Schaum's Outline of Lagrangian Dynamics

ASIN: 0070540187

Book Description

This powerful study guide makes sometimes-daunting material accessible. More than 240 problems solved step-by-step help students gain a firm grasp of proper methods and a solid foundation for further study. All the essentials of this basic course are covered clearly and concisely, cutting study time and making important points memorable. The next-best thing to a private tutor, this study guide helps boost grades and proves ideal for professionals, too, who wish to study solo to master this discipline.

Customer Reviews:

Schaum's Outline of Quantum Mechanics.......2007-01-21

Basic information, and lots of problems (many worked out, others with answers). Makes for good practice and review.

Very useful, needs a rewrite ..........2006-11-19

This book is useful. There is a variety of problems from fairly easy to difficult, but in general, the problems are similar (and often the same) as problems in graduate texts such as Merzbacher, Cohen, etc.. My complaint with this book is not necessarily the typos (although they should be fixed given the popularity of this book). My complaint is that that the authors sometimes skip steps in the solutions that are so critical, that is is nearly impossible to understand them. A useful solution can leave out mathematical drudgery, and calculations, but it shouldn't leave out critical steps that have been covered earlier in the book, because a solutions manual like this is not usually used as a textbook, it is used as a reference.

For instance I may want to try a practice problem on the Variational Method, and the problem leaves out steps that may have been covered in earlier chapters. So I spend hours playing with the problem until I find the solution. This is not useful, and not what a problems and solutions book should do. I understand that not every step can be included, but I would rather see more complete solutions, which might sacrifice the unsolved problems and the blank pages at the end of the book.

This book seems to have been typewritten from the authors' handwritten notes, because many of the typos are consistent with penmanship. But one of the authors should go over all of the solutions, flesh out the missing steps, and correct the errors. Without doing this, the physics student can't rely on this book as a trusted source, since they never know if the error they encounter is a typo or their own mistake.

Regardless, this is a useful book, and I have learned a lot from it.

Best value for money.......2006-08-25

This book is a complete introductory course that presents the basic concepts of Quantum Mechanics.

As a newcomer to this subject, I was puzzled by the separate definitions of the similar notions of inner product (denoted < , >), scalar product (denoted ( , )), scalar product (denoted < | >) and Dirac bracket (also denoted < | >). It would be most helpful if, in a future edition, the authors could define these four notions in one place, along with an explanation of the differences (if any) between them.

Apart from this minor annoyance, for which I deducted one star, this book succesfully tackles a most important and difficult subject. The writing and presentation are up to the usually high standards of Schaum's Outline series. There are plenty of exercises, both solved and unsolved. And it's excellent value for money. For the price, there's no serious competition.

A better mathematical treatment, based on linear vector spaces, may be found in "Principles of Quantum Mechanics" by Shankar.

Excelente libro de texto sobre Física Cuántica........2006-01-30

La mayoría de los textos de Física Cuántica que he leído, son inabordables en algunos momentos por la complejidad de la misma notación, falta de ejemplos directos de aplicación, y deficientes estructuraciones del contenido. El resultado es que finalmente te ves rodeado de una gran cantidad de libros de texto, para cubrir diferentes capítulos.

En cambio este libro, sobresale con holgura, cubriendo todas esas carencias.

* La estructura del libro es correcta.
* El número de ejemplos es muy amplio (como si no en un Schaum's).
* La notación es la que normalmente se utiliza en este campo.

¡ Qué más se puede pedir, en un libro de texto !.

Carlos Ortega
2006-01-30

Not great.......2006-01-28

I bought this book as I was taking undergraduate-level Quantum Mechanics. While it has a better review and analysis of bra and ket notation than, say, the Griffiths text, and has excellent applications (square well, energy levels, Landau Levels, etc.), it was practically useless until I finished the course. Additionally, as others have pointed out, the outline is riddled with errors. It is not as well-written as Murray Spiegel's Vector Analysis or Fourier Series books. If you're a graduate student or want a refresher course, I'd consider it. Otherwise, this is not the ideal choice.

