Winner of the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics Ever since Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity burst upon the world in 1915 some of the most brilliant minds of our century have sought to decipher the mysteries bequeathed by that theory, a legacy so unthinkable in some respects that even Einstein himself rejected them.Which of these bizarre phenomena, if any, can really exist in our universe? Black holes, down which anything can fall but from which nothing can return; wormholes, short spacewarps connecting regions of the cosmos; singularities, where space and time are so violently warped that time ceases to exist and space becomes a kind of foam; gravitational waves, which carry symphonic accounts of collisions of black holes billions of years ago; and time machines, for traveling backward and forward in time.Kip Thorne, along with fellow theorists Stephen Hawking and Roger Penrose, a cadre of Russians, and earlier scientists such as Oppenheimer, Wheeler and Chandrasekhar, has been in the thick of the quest to secure answers. In this masterfully written and brilliantly informed work of scientific history and explanation, Dr. Thorne, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist and the Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics Emeritus at Caltech, leads his readers through an elegant, always human, tapestry of interlocking themes, coming finally to a uniquely informed answer to the great question: what principles control our universe and why do physicists think they know the things they think they know? Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time has been one of the greatest best-sellers in publishing history. Anyone who struggled with that book will find here a more slowly paced but equally mind-stretching experience, with the added fascination of a rich historical and human component.Winner of the Phi Beta Kappa Award in Science.

Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein's Outrageous Legacy

Science & Math

Thorne, Kip S.

History & Philosophy

W.W.Norton

A group of leading physicists--Stephen Hawking, Kip S. Thorne, Igor Novikov, Timothy Ferris, and Alan Lightman--paints a vivid portrait of the possible future of black holes, gravity holes, and time travel in six readible essays that explore the deepest mysteries of the universe.

The Future of Spacetime

Lightman, Alan

Novikov, Igor

FERRIS,Timothy

Astronomy & Space Science

W.W. Norton & Co., Inc.

Quantum Measurement

This book is an up-to-date introduction to the quantum theory of measurement. Although the main principles of the field were elaborated in the 1930s by Bohr, Schrödinger, Heisenberg, von Neuman, and Mandelstam, it was not until the 1980s that technology became sufficiently advanced to allow its application in real experiments. Quantum measurement is now central to many ultra-high technology developments, such as "squeezed light," single atom traps, and searches for gravitational radiation. It is also considered to have great promise for computer science and engineering, particularly for its applications in information processing and transfer. The book begins with a brief introduction to the relevant theory and goes on to discuss all aspects of the design of practical quantum measurement systems.

Braginsky, Vladimir B.

Khalili, Farid Ya

Physics

Cambridge University Press

From Nobel Prize winner Kip Thorne and acclaimed physicist Roger Blandford, a groundbreaking textbook on twenty-first-century classical physics
This first-year, graduate-level text and reference book covers the fundamental concepts and twenty-first-century applications of six major areas of classical physics that every masters- or PhD-level physicist should be exposed to, but often isn't: statistical physics, optics (waves of all sorts), elastodynamics, fluid mechanics, plasma physics, and special and general relativity and cosmology. Growing out of a full-year course that the eminent researchers Kip Thorne and Roger Blandford taught at Caltech for almost three decades, this book is designed to broaden the training of physicists. Its six main topical sections are also designed so they can be used in separate courses, and the book provides an invaluable reference for researchers.
<ul>
<li>Presents all the major fields of classical physics except three prerequisites: classical mechanics, electromagnetism, and elementary thermodynamics</li>
<li>Elucidates the interconnections between diverse fields and explains their shared concepts and tools</li>
<li>Focuses on fundamental concepts and modern, real-world applications</li>
<li>Takes applications from fundamental, experimental, and applied physics; astrophysics and cosmology; geophysics, oceanography, and meteorology; biophysics and chemical physics; engineering and optical science and technology; and information science and technology</li>
<li>Emphasizes the quantum roots of classical physics and how to use quantum techniques to elucidate classical concepts or simplify classical calculations</li>
<li>Features hundreds of color figures, some five hundred exercises, extensive cross-references, and a detailed index</li>
<li>An online illustration package is available to professors</li>
</ul>

Modern Classical Physics: Optics, Fluids, Plasmas, Elasticity, Relativity, and Statistical Physics

Blandford, Roger D.

