Cosmic Rays

BOOK REVIEWS

C o s m ic M ays

by A. M. Hilkh, Pergamon Pn\ss» England. Price £4.00.

Thi« is on(* o f the seri('s of books published by th(^ Perganion Press under the title o f ''Sele<^ted Readings in Ph}^sics/’ As is usual with the series, this book is divided into two parts ; part J giv^ an introduction to the subject of Cosmic ra^'s and part 2 containo reprints of 16 sek'ctod original papers on impor­

tant topics o f the subject. The book is iitend(xl for undergraduate students in physics w4io are not in the habit of rof rriiig to original literature and those reprints will help them to got acquainted with the original i)ai>ers which record the do\"eloj)ment o f new ideas in this branch of physics.

The part 1 o f the book begins with the story of discovciry of Cosmic rays and in th(^ lirst two chapters, the* extra-terrestrial nature* of the radiation, the geomagnetic etfects and the Stdrmer’s theory aiv discussed. The book then give.s an account o f the processes undergone by the high energy radiation in the atmosphere, the production o f showt rs and the creation of new particles like muon and pion. The author does not proceed with the further work on the host of unstable particles discovenxl and studied in cosniic rays because perhaps th(‘se now form tlie topics o f a st*parate stream of physics viz.. Elementary Particles and High Energy Physics. In chapter 4, the book deals Avith the nature of }>ri- mary radiation--its flux, composition and energy spectrum. An account of the discovery and development o f extensive air showers is given m chapter 6, which als,> includes an interesting discussion on the nature of the energy sprectum al)Ovo 10 f>.V. It >vould perhaps beon hotter to interchange subject matters of chapters 5

and

6 : in that case chapters 6-9 would have given an uninterrupted

description of

topics related to the astrophysical aspect o f cosmic rays. Chapter 5 and

Chapters

7 to 9 give a gradual development of the astrophysical asi^ct of cosmic

ray

physics. After reviewing the significance

of

the discovery of galac

,c

radio

waves in

ndation to the origin of cosmic rays, the diffn-ont theories of the

accelaratiou

mechanism o f cosmic rays and the problem of cosmm ray

discussed. A short

account of the cosmic ray variations and ‘ Jo modutat

Cosmic rays by the Solar

Wind

are

then given, and the

part.

1

of

the book

eluded with a brief

discussion on cosmic

X-rays

and

Y-rays.

I . p.rt 2, the author ha. included repnnt. of original

ted » i l l the reader, feel the thriU of followmg through ^

of development of coomio ray Kwarch. bpok include,

in

, « 2

on the rema^h and end.

S r l l l t t r ' J v P . r h . r o n . h e m o d u t a r i o n o f o c ™ ^ 869

860

B ook R eview s

This book is an excellent introduction to the subject of Cosmic rays. It will be useful not only to the undergraduate and graduate students of physics, but also to the young workers entering research in the fields of Cosmic Rays, Space Physics and Astrophysics.

S. R. G.

A d v a n c e s i n B io c h em ic cU E n g i n e e r i n g

Ed. T. K . Chose, A. Fiechter and N. Blakebrough (Springer-Verlag, Beilin, 1972), Pp 215, Price $ 17.20.

This is the second volume in the welcome series on Advances in Biochemical Engineering, from Springer-Verlag. The book running into 215 pages contains six articles on the following : Enzyme Engineering (L. B. Wingard), Application of Computers in Biochemical Engineering (T

j

. K . N

3

nri), Mixed Microbial Popula­

tions (A. F. Gaudy Jr. and E. T. Gaudy), Scale-up of Biological Wastewater Treatment Reactors ( ... ) Cellulose as a Novel Energy Source (...) and on The Culture of Plant Cells.

Man has attained a system of world culture based on a wonderful mastery over nature, causing a rapid change in the biosphere. We are becoming increas­

ingly conscious about the responsibilities involved and about the importance of inter-disciplinary studies. The present volume is a timely addition towards this aim. The articles are very well written. However, the inclusion of the article on “Enzyme Engineering” by L. B. Wingard seems to be rather unneces­

sary in view of the fact that the excellent book by the same author on “Enzyme Engineering” published in the same year is available. Computers are becoming a part and parcel of any sceintific study and Nyiri’s article is quite good except thftts it seems to have ignored the important role of the inini-computerb (such as PDP/9) which are finding increasing use now-a-days. A bit of duplication of material is also involved in the articles on “Mixed Microbial Populations”

and that on “Scale-up of Biological Wastewater Treatment Reactors” in as much as one does not supplement the other. In an age of energy crisis it is very illu­

minating to have articles on “Cellulose as a Novel Energy Source” and “The Culture of Plant Cells” . We think this is a very good addition to the existing literature to the problems of Biochemical Engineering in particular and Hie prob­

lems of our control of nature in general.