Average customer rating:

The solar-system-wide reference for Quantum Mechanics
GOOD BOOK
Comprehensive
Very good
Love this book

Quantum Mechanics, Volume 1
B. Dui , Claude Cohen-Tannoudji , Bernard Diu , and Frank Laloe
Manufacturer: Wiley-Interscience
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

Mathematical Physics | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

Quantum Theory | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Professional | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Science | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Modern Quantum Mechanics (2nd Edition)
Classical Electrodynamics Third Edition
Quantum Mechanics (Physics)
Mathematical Methods For Physicists
Principles of Quantum Mechanics

ASIN: 047116433X

Book Description

This didactically unrivalled textbook and timeless reference by Nobel Prize Laureate Claude Cohen-Tannoudji separates essential underlying principles of quantum mechanics from specific applications and practical examples and deals with each of them in a different section. Chapters emphasize principles; complementary sections supply applications. The book provides a qualitative introduction to quantum mechanical ideas; a systematic, complete and elaborate presentation of all the mathematical tools and postulates needed, including a discussion of their physical content and applications.
The book is recommended on a regular basis by lecturers of undergraduate courses.

Customer Reviews:

The solar-system-wide reference for Quantum Mechanics.......2007-05-26

Almost no words needs to be said about this masterwork.
And rare are serious students of quantum mechanics who could really afford to ignore it.
Several important techniques and recent developments are omitted, but having grasped the material presented in these two volumes, learning further about quantum mechanics will prove astonishingly straightforward.
A caution remark is in order, though : these books don't really suit to self-study, due to their sometimes rather lengthy, verbose exposition, which could well quickly fade away an initially strong motivation for studying quantum mechanics, if not bolstered by a teacher's or fellow student's incentives.

GOOD BOOK.......2007-03-09

Very good book for undergraduate or even graduate quantum mechanics. The book is very well organized and gives detailed explanations and examples of key quantum mechanical concepts. I would suggest that all undergraduates give it a try. It balances out importance of detail while maintaining clarity to give students a good understanding of the subject. Though it is a little hard to digest at first, that is just the nature of the subject. Once you become familiar with the basics of quantum mechanics, postulates, bra-ket etc this is a perfect book to learn from, or to go back as reference

Comprehensive.......2006-12-09

I'll keep this review short, unlike the 2-volume set on QM that I am reviewing here.

I used this text book for a two-semester graduate course in QM. Although lengthy, practically everything is in here. In that respect, it makes it difficult to pick out the key concepts. It is sort of the same problem when you try to learn relativity using Misner Thorne & Wheeler's book. Although I'd say that Cohen-Tannoudji's textbook is better organized. It may help if you read this book alongside a more concise book on the subject. A concise book will pick out the most important concepts for you, as well as help you with the homework problems. A good accompanyment I have in mind is Bransden & Jochain's textbook. Speaking of homework, I do not like how it is arranged in Cohen-Tannoudji. Say a professor decides to give you problems 1, 2 and 3 for a particular homework assignment, from some chapter. You think, "great, only three problems, no sweat, I'll do those a day or two before the due date." Trouble is, every problem has sections a, b, c, etc. and subsections i, ii, iii, etc. and within those sometimes sub-subsections alpha, beta, etc,--very frustrating! But if you sweat it out (managing your time well of course) with this textbook, and do the homework problems yourself instead of relying on the solutions older graduate students might be kind enough to hand down to you, you will get alot out of it.

Very good.......2006-11-02

I used this two volume set for a one year first course in quantum mechanics. These are from where I learn the subject for the first time. These are very good books intendent for the undergraduate level and very complete. It consists of a total of 14 chapters: 1-Waves and particles, 2-The mathematical tools of quantum mechanics,3-The postulates of Q.M., 4-Application of postulates to simple cases,5-The one dimensional harmonic oscillator,6-General properties of angular momentum in Q.M.,7-Particle in a central potential, the hydrogen atom, 8-An elementary approach to the quantum theory of scattering by a potential, 9-Electron spin, 10-Addition of angular momenta, 11-Stationary perturbation theory, 12-An application of perturbation theory, the fine and hyperfine structure of the hydrogen atom, 13-Approximation methods for time-dependent problems, 14-Systems of identical particles. In addition every chapter is followed by a set of complementary topics that help strengthen and deepen the material treated in the chapter, as you can see these books cover all essential material that should be covered in a first quantum mechanics course and when read, the reader can sense all the mastery of the authors explainig the topics.
The binding, in spite of being paperback, is very good also. I recommend these books to any one who wants to adquire a complete understanding of quantum mechanics at the undergraduate level, all in all, a superb book!