Reference

Princeton University Press

First published in 1973, Gravitation is a landmark graduate-level textbook that presents Einstein’s general theory of relativity and offers a rigorous, full-year course on the physics of gravitation. Upon publication, Science called it “a pedagogic masterpiece,” and it has since become a classic, considered essential reading for every serious student and researcher in the field of relativity. This authoritative text has shaped the research of generations of physicists and astronomers, and the book continues to influence the way experts think about the subject.
With an emphasis on geometric interpretation, this masterful and comprehensive book introduces the theory of relativity; describes physical applications, from stars to black holes and gravitational waves; and portrays the field’s frontiers. The book also offers a unique, alternating, two-track pathway through the subject. Material focusing on basic physical ideas is designated as Track 1 and formulates an appropriate one-semester graduate-level course. The remaining Track 2 material provides a wealth of advanced topics instructors can draw on for a two-semester course, with Track 1 sections serving as prerequisites.
This must-have reference for students and scholars of relativity includes a new preface by David Kaiser, reflecting on the history of the book’s publication and reception, and a new introduction by Charles Misner and Kip Thorne, discussing exciting developments in the field since the book’s original publication. 
<ul>
<li>The book teaches students to:</li>
<li>Grasp the laws of physics in flat and curved spacetime</li>
<li>Predict orders of magnitude</li>
<li>Calculate using the principal tools of modern geometry</li>
<li>Understand Einstein's geometric framework for physics</li>
<li>Explore applications, including neutron stars, Schwarzschild and Kerr black holes, gravitational collapse, gravitational waves, cosmology, and so much more</li>
</ul>

Gravitation

Wheeler, John Archibald

Misner, Charles W.

A groundbreaking textbook on twenty-first-century statistical physics and its applicationsKip Thorne and Roger Blandford’s monumental Modern Classical Physics is now available in five stand-alone volumes that make ideal textbooks for individual graduate or advanced undergraduate courses on statistical physics; optics; elasticity and fluid dynamics; plasma physics; and relativity and cosmology. Each volume teaches the fundamental concepts, emphasizes modern, real-world applications, and gives students a physical and intuitive understanding of the subject.Statistical Physics is an essential introduction that is different from others on the subject because of its unique approach, which is coordinate-independent and geometric; embraces and elucidates the close quantum-classical connection and the relativistic and Newtonian domains; and demonstrates the power of statistical techniques―particularly statistical mechanics―by presenting applications not only to the usual kinds of things, such as gases, liquids, solids, and magnetic materials, but also to a much wider range of phenomena, including black holes, the universe, information and communication, and signal processing amid noise.\nIncludes many exercise problems 
Features color figures, suggestions for further reading, extensive cross-references, and a detailed index 
Optional “Track 2” sections make this an ideal book for a one-quarter, half-semester, or full-semester course 
An online illustration package is available to professors\nThe five volumes, which are available individually as paperbacks and ebooks, are Statistical Physics; Optics; Elasticity and Fluid Dynamics; Plasma Physics; and Relativity and Cosmology.

Statistical Physics: Volume 1 of Modern Classical Physics (Modern Classical Physics, 1)

