QED : the strange theory of light and matter /

QED is quantum electrodynamics, the theory of the interactions of the electromagnetic field (``light'') and the simpler forms of electrically charged matter. The theory, of which Feynman is one of the principal authors, is extremely successful. Feynman cites the gap between theory and experiment in explaining one phenomenon as equivalent to a gap the width of a human hair in the distance from New York to Los Angeles. As usually carried out, the calculations are complicated and make use of machines. Feynman tries in these lectures to reduce fundamental quantum theory, including QED, to its most basic mathematical element, the representation of quantum states by state vectors characterized by amplitude and phase, and indicating in some detail how many physical effects one can explain by this single device. It is truly a tour de force. The original lectures must have passed too quickly to follow, but as written they can be understood and appreciated. One suspects that the audience for this book will be individuals, not classes, but for those who extract its message it will be very illuminating. There is no other book that aims to expound the theory with comparable insight and precision, yet without formulas. Highly recommended for college and university libraries.-D. Park, Williams College

This volume, constituting the printed version of the first of the Alix G. Mautner Memorial Lectures to be given periodically at UCLA, certainly gets this new series off to a flying start. World-renowned for the liveliness and creativity of his physical insights, Caltech physicist Feynman provides another of his tours de force as he clearly explains the arcane workings of quantum electrodynamics, a theory which Feynman himself helped to establish. Starting with such familiar phenomena as the reflection and refraction of light, Feynman goes on to describe in detail the interactions between electrons and light. Although the text requires more concentration to grasp than most science popularizations, things never get out of hand. A good choice for collections serving informed readers. Thomas E. Margrave, formerly with Physics & Astronomy Dept., Univ. of Montana, Missoula (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.