List of important publications in physics
Template:ORList This is a list of important publications in physics, organized by field.
Some reasons why a particular publication might be regarded as important:
- Topic creator – A publication that created a new topic
- Breakthrough – A publication that changed scientific knowledge significantly
- Influence – A publication which has significantly influenced the world or has had a massive impact on the teaching of physics.
Optics
Book of Optics — Ibn al-Haytham
- Ibn al-Haytham (Alhacen)
Description: The Book of Optics (Arabic: Kitab al-Manazir, Latin: De Aspectibus) is a seven volume treatise on optics and physics, written by the Muslim scientist Ibn al-Haytham (Latinized as Alhacen or Alhazen in Europe), and published in 1021.
Traité de la Lumiere (A Treatise on Light) — Christiaan Huygens
- Christiaan Huygens - A Treatise on Light
Huygens' treatise on light was not appreciated in its time until much later due to the mistaken zeal with which formerly everything that conflicted with the cherished ideas of Newton was denounced by his followers. Despite that, Huygens attained a remarkably clear understanding of the principles of wave-propagation; and his exposition of the subject marks an epoch in the treatment of Optical problems.
Papers on optical phenomena — Augustin-Jean Fresnel
- Augustin-Jean Fresnel - Papers on optical phenomena
Work by Thomas Young and Fresnel provided a comprehensive picture of the propagation of light.
The Frequency comb papers
- "Accurate Measurement of Large Optical Frequency Differences with a Mode-Locked Laser" [1] Th. Udem, J. Reichert, R. Holzwarth, and T. W. Hänsch, Opt. Lett., 24, 881 (1999).
- "Measuring the Frequency of Light with Mode-Locked Lasers"[2] J. Reichert, R. Holzwarth, Th. Udem, and T. W. Hänsch, Opt. Commun. 172, 59 (1999).
- "Optical Frequency Metrology", Th.Udem, R.Holzwarth, and T.W.Hänsch,
Nature 416, 233 (2002).
Description: The Frequency comb technique was presented in few papers. The earlier presented the main idea but last is the one often cited. Importance:
Classical mechanics
Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Mathematical principles of natural philosophy) – Isaac Newton
Description: The Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Latin: "mathematical principles of natural philosophy", often Principia or Principia Mathematica for short) is a three-volume work by Isaac Newton published on July 5, 1687. One of the most influential scientific books ever published, it contains the statement of Newton's laws of motion forming the foundation of classical mechanics as well as his law of universal gravitation. He derives Kepler's laws for the motion of the planets (which were first obtained empirically).
Importance: Topic creator, Breakthrough, Influence
Mécanique Analytique (Analytical mechanics) — Joseph Louis Lagrange
- Joseph Louis Lagrange (1788)
Description: Lagrange's masterpiece on mechanics and hydrodynamics. Based largely on the calculus of variations, this work introduced Lagrangian mechanics including the notion of virtual work, generalized coordinates, and the Lagrangian. Lagrange also further developed the principle of least action and introduced the Lagrangian reference frame for fluid flow.
Classical Mechanics — Herbert Goldstein
Description: A standard graduate textbook on classical mechanics, considered a good book on the subject.
Importance: Introduction
Special theory of relativity
Zur Elektrodynamik bewegter Körper (On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies) — Albert Einstein
- Albert Einstein
- Annalen der Physik. June 30, 1905
- On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies,[3] Zur Elektrodynamik bewegter Körper[4]
Description: Special relativity, developed in 1905, only considers observers in inertial reference frames which are in uniform motion with respect to each other. Einstein's paper that year was called "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies". While developing this theory, Einstein wrote to Mileva (his wife) about "our work on relative motion". This paper introduced the special theory of relativity, a theory of time, distance, mass and energy. The theory postulates that the speed of light in vacuum will be the same for these observers. Special relativity solved the puzzle that had been apparent since the Michelson-Morley experiment, which had failed to show that light waves were travelling through any medium (other known waves travelled through media - such as water or air). It had been suggested that light waves actually did not travel through any medium: the speed of light was thus fixed, and not relative to the movement of the observer. This was impossible under Newtonian classical mechanics however, and Einstein provided a new system which allowed for this.
Importance: Topic creator, Breakthrough, Influence
The Theory of Relativity — Ludwik Silberstein
Description: This pioneering textbook drew together the now well-known developments of H. A. Lorentz, A. Einstein, and H. Minkowski. It uses concepts developed in the then-current textbooks (e.g. Vector Analysis and Bonola: Non-Euclidean Geometry) to provide entry into mathematical physics including a vector-based introduction to quaternions and a primer on matrix notation for linear transformations of 4-vectors. The ten chapters are composed of 4 on kinematics, 3 on quaternion methods, and 3 on electromagnetism. Silberstein uses biquaternions to develop Minkowski space and Lorentz transformations. The second edition published in 1924 extended relativity into gravitation theory with tensor methods, but was superseded by Eddington's text. The book has a conversational style and is provided with references in footnotes.
