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La chimie nucléaire
BOOK REVIEWS
675
what the organizers consider to be about the half of the new-fangled subject called "space physics": it covers the physics of the solar surface, the interplanetary medium and the ionosphere, and also includes a detailed section on the relevant instrumentation. It is the first textbook of this kind, and will therefore be welcome not only to the research students specializing in this field, but also to outsiders wishing to orient themselves in a fascinating subject. The seminars deal with special problems; o f immediate interest to nuclear physicists is a section devoted to the cosmic radiation of solar origin, The second book is of a quite different character. It reports discussions on a high level of specialization between specialists and its interest is accordingly more limited; however, it is a valuable complement to the first book for deeper study o f the interplanetary plasma and the related phenomena on the sun and in the earth's atmosphere; cosmic radiation is also considered. The record of the discussions sometimes puts a strain on the reader's imagination, as for instance when it says: "(Blackboard) Here the field goes up, here down", and more in this vein. There is no denying that it is very complete and faithful! An appendix contains the text of two general lectures, of which one gives a most interesting account of the American space science program. L.R.
A. B. PIPPARD, The dynamics of conduction electrons (Gordon and Breach, New York, 1965. 148 p. $4.95 cloth, $1.95 paper) The topic falls outside the scope of this journal. The preface informs us in effect that the author is no longer satisfied with these lecture notes from 1961. Then, why publish them? L.R.
B. S. DEWITT, Dynamical theory of groups andfields (Gordon and Breach, New York, 1965. xv-248 p. $2.95 paper, $5.95 cloth) Separate republication, with an additional chapter, of a course of lectures delivered at Les Houches in 1963 and first published together with the other lectures in the volume Relativity, Groups and Topology (1964). It stands in its own right as a very thorough and highly sophisticated textbook on the formal aspects of quantum field theory with the main emphasis on the hard problems of general relativity. The student may gauge his ability to ascend into a more and more tenuous atmosphere by solving the problems offered at every stage to his sagacity. L.R.
M. LEFORT,,[,a chimie nucldaire (Dunod, Paris, 1966. xviii-509 p. 68 F) Elementary textbook of nuclear physics for experimentalists, with emphasis on radioactivity and nuclear reactions (this is the meaning of the phrase "nuclear chemistry"). Fission is given a prominent place. Everywhere the treatment - which has the traditional French qualities of exposition - is up-to-date in its information, and takes its illustrations from concrete cases of current research. It is deplorable that a textbook o f this standard should perpetuate bad usage regarding terminology (e.g. "deuton" instead of "deut6ron") and units ("fermi" instead of "femtom~tre", " m " instead of "min" for minute, etc.). L.R.
A. DE-SHALIT, H. FESHBACHand L. VAN HOVE (eds.) Preludes in theoreticalphysics (North-Holland, Amsterdam, 1966. x-351 p. This bundle of essays is offered to V. F. Weisskopf by his numerous friends as a farewell present on his leaving the function o f Director General of CERN which he has so brilliantly fulfilled during a critical period of the vigorous growth of this institution. It is not a "Festschrift" of the usual type, inasmuch as it consists of "preludes". In their foreword, the editors give an implicit definition of this
675
what the organizers consider to be about the half of the new-fangled subject called "space physics": it covers the physics of the solar surface, the interplanetary medium and the ionosphere, and also includes a detailed section on the relevant instrumentation. It is the first textbook of this kind, and will therefore be welcome not only to the research students specializing in this field, but also to outsiders wishing to orient themselves in a fascinating subject. The seminars deal with special problems; o f immediate interest to nuclear physicists is a section devoted to the cosmic radiation of solar origin, The second book is of a quite different character. It reports discussions on a high level of specialization between specialists and its interest is accordingly more limited; however, it is a valuable complement to the first book for deeper study o f the interplanetary plasma and the related phenomena on the sun and in the earth's atmosphere; cosmic radiation is also considered. The record of the discussions sometimes puts a strain on the reader's imagination, as for instance when it says: "(Blackboard) Here the field goes up, here down", and more in this vein. There is no denying that it is very complete and faithful! An appendix contains the text of two general lectures, of which one gives a most interesting account of the American space science program. L.R.
A. B. PIPPARD, The dynamics of conduction electrons (Gordon and Breach, New York, 1965. 148 p. $4.95 cloth, $1.95 paper) The topic falls outside the scope of this journal. The preface informs us in effect that the author is no longer satisfied with these lecture notes from 1961. Then, why publish them? L.R.
B. S. DEWITT, Dynamical theory of groups andfields (Gordon and Breach, New York, 1965. xv-248 p. $2.95 paper, $5.95 cloth) Separate republication, with an additional chapter, of a course of lectures delivered at Les Houches in 1963 and first published together with the other lectures in the volume Relativity, Groups and Topology (1964). It stands in its own right as a very thorough and highly sophisticated textbook on the formal aspects of quantum field theory with the main emphasis on the hard problems of general relativity. The student may gauge his ability to ascend into a more and more tenuous atmosphere by solving the problems offered at every stage to his sagacity. L.R.
M. LEFORT,,[,a chimie nucldaire (Dunod, Paris, 1966. xviii-509 p. 68 F) Elementary textbook of nuclear physics for experimentalists, with emphasis on radioactivity and nuclear reactions (this is the meaning of the phrase "nuclear chemistry"). Fission is given a prominent place. Everywhere the treatment - which has the traditional French qualities of exposition - is up-to-date in its information, and takes its illustrations from concrete cases of current research. It is deplorable that a textbook o f this standard should perpetuate bad usage regarding terminology (e.g. "deuton" instead of "deut6ron") and units ("fermi" instead of "femtom~tre", " m " instead of "min" for minute, etc.). L.R.
A. DE-SHALIT, H. FESHBACHand L. VAN HOVE (eds.) Preludes in theoreticalphysics (North-Holland, Amsterdam, 1966. x-351 p. This bundle of essays is offered to V. F. Weisskopf by his numerous friends as a farewell present on his leaving the function o f Director General of CERN which he has so brilliantly fulfilled during a critical period of the vigorous growth of this institution. It is not a "Festschrift" of the usual type, inasmuch as it consists of "preludes". In their foreword, the editors give an implicit definition of this