Love this book.......2006-01-09

A good, "deep" and complete presentation of quantum mechanics. The first chapter is great for basic ideas of QM. This is followed by a chapter on the mathematical tools of quantum mechanics and a very good chapter that lays out the postulates of quantum mechanics. Then it covers spin, the harmonic oscillator, angular momentum, and the hydrogen atom. It seems to me the book is the best around for teaching Dirac notation and matrix mechanics. Each chapter is accompanied by appendices that develop further detail or provide examples of various concepts. For help with problem solving, I recommend Quantum Mechanics Demystified and the Schaum's Outline of Quantum Mechanics. For a good reading companion, I recommend the Griffiths Quantum Mechanics book.

The Quantum Theory of Fields, Volume 1: Foundations

Average customer rating:

Very thorough and logical, but somewhat difficult and painful to get through
Brilliant
superb book
Reading for Rhetoric
Perfection, but advanced

The Quantum Theory of Fields, Volume 1: Foundations
Steven Weinberg
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

Mathematical Physics | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

Quantum Theory | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Quantum Theory of Fields, Volume 2: Modern Applications
The Quantum Theory of Fields
An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory (Frontiers in Physics)
String Theory, Vol. 1 (Cambridge Monographs on Mathematical Physics)
String Theory, Vol. 2 (Cambridge Monographs on Mathematical Physics)

ASIN: 0521670535

Book Description

In The Quantum Theory of Fields, Nobel Laureate Steven Weinberg combines his exceptional physical insight with his gift for clear exposition to provide a self-contained, comprehensive, and up-to-date introduction to quantum field theory. This is a two-volume work. Volume I introduces the foundations of quantum field theory. The development is fresh and logical throughout, with each step carefully motivated by what has gone before, and emphasizing the reasons why such a theory should describe nature. After a brief historical outline, the book begins anew with the principles about which we are most certain, relativity and quantum mechanics, and the properties of particles that follow from these principles. Quantum field theory emerges from this as a natural consequence. The author presents the classic calculations of quantum electrodynamics in a thoroughly modern way, showing the use of path integrals and dimensional regularization. His account of renormalization theory reflects the changes in our view of quantum field theory since the advent of effective field theories. The book's scope extends beyond quantum electrodynamics to elementary particle physics, and nuclear physics. It contains much original material, and is peppered with examples and insights drawn from the author's experience as a leader of elementary particle research. Problems are included at the end of each chapter. This work will be an invaluable reference for all physicists and mathematicians who use quantum field theory, and it is also appropriate as a textbook for graduate students in this area.

Customer Reviews:

Very thorough and logical, but somewhat difficult and painful to get through.......2007-07-23

To put the review in perspective, My Background: I am a senior undergraduate engineering/physics student with an interest in mathematics and theoretical physics. This is my third QFT book.

Things I liked about the book:
- The book follows a very logical progression. I love how Weinberg presents a coherent argument based on simple physical principles (specifically Lorentz invariance and the cluster decomposition principle).
- Weinberg takes painstaking effort to avoid hand-waving, and is very careful to enumerate (and make plausible) his assumptions. In so doing, he avoids the sort of black-magic feeling I got when reading some less well written QFT books (see for example: Peskin and Schroeder, which makes a mockery of logical progression in an effort to teach you how to calculate as soon as possible).
- The book was very thorough, and often provided an original approach to the material. The coverage of renormalization seemed natural and coherent, and since the book is presented in a logical order (rather than a historical one) Weinberg avoids justifying renormalization as some mysterious subtraction of infinities, basing it instead on general non-perterbative methods (e.g. poles of the S-matrix, etc...)

