An Assessment of U.S.-Based Electron-Ion Collider Science

An Assessment of U.S.-Based Electron-Ion Collider Science
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 153
Release: 2018-10-13
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0309478561

Understanding of protons and neutrons, or "nucleons"â€"the building blocks of atomic nucleiâ€"has advanced dramatically, both theoretically and experimentally, in the past half century. A central goal of modern nuclear physics is to understand the structure of the proton and neutron directly from the dynamics of their quarks and gluons governed by the theory of their interactions, quantum chromodynamics (QCD), and how nuclear interactions between protons and neutrons emerge from these dynamics. With deeper understanding of the quark-gluon structure of matter, scientists are poised to reach a deeper picture of these building blocks, and atomic nuclei themselves, as collective many-body systems with new emergent behavior. The development of a U.S. domestic electron-ion collider (EIC) facility has the potential to answer questions that are central to completing an understanding of atoms and integral to the agenda of nuclear physics today. This study assesses the merits and significance of the science that could be addressed by an EIC, and its importance to nuclear physics in particular and to the physical sciences in general. It evaluates the significance of the science that would be enabled by the construction of an EIC, its benefits to U.S. leadership in nuclear physics, and the benefits to other fields of science of a U.S.-based EIC.

Quantum Mechanics: Fundamentals

Quantum Mechanics: Fundamentals
Author: Kurt Gottfried
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 648
Release: 2003-06-19
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780387955766

Quantum mechanics was already an old and solidly established subject when the first edition of this book appeared in 1966. The context in which a graduate text on quantum mechanics is studied today has changed a good deal, however. In 1966, most entering physics graduate students had a quite limited exposure to quan tum mechanics in the form of wave mechanics. Today the standard undergraduate curriculum contains a large dose of elementary quantum mechanics, and often intro duces the abstract formalism due to Dirac. Back then, the study of the foundations by theorists and experimenters was close to dormant, and very few courses spent any time whatever on this topic. At that very time, however, John Bell's famous theorem broke the ice, and there has been a great flowering ever since, especially in the laboratory thanks to the development of quantum optics, and more recently because of the interest in quantum computing. And back then, the Feynman path integral was seen by most as a very imaginative but rather useless formulation of quantum mechanics, whereas it now plays a large role in statistical physics and quantum field theory, especially in computational work. For these and other reasons, this book is not just a revision of the 1966 edition. It has been rewritten throughout, is differently organized, and goes into greater depth on many topics that were in the old edition.

Physics 1981-1990

Physics 1981-1990
Author: Tore Fr„ngsmyr
Publisher: World Scientific
Total Pages: 756
Release: 1993
Genre: Nobel Prize winners
ISBN: 9789810207298

A Distant Light

A Distant Light
Author: Henry W. Kendall
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 324
Release: 2013-12-23
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1441985077

A collection of essays by a Nobel Prize Laureate on a wide range of problems facing the world, and the role of scientists in solving them. Kendall was one of a group of physicists who founded the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) and is currently chairman of its board of directors. UCS is today a voice of authority in US government science policy, particularly with regard to environment issues. Together, these essays represent both the successes and failures of science to impact public policy, and offer practical guidelines for involvement in science policy. They are roughly chronological, organised by subject with introductions, beginning with the controversies on nuclear power safety and Three Mile Island, then followed by sections on national security issues, global environmental and resource problems, and radioactive cleanup. Kendall's Nobel Prize lecture is also included (and is the only really technical material in the book), while the photos are from a 1992 exhibition of his work.