Book list · Open textbooks · Updated October 2026
Free Physics Textbooksfrom Universities and Physicists
Textbooks and lecture notes that physicists and universities give away, sorted by subject. From a high school student's first look at motion to string theory and quantum gravity, and every link goes to the author's site, the university's site or an open archive.
- Books
- 223
- Subjects
- 15
- Levels
- 3
- Cost
- $0
Physicists, like mathematicians, tend to turn years of lecture notes into a book one day and put that book on their own page for free. Some of these books also come out in print while the PDF stays on the author's site, and some never reach a printer at all and sit in a university library's open archive, waiting for someone to look.
I collect those books here, subject by subject. When I add one I ask the question I carried over from years in the classroom, could a student pick this up and work through it alone? Under every book I note its level, its format and a short comment, and when something is a review article or a century-old classic rather than a textbook, the card says so, because you should know what you are opening before you open it.
The list starts at the very beginning, with books for someone who has never seen a derivative, and runs all the way to supergravity and loop quantum gravity. In between are the first-year courses, the core undergraduate subjects, Konstantin Likharev's four-volume graduate series from Stony Brook, Christoph Schiller's six-volume Motion Mountain, which treats all of physics as a single climb, and the Feynman Lectures, which Caltech puts online in full. If Feynman is the reason you are here, his memoir Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! shows the same mind away from the blackboard, and the Feynman technique is a good way to read any book on this page.
If you want the mathematics side, I gathered the free math textbooks from university mathematicians the same way. For printed books, there is the reading list of a Harvard physics student, the books used across a four-year degree. The list grows as I add books, and right now it holds 223 of them.
By the numbers
What is on the shelf
24 long reviews and 23 public-domain classics sit beside the textbooks, each one marked on its card.
Level
- 24 High school
- 77 Undergraduate
- 122 Advanced
Format
- 151 PDF
- 72 Web
Kind
- 176 Books and notes
- 24 Reviews
- 23 Classics
Where they live
- 70 arXiv
- 32 Internet Archive
- 121 Authors and universities
Where to begin
Three ways in
223 books is a lot to choose from, so here are three short routes through the list. Every title jumps to its card.
Route 01
Before calculus
For a high school student, or anyone who wants physics without derivatives.
Route 02
The undergraduate core
The usual four years of a physics degree, one free book per step.
Route 03
The graduate shelf
For the first year of a PhD, or for the self-learner who wants to go that far.
The atlas
Fifteen subjects, one shelf
Tap a subject to filter the list. You can pick more than one.
Introductory Physics
First-year physics with or without calculus, plus lab manuals, problem books and a few century-old classics.
25books
- 01.01High schoolPDF
Light and Matter
Benjamin CrowellFullerton College
Crowell wrote this series for his own classes at Fullerton College and has kept revising it for years. It runs from high school physics into the first year of university, and the Creative Commons license means you can copy it, print it and hand it out.
- 01.02High schoolPDF
College Physics 2e
Paul Peter Urone, Roger Hinrichs, Kim DirksOpenStax, Rice University
The standard algebra-based introduction, no calculus required. Every chapter ends with a long problem set, and a high school student who has never seen a derivative can follow it.
- 01.03UndergraduatePDF
University Physics, Volume 1
Samuel J. Ling, Jeff Sanny, William MoebsOpenStax, Rice University
The first of OpenStax's three calculus-based volumes. It starts with units and vectors and goes through Newton's laws, energy, rotation, gravitation and fluids before ending on oscillations and waves.
- 01.04UndergraduatePDF
University Physics, Volume 2
Samuel J. Ling, Jeff Sanny, William MoebsOpenStax, Rice University
Volume two opens with thermodynamics, then moves through electric fields, circuits and magnetism to Maxwell's equations and electromagnetic waves.
- 01.05UndergraduatePDF
University Physics, Volume 3
Samuel J. Ling, Jeff Sanny, William MoebsOpenStax, Rice University
Volume three starts with optics and turns to modern physics, so this is where relativity, quantum mechanics, atomic and nuclear physics, particle physics and cosmology live.
- 01.06UndergraduatePDF
Calculus-Based Physics I
Jeffrey W. SchnickSaint Anselm College
The textbook for the calculus-based course at Saint Anselm College. Chapters are short, each about one lecture long, and this first volume covers mechanics.
- 01.07UndergraduatePDF
Calculus-Based Physics II
Jeffrey W. SchnickSaint Anselm College
The second volume is electricity and magnetism in the same short-chapter format, so you move through the material in the order Schnick teaches it.
- 01.08High schoolWeb
Body Physics: Motion to Metabolism
Lawrence DavisUmpqua Community College
Physics taught through the human body, forces through muscles and bones, energy through metabolism. Written for students headed into the health sciences.
- 01.09High schoolWeb
Exploring Physical Phenomena
Emily van Zee, Elizabeth GireOregon State University
Written at Oregon State for future teachers, and it makes you run experiments far more than it makes you read. I would hand this to any science teacher without a second thought.
- 01.10High schoolWeb
The Physics Hypertextbook
Glenn ElertMidwood High School, New York
A New York high school physics teacher has been writing and updating this web book on his own for years. Every topic from mechanics to modern physics gets a short page with problems, and for a high school student it is the easiest read on the whole list.
- 01.11UndergraduateWeb
Investigations in Experimental Physics
Peter J. Polito, James E. Walsh, Jeff L. GagnonSpringfield College
The lab book for introductory physics at Springfield College, now in its tenth edition. Every experiment makes you measure, estimate uncertainty and read a graph again, the habit a textbook alone never builds.
- 01.12UndergraduateWebClassic
Physics for University Students, Part II
Henry Smith CarhartUniversity of Michigan
The second volume of Carhart's 1890s university physics, on heat, electricity and magnetism. Read it today to see how physics was taught at a university more than 130 years ago.
- 01.13UndergraduateWeb
The Feynman Lectures on Physics
Richard P. Feynman, Robert B. Leighton, Matthew SandsCaltech
The three volumes of lectures Feynman gave Caltech freshmen and sophomores in 1961–63, all free to read on Caltech's site. Less a textbook than a lesson in how to think about physics, and if there is one book on this list everyone should read someday, it is this one.
- 01.14High schoolWebClassic
Laboratory Projects in Physics: A Manual of Practical Experiments for Beginners
Frederick Foreman GoodInternet Archive
An old lab manual written for beginners. Most of its experiments need only simple materials, and it still works as a source of experiments you can repeat at home or in a classroom.
- 01.15UndergraduatePDF
Problems in Introductory Physics
Benjamin Crowell, Brandon ShotwellFullerton College, UC San Diego
A problem book for introductory physics by Crowell and Shotwell. It goes with any textbook, and for someone who learns physics by solving rather than reading, it is the first stop.
- 01.16High schoolWeb
People's Physics Book - Basic
CK-12 FoundationCK-12 Foundation
An introductory physics book for high school students from the nonprofit CK-12. Short chapters, lots of drawings, little math, and an easy start for someone meeting physics for the first time.
- 01.17UndergraduateWebClassic
Problems and Questions in Physics
C.P. Matthews, J.S. ShearerCornell University
A physics problem and question book published at Cornell in the 1890s. Something like the ancestor of today's problem books, and most of its questions are still worth solving.
- 01.18High schoolPDF
Discover Physics
Benjamin CrowellFullerton College
Crowell's conceptual physics book for students outside the sciences. It builds the core ideas of physics with almost no math.
- 01.19UndergraduateWeb
A Radically Modern Approach to Introductory Physics
David J. RaymondNew Mexico Tech
An introductory physics book that starts from waves, relativity and quantum mechanics instead of Newton. Classical physics arrives later as a limiting case, an interesting experiment for anyone who wants to see physics in reverse order.
- 01.20High schoolPDF
Algebra-Based College Physics, Part I
Ulrich ZürcherCleveland State University
The first volume of an algebra-based introductory physics book. Short and tidy, a comfortable start for someone coming to physics through algebra.
- 01.21High schoolPDF
Roller Coaster Physics
Tony WayneAuthor's own site
A project book by high school physics teacher Tony Wayne that teaches energy, force and motion through roller coasters. Students design their own coaster, and physics turns concrete at the amusement park.
