Gravity plays a central role in the dynamics of all astrophysical systems - from stars to the Universe as a whole. This timely volume examines all aspects of gravitational dynamics - from stellar systems and galaxy disks, to the dynamics of the Local Group, large scale structures and motions, galaxy formation and general relativity. Each chapter is written by a world expert renowned for original contributions to the field. The authors are: James Binney, Roger Blandford, David Burstein, Tim de Zeeuw, George Efstathiou, Steve Gull, Nick Kaiser, J. Katz, Donald Lynden-Bell, Ruth Lynden-Bell, Douglas Lin, Jeremiah Ostriker, T. Padmanabhan, J. Papaloizou, Jim Peebles, Jim Pringle, Martin Rees, Maarteen Schmidt, Scott Tremaine and Simon White. This volume provides a broad, pedagogical introduction to gravitational dynamics for graduate students, and an up-to-date review for researchers in cosmology, astrophysics, mathematical physics and applied mathematics.

A comprehensible introduction to the most fascinating research in theoretical physics: advanced quantum gravity. Ideal for researchers and graduate students.

This book is a systematic study of the classical and quantum theories of gauge systems. It starts with Dirac's analysis showing that gauge theories are constrained Hamiltonian systems. The classical foundations of BRST theory are then laid out with a review of the necessary concepts from homological algebra. Reducible gauge systems are discussed, and the relationship between BRST cohomology and gauge invariance is carefully explained. The authors then proceed to the canonical quantization of gauge systems, first without ghosts (reduced phase space quantization, Dirac method) and second in the BRST context (quantum BRST cohomology). The path integral is discussed next. The analysis covers indefinite metric systems, operator insertions, and Ward identities. The antifield formalism is also studied and its equivalence with canonical methods is derived. The examples of electromagnetism and abelian 2-form gauge fields are treated in detail. The book gives a general and unified treatment of the subject in a self-contained manner. Exercises are provided at the end of each chapter, and pedagogical examples are covered in the text.

Beyond Equilibrium Thermodynamics fills a niche in the market by providing a comprehensive introduction to a new, emerging topic in the field. The importance of non-equilibrium thermodynamics is addressed in order to fully understand how a system works, whether it is in a biological system like the brain or a system that develops plastic. In order to fully grasp the subject, the book clearly explains the physical concepts and mathematics involved, as well as presenting problems and solutions; over 200 exercises and answers are included. Engineers, scientists, and applied mathematicians can all use the book to address their problems in modelling, calculating, and understanding dynamic responses of materials.

An introduction to the area for non-specialists with an original approach to the mathematical basis of one of the hottest research topics in nonlinear science. Deals with specific aspects of Hamiltonian theory of systems with finite or infinite dimensional phase spaces. Emphasizes systems which occur in soliton theory. Outlines current work in the Hamiltonian theory of evolution equations.

This text presents an intuitive and robust mathematical image of fundamental particle physics based on a novel approach to quantum field theory, which is guided by four carefully motivated metaphysical postulates. In particular, the book explores a dissipative approach to quantum field theory, which is illustrated for scalar field theory and quantum electrodynamics, and proposes an attractive explanation of the Planck scale in quantum gravity. Offering a radically new perspective on this topic, the book focuses on the conceptual foundations of quantum field theory and ontological questions. It also suggests a new stochastic simulation technique in quantum field theory which is complementary to existing ones. Encouraging rigor in a field containing many mathematical subtleties and pitfalls this text is a helpful companion for students of physics and philosophers interested in quantum field theory, and it allows readers to gain an intuitive rather than a formal understanding.