Waves, Particles and Fields

Choice Outstanding Title, September 2020

Waves, Particles and Fields fills a gap in the middle ground between quantum mechanics of a single electron and the concept of a quantum field. The book is divided into two parts: the first provides the necessary background to quantum theory, extending from Planck’s formulation of black body radiation to Schrödinger’s equation; the second part explores Dirac’s relativistic electron leading to quantum fields, and concludes with a description of Feynman diagrams and their meaning.

This book is more than a popular account yet not too heavy to be inaccessible. It assumes no prior knowledge of quantum physics or field theory and provides the necessary foundations for readers to progress to more advanced texts on quantum field theory. It will appeal to undergraduate students in physics and mathematics, as well as an interested general audience.

Features:

• Provides an extensive yet accessible background to the concepts
• Contains numerous, illustrative diagrams
• Presents in-depth explanations of difficult subjects