- 01.22High schoolWebClassic
Practical Physics
R.A. Millikan, H.G. Gale, W.R. PyleUniversity of Chicago
A high school physics book Nobel laureate Millikan wrote with his Chicago colleagues. More than a century old, and its way of teaching through everyday machines and instruments is more concrete than most textbooks today.
- 01.23High schoolWebClassic
Physics
Charles R. Mann, George R. TwissUniversity of Chicago, Ohio State University
A high school physics book from more than a century ago. It teaches physics through the machines and events of everyday life.
- 01.24UndergraduateWebClassic
Physics for College Students
Henry S. CarhartUniversity of Michigan
Carhart's single-volume physics for first-year college students. More than a century old, and it reads like a shorter, tidier Physics for University Students.
- 01.25UndergraduateWebClassic
An Outline of First Year College Physics
Clarence E. BennettInternet Archive
A topic-by-topic outline of first-year college physics. Not a replacement for a textbook but a companion to one, written for review and exam preparation.
Motion Mountain
One author, six volumes, the whole of physics as a single climb.
6books
- 02.01High schoolPDF
Motion Mountain, Vol. I: Fall, Flow and Heat
Christoph SchillerAuthor's own site
The first of Schiller's six volumes, which treat the whole of physics as one long climb. Motion, fluids and heat, with photographs, puzzles and problems on almost every page.
- 02.02High schoolPDF
Motion Mountain, Vol. II: Relativity and Cosmology
Christoph SchillerAuthor's own site
Special and general relativity and cosmology. Schiller builds the ideas from everyday examples before he reaches for equations.
- 02.03High schoolPDF
Motion Mountain, Vol. III: Light, Charges and Brains
Christoph SchillerAuthor's own site
Electromagnetism, light and optics, and then a detour into how perception and the brain work.
- 02.04UndergraduatePDF
Motion Mountain, Vol. IV: The Quantum of Change
Christoph SchillerAuthor's own site
An introduction to quantum mechanics built around the smallest action, Planck's constant. That angle sets it apart from most textbooks.
- 02.05UndergraduatePDF
Motion Mountain, Vol. V: Motion Inside Matter
Christoph SchillerAuthor's own site
Atoms, nuclei and stars, then down into the quantum physics hiding inside everyday technology.
- 02.06AdvancedPDF
Motion Mountain, Vol. VI: The Strand Model
Christoph SchillerAuthor's own site
This volume is not mainstream physics. Schiller lays out his own unification proposal, the strand model, and the subtitle itself calls it a speculation. Read it out of curiosity after the first five.
Mechanics
From Newton to Lagrange and Hamilton, from engineering statics to graduate dynamics.
22books
- 03.01UndergraduatePDF
University Physics I: Classical Mechanics
Julio Gea-BanaclocheUniversity of Arkansas
The first semester of calculus-based physics as taught at the University of Arkansas. It is also the only book on the list from my own state.
- 03.02UndergraduatePDF
Mechanics and Relativity
Timon IdemaTU Delft
The first-year mechanics text at TU Delft. It starts with Newton and ends with special relativity, so the two sit in the same book and connect naturally.
- 03.03AdvancedPDF
Variational Principles in Classical Mechanics
Douglas ClineUniversity of Rochester
Lagrangian and Hamiltonian mechanics built on variational principles, somewhere between senior undergraduate and graduate level. Cline wrote it from the course he taught at Rochester for many years.
- 03.04UndergraduatePDF
Principles of Mechanics: Fundamental University Physics
Salma AlrasheedKing Abdullah University of Science and Technology
The calculus-based mechanics book for first-year students at KAUST. Vectors and Newton's laws first, then rotation, gravitation and oscillations.
- 03.05AdvancedPDF
Essential Graduate Physics, Part CM: Classical Mechanics
Konstantin LikharevStony Brook University
The mechanics volume of Essential Graduate Physics, Likharev's graduate series from Stony Brook. Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formalism, oscillations, rigid bodies and chaos, with end-of-chapter problems that make you work.
- 03.06AdvancedPDF
Classical Mechanics
Joel A. ShapiroRutgers University
The classical mechanics text from Rutgers. Lagrangian and Hamiltonian mechanics, rigid body rotation, small oscillations, canonical transformations and field theory, and it works well as a free stand-in for Goldstein.
- 03.07UndergraduateWeb
Mechanics
Benjamin CrowellFullerton College
Crowell's book devoted to mechanics. Same open license and same plain, well-illustrated style as Light and Matter, building Newtonian mechanics and the conservation laws.
- 03.08AdvancedPDF
Structure and Interpretation of Classical Mechanics
Gerald Jay Sussman, Jack WisdomMIT
Classical mechanics written as programs in Scheme. Every Lagrangian and Hamiltonian equation becomes running code, so sloppy notation has nowhere to hide, and for a reader who thinks with a computer there is nothing else like it.
- 03.09AdvancedPDF
Continuum Mechanics
Zdeněk MartinecCharles University, Prague
Continuum mechanics notes from the geophysics department at Charles University in Prague. Stress and strain through the conservation laws, built carefully with tensor calculus.
- 03.10UndergraduateWebClassic
A Short Course in Elementary Mechanics for Engineers
Clifford Newton MillsInternet Archive
A short elementary mechanics book for engineering students. Forces, moments and motion in a few pages, with plenty of worked examples.
- 03.11AdvancedWeb
Lagrangian Mechanics, Dynamics, and Control
Andrew D. LewisQueen's University, Kingston
Lagrangian mechanics built in the language of differential geometry and carried into control theory. Heavy mathematics, written for the mathematician or engineer who wants mechanics done rigorously.
- 03.12UndergraduatePDF
Classical Mechanics: An Introductory Course
Richard FitzpatrickUniversity of Texas at Austin
Fitzpatrick's classical mechanics for the first year. Calculus-based and plain, the place to start before the more advanced books on his site.
- 03.13UndergraduateWebClassic
Applications of the Calculus to Mechanics
E.R. Hedrick, O.D. KelloggUniversity of Missouri
How calculus applies to mechanics. An old but still working way for a student who has just learned calculus to see what derivatives and integrals are for in physics.
- 03.14UndergraduateWebClassic
The Integrals of Mechanics
Oliver Clarence LesterInternet Archive
A short book on the integrals of the equations of motion, the conserved quantities like energy and momentum. More than a hundred years old, and still a tidy read for someone learning calculus and mechanics together.
- 03.15UndergraduatePDF
Classical Mechanics: A Critical Introduction
Michael CohenUniversity of Pennsylvania
Classical mechanics read with a critical eye. It keeps asking where concepts come from and where they strain, written for the student who wants to look behind memorized formulas.
- 03.16AdvancedWeb
Advanced Mechanics
Eric PoissonUniversity of Guelph
Poisson's advanced mechanics notes on Lagrangian and Hamiltonian mechanics, with the same clarity as his statistical physics notes.
- 03.17UndergraduateWebClassic
Mechanics for Engineers
Arthur MorleyUniversity College, Nottingham
Morley's mechanics book for engineering students. More than a century old, from statics to machine elements, with plenty of examples aimed at what an engineer actually needs.
- 03.18UndergraduateWeb
Classical Dynamics
David TongUniversity of Cambridge
Cambridge's third-year classical dynamics notes. From Lagrangian mechanics through rigid bodies to the Hamiltonian formalism, in Tong's familiar plain style.
- 03.19UndergraduateWebClassic
Introduction to Analytical Mechanics
Alexander ZiwetUniversity of Michigan
An introduction to analytical mechanics, more than a century old. Read it to see how mechanics was built with calculus.
- 03.20UndergraduateWebClassic
Elementary Applied Mechanics
Thomas Alexander, A.W. ThomsonInternet Archive
Elementary applied mechanics for engineering students. More than a century old, teaching forces, beams and machines through well-illustrated examples.
- 03.21High schoolWebClassic
Mechanics and Hydrostatics for Beginners
S.L. LoneyRoyal Holloway College
Loney's mechanics and hydrostatics for beginners. More than a century old, teaching forces, equilibrium and fluid pressure through plenty of worked problems.