Importance: Influence
Spacetime Physics — Edwin F. Taylor and John Archibald Wheeler
- Edwin F. Taylor, John Archibald Wheeler
- W. H. Freeman (2nd edition 1992) ISBN 0716723271
Description: A modern introduction to special relativity, that explains well how the choice to divide spacetime into a time part and a space part is no different than two choices about how to assign coordinates to the surface of the earth. Suitable for self-study.
Importance: Introduction
General theory of relativity
Die Grundlage der allgemeinen Relativitätstheorie (The Foundation of the General Theory of Relativity) — Albert Einstein
- Albert Einstein
- Annalen der Physik. , 1916
- The Foundation of the General Theory of Relativity,[5] Die Grundlage der allgemeinen Relativitätstheorie.[6]
Importance: Topic creator, Breakthrough, Influence
The Mathematical Theory of Relativity — Arthur Stanley Eddington
- Arthur Stanley Eddington
- Cambridge University Press, 1923, 1924
Description: This textbook is a tour-de-force of tensor calculus, developed in Chapter II. By page 83 he has deduced the Schwarzschild metric for the domain of events around an isolated massive particle. By page 92 he has explained the advance of the perihelion of the planets, the deflection of light, and displacement of Fraunhofer lines. Electromagnetism is relegated to Chapter VI (pp. 170–195), and later (p. 223) The bifurcation of geometry and electrodynamics. This text, with its ambitious development of pseudo-Riemannian geometry for gravitational theory, set an austere standard with relativity enthusiasts. Gone is any mention of quaternions or hyperbolic geometry since tensor calculus subsumes them. Thus for learning the mechanics of modern relativity this text still serves, but for motivation and context of the special theory, Silberstein is better.
Importance: Influence
Gravitation — Misner, Thorne, and Wheeler
- Charles W. Misner, Kip S. Thorne, and John Archibald Wheeler
- W. H. Freeman, 1973
Description: A book on gravitation (often considered the "Bible" by researchers for its prominence) by Misner, Thorne, and Wheeler. Published by W.H. Freeman and Company in 1973. A massive tome of over 1200 pages, the book covers all aspects of the General Theory of Relativity and also considers some extensions and experimental confirmation. The book is divided into two "tracks", the second of which covers more advanced topics.
Importance: Introduction, Influence
Quantum theory
On the Law of Distribution of Energy in the Normal Spectrum — Max Planck
- Max Planck
- Ueber das Gesetz der Energieverteilung im Normalspectrum[7] Annalen der Physik, vol. 309, issue 3 pp. 553–63 (1901).
- On the Law of Distribution of Energy in the Normal Spectrum.[8]
Description: In physics, the intensity spectrum of electromagnetic radiation from a black body at temperature T is given by the Planck's law of black body radiation:
where:
- ν is the frequency
- I(ν) is the amount of energy per unit time per unit surface per unit solid angle emitted in the frequency range between ν and ν+δν [W m-2 Hz-1 sr-1];
- h is Planck's constant,:
- c is the speed of light and
- k is Boltzmann's constant.
Max Planck originally produced this law in 1900 (published in 1901) in an attempt to interpolate between the Rayleigh–Jeans law (which worked at long wavelengths) and Wien's law (which worked at short wavelengths). He found that the above function fit the data for all wavelengths remarkably well.
This paper is considered to be the beginning of quantum theory.
Importance: Topic creator, Breakthrough, Influence
The Principles of Quantum Mechanics — P. A. M. Dirac
Description: Quantum mechanics as explained by one of the founders of the field, Paul Dirac. First edition published on 29 May 1930.
Importance: Introduction, Influence, Historical importance. The second to the last chapter is particularly interesting because of its prediction of the positron.
Table of contents:
- The Principle of Superposition
- Dynamical Variables and Observables
- Representations
- The Quantum Conditions
- The Equations of Motion
- Elementary Applications
- Perturbation Theory
- Collision Problems
- Systems containing several similar particles
- Theory of Radiation
- Relativistic Theory of the electron
- Quantum Electrodynamics
Thermodynamics
An Experimental Enquiry Concerning the Source of the Heat which is Excited by Friction — Benjamin Thompson
- Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford (1798). "An Experimental Enquiry Concerning the Source of the Heat which is Excited by Friction". Philosophical Transaction of the Royal Society: 102.
Description: Observations of the generation of heat during the boring of cannons led Rumford to reject the caloric theory and to contend that heat was a form of motion.
Importance: Influence
On the Equilibrium of Heterogeneous Substances — Willard Gibbs
- Gibbs, J. Willard (1875–1878). On the Equilibrium of Heterogeneous Substances. Connecticut Acad. Sci. ISBN 0849396859.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date format (link) Reprinted in- Gibbs, J. Willard (1993). The Scientific Papers of J. Willard Gibbs (Vol. 1). Ox Bow Press. ISBN 0-918024-77-3.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - Gibbs, J. Willard (1994). The Scientific Papers of J. Willard Gibbs (Vol. 2). Ox Bow Press. ISBN 1-881987-06-X.
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- Gibbs, J. Willard (1993). The Scientific Papers of J. Willard Gibbs (Vol. 1). Ox Bow Press. ISBN 0-918024-77-3.
