Modern Physics: A critical approach

Description

Intended for science and engineering students with a background in introductory physics and calculus, this textbook creates a bridge between classical and modern physics, filling the gap between descriptive elementary texts and formal graduate textbooks. The book presents the main topics and concepts of special relativity and quantum mechanics, starting from the basic aspects of classical physics and analysing these topics within a modern physics frame. The classical experiments that gave rise to modern physics are also critically discussed, and special emphasis is devoted to solid state physics and its relationship with modern physics. Key Features Creates a bridge between classical and modern physics, filling the gap between elementary and formal/theoretical textsTakes a critical approach, arguing that the difficulty with describing modern physics phenomena can be transformed into cultural challenges which require new forms of reasoningDiscusses solid-state physics and its relationship with modern physicsIncludes details of classic experiments, including computer‐assisted experiments that can help demonstrate modern physics principlesIncludes practice exercises and applets that simulate key concepts PRELIMS.pdf Preface Acknowledgements Editor biography Canio Noce Contributors Outline placeholder Carmine Attanasio Francesco Avitabile Antonio Capolupo Mario Cuoco Roberto De Luca Marco Di Mauro Marco Figliolia Veronica Granata Delia Guerra Lazzaro Immediata Antonio Leo Maria Teresa Mercaldo Martina Moccaldi Angela Nigro Canio Noce Sergio Pagano Ileana Rabuffo Alfonso Romano Marcello Sette Alessandro Sorgente Antonio Stabile Antonio Vecchione CH001.pdf Chapter 1 The basic concepts of classical physics as a useful path towards modern physics 1.1 The Newton principles of dynamics 1.1.1 The principle of relativity and the first principle 1.1.2 The second principle 1.1.3 The third principle 1.2 Work and energy 1.2.1 The concept of work 1.2.2 The concept of kinetic energy 1.2.3 The concept of potential energy and the principle of conservation of mechanical energy 1.3 Angular momentum 1.4 Symmetries and conservation laws 1.5 A brief description of waves 1.5.1 General remarks 1.5.2 Mathematical description 1.5.3 Interference and diffraction 1.6 Maxwell’s equations and electromagnetic waves 1.6.1 The integral and the differential forms of Maxwell’s equations 1.6.2 Electromagnetic waves References CH002.pdf Chapter 2 Transition from classical physics to quantum physics: the role of interference 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Light 2.2.1 Corpuscular theory 2.2.2 Wave theory 2.2.3 Classic electromagnetic theory 2.2.4 Quantum theory 2.3 Light as a wave 2.3.1 What is a wave? 2.3.2 Electromagnetic waves 2.3.3 Classification of electromagnetic waves 2.4 Electromagnetism 2.4.1 History 2.4.2 Maxwell’s equations 2.5 Interference 2.6 The Michelson and Morley experiment 2.6.1 Conclusions 2.7 Gravitational interferometers 2.7.1 The LIGO interferometer 2.7.2 The VIRGO interferometer 2.7.3 The future of gravitational interferometers 2.7.4 Another use of interferometers References CH003.pdf Chapter 3 Special relativity: an introduction 3.1 Kinematics and dynamics 3.1.1 Reference systems and events 3.1.2 Transformations and principles of relativity 3.1.3 Einstein’s relativity 3.1.4 Some important implications 3.1.5 Further work 3.2 Relativistic field transformations 3.2.1 Fields transformations in special relativity 3.2.2 Applications Appendix A.1 Relativistic invariance of Maxwell’s equations References CH004.pdf Chapter 4 What happens to light when it passes through a prism? The early history of spectroscopy 4.1 Spectroscopy 4.1.1 The origin and development of optical spectroscopy 4.1.2 Refraction and dispersion 4.1.3 The hydrogen atom spectrum 4.1.4 Atomic theory 4.1.5 Optical spectroscopy analysis 4.2 Measuring the line spectra of inert gases and metal vapours using a prism spectrometer 4.2.1 General description of the experiment 4.2.2 Carrying out the experiment References CH005.pdf Chapter 5 Electrical resistivity measurements reveal transport properties 5.1 Introduction 5.2 General considerations 5.3 Basic methods 5.3.1 The direct method 5.3.2 The two-point probe method 5.3.3 Linear four-point probes 5.3.4 Non-collinear probe spacing 5.3.5 Square array 5.3.6 The Delta four-point probe 5.3.7 The over–under probe 5.4 The van der Pauw method 5.4.1 Methods for measuring resistivity: the case of a flat sample of arbitrary shape 5.4.2 A method for measuring the Hall coefficient 5.5 Conclusions References CH006.pdf Chapter 6 The electromagnetic theory of thermal radiation 6.1 Thermal radiation 6.2 Kirchhoff theorem: definition of a black-body 6.2.1 Absorption and emission coefficients 6.3 Proof for the Stefan–Boltzmann equation (6.7) 6.4 Proof of Wien’s law (6.8) 6.4.1 Wien’s displacement law 6.5 Planck oscillators and the Rayleigh–Jeans law 6.6 Planck’s law 6.6.1 Obtaining the Stefan–Boltzmann law from Planck’s formula 6.6.2 Special cases of Planck’s law 6.6.3 Wien’s displacement law from Planck’s formula 6.7 Some applications 6.7.1 The Sun as a black-body 6.7.2 Luminous intensity on Earth 6.7.3 TRAPPIST-1 6.7.4 Comparison of stars References CH007.pdf Chapter 7 The dawn of quantum mechanics 7.1 Introduction 7.2 The photoelectric effect 7.3 The Compton