This book addresses the question 'What is physics for?' Physics has provided many answers for mankind by extending his ability to see. Modern technology has enabled the power of physics to see into objects to be used in archaeology, medicine including therapy, geophysics, forensics and other spheres important to the good of society. The book looks at the fundamental physics of the various methods and how they are used by technology. These methods are magnetic resonance, ionising radiation and sound. By taking a broad view over the whole field it encourages comparisons, but also addresses...

This book is about the energy loss and the coherent radiation emitted by a relativistic charge in matter. These phenomena – locally deposited energy, Cherenkov radiation and transition radiation – are the basis of any charged particle detector able to discriminate charges by their velocity. This book describes these phenomena and how they are related. The fundamental field equations and first principles are used to derive the spectrum of energy-loss signals and thence the velocity resolution that can be achieved. Two specific applications are then followed: the first shows that this...