Description: Between 1876 and 1878 Gibbs wrote a series of papers collectively entitled "On the Equilibrium of Heterogeneous Substances", considered one of the greatest achievements in physical science in the 19th century and the foundation of the science of physical chemistry. In these papers Gibbs applied thermodynamics to the interpretation of physicochemical phenomena and showed the explanation and interrelationship of what had been known only as isolated, inexplicable facts. Gibbs' papers on heterogeneous equilibria included:
- Some chemical potential concepts
- Some free energy concepts
- A Gibbsian ensemble ideal (basis of the statistical mechanics field)
- A phase rule
Importance:
Classical and Statistical Thermodynamics — Ashley H. Carter and Benjamin Cummings
- Ashley H. Carter
- Benjamin Cummings (2000) ISBN 0137792085
Description: Covers the phenomenological basis of classical thermodynamics itself and also the statistical theory, without assuming the reader already knows statistics or quantum mechanics. Truly an introductory text, you can pick it up after taking advanced calculus and first year general physics and a semester later know about Bose-Einstein condensation, population inversions, and even information theory.
Importance: Introduction
Statistical mechanics
Über die von der molekularkinetischen Theorie der Wärme geforderte Bewegung von in ruhenden Flüssigkeiten suspendierten Teilchen (Brownian motion) — Albert Einstein
- Einstein, Albert (1905). "Über die von der molekularkinetischen Theorie der Wärme geforderte Bewegung von in ruhenden Flüssigkeiten suspendierten Teilchen (On the movement of small particles suspended in a stationary liquid demanded by the molecular-kinetic theory of heat)" (PDF). Ann. Phys. 17 (549). [dead link]
Description: In this publication Einstein covered his study of Brownian motion, and provided empirical evidence for the existence of atoms.
Importance:
Scaling laws for Ising models near Tc — Leo P. Kadanoff
- Leo P. Kadanoff
- Physics 2, p. 263 (1966).
Description: Introduces the real space view on the renormalization group, and explains using this concept some relations between the scaling exponents of the Ising model.
Importance: Topic creator, breakthrough, influence
The renormalization group: critical phenomena and the Kondo problem — Kenneth Wilson
- Kenneth Wilson
- Rev. Mod. Phys. 47, 4, p. 773-840[9] (1974)
Description: Application of the renormalization group to the solution of the Kondo problem. The author was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1982 because of this work.
Importance: Breakthrough, influence
Equation of State Calculations by Fast Computing Machines — Metropolis, Rosenbluth, Rosenbluth, Teller, and Teller
- Nicholas Metropolis, Arianna W. Rosenbluth, Marshall N. Rosenbluth, Augusta H. Teller, and Edward Teller
- N. Metropolis, A.W. Rosenbluth, M.N. Rosenbluth, A.H. Teller, and E. Teller (1953). "Equation of State Calculations by Fast Computing Machines". Journal of Chemical Physics. 21 (6): 1087–1092. Bibcode:1953JChPh..21.1087M. doi:10.1063/1.1699114.
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Description: Introduces the Metropolis Monte Carlo method with periodic boundary conditions and applies it to the numerical simulation of a fluid. Importance: Topic creator
Electromagnetism
Experimental Researches in Electricity — Michael Faraday
- Michael Faraday
- Experimental Researches in Electricity, vols. i. and ii., Richard and John Edward Taylor, vols. i. and ii. (1844 and 1847); vol. iii. (1844); vol. iii. Richard Taylor and William Francis (1855);
- "Experimental Researches in Electricity" by Michael Faraday Rack1.ul.cs.cmu.edu Original text with Biographical Introduction by Professor John Tyndall, 1914, Everyman edition.
Description: Faraday's law of induction and research in electromagnetism
Importance:
A Dynamical Theory of the Electromagnetic Field — James Clerk Maxwell
- James Clerk Maxwell
- Maxwell, James Clerk, "A Dynamical Theory of the Electromagnetic Field". 1865.
Description: "A Dynamical Theory of the Electromagnetic Field" was the third of James Clerk Maxwell's papers concerned with electromagnetism. The concept of displacement current was introduced, so that it became possible to derive equations of electromagnetic wave. It was the first paper in which Maxwell's equations appeared.
Importance: Topic creator, breakthrough, influence
Classical Electrodynamics — J. D. Jackson
- John David Jackson
- Wiley (3rd edition 1998) ISBN 047130932X
Description: The defining graduate-level introductory text.
Importance: Influence, Introduction
Introduction to Electrodynamics — David Griffiths
- David Griffiths
- Prentice Hall. (3rd edition 1998) ISBN 0-13-805326-X.
Description: A standard undergraduate introductory text.
Importance: Introduction
Fluid dynamics
An experimental investigation of the circumstances which determine whether the motion of water shall be direct or sinuous, and of the law of resistance in parallel channels — Osbourne Reynolds
- Osbourne Reynolds
- Philosophical Transactions, vol. 174, (1883).
Description: Introduces the dimensionless Reynolds number, investigating the critical Reynolds number for transition from laminar to turbulent flow.