- 03.22UndergraduateWeb
The Key to Newton's Dynamics: The Kepler Problem and the Principia
J. Bruce BrackenridgeLawrence University
How Newton solved planetary orbits in the Principia, opened up step by step. It rebuilds Newton's geometric proofs in language a reader today can follow, and sits in the University of California Press's open e-book collection.
Electromagnetism
Fields, circuits, waves and radiation, from a first course to graduate level.
13books
- 04.01AdvancedPDF
Essential Graduate Physics, Part EM: Classical Electrodynamics
Konstantin LikharevStony Brook University
The electrodynamics volume of the same series. Electrostatics through magnetism, waves and radiation to special relativity, a solid free companion to any graduate electrodynamics course.
- 04.02UndergraduatePDF
Electromagnetics, Vol. 1
Steven W. EllingsonVirginia Tech
Written at Virginia Tech for electrical engineering students. It starts with static electric and magnetic fields and reaches plane waves by way of transmission lines.
- 04.03UndergraduatePDF
Electromagnetics, Vol. 2
Steven W. EllingsonVirginia Tech
Reflection and transmission, waveguides, antennas and optical fiber. A good bridge for anyone crossing from physics into engineering.
- 04.04AdvancedWeb
Applications of Maxwell's Equations
John F. Cochran, Bretislav HeinrichSimon Fraser University
Advanced notes for the reader who already knows Maxwell's equations and wants to solve real problems with them. Two physicists from Simon Fraser, readable chapter by chapter online.
- 04.05AdvancedPDF
Charged Particle Beams
Stanley HumphriesUniversity of New Mexico
How charged particle beams are made, transported and focused in accelerators and electron tubes. Wiley published it in 1990, and Humphries later put it on his own site for free.
- 04.06AdvancedWeb
A Course in Graduate Electrodynamics
Mark JarrellLouisiana State University
LSU's graduate electrodynamics course notes, read online. Written to go alongside Jackson, and a good companion for anyone struggling with Jackson alone.
- 04.07UndergraduatePDF
Introduction to Electromagnetic Theory and the Physics of Conducting Solids
Costas J. PapachristouHellenic Naval Academy
An undergraduate book that teaches electromagnetic theory together with the physics of conducting solids. From Maxwell's equations to how current flows in metals and semiconductors, two courses in one book.
- 04.08AdvancedPDF
Introduction to the Physics of Gyrotrons
Gregory S. NusinovichUniversity of Maryland
The physics of gyrotrons, the powerful microwave sources used to heat plasma in fusion reactors. Open access from Johns Hopkins University Press, it builds step by step how electrons spiraling in a magnetic field produce radiation.
- 04.09UndergraduatePDF
Classical Electrodynamics and Theory of Relativity
Ruslan SharipovBashkir State University
An undergraduate book that teaches electrodynamics and special relativity together, building tensor language from the start. Sharipov begins with Maxwell's equations and shows mathematically why they fit relativity perfectly.
- 04.10AdvancedWeb
Macroscopic Electrodynamics
Walter WilcoxBaylor University
An open textbook Wilcox wrote for graduate electrodynamics at Baylor. The core topics of graduate electrodynamics, gathered tidily.
- 04.11UndergraduateWeb
Electromagnetic Fields and Energy
Hermann A. Haus, James R. MelcherMIT
Haus and Melcher's classic on electromagnetic fields and energy for electrical engineering students. MIT publishes the whole book free on its own site, and it keeps tying fields to circuits, machines and waves.
- 04.12UndergraduatePDF
Funky Electromagnetic Concepts
Eric L. MichelsenUC San Diego
The electromagnetism volume of Michelsen's Funky series. It opens up the electromagnetism concepts courses skip or students misread, one at a time.
- 04.13UndergraduatePDF
Electricity and Magnetism
Benjamin CrowellFullerton College
The electricity and magnetism volume from Crowell's Light and Matter series. Same plain, illustrated style, from circuits to fields and electromagnetic waves.
Quantum Mechanics
From the first atom to open quantum systems.
16books
- 05.01High schoolPDF
Atomic Physics for Everyone
Will RavenSmith College
Raven wrote this assuming no college-level background at all. It goes from the structure of the atom to quantum mechanics and the precision spectroscopy that measures the light atoms give off, and for anyone who wants into quantum physics with only high school math, it is the best door on this list.
- 05.02UndergraduatePDF
Atomic Physics
Paul EwartUniversity of Oxford
Oxford's undergraduate atomic physics lectures. Hydrogen, fine and hyperfine structure, then lasers and laser spectroscopy, the natural next step after Raven.
- 05.03AdvancedPDF
Essential Graduate Physics, Part QM: Quantum Mechanics
Konstantin LikharevStony Brook University
The quantum mechanics volume. Wave mechanics, then bra-ket notation, angular momentum, scattering and open quantum systems.
- 05.04AdvancedPDF
An Introduction to Relativistic Quantum Mechanics
M. De SanctisUniversidad Nacional de Colombia
Lecture notes on the Klein-Gordon and Dirac equations, where quantum mechanics meets special relativity. Short and tidy, a good bridge before quantum field theory.
- 05.05AdvancedPDF
Introduction to the Time Evolution of Open Quantum Systems
Ángel Rivas, Susana F. HuelgaUniversidad Complutense de Madrid, Universität Ulm
A short, tidy book on how a quantum system changes in time while it interacts with its surroundings. For anyone wondering why quantum computers lose coherence, it builds the road to the Lindblad equation with clear mathematics.
- 05.06UndergraduatePDF
Quantum Mechanics for Engineers
Leon van DommelenFlorida State University
Quantum mechanics for engineering students, well over a thousand pages. Van Dommelen explains everything physics books assume you already know, and for learning quantum mechanics from outside a physics department it is one of the most patient sources there is.
- 05.07UndergraduateWeb
Quantum Mechanics
Martin PlenioImperial College London
Imperial College's undergraduate quantum mechanics lectures. Plenio went on to become a leading name in quantum information, and the notes run tidily from wave mechanics to Dirac notation and angular momentum.
- 05.08High schoolWebClassic
The Origin and Development of the Quantum Theory
Max PlanckUniversität Berlin
The English translation of Planck's 1920 Nobel lecture. The birth of the quantum idea in the words of the man who first put it forward, short enough to finish in one sitting.
- 05.09UndergraduatePDF
Quantum Mechanics Made Simple
Weng Cho ChewUniversity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Quantum mechanics for electrical engineers, focused on the quantum effects that show up in nanoelectronics and optics. With van Dommelen, it makes up the engineer's road into quantum mechanics.
- 05.10AdvancedPDF
Lecture Notes on Quantum Brownian Motion
László ErdősLMU München
Lecture notes on how a quantum particle spreads through a random medium, quantum Brownian motion. Written in the mathematical physics tradition, with careful proofs.
- 05.11UndergraduateWeb
Modern Physics
Michael FowlerUniversity of Virginia
Fowler's web notes for modern physics at the University of Virginia. Relativity, quantum mechanics and atomic physics, told together with how they developed.
- 05.12UndergraduatePDF
Lectures on Quantum Physics and Applications
Paul E. DimotakisCaltech
Dimotakis's Caltech lectures on quantum physics and its applications, kept in Caltech's authors archive. The core ideas of quantum mechanics, together with their engineering uses.
- 05.13AdvancedPDF
Quantum Fluctuations
Edward NelsonPrinceton University
Princeton mathematician Edward Nelson's book on stochastic mechanics, which rebuilds quantum mechanics from random processes. It offers an interpretation outside the mainstream, written for readers who know mathematics and care about foundations.
- 05.14AdvancedPDF
Quantum Spin Systems on Infinite Lattices
Pieter NaaijkensCardiff University
Lecture notes on quantum spin systems on infinite lattices, in the language of operator algebras. In the mathematical physics tradition, an introduction for anyone wanting rigorous foundations for many-body quantum systems.
- 05.15UndergraduateWebClassic
The Theory of Spectra and Atomic Constitution: Three Essays
Niels BohrUniversitetet i København
Three essays in which Bohr explains his atomic model and the theory of spectral lines in his own words. Not a textbook, but one to set next to Planck's lecture for reading the birth of quantum mechanics from the people who started it.
