Author: M. Bunge
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9401025193
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 202
Book Description
This collection of essays deals with three clusters of problems in the philo sophy of science: scientific method, conceptual models, and ontological underpinnings. The disjointedness of topics is more apparent than real, since the whole book is concerned with the scientific knowledge of fact. Now, the aim of factual knowledge is the conceptual grasping of being, and this understanding is provided by theories of whatever there may be. If the theories are testable and specific, such as a theory of a particular chemical reaction, then they are often called 'theoretical models' and clas sed as scientific. If the theories are extremely general, like a theory of syn thesis and dissociation without any reference to a particular kind of stuff, then they may be called 'metaphysical' - as well as 'scientific' if they are consonant with science. Between these two extremes there is a whole gamut of kinds of factual theories. Thus the entire spectrum should be dominated by the scientific method, quite irrespective of the subject matter. This is the leitmotiv of the present book. The introductory chapter, on method in the philosophy of science, tackles the question 'Why don't scientists listen to their philosophers?'.
Method, Model and Matter
Author: M. Bunge
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9401025193
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 202
Book Description
This collection of essays deals with three clusters of problems in the philo sophy of science: scientific method, conceptual models, and ontological underpinnings. The disjointedness of topics is more apparent than real, since the whole book is concerned with the scientific knowledge of fact. Now, the aim of factual knowledge is the conceptual grasping of being, and this understanding is provided by theories of whatever there may be. If the theories are testable and specific, such as a theory of a particular chemical reaction, then they are often called 'theoretical models' and clas sed as scientific. If the theories are extremely general, like a theory of syn thesis and dissociation without any reference to a particular kind of stuff, then they may be called 'metaphysical' - as well as 'scientific' if they are consonant with science. Between these two extremes there is a whole gamut of kinds of factual theories. Thus the entire spectrum should be dominated by the scientific method, quite irrespective of the subject matter. This is the leitmotiv of the present book. The introductory chapter, on method in the philosophy of science, tackles the question 'Why don't scientists listen to their philosophers?'.
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9401025193
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 202
Book Description
This collection of essays deals with three clusters of problems in the philo sophy of science: scientific method, conceptual models, and ontological underpinnings. The disjointedness of topics is more apparent than real, since the whole book is concerned with the scientific knowledge of fact. Now, the aim of factual knowledge is the conceptual grasping of being, and this understanding is provided by theories of whatever there may be. If the theories are testable and specific, such as a theory of a particular chemical reaction, then they are often called 'theoretical models' and clas sed as scientific. If the theories are extremely general, like a theory of syn thesis and dissociation without any reference to a particular kind of stuff, then they may be called 'metaphysical' - as well as 'scientific' if they are consonant with science. Between these two extremes there is a whole gamut of kinds of factual theories. Thus the entire spectrum should be dominated by the scientific method, quite irrespective of the subject matter. This is the leitmotiv of the present book. The introductory chapter, on method in the philosophy of science, tackles the question 'Why don't scientists listen to their philosophers?'.
Methods That Matter
Author: M. Cameron Hay
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022632866X
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 459
Book Description
To do research that really makes a difference -- the authors of this book argue -- social scientists need a diverse set of questions and methods, both qualitative and quantitative, in order to reflect the complexity of the world. Bringing together a consortium of voices across a variety of fields, Methods That Matter offers compelling and successful examples of mixed methods research that does just that. Discussing their own endeavors to combine quantitative and qualitative methodologies, the authors invite readers into a conversation about the best designs and practices of mixed methods to stimulate creative ideas and find new pathways of insight. The result is an engaging exploration of a promising approach to the social sciences. --
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022632866X
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 459
Book Description
To do research that really makes a difference -- the authors of this book argue -- social scientists need a diverse set of questions and methods, both qualitative and quantitative, in order to reflect the complexity of the world. Bringing together a consortium of voices across a variety of fields, Methods That Matter offers compelling and successful examples of mixed methods research that does just that. Discussing their own endeavors to combine quantitative and qualitative methodologies, the authors invite readers into a conversation about the best designs and practices of mixed methods to stimulate creative ideas and find new pathways of insight. The result is an engaging exploration of a promising approach to the social sciences. --
Topics and Methods in Condensed Matter Theory
Author: Michele Cini
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3540707263
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 441
Book Description
This book provides course material in theoretical physics intended for undergraduate and graduate students specializing in condensed matter. The book derives from teaching activity, offering readable and mathematical treatments explained in sufficient detail to be followed easily. The main emphasis is always on the physical meaning and applicability of the results. Many examples are provided for illustration; these also serve as worked problems. Discussion extends to atomic physics, relativistic quantum mechanics, elementary QED, electron spectroscopy, nonlinear optics, and various aspects of the many-body problem. Methods such as group representation theory, Green’s functions, the Keldysh formalism and recursion techniques were also imparted.
