Biophysical Chemistry

“Two prestigious authors, Maiani (physics, La Sapienza Univ. of Rome) and Benhar (research director, Institute for Nuclear Physics, Italy) have collaborated on this excellent work. The authors suggest that the reader must have a background in classical mechanics, quantum mechanics, and relativity prior to delving into this work. The first three chapters give a solid review of relativity, mechanics, and Lagrangian theory. Further chapters discuss the quantization of the electromagnetic fields and provide a thorough treatment of the Dirac equation. Of special interest is the discussion about the relation between spin and statistics, a topic often omitted in similar books. Subsequent chapters deal with propagators and interactions of electromagnetic, weak, and strong forces. After a discussion of perturbation theory, the book considers discrete symmetries, including a subsection on the CPT Theorem. Weyl and Majorana neutrinos, as well as neutrino oscillations, are discussed in some detail in later chapters. The appendix presents a useful review of key aspects of quantum mechanics.Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above.”–J. F. Burkhart, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, in the January 2017 issue of CHOICE

“Recently I had the great pleasure of reading a draft of Luciano Maiani’s book Electroweak Interactions. I praised the primacy of physical principles over formal aspects. The same spirit prevails in the present volume Relativistic Quantum Mechanics, which belongs to the same series. Every concept is introduced as a result of simple physical arguments. By following this book, students will understand the basis of relativistic invariance, that of the relativistic wave equations and the systematics of perturbation theory. They will get everything needed for the study of the gauge theories of particle physics and they will realize that this road points unmistakably to a fully relativistic quantum field theory. I understand that its formal development will be the subject of the third volume in the series. I have fully enjoyed reading the first two books and I am looking forward to the pleasure of reading the third one.”–John Iliopoulos, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris

“The authors masterfully guide the reader through the most direct approaches to constructions of relativistic quantum mechanics and fundamentals of quantum field theory and further to illustrative examples of application to physical processes. The material is presented with exceptional clarity and attention to subtleties of the subject. The book can provide a solid theoretical foundation for students aspiring to become experts in the field of elementary particle physics and can serve as a reference for students and researchers in other sub-fields of physics.”–Mikhail Voloshin, Professor of Physics, University of Minnesota

Dagmar Klostermeier is of the University of Muenster, Germany.

Markus G. Rudolph is of the Pharma Research & Early Development Division in the Roche Group, Switzerland.