- 05.16UndergraduatePDF
Quantum Mechanics: An Intermediate Level Course
Richard FitzpatrickUniversity of Texas at Austin
Fitzpatrick's quantum mechanics for the later undergraduate years. Dirac notation, angular momentum, perturbation theory and scattering, plain and tidy like his other books.
Field Theory and Particle Physics
Quantum fields, quarks, neutrinos, nuclei and strings.
32books
- 06.01AdvancedPDF
As Scales Become Separated: Lectures on Effective Field Theory
Timothy CohenUniversity of Oregon
Summer school lectures on effective field theory. Why you can understand physics at one scale without knowing every detail of the smaller ones, from toy models up to the Standard Model.
- 06.02AdvancedPDF
Introduction to Supergravity
Horatiu NastaseIFT-UNESP, São Paulo
Book-length notes on supergravity, the theory that joins supersymmetry and general relativity. Nastase shows the calculations step by step, good preparation before string theory.
- 06.03AdvancedWeb
The Particle Detector BriefBook
R.K. Bock, A. VasilescuCERN
A CERN reference that explains particle detector terms in alphabetical order. The hardware side of a particle physics experiment, from calorimeters to tracking detectors.
- 06.04AdvancedPDF
Quantum Field Theory
Mark SrednickiUC Santa Barbara
The author's own draft of the quantum field theory book Cambridge University Press published. Short chapters, and each one opens by telling you which earlier chapters you need, which makes it unusually good for reading alone.
- 06.05AdvancedPDFReview
Lattice Perturbation Theory
Stefano CapitaniarXiv
A book-length review of how perturbative calculations are done in lattice QCD. A reference for graduate students entering lattice field theory, with the methods derived in full.
- 06.06AdvancedWeb
Physics Quest: Understanding Relativistic Quantum Field Theory
Hans de VriesAuthor's own site
A web book that tries to build quantum field theory intuitively, starting from Lorentz transformations and relativity. It comes from the author's own site rather than a university, and it lays the road to field theory in a different order than the textbooks do.
- 06.07AdvancedWeb
Quantum Field Theory I
Ling-Fong LiCarnegie Mellon University
Li's quantum field theory course at National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan, laid out chapter by chapter on a web page. A solid introduction from an author best known for the gauge theory book he wrote with Cheng.
- 06.08AdvancedPDF
Introduction to Feynman Integrals
Stefan WeinzierlJohannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz
Short notes on how Feynman integrals, the workhorse of quantum corrections in particle physics, are solved. Weinzierl later wrote a book of more than 850 pages on the subject, and these notes are the tidy way in before that.
- 06.09AdvancedPDF
AdS/CFT Duality User Guide
Makoto NatsuumeKEK
AdS/CFT explained for physicists who don't know string theory. From black hole thermodynamics to the duality's applications in quark-gluon plasma and condensed matter.
- 06.10AdvancedPDFReview
Quantum Field Theory on Noncommutative Spaces
Richard J. SzaboHeriot-Watt University
A long review of how quantum field theory is built on spaces where coordinates do not commute. It also shows the connections to string theory, a reference at graduate level.
- 06.11AdvancedPDFReview
Hard Interactions of Quarks and Gluons: A Primer for LHC Physics
J.M. Campbell, J.W. Huston, W.J. StirlingFermilab, Michigan State University, University of Cambridge
A long review of the quark and gluon physics you need to understand collisions at the Large Hadron Collider. A starting text for graduate students entering experimental particle physics.
- 06.12AdvancedPDFReview
String Theory and the Path to Unification
Keith R. DienesUniversity of Arizona
A long review of how string theory might be joined with the known forces of particle physics. From 1996 and research level, a reference for graduate students drawn to string theory.
- 06.13AdvancedPDF
Relativistic Quark Physics
Johann RafelskiUniversity of Arizona
Lecture notes on the relativistic physics of quarks and the quark-gluon plasma. Written for graduate students working on heavy ion collisions.
- 06.14High schoolWeb
Nuclear Science: A Teacher's Guide to the Nuclear Science Wall Chart
Howard MatisLawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
A web book for teachers that goes with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's nuclear science wall chart. Nuclear physics at high school level, from radioactivity to fusion and cosmic rays.
- 06.15AdvancedPDF
Lectures on Black Holes, Topological Strings and Quantum Attractors
Boris PiolineLPTHE, Paris
Lecture notes linking black holes, topological strings and quantum attractors. Written for graduate students curious about how black hole entropy is counted in string theory.
- 06.16AdvancedPDF
String Theory
Neil LambertKing's College London
Lambert's string theory lectures given in Munich. A short, tidy introduction to string theory.
- 06.17AdvancedPDF
Quantum Chromodynamics
Antonio PichUniversitat de València
Introductory lecture notes on quantum chromodynamics, the theory of the strong interaction between quarks and gluons. A tidy start for graduate students in particle physics.
- 06.18AdvancedPDF
Conformal Field Theory on the Plane
Sylvain RibaultInstitut de Physique Théorique, CEA Saclay
An introduction to two-dimensional conformal field theory. From symmetry principles to exactly solvable models, written for graduate students new to the subject.
- 06.19UndergraduateWeb
Nuclear and Particle Physics
Jenny ThomasUniversity College London
Web notes for UCL's undergraduate nuclear and particle physics course. From the structure of the nucleus to radioactivity and the fundamental particles.
- 06.20AdvancedPDF
Introduction to QCD
Peter SkandsCERN
QCD introduced through the practical needs of collider physics. From partons to jets and event generators, how QCD is actually used in experimental particle physics.
- 06.21AdvancedPDF
Lattice QCD: Concepts, Techniques and Some Results
Christian HoelblingBergische Universität Wuppertal
Lecture notes on the concepts, numerical techniques and key results of lattice QCD. A shorter way in before Capitani's review.
- 06.22AdvancedPDF
Introduction to Supergravity
Henning SamtlebenÉcole Normale Supérieure de Lyon
Introductory notes on supergravity. A short, dense start you can read before Nastase's longer notes.
- 06.23AdvancedPDFReview
Neutrino Physics Overview
J.W.F. ValleUniversitat de València
A review giving an overview of neutrino physics. From neutrino oscillations to the origin of neutrino masses, the field's main questions in one place.
- 06.24AdvancedPDF
Introduction to String Field Theory
Warren SiegelStony Brook University
The arXiv version of Siegel's book on string field theory. From the 1980s, an introduction to treating strings in the language of fields from one of the approach's founders.
- 06.25AdvancedPDFReview
Feynman Diagrams and Differential Equations
Mario Argeri, Pierpaolo MastroliaarXiv
A review of computing Feynman integrals with differential equations. Not a textbook, but a good next step after Weinzierl's notes for anyone wanting the technique in detail.
- 06.26UndergraduatePDF
Elementary Particles in Physics
Stephen Gasiorowicz, Paul LangackerUniversity of Pennsylvania
A short, tidy text on the elementary particles and their interactions. An undergraduate introduction to the Standard Model that doesn't drown you in math.
- 06.27AdvancedPDF
Cambridge Lectures on Supersymmetry and Extra Dimensions
Sven Krippendorf, Fernando Quevedo, Oliver SchlottererUniversity of Cambridge
Notes from the supersymmetry and extra dimensions course at Cambridge. From the basic ideas of supersymmetry to extra-dimensional models, in an order a Part III student can follow.
- 06.28AdvancedPDF
Introduction to M Theory
Miao LiInstitute of Theoretical Physics, Beijing
Lecture notes introducing M-theory, the eleven-dimensional theory thought to unite the five string theories. Written for graduate students who already know string theory.
- 06.29AdvancedPDF
Introduction to Chiral Perturbation Theory
Stefan SchererJohannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz
An introduction to chiral perturbation theory, the effective field theory of the strong interaction at low energies. From symmetries to calculation techniques, a natural continuation of Cohen's lectures.
- 06.30AdvancedPDF
The Physics of Neutrinos
Renata Zukanovich Funchal, Benoit Schmauch, Gaëlle GiesenUniversidade de São Paulo
Introductory lecture notes on neutrino physics. From how neutrinos were discovered to their oscillations and masses, in an order a graduate student can follow.
- 06.31AdvancedPDF
Introduction to Superstring Theory
Elias KiritsisUniversity of Crete
Introductory lecture notes on superstring theory. From the bosonic string to superstrings and compactification, in an order a graduate student can follow.