A groundbreaking textbook on twenty-first-century fluids and elastic solids and their applications Kip Thorne and Roger Blandford's monumental Modern Classical Physics is now available in five stand-alone volumes that make ideal textbooks for individual graduate or advanced undergraduate courses on statistical physics; optics; elasticity and fluid dynamics; plasma physics; and relativity and cosmology. Each volume teaches the fundamental concepts, emphasizes modern, real-world applications, and gives students a physical and intuitive understanding of the subject. Elasticity and Fluid Dynamics provides an essential introduction to these subjects. Fluids and elastic solids are everywhere--from Earth's crust and skyscrapers to ocean currents and airplanes. They are central to modern physics, astrophysics, the Earth sciences, biophysics, medicine, chemistry, engineering, and technology, and this centrality has intensified in recent years--so much so that a basic understanding of the behavior of elastic solids and fluids should be part of the repertoire of every physicist and engineer and almost every other natural scientist. While both elasticity and fluid dynamics involve continuum physics and use similar mathematical tools and modes of reasoning, each subject can be readily understood without the other, and the book allows them to be taught independently, with the first two chapters introducing and covering elasticity and the last six doing the same for fluid dynamics. The book also can serve as supplementary reading for many other courses, including in astrophysics, geophysics, and aerodynamics. <ul> <li>Includes many exercise problems</li> <li>Features color figures, suggestions for further reading, extensive cross-references, and a detailed index</li> <li>Optional "Track 2" sections make this an ideal book for a one-quarter or one-semester course in elasticity, fluid dynamics, or continuum physics</li> <li>An online illustration package is available to professors</li> </ul> The five volumes, which are available individually as paperbacks and ebooks, are Statistical Physics; Optics; Elasticity and Fluid Dynamics; Plasma Physics; and Relativity and Cosmology.

Elasticity and Fluid Dynamics: Volume 3 of Modern Classical Physics (Modern Classical Physics, 3)

A groundbreaking textbook on twenty-first-century waves of all sorts and their applications Kip Thorne and Roger Blandford's monumental Modern Classical Physics is now available in five stand-alone volumes that make ideal textbooks for individual graduate or advanced undergraduate courses on statistical physics; optics; elasticity and fluid dynamics; plasma physics; and relativity and cosmology. Each volume teaches the fundamental concepts, emphasizes modern, real-world applications, and gives students a physical and intuitive understanding of the subject. Optics is an essential introduction to a resurgent subject. "Optics" originally referred to the study of light, but today the field encompasses all types of waves, including electromagnetic waves, from gamma rays to radio waves; gravitational waves; waves in solids, fluids, and plasmas; and quantum waves. The past few decades have seen revolutions in optics--amazing advances in nonlinear optics technology, a growing understanding of optical phenomena throughout the natural world, and an increasing appreciation of the wide-ranging applicability of optics' central principles. Optics shows how and why this subject--which was once a standard part of physics curricula--should again be routinely taught to physics students, as well as to students in engineering, computer science, and the natural sciences. <ul> <li>Includes many exercise problems</li> <li>Features color figures, suggestions for further reading, extensive cross-references, and a detailed index</li> <li>Optional "Track 2" sections make this an ideal book for a one-quarter, half-semester, or full-semester course</li> <li>An online illustration package is available to professors</li> </ul> The five volumes, which are available individually as paperbacks and ebooks, are Statistical Physics; Optics; Elasticity and Fluid Dynamics; Plasma Physics; and Relativity and Cosmology.

Optics: Volume 2 of Modern Classical Physics (Modern Classical Physics, 2)

