Cornwell, Group Theory in Physics

Special relativity and quantum mechanics, formulated early in the twentieth century, are the two most important scientific languages and are likely to remain so for many years to come. In the 1920's, when quantum mechanics was developed, the most pressing theoretical problem was how to make it consistent with special relativity. In the 1980's, this is still the most pressing problem.

The aim of this book is to be a graduate school-level text about introducing recent research examples associated with symmetry (group theory) and mathematical treatment in inorganic or organic chemistry, physical chemistry or chemical physics, and theoretical chemistry.

This book is based on a one-semester course for advanced undergraduates specializing in physical chemistry. I am aware that the mathematical training of most science majors is more heavily weighted towards analysis – typ- ally calculus and differential equations – than towards algebra. But it remains my conviction that the basic ideas and applications of group theory are not only vital, but not dif?cult to learn, even though a formal mathematical setting with emphasis on rigor and completeness is not the place where most chemists would feel most comfortable in learning them.

This is the only book on the subject of group theory and Einstein's theory of gravitation. It contains an extensive discussion on general relativity from the viewpoint of group theory and gauge fields.

Written primarily for undergraduate chemists, this volume covers the essential group theory encountered in chemistry degree courses, with emphasis on the application of theory. The book begins with a discussion of symmetry elements and operations, groups and their basic properties, the role of matrices and how groups are represented.

The book is intended to serve as an introductory course in group theory geared towards second-year university students. It aims to provide them with the background needed to pursue more advanced courses in algebra and to provide a rich source of examples and exercises. Studying group theory began in the late eighteenth century and is still gaining importance due to its applications in physics, chemistry, geometry, and many fields in mathematics.

The book is intended to serve as an introductory course in group theory geared towards second-year university students. It aims to provide them with the background needed to pursue more advanced courses in algebra and to provide a rich source of examples and exercises. Studying group theory began in the late eighteenth century and is still gaining importance due to its applications in physics, chemistry, geometry, and many fields in mathematics.

This book provides an in-depth and accessible description of special relativity and quantum mechanics which together form the foundation of 21st century physics. A novel aspect is that symmetry is given its rightful prominence as an integral part of this foundation. The book offers not only a conceptual understanding of symmetry, but also the mathematical tools necessary for quantitative analysis. As such, it provides a valuable precursor to more focused, advanced books on special relativity or quantum mechanics.

One of the difficulties in an introductory book is to communicate a sense of purpose. Only too easily to the beginner does the book become a sequence of definitions, concepts, and results which seem little more than curiousities leading nowhere in particular. In this book I have tried to overcome this problem by making my central aim the determination of all possible groups of orders 1 to 15, together with some study of their structure. By the time this aim is realised towards the end of the book, the reader should have acquired the basic ideas and methods of group theory.