- 06.32AdvancedPDF
Anisotropic Hydrodynamics
Michael StricklandKent State University
Lecture notes on the far-from-equilibrium flow of the quark-gluon plasma made in heavy ion collisions. After Rafelski, a way into the current methods of the field.
Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics
Heat, entropy and many particles, in and out of equilibrium.
14books
- 07.01UndergraduateWeb
Statistical Physics
David TongUniversity of Cambridge
Cambridge's final-year statistical physics course. Entropy, classical and quantum gases, phase transitions, all in Tong's short, clean style. Read it before Likharev's volume.
- 07.02AdvancedPDF
Essential Graduate Physics, Part SM: Statistical Mechanics
Konstantin LikharevStony Brook University
The statistical mechanics volume. From the foundations of thermodynamics to phase transitions and fluctuations, always tied to concrete physical examples.
- 07.03AdvancedPDF
Introduction to Nonequilibrium Statistical Mechanics with Quantum Field Theory
Takafumi KitaHokkaido University
Book-length notes on nonequilibrium statistical mechanics using the tools of quantum field theory. Kita derives every step, from Green's functions to the Boltzmann equation.
- 07.04UndergraduateWebClassic
Treatise on Thermodynamics
Max PlanckUniversität Berlin
The English translation of Planck's thermodynamics. The classic account of the subject the man who found the quantum worked on before anything else, and it still builds entropy and the second law with a clarity worth copying.
- 07.05AdvancedPDF
A Basic Introduction to Large Deviations: Theory, Applications, Simulations
Hugo TouchetteStellenbosch University
An introduction to large deviation theory, the mathematics of how likely rare events are. Touchette pairs the theory with applications in statistical physics and with computer simulations.
- 07.06UndergraduateWeb
Statistical Physics II
Eric PoissonUniversity of Guelph
Notes for the second semester of Poisson's statistical physics course, with the same clarity he is known for from A Relativist's Toolkit.
- 07.07AdvancedWeb
Fundamental Kinetic Processes
E. Ben-Naim, P.L. Krapivsky, S. RednerBoston University
The draft of the book Redner used in his Boston University course, later published by Cambridge University Press as A Kinetic View of Statistical Physics. Far-from-equilibrium processes, from random walks to aggregation and reaction kinetics.
- 07.08AdvancedPDFReview
Statistical Mechanics and the Physics of the Many-Particle Model Systems
A.L. KuzemskyJINR, Dubna
A long review of the statistical mechanics of many-particle model systems. Not a textbook, a graduate-level reference.
- 07.09UndergraduateWeb
Statistical Mechanics Notes
Jed RemboldWillamette University
Undergraduate statistical mechanics notes, in short, tidy chapters.
- 07.10AdvancedPDF
Percolation Theory
Kim ChristensenImperial College London
An introduction to percolation theory. When a network is wired at random, at what point does a large-scale structure suddenly appear, built up from one dimension.
- 07.11AdvancedPDF
Lecture Notes on Generalised Hydrodynamics
Benjamin DoyonKing's College London
Lecture notes on generalised hydrodynamics, the large-scale behavior of integrable many-body systems. A new field explained by one of the people who founded it.
- 07.12UndergraduateWeb
Thermodynamics and Chemistry
Howard DeVoeUniversity of Maryland
Thermodynamics as a chemist sees it. DeVoe builds the laws carefully and applies them to solutions, phase equilibria and chemical reactions, and the book sits free on his site next to its solutions manual.
- 07.13AdvancedPDF
Introduction to the Field Theory of Classical and Quantum Phase Transitions
Flavio S. NogueiraRuhr-Universität Bochum
Classical and quantum phase transitions through field theory methods. The logic of critical phenomena and the renormalization group, at graduate level.
- 07.14AdvancedPDFReview
Thermodynamic Limit in Statistical Physics
A.L. KuzemskyJINR, Dubna
A long review on the meaning of the thermodynamic limit, how a system behaves as the number of particles goes to infinity. Not a textbook, a graduate-level reference.
Solid State and Condensed Matter
Electrons, spins and superfluids in solids and in cold atoms.
17books
- 08.01UndergraduatePDF
Semiconductor Physics: Theory and Experiments
Sven TougaardUniversity of Southern Denmark
Semiconductor physics taught side by side with lab experiments, the theory made concrete through diodes, LEDs, transistors and solar cells. The physics behind everything from the chip in your phone to the panel on your roof.
- 08.02AdvancedPDF
Lecture Notes on Nanomagnetism
Olivier FruchartCNRS, Grenoble
How magnetism changes at the nanometer scale. Magnetic energy and anisotropy first, then thin films, nanoparticles and domain walls, and Fruchart keeps the notes current on his own site.
- 08.03AdvancedPDF
The ABC of Density Functional Theory
Kieron Burke and studentsUC Irvine
A book draft by Burke and his students that builds density functional theory from zero. The logic of the most widely used computational method in quantum chemistry and materials physics, through simple examples.
- 08.04AdvancedWeb
Computational Electronic Structure Theory
Patrick RinkeAalto University
Rinke's computational electronic structure course from Aalto. How the electronic structure of atoms and solids is computed, from Hartree-Fock to density functional theory, the computational companion to Burke.
- 08.05AdvancedPDFReview
Electronic Transport in Metallic Systems and Generalized Kinetic Equations
A.L. KuzemskyJINR, Dubna
A long review of how electrons move through metals, told through kinetic equations. Not a textbook, a reference for someone already at graduate level in solid state physics.
- 08.06AdvancedPDF
Bosonization of Interacting Fermions in Arbitrary Dimensions
Peter KopietzGoethe-Universität Frankfurt
How bosonization, which describes interacting fermions in the language of bosons, extends from one dimension to higher ones. The arXiv version of the book published in Springer's Lecture Notes in Physics.
- 08.07AdvancedWeb
Introduction to Electronic Structure Methods
Ursula Röthlisberger, Ivano TavernelliEPFL
An introductory course on electronic structure methods from EPFL. How the electronic structure of molecules and solids is computed, from Hartree-Fock to density functional theory.
- 08.08AdvancedPDF
The Fundamentals of Density Functional Theory
Helmut EschrigIFW Dresden
The mathematical foundations of density functional theory, built rigorously. If Burke gives you the intuition, Eschrig gives you the proofs.
- 08.09AdvancedPDF
Condensed Matter Physics with Light and Atoms
Antoine GeorgesCollège de France
How experiments with cold atoms and light answer questions from condensed matter physics. The idea of using atoms in optical lattices as a model for electrons in solids, in plain language.
- 08.10AdvancedPDF
Phases and Phase Transitions in Disordered Quantum Systems
Thomas VojtaMissouri University of Science and Technology
How phases and phase transitions change in disordered quantum systems. How impurities and disorder spoil quantum critical points, at graduate level.
- 08.11AdvancedWeb
Simulations of Quantum Many Body Systems
Mark JarrellLouisiana State University
Web notes on the computer simulation of quantum many-body systems. The numerical tools of the field, from Monte Carlo to dynamical mean-field theory.
- 08.12AdvancedPDF
Introduction to Superfluidity: Field-Theoretical Approach and Applications
Andreas SchmittTU Wien
Superfluidity through field theory methods. From liquid helium to the quark matter inside neutron stars, superfluids in very different settings, side by side.
- 08.13UndergraduatePDF
A Primer on Quantum Fluids
Carlo F. Barenghi, Nick G. ParkerNewcastle University
A short book on superfluid helium and atomic Bose-Einstein condensates. All the way to quantum vortices, in language a final-year undergraduate can follow.
- 08.14AdvancedPDFReview
Quantum Transport in Semiconductor Nanostructures
C.W.J. Beenakker, H. van HoutenUniversiteit Leiden
The classic review of quantum transport of electrons in semiconductor nanostructures. One of the foundational texts of mesoscopic physics, still taught like a textbook in graduate solid state courses.
- 08.15AdvancedPDF
Holographic Quantum Matter
Sean A. Hartnoll, Andrew Lucas, Subir SachdevStanford University, Harvard University
How holography, a method that came out of string theory, is used in condensed matter physics. Published by MIT Press and free on arXiv, written for graduate students interested in strongly interacting quantum matter.