D.K.S.

Q u a n tu m S ta tis tic s i n O p tic s an d S o lid -S ta te P h y s ic s , S p r i n g e r T r a c t s i n M o d e m P h y s ic s , V o l.

66,

{S p r i n g e r - V e r la g , ^ r l i n

1973),

Pp 173, $28^0.

Springer-Verlag is well known for its Ijuality publications in soic^nce and the present volume is no exception. The v|>liime running into 173 pag(\s con­

tains only two articles : ‘ ‘Statistical Theoryfof Instabilities in Stationary Non- equilibrium Systems with Applications to Liters and Nonlinear Optics" by R.

Graham and ‘ T h e Statistical Treatment of Ojptm Systems by Generalizea Master Equations" by F. Haake. Graham and Haake are both wi ll established workers in the field and the articles are quitci good. The importance of the statistical mechanical studies o f the open systems cannot bo over emphasized to-day-spo- oially with the modern zeal on thi‘ study of living systems. Without going into the intricacies o f how a Morkoffian description applie. to non-equillibrium systems we appreciate the nice phenomenological treatment executed in thc^ pajier by Graham-specially his illustration on single and multimode lasing systems. How ­ ever, a closer relationship to the experiments would have bo(‘n mon> h(*lpful to an experimental physicst. Prof. Haake’s excellent article on the microscopic treatment o f open systems is very good but too technical for a handboolv series.

Furthermore, the volume’s title claims mort. than it prt'sents. Even then it is a good addition to the tixisting literatim^ on the study of open system.

11 K. S.

Booh Reviews 861

S tr e s s W a v e P r o p a g a ti o n in S o lid s — A n In tr o d u c tio n

R. .T. Wasloy

Maroell Dokker Inc. New York 1973, Pp x+279, Price § 17.7o.

The first part which comprises more than two third of the the general basic theory of wave propagation phenomena m

author discusses in detail surface waves and reflection an re “ circular waves at plane interfaces. There is a chapter on wave propagation m circular cylinder. The disoussion, in the first part, is elementary in na un.

useful to the beginner in the field.

■n» ««ond of tho book

involving bo^ elastio and non-elastic wave be aviour.

862

Book Beviewa

Hopkinsan Pressure Bar there is an interesting discussion o f the experimental techniques that are used in measuring shock wave parameter. There is a good list o f ref(»renco8 on one dimensional strain wave investigations.

The reviewer would have welcomed a more detailed discussion in experi­

mental methods, which is the author’s field o f research. Thus while as many as fifty pages arc devoted in first part for the -tress-strain relations and equations in elasticity, the same number o f pages are devoted for the experimental techniaue.

A , R,

H a n d b o o k o f C o m m & 'cia l S c i e n t i f i c I n s tr u m e n ts , V o l . l , A t o m i c A b s o r p t i o n

by Claude Voillon (Marcel Bekker, N.Y. 1972), Pp xvi+174, Sll.7r>

In an age o f duplication and publicitj' the* scientific, worker is often fac(>d with the problem o f purchasing the right equipment at the right time with opti­

misation at the back o f his mind. The prt'sent volume in the scries o f the Hand­

book o f Commercial Scientific Instniments is a very good attempt in alleviating the problem mentioned above and we q u o te : “ The Handbook will be a multi­

volume series devoted to comm«^rcially available scientific instruments o f various types” in the United States. The much needed information on how the scientific counterpart in th(; socialist countries is managing his kitchen is not available.

This is unfortunate because a comparative cost evaluation is o f social importance as well. Prof. Veillon has done a very good job on a comparative, presentation o f the atomic absorption instruments available to him. However, we feel that the book could have been shortened by omitting a large part of the chapters on the individual manufacturers for which an interested reader can always refir to the company literature.

D . K , S.

