Questions tagged [resource-recommendations]

Questions asking "What is a good book about X?" or more generally, "What should I read to learn about X?", typically where there is not a single authoritative reference. Please READ THE GUIDANCE IN META (http://meta.physics.stackexchange.com/questions/4697 or click Learn More) before asking.

Questions asking "What is a good book about X?" or, more generally, "What should I read to learn about X?" typically where there is not a single authoritative reference. These sorts of questions have multiple answers and will acquire new answers as more books/papers are written on the subject.

questions are on-topic, but they need to follow the guidelines in our resource recommendation policy. Before asking a resource recommendation question, do your utmost to check whether there is a request about the same topic and whether the resources there are sufficient. It might be helpful to read the overarching question Resource recommendations when doing this. Answers to resource recommendation questions must not be link-only, or they will be deleted; we expect answers to describe the resources they recommend above and beyond what one might learn, for example, by trawling through Amazon.

Contrast this with the tag, which is for questions that ask for a specific resource instead of any resource explaining a particular topic. The tags and are mutually exclusive; they should never both be applied to the same question.

The tag also covers journals and non-paper electronic materials, such as e.g. video lectures, on-line resources, software, experimental data files, etc.

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Resource recommendations

Every once in a while, we get a question asking for a book or other educational reference on a particular topic at a particular level. This is a meta-question that collects all those links together. If you're looking for book recommendations, this…
David Z
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Books for general relativity

What are some good books for learning general relativity?
112
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19 answers

What is a good introductory book on quantum mechanics?

I'm really interested in quantum theory and would like to learn all that I can about it. I've followed a few tutorials and read a few books but none satisfied me completely. I'm looking for introductions for beginners which do not depend heavily on…
PhaDaPhunk
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13 answers

Best books for mathematical background?

What are the best textbooks to read for the mathematical background you need for modern physics, such as, string theory? Some subjects off the top of my head that probably need covering: Differential geometry, Manifolds, etc. Lie groups, Lie…
95
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10 answers

What is a complete book for introductory quantum field theory?

There's a fairly standard two or three-semester curriculum for introductory quantum field theory, which covers topics such as: classical field theory background canonical quantization, path integrals the Dirac field quantum…
92
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11 answers

Quantum Field Theory from a mathematical point of view

I'm a student of mathematics with not much background in physics. I'm interested in learning Quantum field theory from a mathematical point of view. Are there any good books or other reference material which can help in learning about quantum field…
91
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20 answers

What software programs are used to draw physics diagrams, and what are their relative merits?

Undoubtedly, people use a variety of programs to draw diagrams for physics, but I am not familiar with many of them. I usually hand-draw things in GIMP which is powerful in some regards, but it is time consuming to do things like draw circles or…
84
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24 answers

List of freely available physics books

I'm trying to amass a list of physics books with open-source licenses, like Creative Commons, GPL, etc. The books can be about a particular field in physics or about physics in general. What are some freely available great physics books on the…
pcr
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Comprehensive book on group theory for physicists?

I am looking for a good source on group theory aimed at physicists. I'd prefer one with a good general introduction to group theory, not just focusing on Lie groups or crystal groups but one that covers "all" the basics, and then, in addition, talks…
77
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7 answers

Number theory in Physics

As a Graduate Mathematics student, my interest lies in Number theory. I am curious to know if Number theory has any connections or applications to physics. I have never even heard of any applications of Number theory to physics. I have heard…
56
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5 answers

Mathematically-oriented Treatment of General Relativity

Can someone suggest a textbook that treats general relativity from a rigorous mathematical perspective? Ideally, such a book would Prove all theorems used. Use modern "mathematical notation" as opposed to "physics notation", especially with respect…
55
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7 answers

A No-Nonsense Introduction to Quantum Field Theory

I found Sean Carroll's "A No Nonsense Introduction to General Relativity" (about page here. pdf here), a 24-page overview of the topic, very helpful for beginning study. It all got me over the hump of learning the meaning of various terms…
54
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14 answers

Suggested reading for renormalization (not only in QFT)

What papers/books/reviews can you suggest to learn what Renormalization "really" is? Standard QFT textbooks are usually computation-heavy and provide little physical insight in this regard - after my QFT course, I was left with the impression that…
53
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8 answers

Books for Condensed Matter after Ashcroft/Mermin

What are some good condensed matter physics books that can fill the gap between Ashcroft & Mermin and research papers? Suggestions for any specialized topics (such as superconductivity, CFT, topological insulators) are welcomed.
53
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5 answers

Good reading on the Keldysh formalism

I'd like some suggestions for good reading materials on the Keldysh formalism in the condensed matter physics community. I'm familiar with the imaginary time, coherent state, and path integral formalisms, but lately, I've been seeing Keldysh more…
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