- 08.16AdvancedWeb
Geometry and Topology in Electronic Structure Theory
Raffaele RestaUniversità di Trieste
Web lecture notes on geometric ideas like the Berry phase and topology in electronic structure theory. From the polarization of solids to topological insulators, the geometric side of modern solid state physics.
- 08.17AdvancedPDFReview
Optical Properties of Semiconductor Nanostructures: Decoherence versus Quantum Control
Ulrich HohenesterUniversität Graz
A review of how semiconductor nanostructures interact with light. How quantum dots lose coherence and how lasers can control them, at graduate level.
Relativity
Special and general relativity, from books without calculus to quantum gravity.
22books
- 09.01High schoolPDF
Relativity Lite: A Pictorial Translation of Einstein's Theories of Motion and Gravity
Jack C. StratonPortland State University
Einstein's special and general relativity explained in drawings, with almost no equations. You can hand it to a curious high school student or to anyone who flinches at math.
- 09.02AdvancedPDFReview
Mass and Angular Momentum in General Relativity
José Luis Jaramillo, Éric GourgoulhonObservatoire de Paris
A long review of how mass and angular momentum are even defined in general relativity. Two ideas that look simple in Newton's physics turn slippery in curved spacetime, and this shows why, step by step. Not a textbook, more of an appendix for someone who has finished a GR course.
- 09.03AdvancedPDF
Semi-Riemann Geometry and General Relativity
Shlomo SternbergHarvard University
Semi-Riemannian geometry and general relativity from Harvard's mathematics department. The math is heavy, but if you want the geometry under relativity built properly, few foundations are laid more carefully.
- 09.04AdvancedPDF
Lecture Notes on General Relativity
Sean M. CarrollJohns Hopkins University
Carroll's general relativity lecture notes from MIT, which later grew into Spacetime and Geometry. If someone wants to start general relativity with a free text, this is the first thing I would hand them.
- 09.05High schoolWebClassic
Relativity: The Special and General Theory
Albert EinsteinProject Gutenberg
Einstein's own short explanation of special and general relativity for readers without the mathematics. No textbook replaces hearing the theory from its author.
- 09.06AdvancedWeb
General Relativity Notes
Edmund BertschingerMIT
Bertschinger's notes from his general relativity course at MIT. He builds the geometric language of the theory with a physicist's intuition, and they make a good pair with Carroll's notes.
- 09.07AdvancedPDF
An Introduction to the Theory of Rotating Relativistic Stars
Éric GourgoulhonObservatoire de Paris
Lecture notes on how rapidly rotating compact stars, neutron stars among them, are modeled in general relativity. One of the theory's most concrete applications in astrophysics, step by step.
- 09.08AdvancedWebClassic
The Theory of General Relativity and Gravitation
Ludwik SilbersteinUniversity of Toronto
Silberstein's book from the general relativity lectures he gave in Toronto in the early 1920s. Written a few years after the theory appeared, it shows how general relativity was understood in its first years.
- 09.09AdvancedPDFReview
Dynamical and Hamiltonian Formulation of General Relativity
Domenico GiuliniLeibniz Universität Hannover
A long review of the Hamiltonian formulation of general relativity, which treats spacetime as space evolving in time. Not a textbook, the next step after a GR course.
- 09.10UndergraduateWeb
Spacetime Physics
Edwin F. Taylor, John A. WheelerMIT, Princeton University
Taylor and Wheeler's classic on special relativity, told through spacetime diagrams and lots of problems. Still one of the best books for anyone who wants into special relativity through geometry rather than formulas.
- 09.11AdvancedPDFReview
A Primer for Black Hole Quantum Physics
R. Brout, S. Massar, R. Parentani, P. SpindelUniversité Libre de Bruxelles
A long review that derives the quantum physics of black holes, Hawking radiation above all, step by step. Not a textbook, but written as an introduction for a student who knows general relativity and quantum field theory.
- 09.12High schoolWeb
Einstein for Everyone
John D. NortonUniversity of Pittsburgh
The book from historian and philosopher of science John Norton's course for non-science students. Special and general relativity without mathematics, together with the philosophical puzzles the concepts raise.
- 09.13High schoolPDF
Galileo and Einstein
Michael FowlerUniversity of Virginia
Fowler's notes from a course for non-science students that tells the story of physics from the Greeks to Galileo and Einstein. Light on math, and very good for a high school student who wants physics together with its history.
- 09.14AdvancedWebClassic
The Meaning of Relativity
Albert EinsteinPrinceton University
Einstein's book based on four lectures he gave at Princeton in 1921. This time special and general relativity come with the mathematics, and it reads like the sequel, with equations, to Relativity: The Special and General Theory.
- 09.15AdvancedPDF
Three Lectures on Complexity and Black Holes
Leonard SusskindStanford University
Three lectures in which Susskind describes the interior of black holes through quantum computational complexity. Not a textbook, an introduction to a live question in theoretical physics from the person who proposed the idea.
- 09.16AdvancedPDF
Schwarzschild and Kerr Solutions of Einstein's Field Equation: An Introduction
Christian Heinicke, Friedrich W. HehlUniversität zu Köln
An introduction that derives the two most famous solutions of Einstein's equations, the Schwarzschild and Kerr black holes, step by step. For anyone who wants those two solutions in full detail.
- 09.17AdvancedPDF
Relativistic Kinetic Theory: An Introduction
Olivier Sarbach, Thomas ZanniasUniversidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo
An introduction that builds the kinetic theory of gases inside relativity. How the Boltzmann equation is written in curved spacetime, step by step.
- 09.18High schoolPDF
General Relativity Without Calculus
José NatárioInstituto Superior Técnico, Lisboa
General relativity using only high school math and geometry, no calculus at all. It goes as far as black holes and cosmology, one of the rare places where a curious high school student can actually get into general relativity.
- 09.19AdvancedPDFReview
The Confrontation between General Relativity and Experiment
Clifford M. WillUniversity of Florida
A review of how general relativity has been tested by experiment. From solar system tests to binary pulsars, every exam the theory has passed so far.
- 09.20AdvancedPDFReview
Loop Quantum Gravity
Thomas ThiemannFriedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
An introductory review of loop quantum gravity. A way of quantizing general relativity different from string theory, introduced by one of its founders.
- 09.21AdvancedPDF
Spacetime and Fields
Nikodem J. PopławskiIndiana University
A textbook that builds spacetime geometry and classical field theory in one framework. From tensor calculus to general relativity and the Lagrangian formulation of fields.
- 09.22AdvancedPDF
Introduction to Relativistic Astrophysics and Cosmology through Maple
V.L. KalashnikovBelarusian Polytechnic Academy
Lecture notes that do general relativity calculations in Maple. The computer runs the tensor algebra instead of you, all the way to black holes and cosmological models.
Optics
Rays, waves, color, lasers and the most precise clocks ever built.
9books
- 10.01UndergraduatePDF
BSc Optics
Sander Konijnenberg, Aurèle J.L. Adam, Paul UrbachTU Delft
TU Delft's undergraduate optics text. Geometric optics first, then on to wave optics through interference and diffraction.
- 10.02UndergraduatePDF
Geometrische Optica
Joseph Braat, Aurèle J.L. AdamTU Delft
The only Dutch book on the list. Delft's geometric optics text on how lenses and mirrors bend and reflect rays and how optical systems are designed, and it pairs with BSc Optics, which Adam also coauthored.
- 10.03UndergraduateWebClassic
Color and Its Applications
Matthew LuckieshNela Research Laboratory, General Electric
Luckiesh, of General Electric's Nela Research Laboratory, on the physics of color, colored light and the use of color from lighting to paint. More than a hundred years old, and its way of treating color physics together with perception still feels fresh.
- 10.04AdvancedPDFReview
Plasmonic Metamaterials
Kan Yao, Yongmin LiuNortheastern University
A review of plasmonic metamaterials, which use the interaction of light with metal nanostructures. Not a textbook, a map of the field for graduate students drawn to nano-optics.
- 10.05UndergraduatePDF
Optics
Paul EwartUniversity of Oxford
Ewart's Oxford optics lectures. Diffraction and interference through Fourier optics to lasers, in the same tidy style as his atomic physics notes.