The local structure of turbulence in incompressible viscous fluid for very large Reynolds numbers — A.N. Kolmogorov
- A.N. Kolmogorov
- "Локальная структура турбулентности в несжимаемой жидкости при очень больших числах Рейнольдса". Doklady Akademii Nauk SSSR. 30: 299–303. 1941. Reprinted in Proc. Roy. Soc. A 434, p. 9 (1991).
Description: Introduces the only quantitative theory on turbulence which has survived the test of time.
Importance: Breakthrough, Influence
Statistical fluid mechanics — A.S. Monin and A.M. Yaglom
- A.S. Monin, A.M. Yaglom
- The MIT press (1971). First edition in Russian by Nauka (1965).
Description: The most important review text on turbulence.
Importance: Relevant textbook.
Nonlinear dynamics and chaos
Deterministic nonperiodic flow — Edward Lorenz
- Edward Lorenz
- Deterministic nonperiodic flow[10] Journal of Atmospheric Sciences, vol. 20, p. 130-148 (1963).
Description: A finite system of deterministic nonlinear ordinary differential equations is introduced to represent forced dissipative hydrodynamic flow, simulating simple phenomena in the real atmosphere. All of the solutions are found to be unstable, and most of them nonperiodic, thus forcing to reevaluate the feasibility of long-term weather prediction. In this paper the Lorenz attractor is presented for the first time, and gave the first hint of what is now known as butterfly effect.
Importance: Topic creator, Breakthrough
Period Three Implies Chaos — T.Y. Li and J.A. Yorke
- T.Y. Li and J.A. Yorke.
- Period Three Implies Chaos[11] American Mathematical Monthly 82, pp. 985–992, (1975).
Quantum field theory
Space-Time approach to Quantum Electrodynamics — Richard P. Feynman
- Richard P. Feynman
- Space-Time approach to Quantum Electrodynamics[12] Physical Review, vol. 76, 6, p. 769 (1949).
Description: Introduction of the Feynman diagrams approach to quantum electrodynamics.
Importance: Topic creator, Breakthrough, Influence
An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory — Michael E. Peskin and Daniel V. Schroeder
- Michael E. Peskin and Daniel V. Schroeder
- Addison-Wesley Advanced Book Program (1995).
Description: Standard graduate textbook in quantum field theory.
Importance: Introduction
Astrophysics
Velocity dispersions and mass-to-light ratios for elliptical galaxies — S. M. Faber and R. E. Jackson
- Sandra M. Faber and Robert Jackson
- Velocity dispersions and mass-to-light ratios for elliptical galaxies[13] Astrophysical Journal, vol. 204, 6, p. 668 (1976).
Description: Introduction of the Faber-Jackson law relating galaxy luminosity and velocity dispersion
Importance: Topic creator, Influence
A new method of determining distances to galaxies — R. B. Tully and J. R. Fisher
- Brent Tully and J. R. Fisher
- A new method of determining distances to galaxies[14] Astronomy and Astrophysics, vol. 54, 3, p. 661-673 (1977).
Description: Introduction of the Tully-Fisher relation between galaxy luminosity and rotation-curve amplitude
Importance: Topic creator, Influence
A fundamental relation between supermassive black Holes and their host galaxies — L. Ferrarese and D. Merritt
- Laura Ferrarese and David Merritt
- A fundamental relation between supermassive black holes and their host galaxies[15] Astrophysical Journal Letters, vol. 539, 1, p. L9-L12 (2000).
Description: Introduction of the M-sigma relation between black hole mass and galaxy velocity dispersion
Importance: Topic creator, Breakthrough, Influence
Cosmology
The Early Universe — E.W. Kolb and M.S. Turner
- E.W. Kolb and M.S. Turner
- Kolb, Edward; Turner, Michael (1988). The Early Universe. Addison-Wesley. ISBN 0-201-11604-9.
Description: Reference textbook on cosmology, discussing both observational and theoretical issues.
Importance: Relevant textbook.
A preliminary measurement of the cosmic microwave background spectrum by the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) satellite — Mather, et al.
- Mather, J. C.; Cheng, E. S.; Eplee, R. E., Jr.; Isaacman, R. B.; Meyer, S. S.; Shafer, R. A.; Weiss, R.; Wright, E. L.; Bennett, C. L.; Boggess, N. W.; Dwek, E.; Gulkis, S.; Hauser, M. G.; Janssen, M.; Kelsall, T.; Lubin, P. M.; Moseley, S. H., Jr.; Murdock, T. L.; Silverberg, R. F.; Smoot, G. F.; Wilkinson, D. T.
- J. C. Mather, E. S. Cheng, R.E. Eplee Jr., R. B. Isaacman, S. S. Meyer, R. A. Shafer, R. Weiss, E. L. Wright, C. L. Bennett, N. W. Boggess, E. Dwek, S. Gulkis, M. G. Hauser, M. Janssen, T. Kelsall, P. M. Lubin, S. H. Moseley Jr., T. L. Murdock, R. F. Silverberg, G. F. Smoot and D. T. Wilkinson (1990). "A Preliminary Measurement of the Cosmic Microwave Background Spectrum by the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) Satellite". The Astrophysical Journal. 354: L37–40. Bibcode:1990ApJ...354L..37M. doi:10.1086/185717.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
Description: This paper was part of the COBE project. The COBE satellite was developed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center to measure the diffuse infrared and microwave radiation from the early universe to the limits set by our astrophysical environment. It was launched November 18, 1989 and carried three instruments, a Far Infrared Absolute Spectrophotometer (FIRAS) to compare the spectrum of the cosmic microwave background radiation to a precise blackbody, a Differential Microwave Radiometer (DMR) to map the cosmic radiation and search for brightness variants, and a Diffuse Infrared Background Experiment (DIRBE) to search for the cosmic infrared background radiation produced by the first galaxies.