What I didn't like about the book:
- As a result of his unwavering emphasis on logical progression, and his inclusion of a vast amount of material (almost all of which is necessary to understand in order to progress through the book), the book is somewhat painful to get through. Be prepared to re-read many of the sections a couple of times, and to make very slow progress.
- Weinberg chooses to present QFT in a very general form (i.e. abstracting it from a particular field such as particle physics or condensed matter physics). This is not necessarily a disadvantage, but I often found my interest waning after reading a few hundred pages without making any contact with phenomenology. Additionally, the excercises were similarly abstract, which makes it difficult (at least for me) to particularly care about their results. (More of a problem for self-study)
- The notation is very complete, which isn't normally a bad thing. However, the equations sometimes become very cumbersome when he includes every index, and every functional dependence regardless of how redundant they may be.
- In his coverage of path integrals, he derives things using functional determinants rather than through the more common generating functional methods. I think this hides a lot of the physical insight of the path integral approach, particularly, its equivalence to the 2nd-quantized approach, and its relation to Feynman diagrams.
- This book will drive the more mathematically inclined crazy, as the author admits, it makes very little attempt at rigour, and is very uncareful. He exchanges orders of limits willy-nilly, and often is not even clear about what sort of limiting process is taking place. There is not discussion of functional integration measures, or convergence, and there is very little justification provided for regularization methods (actually the coverage of dimensional regularization is extremely sparce, and would have been unfollowable, had I not already known it).

General Comments:
- I think that, contrary to some of the previous reviews, that the first few chapters of the book (through 6) would be a good first exposure to quantum field theory. I think the reader would have a much better understanding of the theory. However, the rest of the book is quite advanced, and would not be good for the uninitialized.
- I think that in an effort to make his coverage thorough and abstracting his discussion from phenomenology, the author sacrificed some of the readability of the book. That being said, if you're serious about learning the subject, this is a good resource.

Brilliant.......2006-09-15

Weinberg never disappoints the serious student of theoretical physics. There is no good reason to ignore perusing his texts.
Weinberg is a master expositor and creator of modern physics.
There simply is no good reason not to purchase his volumes.

superb book .......2006-08-16

in my opinion this should be one of the best books in qft.
Althought I've read jauch&rohrlich photons and electrons, p.ramond, itzykson, and ultimately, hatfield, Weinberg lead all of them for many heads. The features of this book are clarity, deepness, rigor, and authoritative treatment of all the topics. The discussion for a lagrangian versus hamiltonian formalism is lucid,and no finded in any other book. Group theory is applyied when is customary without cross over the physical implications. It contains a chapter devoted to scattering like no other book, wich is clear and explain concepts involved with "in" and "out" states(other of the lacks of many books of qft). Even the problems that contain are very well picked up, and solvable in most cases. I could't find any fault or mislead in what i read in this book, perhaps any skilled reader can find some. Even binding and typography are excellent, there is nothing more valuable for hardly 40$.

Reading for Rhetoric.......2006-03-31

Physics is usually a horribly taught subject, that is why most students avoid it. When it is effectively communicated, physics can be wonderful. This book represents the former. It is dense. The author is obviously a brilliant person; but, he is not a brilliant communicator. I've got a Master's in Physics and I was lost by the end of the second chapter. I have no doubt that the mathematics as presented are accurate; however, alone they fail to effectively communicate the substance of the topic to a mere mortal. Weinberg does not spend adequate time discussing the context, reality, or historical evolution of his ideas. I purchased all three volumes and, apparently, waisted my money.

I later purchased Roger Penrose's "The Road to Reality" and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was not an easy read either, but Penrose spent a significant amount of time recounting historical context, impact, and the 'reality' of his ideas.

Perfection, but advanced.......2006-01-10

This is one of the best written physics books to ever hit the market. However, it deals with an advanced topic and its not for the faint of heart or those without the proper background. Weinberg's writing style is remarkably clear. A historical introduction (which is very enlightening) is followed by a nice chapter on relatavistic quantum mechanics. Later chapters which I found very useful include a chapter titled "Quantum Fields and Antiparticles", where he introduces the Dirac formalism, and "The Feynman Rules", which is one of the best presentations on this topic I have come across. Chapters on the Lagrangian methods and path integrals are also good. I would strongly advise the reader to thoroughly study other quantum field theory books before tackling this one.