Product Description 
A groundbreaking textbook on twenty-first-century general relativity and cosmologyKip Thorne and Roger Blandford’s monumental Modern Classical Physics is now available in five stand-alone volumes that make ideal textbooks for individual graduate or advanced undergraduate courses on statistical physics; optics; elasticity and fluid dynamics; plasma physics; and relativity and cosmology. Each volume teaches the fundamental concepts, emphasizes modern, real-world applications, and gives students a physical and intuitive understanding of the subject.Relativity and Cosmology is an essential introduction to the subject, including remarkable recent advances. Written by award-winning physicists who have made fundamental contributions to the field and taught it for decades, the book differs from most others on the subject in important ways. It highlights recent transformations in our understanding of black holes, gravitational waves, and the cosmos; it emphasizes the physical interpretation of general relativity in terms of measurements made by observers; it explains the physics of the Riemann tensor in terms of tidal forces, differential frame dragging, and associated field lines; it presents an astrophysically oriented description of spinning black holes; it gives a detailed analysis of an incoming gravitational wave’s interaction with a detector such as LIGO; and it provides a comprehensive, in-depth account of the universe’s evolution, from its earliest moments to the present. While the book is designed to be used for a one-quarter or full-semester course, it goes deep enough to provide a foundation for understanding and participating in some areas of cutting-edge research.\nIncludes many exercise problems 
Features color figures, suggestions for further reading, extensive cross-references, and a detailed index 
Optional “Track 2” sections make this an ideal book for a one-quarter or one-semester course 
An online illustration package is available to professors\nThe five volumes, which are available individually as paperbacks and ebooks, are Statistical Physics; Optics; Elasticity and Fluid Dynamics; Plasma Physics; and Relativity and Cosmology. 
 Review 
"Kip S. Thorne, Co-Winner of the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics"\n"Roger D. Blandford, Co-Winner of the 2016 Crafoord Prize in Astronomy and Winner of the 2020 Shaw Prize in Astronomy" 
 Review 
“Extraordinarily impressive.” 
―Malcolm Longair, Nature\n“A magnificent achievement.” 
―Edward Witten, Physics Today 
 About the Author 
Kip S. Thorne, winner of the Nobel Prize in physics, is the Feynman Professor Emeritus of Theoretical Physics at Caltech. His books include 
Gravitation (Princeton) and 
Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein’s Outrageous Legacy. 
Roger D. Blandford, winner of the Crafoord and Shaw prizes in astronomy, is the Luke Blossom Professor in the School of Humanities and Sciences and founding director of the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology at Stanford University.

Relativity and Cosmology: Volume 5 of Modern Classical Physics (Modern Classical Physics, 5)

Product Description 
A groundbreaking textbook on twenty-first-century plasma physics and its applicationsKip Thorne and Roger Blandford’s monumental Modern Classical Physics is now available in five stand-alone volumes that make ideal textbooks for individual graduate or advanced undergraduate courses on statistical physics; optics; elasticity and fluid dynamics; plasma physics; and relativity and cosmology. Each volume teaches the fundamental concepts, emphasizes modern, real-world applications, and gives students a physical and intuitive understanding of the subject.Plasma Physics provides an essential introduction to the subject. A gas that is significantly ionized, usually by heating or photons, a plasma is composed of electrons and ions and sometimes has an embedded or confining magnetic field. Plasmas play a major role in many contemporary applications, phenomena, and fields, including attempts to achieve controlled thermonuclear fusion using magnetic or inertial confinement; in explanations of radio wave propagation in the ionosphere and the behavior of the solar corona and wind; and in astrophysics, where plasmas are responsible for emission throughout the electromagnetic spectrum, including from black holes, highly magnetized neutron stars, and ultrarelativistic outflows. The book also can serve as supplementary reading for many other courses, including in astrophysics, geophysics, and controlled fusion.\nIncludes many exercise problems 
Features color figures, suggestions for further reading, extensive cross-references, and a detailed index 
Optional “Track 2” sections make this an ideal book for a one-quarter or one-semester course 
An online illustration package is available to professors\nThe five volumes, which are available individually as paperbacks and ebooks, are Statistical Physics; Optics; Elasticity and Fluid Dynamics; Plasma Physics; and Relativity and Cosmology. 
 Review 
"Kip S. Thorne, Co-Winner of the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics"\n"Roger D. Blandford, Co-Winner of the 2016 Crafoord Prize in Astronomy and Winner of the 2020 Shaw Prize in Astronomy" 
 Review 
“Extraordinarily impressive.” 
―Malcolm Longair, Nature\n“A magnificent achievement.” 
―Edward Witten, Physics Today 
 About the Author 
Kip S. Thorne, winner of the Nobel Prize in physics, is the Feynman Professor Emeritus of Theoretical Physics at Caltech. His books include 
Gravitation (Princeton) and 
Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein’s Outrageous Legacy. 
Roger D. Blandford, winner of the Crafoord and Shaw prizes in astronomy, is the Luke Blossom Professor in the School of Humanities and Sciences and founding director of the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology at Stanford University.

Plasma Physics: Volume 4 of Modern Classical Physics (Modern Classical Physics, 4)

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