Basic Theoretical Physics: A Concise Overview Paperback - 2010

From the contents: Part I: Mechanics and Aspects of Relativity.- Space and Time.- Force and Mass.- Basic tasks of Mechanics for one-dimensional motions.-The damped and driven harmonic oscillator.- The three fundamental conservation laws.- Motion in central force fields.- The Rutherford scattering cross section.- Lagrange formalism I: The Lagrangian and the Hamiltonian.- Relativity I: Einstein's principle of the shortest proper time and Hamilton's principle of least-action momentum.- Coupled small oscillations.- Rigid bodies.- Remarks on non-integrable systems.- Lagrange formalism II: Constraints.- Accelerated reference frames.- Relativity II: E=mc .- Part II: Electrodynamics and aspects of optics.- Opening: Literature, internet, contents, purpose.- Introduction: units and (mathematical) prelimaries.- Electrostatics and magnetostatics.- Magnetic field of steady electric currents.- The general Maxwell equations I: Faraday's 'law of induction.- Maxwell's displacement current.- The general Maxwell equations II: Electromagnetic waves.- Applications of the electrodynamics in the field of optics.- Conclusion.- Part III: Quantum mechanics.- Introductory remarks.- References and internet.- On the history of quantum mechanics.- Quantum mechanics: Foundations.- One-dimensional problems.- The harmonic oscillator in the wave mechanics.- The hydrogen atom in the wave mechanics.- Abstract quantum mechanics (algebraic methods).- Spin momentum and Pauli's principle (the spin-statistics theorem).- Spin-orbit interaction.- The minimisation principle of Ritz.- Schrdinger's perturbation theory for the statics.- Time-dependent perturbations.- Magnetism as an essentially quantum-mechanical phenomenon.- Cooper pairs.- On the interpretation of quantum mechanics.- Conclusion: Repetition and summary on the history of quantum mechanics.- Looking back and looking forward.- Appendix: On cryptography and quantum cryptography.- Part IV: Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics.- Introductionand overview.- Phenomenological thermodynamics: Temperature and heat.- The fundamental theorems I and II.- Phase transitions, van der Waals theory and related problems.- Kinetic gas theory.- Statistical Physics.- From quantum statistics to the classical statistical physics.- Deepening of the fundamental theorem II.- Shannon's information entropy.- The set of canonical ensembles in the phenomenological thermodynamics.- The relation of Clausius and Clapeyron.- Generation of low and ultralow temperatures, and the fundamental theorem III.- General statistical physics (formal completion): The statistical operator and the trace formalism.- Ideal Bose and Fermi gases.- Applications I.- Applications II.- Conclusion