Also recommended (to get started): "Quantum Field Theory in a Nutshell"

Mathematica for Theoretical Physics: Electrodynamics, Quantum Mechanics, General Relativity, and Fractals

Average customer rating:

A very good book

Mathematica for Theoretical Physics: Electrodynamics, Quantum Mechanics, General Relativity, and Fractals
Gerd Baumann
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

Mathematical Physics | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

Quantum Theory | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Computer Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Amazon Upgrade | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Computers & Internet | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Professional & Technical | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Science | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Computers & Internet | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Professional | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Science | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Mathematica for Theoretical Physics: Classical Mechanics and Nonlinear Dynamics
Complex Analysis with MATHEMATICA®
The Mathematica GuideBook for Numerics
Mathematica for Physics
The Mathematica GuideBook for Symbolics (w/ DVD)

Accessories:

Light Scattering and Nanoscale Surface Roughness (Nanostructure Science and Technology)
Quantum Theory: A Wide Spectrum
Lectures on Quantum Mechanics

ASIN: 0387219331

Book Description

This second edition of Baumann's Mathematica ^® for Theoretical Physics shows readers how to solve physical problems and deal with their underlying theoretical concepts while using Mathematica ^® to derive numeric and symbolic solutions. Each example and calculation can be evaluated by the reader, and the reader can change the example calculations and adopt the given code to related or similar problems.

The second edition has been completely revised and expanded into two volumes: The first volume covers classical mechanics and nonlinear dynamics. Both topics are the basis of a regular mechanics course. The second volume covers electrodynamics, quantum mechanics, relativity, and fractals and fractional calculus.

New examples have been added and the representation has been reworked to provide a more interactive problem-solving presentation. This book can be used as a textbook or as a reference work, by students and researchers alike. A brief glossary of terms and functions is contained in the appendices.

The CD-ROM accompanying each of the two volumes contains Mathematica ^®notebooks as well as Mathematica ^® programs. The notebooks contain the entire text of the corresponding volume and can interface with Mathematica ^®. The examples given in the text can also be interactively used and changed for the reader’s purposes.

The Author, Gerd Baumann, is affiliated with the Mathematical Physics Division of the University of Ulm, Germany, where he is professor. He is the author of Symmetry Analysis of Differential Equations with Mathematica ^®. Dr. Baumann has given numerous invited talks at universities and industry alike. He regularly hosts seminars and lectures on symbolic computing at the University of Ulm and at Technische Universität München (TUM), Munich.

Customer Reviews:

A very good book.......2006-03-24

This is a very good book in it's subject. The examples taken from Quantum Mechanics ,Fractals and General Relativity are quite impressive.But I would expect even more problems taken from the field of Electrodynamics.I think that this book is a"must have" for anyone who's interesting in computational methods for solving basic problems of theoretical physics.

Conceptual Developments of 20th Century Field Theories

Average customer rating:

Just over my head
Thoughtful
A rewarding challenge for the serious layman like myself
Time to leave high school physics behind
Cao's volume on 20th Century Quantum Field Theories

Conceptual Developments of 20th Century Field Theories
Tian Yu Cao
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

Mathematical Physics | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

Waves & Wave Mechanics | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

Look Inside History Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

How Is Quantum Field Theory Possible?
An Introduction to the Philosophy of Physics: Locality, Fields, Energy, and Mass
Quantum Mechanics in Simple Matrix Form
The Theory of Almost Everything: The Standard Model, the Unsung Triumph of Modern Physics
The Quantum Quark

ASIN: 0521431786

Book Description

This volume provides a broad synthesis of conceptual developments of twentieth century field theories, from the general theory of relativity to quantum field theory and gauge theory. The book traces the foundations and evolution of these theories within a historio-critical context. Theoretical physicists and students of theoretical physics will find this a valuable account of the foundational problems of their discipline that will help them understand the internal logic and dynamics of theoretical physics. It will also provide professional historians and philosophers of science, particularly philosophers of physics, with a conceptual basis for further historical, cultural and sociological analysis of the theories discussed. Finally, the scientifically qualified general reader will find in this book a deeper analysis of contemporary conceptions of the physical world than can be found in popular accounts of the subject.

