Foundations of Modern Physics

In addition to his ground-breaking research, Nobel Laureate Steven Weinberg is known for a series of highly praised texts on various aspects of physics, combining exceptional physical insight with his gift for clear exposition. Describing the foundations of modern physics in their historical context and with some new derivations, Weinberg introduces topics ranging from early applications of atomic theory through thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, transport theory, special relativity, quantum mechanics, nuclear physics, and quantum field theory. This volume provides the basis for advanced undergraduate and graduate physics courses as well as being a handy introduction to aspects of modern physics for working scientists.

Preface; 1. Early atomic theory; 2. Thermodynamics and kinetic theory; 3. Early quantum theory; 4. Relativity; 5. Quantum mechanics; 6. Nuclear physics; 7. Quantum field theory: assorted problems; Bibliography; Author index; Subject index.

Steven Weinberg (1933–2021) was a member of the Physics and Astronomy Departments at the University of Texas at Austin. He was honored with numerous awards, including the Nobel Prize in Physics, the National Medal of Science, the Heinemann Prize in Mathematical Physics, and most recently a Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics. He was a member of the US National Academy of Sciences, the UK's Royal Society, and other academies in the US and internationally. The American Philosophical Society awarded him the Benjamin Franklin medal in 2004, with a citation that said he was 'considered by many to be the preeminent theoretical physicist alive in the world today'. He wrote several highly regarded books, including Gravitation and Cosmology, the three-volume work The Quantum Theory of Fields, Cosmology, and Lectures on Quantum Mechanics, and Lectures on Astrophysics.