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3540707263
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 441
Book Description
This book provides course material in theoretical physics intended for undergraduate and graduate students specializing in condensed matter. The book derives from teaching activity, offering readable and mathematical treatments explained in sufficient detail to be followed easily. The main emphasis is always on the physical meaning and applicability of the results. Many examples are provided for illustration; these also serve as worked problems. Discussion extends to atomic physics, relativistic quantum mechanics, elementary QED, electron spectroscopy, nonlinear optics, and various aspects of the many-body problem. Methods such as group representation theory, Green’s functions, the Keldysh formalism and recursion techniques were also imparted.
Applications of Statistical and Field Theory Methods to Condensed Matter
Author: Dionys Baeriswyl
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1468457632
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 394
Book Description
There is no doubt that we have, during the last decade, moved into a "golden age" of condensed matter science. The sequence of discoveries of novel new states of matter and their rapid assimilation into experimental and theoretical research, as well as devices, has been remarkable. To name but a few: spin glasses; incommensurate, fractal, quasicrystal structures; synthetic metals; quantum well fabrication; fractional quantum Hall effect: solid state chaos; heavy fermions; and most spectacularly high-temperature superconductivity. This rapid evolution has been marked by the need to address the reality of materials in "extreme" conditions - - disordered, nonlinear systems in reduced dimensions, restricted geometries and at mesoscopic scales, often with striking competitions between several length and frequency scales, and between strong electron-phonon and electron-electron interactions. In such new territory it is not surprising that very interdisciplinary approaches are being explored and traditional boundaries between subjects and disciplines re-defined. In theory, this is evident, for instance, in attempts: (1) to advance the state of the art for elec tronic structure calculations so as to handle strongly interacting many-body systems and delicate competitions for collective ground states (spin models or many-electron Hamiltoni ans, field theory, band structure, quantum chemistry and numerical approaches); or (2) to understand pattern formation and complex (including chaotic) dynamics in extended sys tems. This demands close involvement with applied mathematics, numerical simulations and statistical mechanics techniques.
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1468457632
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 394
Book Description
There is no doubt that we have, during the last decade, moved into a "golden age" of condensed matter science. The sequence of discoveries of novel new states of matter and their rapid assimilation into experimental and theoretical research, as well as devices, has been remarkable. To name but a few: spin glasses; incommensurate, fractal, quasicrystal structures; synthetic metals; quantum well fabrication; fractional quantum Hall effect: solid state chaos; heavy fermions; and most spectacularly high-temperature superconductivity. This rapid evolution has been marked by the need to address the reality of materials in "extreme" conditions - - disordered, nonlinear systems in reduced dimensions, restricted geometries and at mesoscopic scales, often with striking competitions between several length and frequency scales, and between strong electron-phonon and electron-electron interactions. In such new territory it is not surprising that very interdisciplinary approaches are being explored and traditional boundaries between subjects and disciplines re-defined. In theory, this is evident, for instance, in attempts: (1) to advance the state of the art for elec tronic structure calculations so as to handle strongly interacting many-body systems and delicate competitions for collective ground states (spin models or many-electron Hamiltoni ans, field theory, band structure, quantum chemistry and numerical approaches); or (2) to understand pattern formation and complex (including chaotic) dynamics in extended sys tems. This demands close involvement with applied mathematics, numerical simulations and statistical mechanics techniques.
Models of Quantum Matter
Author: Hans-Peter Eckle
Publisher:
ISBN: 0199678839
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 732
Book Description
The book introduces tools with which models of quantum matter are built. The most important technique, the Bethe ansatz, is developed in detail to perform exact calculations of the physical properties of quantum matter.
Publisher:
ISBN: 0199678839
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 732
Book Description
The book introduces tools with which models of quantum matter are built. The most important technique, the Bethe ansatz, is developed in detail to perform exact calculations of the physical properties of quantum matter.