Customer Reviews:

Just over my head.......2007-01-09

On the basis of the publisher's review and those of other readers, I had hoped that I'd be able to follow the path of conceptual developments. True, as advertised, the mathematical rigor was not excessive. Nonetheless, maybe because the author divided the topic into a series of detailed "cuts" at multiple levels, I found myself unable to keep track. If someone replied that the problem was me, not the book, I wouldn't argue.

Thoughtful.......2002-10-25

Excellent (and virtually mathless, save for a few excurses) in-depth analysis of the way our physical thinking evolved. It covers thoroughly all conceptual signposts of the 20th century physics (stemming from distant past)- aether, space, time, space-time, field, gravitation, inertia, quantum concepts like quantization, anomalies and renormalizability. A gift of a bird's (better, eagle's) view for an undergraduate student (that's what you don't understand because you're busy solving the equations); a penetrating analysis for a patient layman (who can grasp circa 70% of the book). Highly recommended.

A rewarding challenge for the serious layman like myself.......2001-08-25

Following is a quote from the Preface: "The book is written primarily for students of theoretical physics who are interested in the foundational problems of their discipline and are struggling to grasp the internal logic and dynamics of their subject from a historical perspective. But I have also done my best to make the text accessible to general readers with a basic scientific education who feel that their cultural curiosity concerning the contemporary conception of nature cannot be satisfied by popular writings." I qualify as the "general reader" in the audience he addresses above who, "'cannot be satisfied by popular writings."

If you've been following my collection of physics books which I post at my 'Shared Purchases' and 'Listmania Lists' portion ..., then you can see that I tend to ambitiously bite off more than I can chew in my choice of intellectual reading. As I admitted in my profile, I am a guy with not much more than half a brain and a driving passion to know what the hell is really going on in this Universe. I have been eagerly searching for a book that will challenge me to grow beyond my comfort level of popular yet slightly technical introductory treatments of physics (specifically Quantum Electrodynamics). Well, I FINALLY FOUND IT! This is a special discovery! As I hope you can tell, I am very excited about my latest exposure to Tian Yu Cao's "Conceptual Developments of 20th Century Field Theories". Cao's wonderful book serves as a didactic bridge across the gapping void we serious laymen come up against when we've finished pussy-footing around with popular-introductory Quantum Physics books and are driven to explore further than our formal education (or lack thereof) will allow when delving deeper into the daunting world of QM. I'm trying to come up to a level where I can get some appreciation and comprehension of the principles in Quantum Field Theories. For example, I ambitiously procured my own copies of "Inward Bound" by Pais, "The Odd Quantum" by Treiman, Schweber's "QED and the Men Who Made it - Dyson, Feynman, Schwinger, and Tomonaga", and Mehera's, "The Beat of a Different Drummer - the life and science of Richard Feynman". I look at these books and think, "QM looks so beautiful! I want to get a comprehensive grip on this stuff'" Hopeless without University level courses in technical mathematics and physics right? I'm not convinced, I suppose I'll find out sooner or later. As it is, I just keep at it. Day after day, I immerse myself in QM literature with a passion driven by my obsessive curiosity of Nature and what we know of her physical reality. Light, Atoms, Electromagnetic Waves, Matter, Particles, and Fields; these are the things I feel compelled to investigate'

Cao's book is another stepping stone in my self-directed journey of intellectual adventure. The pedagogy of the book is at a relatively safe and sane level for the explorer who is moderately courageous and not afraid to be uncertain about his/her competency in the learning curve. As I said, Cao's book bridges the terrible gap between the easy stuff (i.e. non-technical/popular/introductory/historical level) across the abyss towards the tougher stuff (i.e. technical/rigorously mathematical University level Introduction QFT textbooks). This is a very technical book for someone at my level but I believe that if you are somewhat like me (scary thought!) you can benefit from the book's pages when armed with a serious sense curiosity and a sincere desire to grasp deep & fundamental principles of Quantum Field Theory.