- 10.06UndergraduatePDF
Physics of Light and Optics
Justin Peatross, Michael WareBrigham Young University
An optics book that builds light from Maxwell's equations. From reflection and diffraction to lasers, free on the authors' site.
- 10.07AdvancedPDF
Non-Linear Optics
Wim UbachsVrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Lecture notes on nonlinear optics. How intense laser light changes frequency as it interacts with matter, from harmonic generation to optical parametric processes.
- 10.08AdvancedPDFReview
Optical Atomic Clocks
N. Poli, C.W. Oates, P. Gill, G.M. TinoUniversità di Firenze, NIST, NPL
A review of how optical atomic clocks work. From laser-cooling and trapping atoms to redefining the second, the physics behind the most precise measuring instruments in the world.
- 10.09UndergraduateWeb
Classical and Modern Optics
Daniel A. SteckUniversity of Oregon
Steck's lecture notes on classical and modern optics. From the wave nature of light through interference, diffraction and polarization to lasers and modern optics.
Fluids and Earth Physics
Water, air, ships, coastlines and earthquakes.
9books
- 11.01UndergraduatePDF
All Things Flow: Fluid Mechanics for the Natural Sciences
William SmythOregon State University
Fluid mechanics told through the ocean, the atmosphere and the earth sciences instead of engineering. Written for Oregon State students in those fields.
- 11.02AdvancedPDF
Coastal Dynamics
Judith Bosboom, Marcel StiveTU Delft
A coastal engineering book on how waves, tides and currents shape a shoreline. It sits at the edge of a physics list, but it is a fine place to watch wave physics at work in the field.
- 11.03UndergraduatePDF
Stability of Ships and Other Bodies
Genick Bar-MeirPotto Project
Why ships and other floating bodies stay upright, and when they don't. Buoyancy and center of gravity up to metacentric height, and the 0.7.0 version number tells you it is still being written.
- 11.04UndergraduateWeb
Aerodynamics and Aircraft Performance
James F. Marchman IIIVirginia Tech
The textbook for aerospace engineering students at Virginia Tech. Lift and drag first, then how fast a plane climbs, how far it flies and how it takes off and lands.
- 11.05UndergraduateWeb
Basics of Fluid Mechanics
Genick Bar-MeirPotto Project
Bar-Meir's fluid mechanics book, from the same open project as his ship stability book. Pressure, buoyancy, pipe flow and compressible flow, everything an engineering student needs.
- 11.06AdvancedPDFReview
Statistical Physics of Fracture, Friction and Earthquake
Hikaru Kawamura et al.Osaka University
A long review of the statistical physics of fracture, friction and earthquakes. Not a textbook, but the most complete summary of how stress stored in the earth's crust lets go all at once.
- 11.07AdvancedPDF
Lecture Notes in Fluid Mechanics: From Basics to the Millennium Problem
Laurent SchoeffelCEA Saclay
Fluid mechanics notes that run from the basic equations to the Millennium Prize problem on the Navier-Stokes equations. Because it ties physics to one of mathematics' open problems, it speaks to physicists and mathematicians alike.
- 11.08UndergraduatePDF
Introductory Fluid Mechanics
Simon J.A. MalhamHeriot-Watt University
Introductory fluid mechanics notes. They build the Euler and Navier-Stokes equations in language a mathematics student can follow comfortably.
- 11.09AdvancedWeb
Atmospheric Convection
David J. RaymondNew Mexico Tech
Graduate notes on atmospheric convection, how warm air rises and builds clouds and storms. Fluid mechanics applied to one of the liveliest topics in meteorology.
Energy
Batteries, fuel cells and the numbers of a finite planet.
2books
- 12.01AdvancedPDF
Electrolysers, Fuel Cells and Batteries: Analytical Modelling
Willem HaverkortTU Delft
Electrolysers, fuel cells and batteries in one physical framework, each modeled analytically with pencil and paper. For anyone curious about the physics under energy storage, from hydrogen to a rechargeable cell.
- 12.02UndergraduatePDF
Energy and Human Ambitions on a Finite Planet
Thomas W. MurphyUC San Diego
Murphy is a physicist at UC San Diego, and here he does energy with a physicist's notebook. He weighs every source from solar to nuclear in numbers and shows why endless growth does not fit on a finite planet.
Astrophysics and Plasma
Plasmas, fusion, neutron stars and the universe as a whole.
10books
- 13.01AdvancedPDFReview
Plasma Physics of Extreme Astrophysical Environments
Dmitri A. Uzdensky, Shane RightleyUniversity of Colorado Boulder
How plasma behaves around magnetars, pulsars and black holes, where radiation and quantum effects take over. A review rather than a textbook, but it gathers the most extreme environments plasma physics can reach in one place.
- 13.02UndergraduateWeb
An Introduction to Plasma Physics
Alan WoottonUniversity of Texas at Austin
Introductory lecture notes on plasma physics. Single-particle motion, fluid models and plasma waves in plain language, a good start for anyone curious about the physics behind fusion research.
- 13.03AdvancedPDF
Radiative Processes in High Energy Astrophysics
Gabriele GhiselliniINAF, Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera
Lecture notes on how radiation is produced in high-energy astrophysics. From synchrotron radiation to inverse Compton scattering, the processes behind the light from black holes and jets, derived in plain language.
- 13.04AdvancedPDF
Introduction to Plasma Physics
Michael GedalinBen-Gurion University
Introductory plasma physics notes. Single-particle motion to kinetic theory, the natural next step after Wootton.
- 13.05AdvancedPDF
Fusion Physics
Mitsuru Kikuchi, Karl Lackner, Minh Quang Tran (ed.)International Atomic Energy Agency
The International Atomic Energy Agency's comprehensive book on fusion physics from the ground up. From the basics of plasma physics to tokamaks and ITER, the physics of fusion energy in one volume.
- 13.06AdvancedWeb
Radiative Gas Dynamics
David WeinbergOhio State University
Web notes for a graduate astrophysics course on how radiation shapes gas dynamics. From the interstellar medium to galaxy formation, how light and gas behave together.
- 13.07AdvancedWeb
Quantum Plasmadynamics
Donald B. MelroseUniversity of Sydney
Plasma physics treated with the methods of quantum field theory. Written for graduate students who want to understand plasma in extreme settings like pulsars and magnetars.
- 13.08AdvancedPDFReview
Supernova Remnants: The X-ray Perspective
Jacco VinkUniversiteit van Amsterdam
A review of supernova remnants through X-ray observations. The physics of the shock waves and hot gas an exploded star leaves behind, moving back and forth between observation and theory.
- 13.09AdvancedPDFReview
Stellar Superfluids
Dany Page et al.UNAM
A review of the superfluid matter inside neutron stars. How it affects the star's cooling and the sudden jumps in its rotation, combining observation and theory.
- 13.10AdvancedPDF
The Quantum Mechanics of Cosmology
James B. HartleUC Santa Barbara
Lecture notes on applying quantum mechanics to the universe as a whole. One of the founders of quantum cosmology shows how he approaches the question of the universe's initial state.
Medical Physics
Physics in the hospital, from ultrasound to radiotherapy.
3books
- 14.01UndergraduateWeb
Ultrasound Physics and its Application in Medicine
Arbin Thapaliya, Alec Sithole, Michael J. Welsh, Gaston Dana, Katie MarshallFranklin College
From how sound waves travel and reflect in tissue to how the ultrasound image forms on the screen. Physicists and hospital practitioners wrote it together for sonography students.
- 14.02AdvancedWeb
Radiobiology Textbook
Sarah Baatout (ed.)SCK CEN, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre
An open-access book by European radiobiologists, edited by Sarah Baatout. What ionizing radiation does to DNA, cells and tissue, from radiotherapy to radiation protection.
- 14.03AdvancedPDF
Radiation Oncology Physics: A Handbook for Teachers and Students
E.B. Podgorsak (ed.)International Atomic Energy Agency
The IAEA's handbook on radiation oncology physics for teachers and students. From how radiation interacts with matter to dosimetry and treatment planning, one of the core texts of medical physics training.
Mathematical and Computational Physics
The mathematics and the computing that physics leans on.
