Science at Collins

This year’s physics Nobel was split between Charles Kao for breakthroughs in fiber optics for one half, and  Willard S. Boyle and George E. Smith for the CCD sensor for the other. Both halves not only represented new scientific discoveries but have become the foundation of our digital communications.

To find out more, read the Nobel committee’s scientific background report, check out City of Light here at Collins Library,  or read J. R. Janesick’s Duelling Detectors. Or, try our physics resources to hunt down the primary research reports…

• Kenyon, IR. 2008. The light fantastic : A modern introduction to classical and quantum optics. New York: Oxford University Press.
• Kitchin, Chris. 2007. Galaxies in turmoil : The active and starburst galaxies and the black holes that drive them. London: Springer.
• Nelson, Jenny. 2003. The physics of solar cells. London: Imperial College Press.
• Nolas, G. S., J. Sharp, and H. J. Goldsmid, eds. 2001. Thermoelectrics : Basic principles and new materials developments. New York: Springer.
• Rowe, David Michael, ed. 2006. Thermoelectrics handbook : Macro to nano. Boca Raton: CRC/Taylor & Francis.
• Schlosshauer, Maximilian. 2007. Decoherence and the quantum-to-classical transition. New York: Springer.
• Sessler, A. M., and E. J. N. Wilson, eds. 2007. Engines of discovery : A century of particle accelerators. New Jersey: World Scientific.
• Tolstikhin, I. N., and Jan Kramers, eds. 2008. The evolution of matter : From the big bang to the present day earth. New York: Cambridge University Press.

• Abelson, John, and Philip Hauge Abelson, eds. 2008. Uncle Phil and the atomic bomb. Greenwood Village, Colo.: Roberts and Co.
• Shore, Steven N. 2008. Forces in physics : A historical perspective. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press.

• Bryan, Jeff C. 2009. Introduction to nuclear science. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
• Dosch, Hans Günter. 2008. Beyond the nanoworld : Quarks, leptons, and gauge bosons. Wellesley, Mass.: AK Peters.
• Ferraro, Rafael. 2007. Einstein’s space-time : An introduction to special and general relativity. New York: Springer.
• Galison, Peter, Gerald James Holton, and S. S. Schweber, eds. 2008. Einstein for the 21st century : His legacy in science, art, and modern culture. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press.

 

Physics, an open-access publication recently debuted by the American Physical Society, aims to provide broadly readable highlights of recent research in the Physical Review journal series.

Three types of articles are published, including:

Viewpoints: Weekly essays of approximately 1000–1500 words that focus on a single Physical Review paper or PRL letter and put the work into broader context.

Trends: Monthly concise review articles (3000–4000 words in length) that survey a particular area and look for interesting developments in the field.

Synopses: (200 words) are staff-written distillations of interesting and important papers each week

What’s so important about this resource?

• It contextualizes recent research and explains its importance, making it easier for students to get into the physical literature.
• It makes it easy for researchers to learn about developments across fields and cross-pollinate ideas.

Click the titles of these new arrivals to be taken to the catalog record to find call numbers and availability.

• Anastopoulos, Charis. 2008. Particle or wave : The evolution of the concept of matter in modern physics. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press.
• Delft, Dirk van. 2007. Freezing physics : Hieke kamerlingh onnes and the quest for cold. Amsterdam: Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen.
• Mahan, Gerald D. 2009. Quantum mechanics in a nutshell. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press.
• North, John. 2008. Cosmos : An illustrated history of astronomy and cosmology. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
• Ohanian, Hans C. 2008. Einstein’s mistakes : The human failings of genius. 1st ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.
• Ramakrishna, S. Anantha, Tomasz M. Grzegorczyk, and Society of Photo-optical Instrumentation Engineers, eds. 2009. Physics and applications of negative refractive index materials. Bellingham, Wash. Boca Raton: SPIE Press ; CRC Press.
• Uth, Robert, Phylis Geller, Stacy Keach, Elizabeth Noone, Margaret Tesla Cheney, New Voyage Communications, and PBS Home Video, eds. 2007. Tesla  : Master of lightning. Alexandria, Va.: PBS Home Video.

• Petrenko, Victor F., and Robert W. Whitworth, eds. 1999. Physics of ice. Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press.
• Saito, Yukio. 1996. Statistical physics of crystal growth. Singapore ; River Edge, N.J.: World Scientific.