This thesis focuses on theoretical analysis of the sophisticated ultrafast optical experiments that probe the crucial first few picoseconds of quantum light harvesting, making an important contribution to quantum biology, an exciting new field at the intersection of condensed matter, physical chemistry and biology. It provides new insights into the role of vibrational dynamics during singlet fission of organic pentacene thin films, and targeting the importance of vibrational dynamics in the design of nanoscale organic light harvesting devices, it also develops a new wavelet analysis technique to probe vibronic dynamics in time-resolved nonlinear optical experiments. Lastly, the thesis explores the theory of how non-linear "breather" vibrations are excited and propagate in the disordered nanostructures of photosynthetic proteins.

Statistical Postprocessing of Ensemble Forecasts brings together chapters contributed by international subject-matter experts describing the current state of the art in the statistical postprocessing of ensemble forecasts. The book illustrates the use of these methods in several important applications including weather, hydrological and climate forecasts, and renewable energy forecasting. After an introductory section on ensemble forecasts and prediction systems, the second section of the book is devoted to exposition of the methods available for statistical postprocessing of ensemble forecasts: univariate and multivariate ensemble postprocessing are first reviewed by Wilks (Chapters 3), then Schefzik and Moeller (Chapter 4), and the more specialized perspective necessary for postprocessing forecasts for extremes is presented by Friederichs, Wahl, and Buschow (Chapter 5). The second section concludes with a discussion of forecast verification methods devised specifically for evaluation of ensemble forecasts (Chapter 6 by Thorarinsdottir and Schuhen). The third section of this book is devoted to applications of ensemble postprocessing. Practical aspects of ensemble postprocessing are first detailed in Chapter 7 (Hamill), including an extended and illustrative case study. Chapters 8 (Hemri), 9 (Pinson and Messner), and 10 (Van Schaeybroeck and Vannitsem) discuss ensemble postprocessing specifically for hydrological applications, postprocessing in support of renewable energy applications, and postprocessing of long-range forecasts from months to decades. Finally, Chapter 11 (Messner) provides a guide to the ensemble-postprocessing software available in the R programming language, which should greatly help readers implement many of the ideas presented in this book. Edited by three experts with strong and complementary expertise in statistical postprocessing of ensemble forecasts, this book assesses the new and rapidly developing field of ensemble forecast postprocessing as an extension of the use of statistical corrections to traditional deterministic forecasts. Statistical Postprocessing of Ensemble Forecasts is an essential resource for researchers, operational practitioners, and students in weather, seasonal, and climate forecasting, as well as users of such forecasts in fields involving renewable energy, conventional energy, hydrology, environmental engineering, and agriculture.

Machine Learning Techniques for Space Weather provides a thorough and accessible presentation of machine learning techniques that can be employed by space weather professionals. Additionally, it presents an overview of real-world applications in space science to the machine learning community, offering a bridge between the fields. As this volume demonstrates, real advances in space weather can be gained using nontraditional approaches that take into account nonlinear and complex dynamics, including information theory, nonlinear auto-regression models, neural networks and clustering algorithms. Offering practical techniques for translating the huge amount of information hidden in data into useful knowledge that allows for better prediction, this book is a unique and important resource for space physicists, space weather professionals and computer scientists in related fields.

The invention of the semiconductor laser along with silica glass fiber has enabled an incredible revolution in global communication infrastructure of direct benefit to all. Development of devices and system concepts that exploit the same fundamental light-matter interaction continues. Researchers and technologists are pursuing a broad range of emerging applications, everything from automobile collision avoidance to secure quantum key distribution. This book sets out to summarize key aspects of semiconductor laser device physics and principles of laser operation.

This book provides a unified treatment of the characteristics of telescopes of all types, both those whose performance is set by geometrical aberrations and the effect of the atmosphere, and those diffraction-limited telescopes designed for observations from above the atmosphere. The emphasis throughout is on basic principles, such as Fermat's principle, and their application to optical systems specifically designed to image distant celestial sources.
The book also contains thorough discussions of the principles underlying all spectroscopic instrumentation, with special emphasis on grating instruments used with telescopes. An introduction to adaptive optics provides the needed background for further inquiry into this rapidly developing area.

* Geometrical aberration theory based on Fermat's principle
* Diffraction theory and transfer function approach to near-perfect telescopes
* Thorough discussion of 2-mirror telescopes, including misalignments
* Basic principles of spectrometry; grating and echelle instruments
* Schmidt and other catadioptric telescopes
* Principles of adaptive optics
* Over 220 figures and nearly 90 summary tables

This book provides information and tools necessary to bridge and integrate the knowledge gaps related to the acquisition and processing of archaeological data, specifically in the field of preventive diagnostics, urban centers, archaeological parks and historical monuments, through activities that involve the application of non-invasive diagnostic detection systems, in the field of applied geophysics. The principal aim of this book is to define a tool for experts that work in the frame of Cultural Heritage and to identify a procedure of intervention transferable and usable in different geographical contexts and areas of investigations: it could help to decide the better technique of investigation to apply in relation to the predictive characteristics of the archaeological site and the objectives of the survey. The book is divided in two parts. The first one explains the theory of ground high resolution penetrating radar (GPR), electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), controlled source electromagnetism system, differential magnetic method and the scenario of integrated methods of different geophysical techniques. Each section covers the basic theory (complete description of the physical parameters involved in the method), field instruments (description of all systems actually offered by commercial companies), field techniques (presentation of the main procedures and setting parameters used to explore the ground surface during data acquisition), techniques of data processing and representation (main processing routines and comparison between different techniques; presentation of different typologies of graphical representation), and the possibility and limitations of methods (explanation of best and worst conditions of implementation of the geophysical technique in relation to the contrasts between archaeological features and the natural background and the features of the instruments and arrays). The second part describes some applications of geophysical prospection to Cultural Heritage in detailed case histories, divided in sections relative to monuments, historical buildings, urban centres, archaeological parks and ancient viability. Moreover, examples of integration of three-dimensional reliefs and geophysical diagnostic of a monuments and studies of large scale reconnaissance implemented into a Geographical Information System are treated. In each case study the authors cover the description of the archaeological or historical contest; an explanation of the problem to solve; a choice of the geophysical methods; the setting of the procedure of data acquisition; techniques of data processing; a representation, interpretation, and discussion of the results.

