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Steven Weinberg (1933-2021)

by Michael White on 2021-07-30T12:08:00-04:00 | 0 Comments

Renowned theoretical physicist Steven Weinberg, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on the unified theory of weak and electromagnetic forces, passed away on July 23.

Books by Steven Weinberg in the Engineering and Science Library

Third Thoughts (2018)

Call Number: Q171 .W418 2018

ISBN: 9780674975323

A wise, personal, and wide-ranging meditation on science and society by the Nobel Prize-winning author of To Explain the World. For more than four decades, one of the most captivating and celebrated science communicators of our time has challenged the public to think carefully about the foundations of nature and the inseparable entanglement of science and society. In Third Thoughts Steven Weinberg casts a wide net: from the cosmological to the personal, from astronomy, quantum mechanics, and the history of science to the limitations of current knowledge, the art of discovery, and the rewards of getting things wrong. Winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics and author of the classic The First Three Minutes, Weinberg shares his views on some of the most fundamental and fascinating aspects of physics and the universe. But he does not seclude science behind disciplinary walls, or shy away from politics, taking on what he sees as the folly of manned spaceflight, the harms of inequality, and the importance of public goods. His point of view is rationalist, realist, reductionist, and devoutly secularist. Weinberg is that great rarity, a prize-winning physicist who is entertaining and accessible. The essays in Third Thoughts, some of which appear here for the first time, will engage, provoke, and inform--and never lose sight of the human dimension of scientific discovery and its consequences for our endless drive to probe the workings of the cosmos.

Lake Views (2010)

Call Number: Q171 .W4194 2009

ISBN: 9780674035157

In this work, Weinberg, considered by many to be the preeminent theoretical physicist alive today, continues his wide-ranging reflections. This collections presents his views on topics ranging from problems of cosmology to assorted world issues.

Cosmology (2008)

Call Number: QB981 .W475 2008

ISBN: 9780198526827

This book is unique in the detailed, self-contained, and comprehensive treatment that it gives to the ideas and formulas that are used and tested in modern cosmological research. It divides into two parts, each of which provides enough material for a one-semester graduate course. The first part deals chiefly with the isotropic and homogeneous average universe; the second part concentrates on the departures from the average universe. Throughout the book the author presents detailed analytic calculations of cosmological phenomena, rather than just report results obtained elsewhere by numerical computation. The book is up to date, and gives detailed accounts of topics such as recombination, microwave background polarization, leptogenesis, gravitational lensing, structure formation, and multifield inflation, that are usually treated superficially if at all in treatises on cosmology. Copious references to current research literature are supplied. Appendices include a brief introduction to general relativity, and a detailed derivation of the Boltzmann equation for photons and neutrinos used in calculations of cosmological evolution. Also provided is an assortment of problems.

Facing Up (2003)

Call Number: Q171 .W419 2003

ISBN: 9780674011205

The New York Times's James Glanz has called Steven Weinberg "perhaps the world's most authoritative proponent of the idea that physics is hurtling toward a 'final theory,' a complete explanation of nature's particles and forces that will endure as the bedrock of all science forevermore. He is also a powerful writer of prose that can illuminate--and sting... He recently received the Lewis Thomas Prize, awarded to the researcher who best embodies 'the scientist as poet.'" Both the brilliant scientist and the provocative writer are fully present in this book as Weinberg pursues his principal passions, theoretical physics and a deeper understanding of the culture, philosophy, history, and politics of science.Each of these essays, which span fifteen years, struggles in one way or another with the necessity of facing up to the discovery that the laws of nature are impersonal, with no hint of a special status for human beings. Defending the spirit of science against its cultural adversaries, these essays express a viewpoint that is reductionist, realist, and devoutly secular. Each is preceded by a new introduction that explains its provenance and, if necessary, brings it up to date. Together, they afford the general reader the unique pleasure of experiencing the superb sense, understanding, and knowledge of one of the most interesting and forceful scientific minds of our era.

The Quantum Theory of Fields (1996)

Call Number: QC174.45 .W45 1995

ISBN: 0521585554

In The Quantum Theory of Fields Nobel Laureate Steven Weinberg combines his exceptional physical insight with his gift for clear exposition to provide a self-contained, comprehensive, and up-to-date introduction to quantum field theory. Volume II gives an up-to-date and self-contained account of the methods of quantum field theory, and how they have led to an understanding of the weak, strong, and electromagnetic interactions of the elementary particles. The presentation of modern mathematical methods is throughout interwoven with accounts of the problems of elementary particle physics and condensed matter physics to which they have been applied. Problems are included at the end of each chapter.

Dreams of a Final Theory (1993)

Call Number: QC21.2 .W428 1992

ISBN: 0679419233

"From one of the world's most distinguished scientists, here is the story of a great intellectual adventure of our time: the search for nature's final laws." "The success of physics in this century has been stunning, transforming our views of space and time, of reality and knowing, changing the very language we use to describe nature. At the close of the century we stand in possession of a new view of the universe, one in which the old centrality of matter is gone, and nature's symmetries lie at the core of our understanding. The driving force behind these revolutions in thought has been the search for the ultimate laws of nature - for the final answer to our questions about why nature is the way it is." "In Dreams of a Final Theory, Steven Weinberg imagines the shape of a final theory, and the effect its discovery will have on the human spirit. Along the way he gives a spirited defense of reductionism - the impulse to trace the explanations of natural phenomena to deeper and deeper levels - and examines the curious relevance of beauty in scientific theories. He gives us a compelling personal account of the search for the laws of nature as a part of the intellectual history of our times, and shares with us the glimpses that scientists have had from time to time that there is something behind the blackboard - a deeper truth foreshadowing a final theory."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Elementary Particles and the Laws of Physics (1987)

Call Number: QC793.28 .F49 1987

ISBN: 0521340004

Perhaps the two most important conceptual breakthroughs in twentieth century physics are relativity and quantum mechanics. Developing a theory that combines the two seamlessly is a difficult and ongoing challenge. This accessible book contains intriguing explorations of this theme by the distinguished physicists Richard Feynman and Steven Weinberg. Richard Feynman's contribution examines the nature of antiparticles, and in particular the relationship between quantum spin and statistics. In his essay, Steven Weinberg speculates on how Einstein's theory of gravitation might be reconciled with quantum theory in the final laws of physics. Both these Nobel laureates have made huge contributions to fundamental research in physics, as well as to the popularization of science. Anyone interested in the development of modern physics will find this a fascinating book.

The Discovery of Subatomic Particles (1983)

Call Number: QC793.2 .W44 1983

ISBN: 0716714884

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