FIRAS - The cosmic microwave background (CMB) spectrum is that of a nearly perfect blackbody with a temperature of 2.725 +/- 0.002 K. This observation matches the predictions of the hot Big Bang theory extraordinarily well, and indicates that nearly all of the radiant energy of the Universe was released within the first year after the Big Bang. Initial results from FIRAS were presented in this paper. Final results from FIRAS were presented at: J.C. Mather, et al., "Calibrator Design for the COBE Far-Infrared Absolute Spectrophotometer (FIRAS)",[16] ApJ, v.512, p. 511 (1999)
Importance:
Structure in the COBE differential microwave radiometer first-year maps — Smoot, et al.
- Smoot, G. F.; Bennett, C. L.; Kogut, A.; Wright, E. L.; Aymon, J.; Boggess, N. W.; Cheng, E. S.; de Amici, G.; Gulkis, S.; Hauser, M. G.; Hinshaw, G.; Jackson, P. D.; Janssen, M.; Kaita, E.; Kelsall, T.; Keegstra, P.; Lineweaver, C.; Loewenstein, K.; Lubin, P.; Mather, J.; Meyer, S. S.; Moseley, S. H.; Murdock, T.; Rokke, L.; Silverberg, R. F.; Tenorio, L.; Weiss, R.; Wilkinson, D. T.
- G. F. Smoot; et al. (1992). "Structure in the COBE differential microwave radiometer first-year maps". The Astrophysical Journal. 396: L1–5. Bibcode:1992ApJ...396L...1S. doi:10.1086/186504.
{{cite journal}}: Explicit use of et al. in:|author=(help) - Online version
Description: This paper was part of the COBE project. The COBE satellite was developed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center to measure the diffuse infrared and microwave radiation from the early universe to the limits set by our astrophysical environment. It was launched November 18, 1989 and carried three instruments, a Far Infrared Absolute Spectrophotometer (FIRAS) to compare the spectrum of the cosmic microwave background radiation to a precise blackbody, a Differential Microwave Radiometer (DMR) to map the cosmic radiation and search for Brightness variants, and a Diffuse Infrared Background Experiment (DIRBE) to search for the cosmic infrared background radiation produced by the first galaxies.
DMR - The CMB was found to have intrinsic "anisotropy" for the first time, at a level of a part in 100,000. These tiny variations in the intensity of the CMB over the sky show how matter and energy was distributed when the Universe was still very young. Later, through a process still poorly understood, the early structures seen by DMR developed into galaxies, galaxy clusters, and the large scale structure that we see in the Universe today. Initial results from FIRAS were presented in this paper. Final results from FIRAS were presented at: C.L. Bennett, et al., "Four-Year COBE DMR Cosmic Microwave Background Observations: Maps and Basic Results",[17] ApJ, v.464, p. L1 (1996)
Importance:
The COBE Diffuse Infrared Background Experiment Search for the Cosmic Infrared Background. I. Limits and Detections — Hauser, et al.
- Hauser, M. G.; Arendt, R. G.; Kelsall, T.; Dwek, E.; Odegard, N.; Weiland, J. L.; Freudenreich, H. T.; Reach, W. T.; Silverberg, R. F.; Moseley, S. H.; Pei, Y. C.; Lubin, P.;Mather, J. C.; Shafer, R. A.; Smoot, G. F.;Weiss, R.; Wilkinson, D. T.;Wright, E. L.
- Hauser; Arendt, R. G.; Kelsall, T.; Dwek, E.; Odegard, N.; Weiland, J. L.; Freudenreich, H. T.; Reach, W. T.; Silverberg, R. F.; et al. (1998). "The COBE Diffuse Infrared Background Experiment Search for the Cosmic Infrared Background. I. Limits and Detections" (PDF). The Astrophysical Journal. 508 (1): 25–43. arXiv:astro-ph/9806167. Bibcode:1998ApJ...508...25H. doi:10.1086/306379.
{{cite journal}}: Explicit use of et al. in:|author=(help)
Description: This paper was part of the COBE project. The COBE satellite was developed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center to measure the diffuse infrared and microwave radiation from the early universe to the limits set by our astrophysical environment. It was launched November 18, 1989 and carried three instruments, a Far Infrared Absolute Spectrophotometer (FIRAS) to compare the spectrum of the cosmic microwave background radiation to a precise blackbody, a Differential Microwave Radiometer (DMR) to map the cosmic radiation and search for brightness variants, and a Diffuse Infrared Background Experiment (DIRBE) to search for the cosmic infrared background radiation produced by the first galaxies.
