IOP Concise Physics

From Astronomy to Quantum Computing, Concise Physics publishes short texts in over 30 distinct areas of physics. These books provide readers with a snapshot of current research, an introduction to key principles, a look back at historical events and people, and even delve into issues surrounding effective teaching methods. These books are aimed at researchers, students, teachers, and anyone interested in physics at all levels. The books are available for individuals in print and e-book format on this site.

Purchasing for libraries is available through the IOP at their web site: IOP Concise Physics.

	Special and General Relativity Rainer Dick This book provides a concise introduction to both the special theory of relativity and the general theory of relativity. The format is chosen to provide the basis for a single semester course which can take the students all the way from the foundatio… Read More
	The Most Interesting Galaxies in the Universe Joel L. Schiff Prior to the 1920s it was generally thought, with a few exceptions, that our galaxy, the Milky Way, was the entire Universe. Based on the work of Henrietta Leavitt with Cepheid variables, astronomer Edwin Hubble was able to determine that the Androme… Publication Date: September, 2018 Read More
	An Approach to Dark Matter Modelling Tanushree Basak In the field of particle and astrophysics, one of the major unresolved problems is to understand the nature and properties of dark matter, which constitutes almost 80% of the matter content of the universe. This book gives a pedagogical introduction … Publication Date: September, 2018 Read More
	Essential Semiconductor Laser Physics A.F.J. Levi The invention of the semiconductor laser along with silica glass fiber has enabled an incredible revolution in global communication infrastructure of direct benefit to all. Development of devices and system concepts that exploit the same fundamental … Publication Date: July, 2018 Read More
	An Introduction to Planetary Nebulae Jason J. Nishiyama In this book we will look at what planetary nebulae are, where they come from and where they go. We will discuss what mechanisms cause these beautiful markers of stellar demise as well as what causes them to form their variety of shapes. How we measu… Publication Date: May, 2018 Read More
	Of Clocks and Time Lutz Huwel Of Clocks and Time takes readers on a five-stop journey through the physics and technology (and occasional bits of applications and history) of timekeeping. On the way, conceptual vistas and qualitative images abound, but since mathe… Publication Date: May, 2018 Read More
	General Relativity Michael J.W. Hall This book is based on a set of 18 class-tested lectures delivered to fourth-year physics undergraduates at Griffith University in Brisbane, and the book presents new discoveries by the Nobel-prize winning LIGO collaboration. The author begins with a … Publication Date: March, 2018 Read More
	Detecting the Stochastic Gravitational-Wave Background Carlo Nicola Colacino The Stochastic Gravitational-Wave Background (SGWB) is by far the most difficult source of gravitational radiation detect. At the same time, it is the most interesting and intriguing one. This book describes the initial detection of the SGWB and des… Publication Date: December, 2017 Read More
	The Origins of Life Douglas Whittet The Origins of Life: A Cosmic Perspective presents an overview of the concepts, methods, and theories of astrobiology and origins of life research while presenting a summary of the latest findings. The book provides insight into the … Publication Date: December, 2017 Read More
	The Tai Chi in Star Formation Hua-bai Li Tai Chi, a Chinese martial art developed based on the laws of nature, emphaszses how ‘to conquer the unyielding with the yielding.’ The recent observation of star formation shows that stars result from the interaction between gravity, turbulence and … Publication Date: November, 2017 Read More
	Spiral Structure in Galaxies Marc S. Seigar A spiral galaxy is a type of galaxy originally described by Edwin Hubble in his 1936 work The Realm of Nebulae and, as such, forms part of the Hubble sequence. Spiral galaxies consist of a flat, rotating disk containing stars, gas and dust, a… Publication Date: July, 2017 Read More
	Sterile Neutrino Dark Matter Alexander Merle This book is a new look at one of the hottest topics in contemporary science, Dark Matter. It is the pioneering text dedicated to sterile neutrinos as candidate particles for Dark Matter, challenging some of the standard assumptions which may be true… Publication Date: May, 2017 Read More
	The Ringed Planet Joshua Colwell In September 2017, the Cassini spacecraft will point itself toward the atmosphere of Saturn and end its 13 year mission of solving many of the mysteries of the ringed planet’s system with a crash. This book is a dramatic, beautifully illustrated jour… Publication Date: April, 2017 Read More
	Electrostatic Phenomena on Planetary Surfaces Carlos I. Calle The diverse planetary environments in the solar system react in somewhat different ways to the encompassing influence of the sun. These different interactions define the electrostatic phenomena that take place on and near planetary surfaces. The desi… Publication Date: March, 2017 Read More
	Extragalactic Astrophysics James R. Webb Extragalactic Astrophysics synthesizes the most important topics in the fields of extragalactic astrophysics at the advanced undergraduate and graduate level, providing the reader with the foundation and tools for research in any of these area… Publication Date: October, 2016 Read More
	Searching for Dark Matter with Cosmic Gamma Rays Andrea Albert This book summarizes the evidence for dark matter and what we can learn about its particle nature using cosmic gamma rays. Overwhelming evidence suggests 95% of the Universe’s energy density doesn’t fit within our Standard Model of particle physics… Publication Date: September, 2016 Read More
	Searching for Habitable Worlds Abel Mendez, Wilson Gonzalez-Espada What does it take to consider a planet potentially habitable? If a planet is suitable for life, could life be present? Is life on other planets inevitable? Searching for Habitable Worlds answers these questions and provides both the general public an… Publication Date: June, 2016 Read More
	Elementary Cosmology: From Aristotle’s Universe to the Big Bang and Beyond James Kolata Cosmology is the study of the origin, size, and evolution of the entire universe. Every culture has developed a cosmology, whether it be based on religious, philosophical, or scientific principles. In this book, the evolution of the scientific unders… Publication Date: December 9, 2015 Read More
	Structure and Evolution of Single Stars James MacDonald Structure and Evolution of Single Stars: An introduction is intended for upper-level undergraduates and beginning graduates with a background in physics. Following a brief overview of the background observational material, the basic equations describ… Publication Date: December 11, 2015 Read More