No comments about Quantum Phase Transitions.

1 comments about Statistical Mechanics (North-Holland Personal Library) (North-Holland Personal Library).

1. Many programs have Stat Mech as one of their weakest links. This was the case in my undergrad and grad preparation. So, I found a copy of Kubo in the library, and it really helped out.

   There's a very brief introduction to topics (very weak, a good graduate book would be better), and then the book plows into many problems ranging from gases being absorbed into a surface to quantum mechanical situations.

   There are solutions, and there's enough in the steps so you can figure out how he did the solution (assuming you're pretty well prepared for the math portion of the PhD comprehensive exam). This really helped, since some form of the one's in Kubo's book were on the exam!

   Overall, this is sort of an unknown 'solution' book. A godsend for those of us lacking the 'intuition' of Stat Mech derivations.

2 comments about Nanophysics and Nanotechnology: An Introduction to Modern Concepts in Nanoscience.

1. Wolf explains from the vantage of a physicist what exactly is nanophysics, and what the engineering implications might be. He describes how the size of atoms, at 0.1 nanometers or so, sets a natural lower limit, and how the scale of nanometers lets us see and use quantum phenomena for designing new materials.
   
   A solid background in quantum mechanics would not be remiss, before trying this book. Wolf offers a bottoms-up approach to understanding the various branches of nanotech research, which is currently burgeoning.



2. This excellent textbook presents the basic concepts of Nanotechnology and Nanophysics in a well structured, solid manner, without leaving any aspects unattached. It is updated, with references to recently published work in top rated journals. The main advantage of the book is the wide spectrum of the issues covered, ranging from biology to quantum computing, allowing future applications to be tackled by the students easier.

No comments about Powder Diffraction: Theory and Practice.

1 comments about Modern Physics for Engineers.

1. This book covers topics in modern physics that are the most important for the engineer. It makes an equilibrated use of figures, tables and conceptual diagrams, thus providing a clear guideline for the student. It also provides small but interesting historic introductions in some chapters, that also help to understand why different theories appeared. This could all be done without forgetting the necessary theoretical and mathematical rigorousness. A very good book for engineers.

No comments about Introduction to Microfluidics.

2 comments about Fundamentals of Crystallography.

1. This is the only advanced general survey of topics in xray crystallography. Chapters are written by different authors, and the book feels pasted together. It is now seriously out of date.



2. This is the ideal book to deepen the knowledge one has gained from a beginner's book like Werner Massa's "Crystal Structure Determination" or Jenny Glusker's "Crystal Structure Analysis -- A Primer". Most important aspects of crystallography are explained in an understandable fashion and every serious crystallographer should read this book. It should be pointed out that the second edition (2002) is significantly better then the first, which was already very good.

2 comments about The Lattice Boltzmann Equation for Fluid Dynamics and Beyond (Numerical Mathematics and Scientific Computation).

1. The LBM methods are widely reviewed in all their relevant aspects.
   The only lacking of this book is the poor description of the mathematical/physical background needed by non-specialists for a complete undertanding of the book's topics (e.g. the link between statistical mechanics and fluid dynamics).



2. This is essentially the first book fully dedicated to the lattice Boltzmann method (LB). The author did a great job in providing the necessary history of lattice Boltzmann, from Lattice Gas Cellular Automaton, its subsequent development, and deployments to multiphase, supersonic, microfluidics, etc flows.
   
   The unexperienced reader will find the first chapters very useful, as they lay the grounds for the rest of the book. The "derivation" of LB is especially relevant and full of insight. Very novice readers will certainly have to read the first chapters a few times to really grasp what LB is about (just because the concepts are seemingly simple but not straight forward in reality). The author, to this aim, provides all the tools necessary for a basic understanding of the underlying process (mostly the fields of statistical physics and cellular automaton).
   
   The experienced reader will find this book to be a good reference to LB. The latest reference to date (Aug 20008) is the book by Sukop and Thorne (Lattice Boltzmann Modeling: An Introduction for Geoscientists and Engineers) that provides more recent developments in the LB field.

No comments about Modern Techniques of Surface Science (Cambridge Solid State Science Series).

3 comments about Quantum Field Theory of Many-body Systems: From the Origin of Sound to an Origin of Light and Electrons (Oxford Graduate Texts).

1. This book is really awkward. There is some standard many body theory but no beginning student will be able to learn it from this book alone. Second of all there are some very awkward statements like "fermions ..behave like non-local excitations because fermions cannot be created alone." (p146)While his line of reasoning for a particular model is decently clear, the statement about the nonexistance of a lone fermion is ridiculous. He makes occaisional grandiose statements like " [his pet theory] provides and answer to the origin of light and fermions" (p9). I find the calculations sketchy at best --you can learn deep things but at great expense. overall i find this book to mix ridiculousness and obtuse reading with insight. I think it's a poor book because pedagogy should be paramount in a textbook.



2. This book reflects the research interests of the author, who is a genius, and should not be considered introductory, even at the graduate level. I do not find this book useful for learning anything for the first time. However, it provides an interesting perspective on many classic topics in many-body theory. Unlike the previous reviewer, I found the grandious statements a wonderful feature since most textbooks lack any of the author's voice. Reading this book is closer to attending a lecture than any text of it's kind I've read. I get this book from the library and I wouldn't pay $100 for it especially since the author posts his lectures notes on his website and much of the later material can be obtained from PROLA.



3. The other two reviewers have both noted that the book may not be a good starting point for a beginner, and I entirely agree.
   
   Think Weinberg's three-volume QFT, or Feynman's Lectures on Physics. These books are good, full of insights, and will teach you a lot more if you already have some basic understanding of the respective subjects. However, you will suffer if these books are used as introductory texts.
   
   That said, I find Wen's book generally a good read, and it nicely explains several concepts that I didn't understand until now. Well, I am a field theorist in my 4th year of grad school-- not exactly a beginner. But still.
   
   One such instance is the section on Berry phase of a spin. Granted, Wen pretty much just throw at you the concept of a coherent state, but that part I learned just all right from other places. What's important is, Wen's book explains the next step "coherent state --> Berry phase" clearly. It's the only comprehensible derivation I've seen so far. (See, for example, Fradkin's Field Theories for Condensed Matters for an **unintelligible** derivation.)
   
   I do sometimes find Wen's narrative style annoying. But hey, it's a theoretical physics textbook, and as long as he makes sound arguments (he does), how he delivers the arguments isn't that important.