There are some scary looking mathematical formulas but if you're courageous you can breeze over them and let the copious qualitative text speak to your understanding. The only subjects in this book that I don't find of particularly immediate interest to me are his sections on General Relativity as I'm not a Gravity (field) enthusiast yet. I've skimmed over those sections and suspect that I'll be back later to visit it with more interest in the future.

Be sure to carefully read the what the other reviewers have to say about their opinions of this book, look at the book description and 'Table of Contents' link above. I suggest looking at some of the following books as a prerequisite to this book if you are anywhere near my level of intellect: "Strange Beauty" by Johnson, "The Force of Symmetry" by Icke, "The Quantum World" by Polkingthorne, "The Second Creation" by Crease & Mann, "The Quantum Universe" by Hey & Walters, "Why Things Are the Way They Are" by Chandrasekhar, "QED (The Strange Theory of Light and Matter)" by Feynman, "The Great Design (Particles, Fields, and Creation)" by Adair, "Paul Dirac (The Man and His Work)" by Pais, Jacob, Olive & Atiyah, "What Makes Nature Tick?" and also "Thinking About Physics" both by Roger Newton

I hope you will forgive my enthusiasm in this review if I seem overly zealous. I'm just a curious cat. ...

Time to leave high school physics behind.......2000-11-26

Even discounting the complexity of the mathematics involved, the motivated reader who has read a number of the listed physics references here, may find the transition to modern quantum field theory conceptually difficult. This reference, will greatly aid in the transition. Explanation of how physical actions such as gravity and electromagnetism are transmitted at a distance has provoked intense debates over the centuries. The electromagnetic field and continuous ether of Thomson and Maxwell, provided a cause for actions at a distance. In Einstein's special theory of relativity the ether was removed. In Einstein's general theory of relativity, spacetime is shown to depend on the gravitational fields. Gravitational fields are considered to be a geometrical programme of field theory, and are discussed in the first part of this reference. The middle part of this reference then considers the quantum field programme. The last part of this reference then considers the gauge field programme whereby gauge potentials can explain fundamental interactions. The motivated reader will also find this reference useful for introduction to many concepts omitted in most introductory physics texts. For example, in describing how Maxwell derived his wave equations, the ability to reformulate Newtonian mechanics in terms of a Lagrangian approach is noted.

Cao's volume on 20th Century Quantum Field Theories.......2000-03-29

If you are not an expert in quantum field theory, or if you are such an expert, you should read this book from cover to cover about a dozen times at least. Cao of Boston University does for quantum theory what investigative reporters do for political or social/behavioral problems. As a renowned philosopher and quantum physicist, he gives the whole picture and nothing but the whole picture. It is even doubtful if many theoretical physicists know the whole story as it is elaborated by Cao. M. Jammer's 1974 volume gave the story of quantum mechanics and its philosophical basis from the beginning until 1974, and Cao continues this from 1974 until 1997. The astonishing changes in quantum theory from the mechanistic to the geometric to the field theory to the gauge field theory to the effective gauge field theory, as largely inspired by and created by Steven Weinberg (the Nobel Laureate), pass before you in these pages, together with the arguments with other physicists and the experimental and theoretical problems, anomalies, and philosophical difficulties. Einstein's field theory is shown to now be incorporated into quantum field theory, and we see Weinberg's final disgust with the problems that plague quantum field theory (even though he invented effective gauge quantum field theory, the latest theory) and his abandonment of field theory for string theory. Weinberg may have overstepped his intuition here, since string theory has difficult philosophical foundations as Cao points out, and in my opinion string theory is at most an approximation to reality. But Weinberg was probably correct in being fed up with quantum field theory and seeking some other direction, as he usually has been correct about everything else. The prolific roles of P. Dirac and P. Jordan, often overlooked, are well documented by Cao (Dirac seems to be at the Weinberg level of creativity and intuition, although he has gone in so many different directions that he even arouses the ire of Cao). The collapse of complementarity is thoroughly documented as well by Cao.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books