L. MYSOVSKY, New Ideas in the Physics of the Atomic Nucleus.
2nd ed., Moscow, Technical-Theoretical Publishing House, 1936.

No field of physics has in recent years undergone such a radical change and achieved such enormous development as the physics of the atomic nucleus. All books that appeared two years ago now seem outdated and can in no way claim to reflect the present state of the science. Therefore the publication of the second edition of Mysovsky’s book is to be very much welcomed. In it the reader will find rich material, both theoretical and experimental, on all questions connected with the problem of the nucleus.

The first, partly introductory, chapter clarifies the role of the nuclear problem in contemporary physics.

The second chapter describes the principal experimental methods in nuclear physics.

The third and fourth chapters are devoted to the new particles: neutrons and positrons.

The fifth and sixth chapters describe the phenomenon of artificial radioactivity, so important for the modern theory of the nucleus.

The two following chapters set forth phenomena connected with cosmic rays and give a survey of the nuclear reactions known at the present time.

Finally, a small appendix is devoted to the application of wave mechanics to problems of the nucleus.

The book reads easily and with interest. Only the appendix will present some difficulty for a reader unfamiliar with wave mechanics.

Yu. Rumer, Moscow.