DIRBE - Infrared absolute sky brightness maps in the wavelength range 1.25 to 240 micrometres were obtained to carry out a search for the cosmic infrared background (CIB). The CIB was originally detected in the two longest DIRBE wavelength bands, 140 and 240 micrometres, and in the short-wavelength end of the FIRAS spectrum. Subsequent analyses have yielded detections of the CIB in the near-infrared DIRBE sky maps. The CIB represents a "core sample" of the Universe; it contains the cumulative emissions of stars and galaxies dating back to the epoch when these objects first began to form.
Importance:
Biophysics
- Philip C. Nelson (2007). Biological Physics (Updated Edition). W. H. Freeman. ISBN 978-0716798972.
- Rodney M. J. Cotterill (2002). Biophysics : An Introduction. Wiley. ISBN 978-0471485384.
- Glaser R (2001). Biophysics. Springer. ISBN 3-540-67088-2.
- Tributsch, Helmut (1982). How Life Learned to Live: Adaptation in Nature. ISBN 978-0262200455.
- Cantor CR and Schimmel PR (1980): Biophysical Chemistry, Volumes 1-3. W. H. Freeman, San Francisco. Part I ISBN 0716711885, Part II ISBN 0716711907, Part III ISBN 0716711923
- Perutz MF (1978-09-29). "Electrostatic effects in proteins". Science. 201 (4362): 1187–1191. Bibcode:1978Sci...201.1187P. doi:10.1126/science.694508. PMID 694508.
Medical Biophysics
- Hobbie RK and Roth BJ (2006). Intermediate Physics for Medicine and Biology (4th ed.). Springer. ISBN 978-0387309422.
- Ruch TC and Fulton JF (1974). Medical Physiology and Biophysics. Saunders. p. 1232. ISBN 0-7216-7818-1. (also ISBN 9780-721678184)
Molecular Biophysics
- Perutz MF (1962). Proteins and Nucleic Acids. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
- Perutz MF (1969). "The haemoglobin molecule". Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B. 173 (31): 113–40. Bibcode:1969RSPSB.173..113P. doi:10.1098/rspb.1969.0043. PMID 4389425.
- Sneppen K and Zocchi G (2005). Physics in Molecular Biology. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-84419-3.
Cell Biophysics
- Phillips R, Kondev J, Theriot J (2008). Physical Biology of the Cell. Oxford: Garland Science. ISBN 0-8153-4163-6.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
Plant Biophysics
- Govindjee (1982). Photosynthesis. Academic Press. ISBN 0122943503.
Complex Systems Biophysics
Mathematical Biophysics
- Rashevsky, Nicolas (1948). Mathematical biophysics (Rev. ed.). University of Chicago Press. p. 669. ISBN 0486605744.
- Rashevsky N (1960). Mathematical Biophysics: Physico- Mathematical Foundations of Biology. Vol. 2 (Third Revised ed.). New York: Dover Publications. ISBN 0-4866-0574-4. (or ISBN0-486-60574-4)
Condensed matter physics
The BCS papers (Theory of superconductivity) — J. Bardeen, L. N. Cooper, and J. R. Schrieffer
- J. Bardeen, L. N. Cooper, and J. R. Schrieffer
- L. N. Cooper, "Bound Electron Pairs in a Degenerate Fermi Gas", Phys. Rev 104, 1189 - 1190 (1956).
- J. Bardeen, L. N. Cooper, and J. R. Schrieffer, "Microscopic Theory of Superconductivity",Phys. Rev. 106, 162 - 164 (1957).
- J. Bardeen, L. N. Cooper, and J. R. Schrieffer, "Theory of Superconductivity", Phys. Rev. 108, 1175 (1957).
Description: The BCS theory of usual (not high T_c) superconductivity, relating the interaction of electrons and the phonons of a lattice. The authors were awarded with the Nobel prize.
Importance: Breakthrough, Influence
Solid State Physics — Neil W. Ashcroft and N. David Mermin
- Neil W. Ashcroft, N. David Mermin
- Brooks Cole, 1976, ISBN 0030839939
Description: It is so old that it still calls condensed matter physics by the out of fashion name of solid state physics, but yet it is still a good introduction to the topic.
Importance: Introduction
Simulating physics with computers — Richard Feynman
 | This section may contain information not important or relevant to the article's subject. |
- Richard Feynman
- International Journal of Theoretical Physics, 21(6/7): pp. 467–488, (1982).
- Online version:[18]
Description: A digital computer as an efficient universal computing device; the simulation of quantum mechanics and the use of quantum computers.
Importance: Influence
Polymer physics
Statistical Mechanics of Chain Molecules — Paul J. Flory
- Paul J. Flory
- Interscience Publishers (1969). ISBN 0-470-26495-0. Reissued (1989). ISBN 1-56990-019-1.
Principles of Polymer Chemistry — Paul J. Flory
- Paul J. Flory
- Cornell University Press (1953). ISBN 0-8014-0134-8.
Scaling Concepts in Polymer Physics — Pierre-Gilles de Gennes
- Pierre-Gilles de Gennes
- Cornell University Press (1979). ISBN 978-0-8014-1203-5.
