Introduction to Physics in Modern Medicine, 2nd edn., by Suzanne Amador Kane

The inexorable miniaturisation of technologies, the relentless drive to improve efficiency and the enticing prospect of boosting performance through quantum effects are all compelling reasons to investigate microscopic machines. Thermal absorption machines are a particularly interesting class of device that operate autonomously and use only heat flows to perform a useful task. In the quantum regime, this provides a natural setting in which to quantify the thermodynamic cost of various operations such as cooling, timekeeping or entanglement generation. This article presents a pedagogical introduction to the physics of quantum absorption machines, covering refrigerators, engines and clocks in detail.     

A Unified Grand Tour of Theoretical Physics, 3rd edn., by Ian D. Lawrie

The emergence of the first black holes during the first billion years of cosmic history marks a key event in cosmology. Their formation is part of the overall process of ending the cosmic dark ages, when the first stars appeared in low-mass dark matter haloes about a few 100 million years after the Big Bang. The first stars, galaxies, and black holes transformed the Universe from its simple initial state into one of ever increasing complexity. We review recent progress on our emerging theoretical picture of how the first black holes appeared on the cosmic scene, and how they impacted the subsequent history of the Universe. Our focus is on supermassive black holes, in particular assessing possible pathways to the formation of the billion-solar-mass black holes inferred to power the luminous quasars at high redshifts. We conclude with a discussion of upcoming empirical probes, such as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), and the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), further ahead in time.     

Fusion: An Introduction to the Physics and Technology of Magnetic Confinement Fusion, 2nd edn., by W.M. Stacey

Non-additive interactions or many-body forces are discussed in a brief, qualitative, relatively non-technical manner with respect to their possible role in electrodynamics, in nuclear structure theory and, especially, in the theory of inter-molecular forces. The conceptual basis for non-additivity effects is given in each case and the evidence for such effects is examined.     

Theoretical and Mathematical Physics

A new effective method for solving three-dimensional problems of electromagnetic wave diffraction by impedance bodies with irregular boundaries is proposed. The method offers a high rate of convergence. Examples of solving the problems of wave scattering by bodies of revolution are given, and results illustrating the rate of convergence of a computational algorithm for bodies of various shapes are presented. The impedance approximation is shown to be valid for simulation of scattering characteristics of bodies with an insulating coating even when the boundary has irregularities and the refractive index of the coating is not too high. Various ways of characterizing “black bodies” and the results of studying their scattering characteristics are discussed.