A unified account of the principles of theoretical physics, A Unified Grand Tour of Theoretical Physics, Second Edition stresses the inter-relationships between areas that are usually treated as independent. The profound unifying influence of geometrical ideas, the powerful formal similarities between statistical mechanics and quantum field theory, and the ubiquitous role of symmetries in determining the essential structure of physical theories are emphasized throughout. This second edition conducts a grand tour of the fundamental theories that shape our modern understanding of the physical world. The book covers the central themes of space-time geometry and the general relativistic account of gravity, quantum mechanics and quantum field theory, gauge theories and the fundamental forces of nature, statistical mechanics, and the theory of phase transitions. The basic structure of each theory is explained in explicit mathematical detail with emphasis on conceptual understanding rather than on the technical details of specialized applications. The book gives straightforward accounts of the standard models of particle physics and cosmology.

Written for advanced undergraduates, this book provides an accessible introduction to the major theories about spacetime geometry, general relativity, gravitation, quantum mechanics, quantum field theory, relativistic wave equations, fundamental particles and their interactions, statistical mechanics, phase transitions, solutions, the early universe, super-symmetry, and string theory. Appendixes cover mathematical concepts, group theory, natural units, and scattering cross sections and particle decay rates. Lawrie teaches theoretical physics at the University of Leeds.
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This second edition conducts a grand tour of the fundamental theories that shape our modern understanding of the physical world. The book covers the central themes of space-time geometry and the general relativistic account of gravity, quantum mechanics and quantum field theory, gauge theories and the fundamental forces of nature, statistical mechanics, and the theory of phase transitions. The basic structure of each theory is explained in explicit mathematical detail with emphasis on conceptual understanding rather than on the technical details of specialized applications. The book gives straightforward accounts of the standard models of particle physics and cosmology.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 548-554) and index.

Introduction : the ways of nature — Geometry — Classical physics in Galilean and Minkowski spacetimes — General relativity and gravitation — Quantum theory — Second quantization and quantum field theory — Relativistic wave equations and field theories — Forces, connections and gauge fields — Interacting relativistic field theories — Equilibrium statistical mechanics — Phase transitions — Unified gauge theories of the fundamental interactions — Solitons and so on — The early universe — An introduction to string theory — Appendix A : Some mathematical notes — Appendix B : Some elements of group theory — Appendix C : Natural units — Appendix D : Scattering cross-sections and particle decay rates.