- Google books
Path Integrals in Quantum Mechanics, Statistics, Polymer Physics, and Financial Markets — Hagen Kleinert
| This section may contain information not important or relevant to the article's subject. |
- Kleinert, Hagen
- 4th edition, World Scientific (Singapore, 2004); Paperback ISBN 981-238-107-4 (also available online)[19]
The Theory of Polymer Dynamics — M. Doi and S. F. Edwards
- M. Doi, S. F. Edwards, (International Series of Monographs on Physics. 73)
- Oxford University Press (1986). ISBN 978-0-19-852033-7.
The Mesoscopic Theory of Polymer Dynamics — V.N. Pokrovskii
- Vladimir N. Pokrovskii, (Springer Series in Chemical Physics, Vol. 95)
- The second edition, Springer, 2009. ISBN 978-90-481-2230-1
On Intramolecular Statistics, Particularly for Chain Molecules — Eugene Guth and Herman Mark
- Eugene Guth and Herman Mark,
- Zur innermolekularen, Statistik, insbesondere bei Kettenmolekiilen
- Monatshefte für Chemie, 65, 93 (1934).
Description: This paper contains, among other contributions, the first theoretical description of statistical mechanics of polymers with application to viscosity and rubber elasticity, and an expression for the entropy gain during the coiling of linear flexible molecules.
Importance: Contains the foundation of the kinetic theory of rubber elasticity.
Elastic and Thermodynamic Properties of Rubberlike Materials: A Statistical Theory — Eugene Guth and Hubert M. James
- Eugene Guth and Hubert M. James
- Industrial Engineering Chemistry, 33, 624 (1941)
Description: This work was presented earlier by Guth at the American Chemical Society meeting of 1939. The article contains the first outline of the network theory of rubber elasticity. The resulting Guth-James equation of state is analogous to van der Waal's equation.
Importance: Pioneering contribution to polymer physics.
Theory of Elastic Properties of Rubber — Eugene Guth and Hubert M. James
- Eugene Guth and Hubert M. James
- Journal of Chemical Physics, 15, 2941 (1943).
Description: This article presents a more detailed version of the network theory of rubber elasticity. The paper used average forces to some extent instead of thermodynamical functions. In statistical thermodynamics, these two procedures are equivalent.
Importance: Pioneering contribution. After some controversy within the literature, the James-Guth network theory is now generally accepted for larger extensions. See, e.g., Paul Flory's comments in Proc. Royal Soc. A. 351, 351 (1976).
Plasma physics
The Collected Works of Irving Langmuir — Irving Langmuir (1961)
- Irving Langmuir
- Oxford, Pergamon Press.
- Vol.3: Thermonic Phenomenon: papers from 1916–1937
- Vol.4: Electrical Discharges: papers from 1923–1931
These two volumes from Nobel Prize winning scientist Irving Langmuir, include his early published papers resulting from his experiments with ionized gases (i.e. plasma). The books summarise many of the basic properties of plasmas. Langmuir coined the word plasma in about 1928.
Importance: Influence
Cosmical Electrodynamics — Hannes Alfvén & Carl-Gunne Fälthammar (1963)
- Hannes Alfvén & Carl-Gunne Fälthammar
- Oxford University Press (1963).
Hannes Alfvén won the Nobel Prize for his development of magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) the science that models plasma as fluids. This book lays down the ground work, but also shows that MHD may be inadequate for low-density plasmas such as space plasmas.
Importance: Topic creator, Breakthrough, Influence
Vehicle dynamics
The Automotive Chassis Engineering Principles — J. Reimpell, H. Stoll, and J. W. Betzler
- Jörnsen Reimpell, Helmut Stoll, and Jürgen W. Betzler.
- Butterworth-Heinemann Translated from German (2001).
- ISBN 978-0-7680-0657-5.
- Online version[20]
Description: Vehicle dynamics and chassis design from a production car perspective.
Importance: Latest and greatest.
Race Car Vehicle Dynamics — William F. Milliken, Jr. and Douglas L. Milliken
- William F. Milliken and Douglas L. Milliken.
- Society of Automotive Engineers (1995).
- ISBN 978-1-56091-526-3.
Description: Vehicle dynamics and chassis design from a race car perspective.
Importance: Latest and greatest, also the standard reference for automotive suspension engineers.
Fundamentals of Vehicle Dynamics — Thomas Gillespie
- Thomas D. Gillespie.
- Society of Automotive Engineers (1995).
- ISBN 978-1-56091-199-9.
Description: Mathematically oriented derivation of standard vehicle dynamics equations, and definitions of standard terms.
Importance: Introduction to modern vehicle dynamics theory.
Chassis Design - Principles and Analysis — William F. Milliken, Jr. and Douglas L. Milliken
- William F. Milliken and Douglas L. Milliken.
- Society of Automotive Engineers (2002).
Description: Vehicle dynamics as developed by Maurice Olley from the 1930s onwards. First comprehensive analytical synthesis of vehicle dynamics.
Importance: Topic creator.