Quantum Monte Carlo Methods In Condensed Matter Physics
Author: Masuo Suzuki
Publisher: World Scientific
ISBN: 9814602337
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 378
Book Description
This book reviews recent developments of quantum Monte Carlo methods and some remarkable applications to interacting quantum spin systems and strongly correlated electron systems. It contains twenty-two papers by thirty authors. Some of the features are as follows. The first paper gives the foundations of the standard quantum Monte Carlo method, including some recent results on higher-order decompositions of exponential operators and ordered exponentials. The second paper presents a general review of quantum Monte Carlo methods used in the present book. One of the most challenging problems in the field of quantum Monte Carlo techniques, the negative-sign problem, is also discussed and new methods proposed to partially overcome it. In addition, low-dimensional quantum spin systems are studied. Some interesting applications of quantum Monte Carlo methods to fermion systems are also presented to investigate the role of strong correlations and fluctuations of electrons and to clarify the mechanism of high-Tc superconductivity. Not only thermal properties but also quantum-mechanical ground-state properties have been studied by the projection technique using auxiliary fields. Further, the Haldane gap is confirmed by numerical calculations. Active researchers in the forefront of condensed matter physics as well as young graduate students who want to start learning the quantum Monte Carlo methods will find this book useful.
Publisher: World Scientific
ISBN: 9814602337
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 378
Book Description
This book reviews recent developments of quantum Monte Carlo methods and some remarkable applications to interacting quantum spin systems and strongly correlated electron systems. It contains twenty-two papers by thirty authors. Some of the features are as follows. The first paper gives the foundations of the standard quantum Monte Carlo method, including some recent results on higher-order decompositions of exponential operators and ordered exponentials. The second paper presents a general review of quantum Monte Carlo methods used in the present book. One of the most challenging problems in the field of quantum Monte Carlo techniques, the negative-sign problem, is also discussed and new methods proposed to partially overcome it. In addition, low-dimensional quantum spin systems are studied. Some interesting applications of quantum Monte Carlo methods to fermion systems are also presented to investigate the role of strong correlations and fluctuations of electrons and to clarify the mechanism of high-Tc superconductivity. Not only thermal properties but also quantum-mechanical ground-state properties have been studied by the projection technique using auxiliary fields. Further, the Haldane gap is confirmed by numerical calculations. Active researchers in the forefront of condensed matter physics as well as young graduate students who want to start learning the quantum Monte Carlo methods will find this book useful.
String Theory Methods for Condensed Matter Physics
Author: Horatiu Nastase
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1316851648
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 631
Book Description
The discovery of a duality between Anti-de Sitter spaces (AdS) and Conformal Field Theories (CFT) has led to major advances in our understanding of quantum field theory and quantum gravity. String theory methods and AdS/CFT correspondence maps provide new ways to think about difficult condensed matter problems. String theory methods based on the AdS/CFT correspondence allow us to transform problems so they have weak interactions and can be solved more easily. They can also help map problems to different descriptions, for instance mapping the description of a fluid using the Navier–Stokes equations to the description of an event horizon of a black hole using Einstein's equations. This textbook covers the applications of string theory methods and the mathematics of AdS/CFT to areas of condensed matter physics. Bridging the gap between string theory and condensed matter, this is a valuable textbook for students and researchers in both fields.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1316851648
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 631
Book Description
The discovery of a duality between Anti-de Sitter spaces (AdS) and Conformal Field Theories (CFT) has led to major advances in our understanding of quantum field theory and quantum gravity. String theory methods and AdS/CFT correspondence maps provide new ways to think about difficult condensed matter problems. String theory methods based on the AdS/CFT correspondence allow us to transform problems so they have weak interactions and can be solved more easily. They can also help map problems to different descriptions, for instance mapping the description of a fluid using the Navier–Stokes equations to the description of an event horizon of a black hole using Einstein's equations. This textbook covers the applications of string theory methods and the mathematics of AdS/CFT to areas of condensed matter physics. Bridging the gap between string theory and condensed matter, this is a valuable textbook for students and researchers in both fields.
Condensed Matter Physics and Exactly Soluble Models
Author: Elliott H. Lieb
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3662063905
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 645
Book Description
This is the third Selecta of publications of Elliott Lieb, the first two being Stabil ity of Matter: From Atoms to Stars, edited by Walter Thirring, and Inequalities, edited by Michael Loss and Mary Beth Ruskai. A companion fourth Selecta on Statistical Mechanics is also edited by us. Elliott Lieb has been a pioneer of the discipline of mathematical physics as it is nowadays understood and continues to lead several of its most active directions today. For the first part of this selecta we have made a selection of Lieb's works on Condensed Matter Physics. The impact of Lieb's work in mathematical con densed matter physics is unrivaled. It is fair to say that if one were to name a founding father of the field, Elliott Lieb would be the only candidate to claim this singular position. While in related fields, such as Statistical Mechanics and Atomic Physics, many key problems are readily formulated in unambiguous mathematical form, this is less so in Condensed Matter Physics, where some say that rigor is "probably impossible and certainly unnecessary". By carefully select ing the most important questions and formulating them as well-defined mathemat ical problems, and then solving a good number of them, Lieb has demonstrated the quoted opinion to be erroneous on both counts. What is true, however, is that many of these problems turn out to be very hard. It is not unusual that they take a decade (even several decades) to solve.
