LibGuides: Physical sciences: Reference sources

What are reference sources?

Reference sources are resources used to locate basic information and secondary literature.

There are many types of reference sources, including dictionaries, encyclopedias, almanacs, atlases, handbooks, guides, and style manuals.

They are a fantastic places to begin your research, especially if you are exploring a new topic.

Reference sources can help you to:

define your topic in general terms
find background information, including themes and key points
identify keywords and alternative terms for conceptualising your subject, and for database searching.

Key Resources

Algebra, Geometry, and Physics in the 21st Century by Denis Auroux (Editor)
Call Number: HANCOCK QA155.2 .A35 2017
Publication Date: 2017
This volume is a tribute to Maxim Kontsevich, one of the most original and influential mathematicians of our time. Maxim's vision has inspired major developments in many areas of mathematics, ranging all the way from probability theory to motives over finite fields, and has brought forth a paradigm shift at the interface of modern geometry and mathematical physics..
Astrophysical Black Holes by Francesco Haardt (Editor); Vittorio Gorini (Editor); et al
Call Number: View online [ANU staff and students only]
Publication Date: 2022
Based on graduate school lectures in contemporary relativity and gravitational physics, this book gives a complete and unified picture of the present status of theoretical and observational properties of astrophysical black holes.
Elementary Physics of Complex Plasmas by V. N. Tsytovich; Gregor Morfill; Sergey V. Vladimirov; et al
Call Number: View online [ANU staff and students only]
Publication Date: 2010
Complex plasmas are dusty plasmas in which the density and electric charges of the dust grains are sufficiently high to induce long-range grain-grain interactions, as well as strong absorption of charged-plasma components.
Gas Phase NMR by Karol Jackowski (Contribution by, Editor); (et al)
Call Number: View online [ANU staff and students only]
Publication Date: 2016
This book covers the recent NMR studies with the application of gaseous molecules. Aimed at graduates and researchers in spectroscopy, analytical chemistry and those researching the applications of NMR in medicine, this book presents the connections between sophisticated experiments, the theory of magnetic parameters and the exploration of new methods in practice.