Tyre modelling for use in vehicle dynamics studies — E. Bakker, L. Nyborg and Hans B. Pacejka
- Egbert Bakker, Lars Nyborg, and Hans B. Pacejka
- Society of Automotive Engineers, 15 pages (1987).
- Online copy[21]
Description: A new way of representing tyre data obtained from measurements in pure cornering and pure braking conditions.
Importance: A standard reference in vehicle dynamics.
Geophysics
Seismic Data Processing
- Ozdogan Yilmaz
- Society of Exploration Geophysicists, 1987, (ISBN 0-931830-40-0).
Description: Up to date account of seismic data processing in the petroleum geophysics industry.
Importance:
Underground Blasting, Seismic Surveys
Description:A biography and publication list for a geophysical researcher for the United States Geological Survey
Importance:Common reference in blasting and seismology.
Mathematical physics
Invariante Variationsprobleme
- Emmy Noether (1918)
Description: Contained a proof of Noether's Theorem (expressed as two theorems), showing that any symmetry of the Lagrangian corresponds to a conserved quantity. This result had a profound influence on 20th century theoretical physics.
Ising's Thesis
- Ising's 1924 thesis proving the non-existence of phase transitions in the 1-dimensional Ising model.[22][23]
Contour Argument
- Peierls' 1936 contour argument proving the existence of phase transitions in higher dimensional Ising models.[24]
Infrared bounds, phase transitions and continuous symmetry breaking
- Jürg Fröhlich, Tom Spencer, and Barry Simon
- Infrared bounds, phase transitions and continuous symmetry breaking
Description: Proved the existence of phase transitions of continuous symmetry models in at least 3 dimensions. Communications in Mathematical Physics, 50 (1) p79-95[25] 1976[26]
Importance:
Mathematical Physics (1961)
- Donald H. Menzel, Harvard University
- Dover Publications, 1961
Description: Thorough introduction to the mathematical methods of classical mechanics, electromagnetic theory, quantum theory and general relativity. Possibly more accessible than Morse and Feshbach. First published 1961. Available in Dover Editions.
Importance: Introduction.
Physics of computation
Lloyd, S., 2000, Ultimate physical limits of computation, Nature, 406:1047-1054.
- Online[27]
Standard Model
Computational physics
Accelerator physics
Theory and Design of Charged Particle Beams
- Martin Reiser
- Wiley, (2nd Edition 2008) ISBN 978-3527407415
- Description: A typical graduate level textbook for charged particle accelerators and beam dynamics.
- Importance: Introduction
Acoustics
Cryogenics
Materials physics
Nuclear physics
Particle physics
Introduction to Elementary Particles
- David J. Griffiths
- Wiley, (New Ed Edition 1987) ISBN 0471603864
- Description: Standard undergraduate particle physics textbook.
- Importance: Introduction
Astronomy
Biophysics
- R. Glaser (2004): Biophysics: An Introduction. Springer Verlag, Heidelberg. ISBN 3540670882
- C. R. Cantor and P. R. Schimmel (1980): Biophysical Chemistry, Volumes 1-3. W. H. Freeman, San Francisco. Part I ISBN 0716711885, Part II ISBN 0716711907, Part III ISBN 0716711923
Cycles
Medical physics
Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Physical Principles and Sequence Design
- E. Mark Haacke, Robert W. Brown, Michael R. Thompson, Ramesh Venkatesan
- Wiley-Liss (1st edition 1999) ISBN 0471351288
Description: An influential graduate textbook in MRI by some of the principal advancers of the field.
Importance: Influence
Chemical physics
See also
References
- ^ MPQ.MPG.de
- ^ Adsabs.harvard.eu
- ^ Fourmilab.ch
- ^ Physik.fu-berlin.de (German original)
- ^ Alberteinstein.info
- ^ Physik.uni-augsburg.de (German original)
- ^ Physik.uni-augsburg.de
- ^ Theochem.kuchem.kyot-u.ac.jp
- ^ Prola.aps.org
- ^ Eapsweb.mit.edu
- ^ Jstor.org
- ^ Prola.aps.org
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ [3]
- ^ Journals.uchicago.edu
- ^ Journals.uchicago.edu
- ^ Citeseer.ist.psu.edu
- ^ Physik.fu-berlin.de
- ^ Scribd.com
- ^ Theoryinpracticeengineering.com
- ^ Ising, Ernst (1924). "Beitrag zur Theorie des Ferro-und Paramagnetismus". Thesis, Hamburg (in German).
{{cite journal}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameters:|month=and|coauthors=(help) - ^ Ising, Ernst (1925). "Beitrag zur Theorie des Ferromagnetismus". Zeitschrift für Physik (in German). 31 (1): 253–258. Bibcode:1925ZPhy...31..253I. doi:10.1007/BF02980577.
{{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters:|month=and|coauthors=(help) - ^ Peierls, R.; Born, M. (1936). "On Ising's Model of Ferromagnetism". Proc. Cambridge Phil. Soc. 32 (03): 477–481. doi:10.1017/S0305004100019174.
{{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters:|month=and|coauthors=(help) - ^ Springerlink.com
- ^ SpringerLink Home - Main
- ^ Nature.com
External links
- TrivialAnomaly.com, links to historic physics papers