Relativity and Sidney Coleman: A Treasure Trove of Archaeological Excellence

 Who is the greatest teacher of physics from the 20^th century? Subjectively, this is of course a rather puzzling and hard question to answer objectively.

A great many would name the high school teacher who influenced them into pursuing physics further up the profession; a university lecturer who inspired them; a guiding textbook who changed their whole perspective, or perhaps (for the more cynical) even the proverbial school of life itself.

Narrowing the scope of the question, we arrive at a more objective question; who is the greatest teacher of theoretical physics of the 20^th century?

Arguably, how would one distinguish the greatest teacher of the last century, out of a huge pile of many excellent candidates? I argue that there are two parameters in which this can be judged: legacy and impact.

An undergraduate (and even a greater score of graduate students), would argue Richard Feynman (of Feynman Lectures fame) is the candidate which suits both of the above criteria. To an extent this is true; Feynman inspired a generation of physicists through his charisma; genius and excellent teaching ability; which permeated the great divide between science and society. This is his legacy; along with his Nobel prize-winning physics career, is hard beaten by any standard.

However, from the viewpoint of graduate theoretical physics, though Feynman’s contribution to general physics education was outstanding; his offering to purely graduate matters was not his main (nor was it required to be) priority; thus, his reaching impact on the subject was somewhat blunted.

This task was left to maybe one of the greatest secrets kept from the outside world. No name envelopes more warmth within theoretical physics than Sidney Coleman. A legendary figure who guided generation, upon generation of Harvard Physics Graduates and beyond (many of whom became leaders and excellent educators in their own right). Within the shallow pool of high-energy physics, Coleman is often heralded as the greatest dispenser of theoretical physics education. His clear, precise and extraordinarily accessible explanations of advanced topics have stood the test of time.

Though more commonly known for his groundbreaking presentation of quantum field theory (for which recordings and written records of his legendary course are well preserved and documented), Coleman also tried his (masterful) hand at other aspects of theoretical physics. Before his fabled decades-long Odyssey on Quantum Field Theory, Coleman held a brief stint teaching an introductory course on Relativity.  

Coleman’s opinion on the presentation of relativity to the beginner graduate deviates little from the modern-day excursion into the subject. He begins with sections on (which are more detailed than the standard presentation) special relativity, relativistic mechanics and electromagnetism; before being followed by: the equivalence principle, differential geometry, gravity, the Schwarzschild solution (recalling that advanced solutions such as the Kerr black were a novelty at the time) and conservation and cosmology. 

Understandably, owing to the originalist interpretation of Coleman’s work; the chapter on cosmology is of course extraordinarily historic (as well as a tad scant and out-of-date) view on the subject. Nevertheless, the clarity and detail of Coleman’s ideas outclass even the most modern of reviews on the subject.

Moreover, the reconstruction of Coleman’s course from the notes of his (three) students is an archaeology feat which even Indiana Jones would be jealous of. Firstly, I must commend the authors on their reconstruction of Coleman’s tone throughout the text; something, which must have been painstakingly difficult to do. The standard and care which has been taken in resurrecting this otherwise obscure footnote in Coleman’s illustrious career displays the great love and admiration the authors have for the late academic.

Additionally, another welcome part of the text is the handy equation bank at the end of the textbook, along with two past exam papers set by Coleman in the 1960s. Not only do the exercises provide readers an excellent proving ground to discern their understanding of the content; they also provide a personal insight into Coleman’s approach to assessment, as well as a historical record on the assessment of graduate students in relativity.

On a final point, one minor gripe I hold against the text is the lack of solutions to exercises, which is in direct contrast to its Quantum Field Theory counterpart.  The inclusion of such things would be of great benefit to the text.

Thus, in summary, the authors’ careful, diligent and detailed preparation of this book has brought to life again, the brilliance of Sidney Coleman. Though it is very much so, a historical outlook on gravity, this text is instantly a great resource and authoritative guide to both students and researchers alike in the modern age. I must congratulate the authors for carrying out the task so successfully and praise them on what has been a great service to the field of theoretical physics.

Sidney Coleman`s Lectures on Relativity, Hardback, 1^st  Edition, edited by David J. Griffiths, David Derbes and Richard B. Sohn ISBN: 9781316511725 Price: £ 24.99

Link: Sidney colemans lectures relativity | Cosmology, relativity and gravitation | Cambridge University Press