23books
- 15.01UndergraduatePDF
Computational Physics: A Practical Introduction to Computational Physics and Scientific Computing (using C++)
Konstantinos N. AnagnostopoulosNational Technical University of Athens
The computational physics course from the National Technical University of Athens. From solving equations of motion numerically in C++ to Monte Carlo methods, and you learn by reading the code line by line.
- 15.02AdvancedPDF
Lectures on Complex Geometry, Calabi-Yau Manifolds and Toric Geometry
Vincent BouchardUniversity of Alberta
Introductory notes on the complex geometry, Calabi-Yau manifolds and toric geometry that string theory rests on. Short, but it makes you compute.
- 15.03AdvancedPDFReview
Physics, Topology, Logic and Computation: A Rosetta Stone
John C. Baez, Mike StayUC Riverside
A long expository paper on the shared structure behind physics, topology, logic and computation, told through category theory. Baez and Stay define everything from scratch, and while it is not a textbook, few texts connect these four fields this readably.
- 15.04AdvancedPDF
Noncommutative Geometry
Alain ConnesCollège de France
The full text of the book in which Connes laid out noncommutative geometry, free on his own site. Far more mathematics than physics, with applications reaching from the quantum Hall effect to the Standard Model.
- 15.05AdvancedPDF
Selected Chapters in the Calculus of Variations
Jürgen MoserETH Zürich
Moser's calculus of variations lectures from ETH Zürich, edited by Oliver Knill and posted on his Harvard page. More mathematics than physics, but a demanding and rewarding read for anyone curious about the math behind the principle of least action.
- 15.06UndergraduateWeb
Computational Physics: Problem Solving with Computers
Rubin H. Landau, Manuel J. Páez, Cristian C. BordeianuOregon State University
A computational physics textbook from Oregon State. Solving physics problems with a computer, from numerical derivatives and integrals to differential equations, Monte Carlo methods and chaos, all through examples.
- 15.07AdvancedPDF
Introduction to Quantum Integrability
Anastasia Doikou, Simone Evangelisti, Giovanni Feverati, Nikos KaraiskosarXiv
Lecture notes introducing quantum integrable systems, quantum models that can be solved exactly. The basic tools of the field, from the Bethe ansatz to quantum groups, step by step.
- 15.08AdvancedWeb
Theoretical Physics Reference
Ondřej ČertíkAuthor's own site
A web reference that gathers the core derivations of theoretical physics in one place. From mechanics to quantum field theory, step by step, less a textbook than a notebook to keep open while you work.
- 15.09UndergraduatePDF
Funky Mathematical Physics Concepts
Eric L. MichelsenUC San Diego
The math concepts physicists use all the time and courses skip. It doesn't follow textbook order, it untangles the confusing topics one at a time.
- 15.10AdvancedPDF
Step-by-Step BS to PhD Math/Physics
Alex AlanizUC Riverside, John Baez's site
Notes on Lie groups and Lie algebras, laid out step by step from undergraduate to PhD level. Written by a student and hosted on John Baez's site, a patient guide for anyone entering the subject alone.
- 15.11UndergraduatePDF
Foundations of Tensor Analysis for Students of Physics and Engineering
Joseph C. KoleckiNASA Glenn Research Center
A short NASA report that builds tensors from scratch for physics and engineering students. It starts with vectors and ends with a short introduction to relativity.
- 15.12UndergraduatePDF
Clifford Algebra, Geometric Algebra, and Applications
Douglas Lundholm, Lars SvenssonKTH Royal Institute of Technology
Lecture notes on Clifford algebra and geometric algebra. How vectors, rotations and electromagnetism can all be written in the same algebraic language.
- 15.13AdvancedWebClassic
Foundations of Potential Theory
Oliver Dimon KelloggHarvard University
Kellogg's classic on potential theory through gravitation and electrostatics. From 1929, and still a reference for anyone wanting a rigorous introduction to Laplace's equation and boundary value problems.
- 15.14UndergraduatePDF
Tensor Techniques in Physics: A Concise Introduction
Roy McWeenyUniversità di Pisa
Tensor calculus for physicists, short and tidy. From one of the leading names in quantum chemistry, a patient introduction for a student meeting tensors for the first time.
- 15.15AdvancedPDF
Lecture Notes on Mather's Theory for Lagrangian Systems
Alfonso SorrentinoUniversità di Roma Tor Vergata
Lecture notes on Mather theory for Lagrangian systems. The principle of least action treated with the modern tools of dynamical systems, closer to mathematics than to physics.
- 15.16AdvancedPDF
Lectures on the Geometry of Quantization
Sean Bates, Alan WeinsteinUC Berkeley
The step from classical to quantum mechanics told in the language of symplectic geometry. More mathematics than physics, a rigorous source for anyone curious about the geometry behind quantization.
- 15.17AdvancedPDF
Mathematical Physics II
Boris DubrovinSISSA, Trieste
Dubrovin's mathematical physics lecture notes from SISSA. The differential equations and geometric methods of physics, with a mathematician's rigor.
- 15.18AdvancedWebReview
The Octonions
John C. BaezUC Riverside
Baez's long review of the octonions, the eight-dimensional number system. More mathematics than physics, but it shows their place in string theory and the exceptional Lie groups with Baez's familiar clarity.
- 15.19UndergraduatePDF
Introduction to Computational Physics
Richard FitzpatrickUniversity of Texas at Austin
Introductory computational physics notes. Solving physics problems with a computer step by step, from differential equations in C to Monte Carlo methods.
- 15.20AdvancedPDF
Graph and Network Theory in Physics: A Short Introduction
Ernesto EstradaUniversity of Strathclyde
A short introduction to how graph and network theory are used in physics. Where network structures turn up, from molecules to quantum systems.
- 15.21AdvancedWebClassic
Mathematical Problems of Radiative Equilibrium
Eberhard HopfCambridge University Press
Hopf's short monograph on the mathematics of radiative equilibrium in stellar atmospheres. From the 1930s, and still read as a classic source on the integral equations of radiative transfer.
- 15.22UndergraduateWeb
Theoretical Physics
A.S. KompaneyetsInternet Archive
The whole of theoretical physics in one volume, from mechanics and electrodynamics to quantum mechanics and statistical physics. It comes from the dense, compact tradition of Soviet physics teaching.
- 15.23UndergraduateWeb
Introduction to Sound Processing
Davide RocchessoUniversità di Verona
An introduction to digital sound processing. From sampling sound waves to filters and synthesis, acoustics joined with signal processing.
Questions
About these free textbooks
Are these physics textbooks really free and legal to download?
Yes. Every book sits on its author's site, a university's site or an open archive, put there to be read, and many carry open licenses like Creative Commons. The links go to those pages and never to pirate archives. The century-old classics link to the Internet Archive, where public-domain books live.
Which free physics textbook should I start with?
If you don't know calculus yet, start with College Physics or Light and Matter. If you do, take the first volume of University Physics or Gea-Banacloche's Classical Mechanics. If you want the ideas without the math, Relativity Lite and the first volume of Motion Mountain are good starts, and if you are heading for graduate school, Likharev's four volumes take you straight to that level. The three routes on this page put these in order.
What is the difference between the PDF and Web formats?
PDF books you can download, read offline and print. Web books are read chapter by chapter in the browser, and most of them also offer a download somewhere on the page.
Why are there review articles on a textbook list?
Because in some fields the best way in is not a textbook at all but a long review written to teach. I keep the ones a graduate student can actually learn from and mark them as reviews, so you can filter them in or out. Short research papers on narrow questions stay off the list. There are 24 reviews here right now.
Why are some of these books more than a hundred years old?
Because they are still good. Millikan's high school physics, Carhart's university volumes and Planck's own thermodynamics show how physics was taught while it was being built, and Kellogg's potential theory is still cited today. Einstein explaining relativity in his own words needs no defense. They are marked as classics, 23 of them for now.
How are the books on this list chosen?
A book makes the list when it is a complete text, sits free and legally on its author's, a university's or an open archive's page, and a student can read it alone from start to finish. I leave out scattered slides, edited volumes of research papers, and books built around a personal theory outside mainstream physics. The one exception is the last Motion Mountain volume, which says so on its own cover.