B ooh R eview s ₈₆₃

T h e T i t i u s - B o d e L a w o f P la n e ta r y D is t a n c e s : I t s H i s t o r y A n d T h e o r y Michael Martin Nieto. Pergamon Press, 1972 Pp. xii+161, £ 3..50.

The hook completed in fifteen chapteie presents a detailed review starting from the historical background o f the Tit^s-Bode law to its significances with respect to the present day theories o f the origin o f the solar system.

The first chapter cover thc! prehistory pf the law from Ke])ler to Kant and it is shown how the id'>as rcigarding some soif o f relationsliip about tliti plamdary distances developed during seventeenth a '^ eighteenth centuries. Based on this it is discussed in chapters 2 and 3, how law was ultimately discovered.

The law, though had a success in the case Uranus and asteroid belts and to some extent in the case o f statellite systems of major planets, did find its failure in the case o f trans Uranus planets, Neptune and Pluto.

Out o f many leformulations, those o f Blagg and Richardson are worth mentioning. The modified form had a geometric progression in 1.73 (not 2 t»f th«‘ original formulation) multiplied by a periodic function of the jdantd nutnber.

These are discussed in chapter. 7.

The next few chapters include the discussions of the rea.sons behind the law hi the context o f the origion o f the solar system. Thi; author has come to the conclusion that the solar system had a nebular period during which the geo­

metric progression in th(' law originated and the geometric progression was caused by fluid and inagnetohydro-dynamieal process. Further, the evolution or pc rio- dic function was due- to point gravitational or tidal evolution that occurred during the planet period.

In chapters 12-14 are reviewed the electromagnetic, gravitational and nebular theories that have proposed a mechanism o f the Titius-Bode law.

With these the book has bocm able to present a comprehensive study o f the subject to the readers in the history of science and scientific research workers.

Just for completeness in chapters 12-14 are reviewed some theories o f solar system that have nothing to do with the law. Also the book is provided with numerous references at the end, which will be o f immense help to have a thorough knowledge o f the subject. Moreover, as the author has concluded that reason behind the law are not ironclad, the bibliographical sources will undoubtealy serve as a guide to the interested and serious readers for further research on the subject.

T. K. G.

864

B ook Bevietoa

O p tim iza tio n a n d S ta b ility P ro b lem s in C o n tin u u m M e ch a n ic s

Edited by P. K. C. Wang, Springer Verlag, Bertin, Herdelberg New York, Pp 394, Prioo $ 17.50.

The book is the outcome of leotui'es presented at the Symposium on opti­

misation and stability problems in continuum meohanios at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, August

2 4 ,

1971. Part 1 of the book contains three palters on optimisation problem. In the first paper of the series H. Halldn discusses the method of Dubovitskii— Milyutin in mathematical programming.

After explaining the method the author showed that the essential step is the separation of two or more convex sets. Introducing the notion of “Separating several convex sets and convex approximation of sets’’ the author gives a simple proof of the method. He further discusses the limitation of the method by a simple example and later on gives the necessary condition for optimisation prob­

lems with equality and operator constraints.

In the second paper R. T. Shield shows how by an appropriate variational principle “design criteria” can be established which lead to structures of minimum volume. The author discusses the procedure for minimum volume design of structures of perfectly plastic material. ’The procedure in the case of elastic design for a given stiffness and for Michell structure is also discussed.

In the last of the optimisation problem the authors, Wu, Chwang and Wang present the general theory for a two dimensional hydroftul oscillating in waves which is applied to the case of a flexible plate wing. The paper deals with the possibility of energy transfer from the sorrounding fluid medium to the oscilla­

ting body by the principle of control theory. The results may be useful to the development of control theory for hydrofoil ships and to the analysis of flutter phenomena.

Part 2 of the book contains two problems of stability theory. In the first one, £ . F. In&nte discusses through examples Liapounov’s theory of stability.

As applications he discusses a problem of non-existence of osoillatum in a circuit theory, a bifurcation problem arising in diemical reactor stability problem and the general problem of the classical theory of Thermo— elasticity.

£a the last paper £ . M. Bars ton presents an energy principle which gives the necessary and sufficient condition for exponential stability. Applications to the problem of gravitational stability of a stratified viscous incmnpressibl)- fluid and the stability of resistive, viscous, incotnpressiUe magnetdhydiodyna- mio sheet pinch are discussed.

As very few books are available in the specialised topic considered here the present book will no doubt be useful to the workers in the fidld.

A . -B.