effect 7.4 Atomic spectra 7.5 Atomic models 7.5.1 The Thomson model 7.5.2 The Rutherford model 7.5.3 The Bohr model 7.6 The Franck–Hertz experiment 7.7 The wave–particle duality 7.8 The double-slit experiment References CH008.pdf Chapter 8 Key concepts in quantum mechanics 8.1 The history of quantum theory 8.1.1 Experiments with unexpected results 8.2 Novel mechanics and novel principles 8.2.1 Classical principles 8.2.2 The definition of a state 8.2.3 Quantum principles 8.3 Applications and developments 8.3.1 Properties of the wave function 8.3.2 Free particles in classical and quantum mechanics 8.3.3 An infinitely deep potential well 8.3.4 The surprises do not stop: quantum tunnelling 8.3.5 The harmonic oscillator: an overview 8.3.6 General discussion of 1D problems in quantum mechanics 8.4 Interpretational issues 8.4.1 The measurement problem and the Copenhagen interpretation 8.4.2 Quantum paradoxes 8.4.3 Alternative interpretations and ‘ontology’ of the state Appendix A On the continuity of the first derivative of the wave function B Derivation of the uncertainty relations References CH009.pdf Chapter 9 Early attempts to make many-particle physics simple 9.1 Introduction 9.2 Kinetic theory of gases and specific heats: the classical treatment 9.2.1 Statistical mechanics and thermodynamics: from micro to macro 9.2.2 Kinetic theory of gases: a first glance 9.2.3 The Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution 9.2.4 Specific heats of gases and solids 9.3 Transport properties of electrons in metals 9.3.1 Thermal conduction in the Drude model 9.4 A taste of quantum statistics 9.4.1 Classical versus quantum statistics 9.4.2 Bose–Einstein statistics 9.4.3 Fermi–Dirac statistics 9.4.4 The specific heat of solids Appendices A. Derivation of equation (9.23) B. Derivation of equation (9.30) References CH010.pdf Chapter 10 How to look deep inside matter: scanning electron microscopy 10.1 Introduction 10.2 Microscopy 10.2.1 The optical microscope and its limitations 10.2.2 Scanning electron microscopy 10.2.3 SEM components 10.2.4 SEM imaging 10.3 Compositional analysis in an electron microscope 10.3.1 X-ray spectroscopy 10.3.2 Energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) 10.3.3 Bragg reflection 10.3.4 Wavelength dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (WDS) References CH011.pdf Chapter 11 The second revolution of quantum mechanics: a path for beginners from superconductivity to quantum computers 11.1 Introduction: the quantum world in a nutshell 11.2 Superconductivity: symmetry and quantum mechanics at the macroscopic scale 11.3 Engineering quantum bits with superconductors 11.4 The quantum world and quantum computers 11.5 A quantum algorithm 11.6 Exercise solutions References CH012.pdf Chapter 12 A new quantum era: from quantum optics to quantum technologies 12.1 Introduction 12.2 Quantum optics and the quantum theory of coherence 12.3 Quantum computing and quantum information 12.4 The role of quantum optics in quantum information 12.5 Quantum technologies 12.5.1 The quantum teleportation protocol 12.5.2 Quantum metrology and quantum state engineering 12.5.3 Quantum memory 12.6 Conclusions and outlook References CH013.pdf Chapter 13 The Thomson experiment: cathode rays are still hot 13.1 Introduction 13.2 History of cathode rays 13.3 The physics behind the experiments 13.4 The experimental set-up 13.5 How to determine the electron charge-to-mass ratio Acknowledgements Appendix A Helmholtz coils B Evaluation of the bending radius for the classical variant of the experiment References CH014.pdf Chapter 14 The Millikan oil drop experiment 14.1 Introduction 14.2 Historical introduction 14.3 Description of the experiment 14.4 The dynamics of an oil droplet in a condenser 14.5 Description of the experimental apparatus 14.6 Measurement of the electric charge 14.7 The experimental procedure 14.8 Data analysis Acknowledgements Appendices A. Moving in a viscous fluid B. Corrections to Stokes’ law C. The static method References CH015.pdf Chapter 15 The Davisson–Germer experiment 15.1 Introduction 15.2 Historical introduction 15.3 Description of instrumentation 15.4 Measurement of the reticular step of graphite 15.4.1 Theoretical outline 15.4.2 Experimental part Acknowledgements Appendix A Relativistic approximation References CH016.pdf Chapter 16 Current transport and light emission in semiconductors: a simple way to determine the Planck constant 16.1 Introduction 16.2 The structure of matter 16.3 Electrical conductivity of materials 16.4 Semiconductors 16.4.1 Doped semiconductors 16.4.2 P–n junctions and diodes 16.5 Experimental determination of the Planck constant 16.6 Conclusions References CH017.pdf Chapter 17 Graded exercises and problems in modern physics 17.1 Relativistic physics Exercise 1 Exercise 2 Exercise 3 Exercise 4 Exercise 5 Exercise 6 Exercise 7 Exercise 8 Exercise 9 Exercise 10 Exercise 11 Exercise 12 Exercise 13 Problem 1 Problem 2 Problem 3 17.2 Quantum physics Exercise 1 Exercise 2 Exercise 3 Exercise 4 Exercise 5 Exercise 6 Exercise 7 Exercise 8 Exercise 9 Exercise 10 Exercise 11 Exercise 12 Exercise 13 Problem 1 Problem 2 Problem 3 CH018.pdf Chapter 18 Using applets to learn modern physics 18.1 Time dilation and length contraction shown in space–time frames 18.2 Finite potential well 18.3 Walking through the wall: the quantum tunnelling effect Reference