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3662063905
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 645
Book Description
This is the third Selecta of publications of Elliott Lieb, the first two being Stabil ity of Matter: From Atoms to Stars, edited by Walter Thirring, and Inequalities, edited by Michael Loss and Mary Beth Ruskai. A companion fourth Selecta on Statistical Mechanics is also edited by us. Elliott Lieb has been a pioneer of the discipline of mathematical physics as it is nowadays understood and continues to lead several of its most active directions today. For the first part of this selecta we have made a selection of Lieb's works on Condensed Matter Physics. The impact of Lieb's work in mathematical con densed matter physics is unrivaled. It is fair to say that if one were to name a founding father of the field, Elliott Lieb would be the only candidate to claim this singular position. While in related fields, such as Statistical Mechanics and Atomic Physics, many key problems are readily formulated in unambiguous mathematical form, this is less so in Condensed Matter Physics, where some say that rigor is "probably impossible and certainly unnecessary". By carefully select ing the most important questions and formulating them as well-defined mathemat ical problems, and then solving a good number of them, Lieb has demonstrated the quoted opinion to be erroneous on both counts. What is true, however, is that many of these problems turn out to be very hard. It is not unusual that they take a decade (even several decades) to solve.
Computational Methods in Condensed Matter: Electronic Structure
Author: A.A. Katsnelson
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9780883188651
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 220
Book Description
"Blurb & Contents" This current and comprehensive treatment of the physics of small- amplitude waves in hot magnetized plasmas provides a thorough update of the author's classic Theory of Plasma Waves. New topics include quasi-linear theory, inhomogeneous plasmas, collisions, absolute and convective instability, and mode conversion. Valuable for graduates and advanced undergraduates and an indispensable reference work for researchers in plasmas, controlled fusion, and space science.
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9780883188651
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 220
Book Description
"Blurb & Contents" This current and comprehensive treatment of the physics of small- amplitude waves in hot magnetized plasmas provides a thorough update of the author's classic Theory of Plasma Waves. New topics include quasi-linear theory, inhomogeneous plasmas, collisions, absolute and convective instability, and mode conversion. Valuable for graduates and advanced undergraduates and an indispensable reference work for researchers in plasmas, controlled fusion, and space science.
Methods of Fracture Mechanics: Solid Matter Physics
Author: G.P. Cherepanov
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9401722625
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 334
Book Description
Modern fracture mechanics considers phenomena at many levels, macro and micro; it is therefore inextricably linked to methods of theoretical and mathematical physics. This book introduces these sophisticated methods in a straightforward manner. The methods are applied to several important phenomena of solid state physics which impinge on fracture mechanics: adhesion, defect nucleation and growth, dislocation emission, sintering, the electron beam effect and fractal cracks. The book shows how the mathematical models for such processes may be set up, and how the equations so formulated may be solved and interpreted. The many open problems which are encountered will provide topics for MSc and PhD theses in fracture mechanics, and in theoretical and experimental physics. As a supplementary text, the book can be used in graduate level courses on fracture mechanics, solid matter physics, and mechanics of solids, or in a special course on the application of fracture mechanics methods in solid matter physics.
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9401722625
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 334
Book Description
Modern fracture mechanics considers phenomena at many levels, macro and micro; it is therefore inextricably linked to methods of theoretical and mathematical physics. This book introduces these sophisticated methods in a straightforward manner. The methods are applied to several important phenomena of solid state physics which impinge on fracture mechanics: adhesion, defect nucleation and growth, dislocation emission, sintering, the electron beam effect and fractal cracks. The book shows how the mathematical models for such processes may be set up, and how the equations so formulated may be solved and interpreted. The many open problems which are encountered will provide topics for MSc and PhD theses in fracture mechanics, and in theoretical and experimental physics. As a supplementary text, the book can be used in graduate level courses on fracture mechanics, solid matter physics, and mechanics of solids, or in a special course on the application of fracture mechanics methods in solid matter physics.