This monograph presents recent advances in neural network (NN) approaches and applications to chemical reaction dynamics. Topics covered include: (i) the development of ab initio potential-energy surfaces (PES) for complex multichannel systems using modified novelty sampling and feedforward NNs; (ii) methods for sampling the configuration space of critical importance, such as trajectory and novelty sampling methods and gradient fitting methods; (iii) parametrization of interatomic potential functions using a genetic algorithm accelerated with a NN; (iv) parametrization of analytic interatomic potential functions using NNs; (v) self-starting methods for obtaining analytic PES from ab inito electronic structure calculations using direct dynamics; (vi) development of a novel method, namely, combined function derivative approximation (CFDA) for simultaneous fitting of a PES and its corresponding force fields using feedforward neural networks; (vii) development of generalized PES using many-body expansions, NNs, and moiety energy approximations; (viii) NN methods for data analysis, reaction probabilities, and statistical error reduction in chemical reaction dynamics; (ix) accurate prediction of higher-level electronic structure energies (e.g. MP4 or higher) for large databases using NNs, lower-level (Hartree-Fock) energies, and small subsets of the higher-energy database; and finally (x) illustrative examples of NN applications to chemical reaction dynamics of increasing complexity starting from simple near equilibrium structures (vibrational state studies) to more complex non-adiabatic reactions.
The monograph is prepared by an interdisciplinary group of researchers working as a team for nearly two decades at Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK with expertise in gas phase reaction dynamics; neural networks; various aspects of MD and Monte Carlo (MC) simulations of nanometric cutting, tribology, and material properties at nanoscale; scaling laws from atomistic to continuum; and neural networks applications to chemical reaction dynamics. It is anticipated that this emerging field of NN in chemical reaction dynamics will play an increasingly important role in MD, MC, and quantum mechanical studies in the years to come.

This book provides a general introduction to nanogels, and designs of various stimuli-sensitive nanogels that are able to control drug release in response to specific stimuli. Nanogels are three-dimensional nanosized networks that formed by physically or chemically crosslinking polymers. They have highly interesting properties such as biocompatibility, high stability, particle size adjustment, drug loading capability and modification of the surface for active targeting. They can respond to stimuli which results in the controlled release of drug and targeting of the site.

This book describes the operation of a particular technique for the production of compound semiconductor materials. It describes how the technique works, how it can be used for the growth of particular materials and structures, and the application of these materials for specific devices. It contains not only a fundamental description of the operation of the technique but also contains lists of data useful for the everyday operation of OMVPE reactors. It also offers specific recipes that can be used to produce a wide range of specific materials, structures, and devices.
Key Features
* Updated with new emphasis on the semiconducting nitride materials-GaN and its alloys with In and Al
* Emphasizes the newly understood aspects of surface processes
* Contains a new chapter, as well as several new sections in chapters on thermodynamics and kinetics

Biophysical Basis of Physiology and Calcium Signaling Mechanism in Cardiac and Smooth Muscle acts as a bridge between physiology and physics by discussing the physiology and calcium signaling mechanism in cardiac and smooth muscle. By exploring the mechanism of the cyclic release of stored Ca^(2+) in the SR or ER, this book covers the cell communication system, including excitable cells, recognizing the most relevant mechanisms of cell communication. Serving as a bridge between physiology and physics, coverage spans the physiology and calcium signaling mechanism in cardiac and smooth muscle, offering insight to physiological scientists, pharmaceutical scientists, medical doctors, biologists and physicists.

This book focuses on the microscopic understanding of the function of organic semiconductors. By tracing the link between their morphological structure and electronic properties across multiple scales, it represents an important advance in this direction. Organic semiconductors are materials at the interface between hard and soft matter: they combine structural variability, processibility and mechanical flexibility with the ability to efficiently transport charge and energy. This unique set of properties makes them a promising class of materials for electronic devices, including organic solar cells and light-emitting diodes. Understanding their function at the microscopic scale - the goal of this work - is a prerequisite for the rational design and optimization of the underlying materials. Based on new multiscale simulation protocols, the book studies the complex interplay between molecular architecture, supramolecular organization and electronic structure in order to reveal why some materials perform well - and why others do not. In particular, by examining the long-range effects that interrelate microscopic states and mesoscopic structure in these materials, the book provides qualitative and quantitative insights into e.g. the charge-generation process, which also serve as a basis for new optimization strategies.

This book is the result of collaboration within the framework of the Third International Scientific School for Young Scientists held at the Ishlinskii Institute for Problems in Mechanics of Russian Academy of Sciences, 2017, November. The papers included describe studies on the dynamics of natural system - geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere-and their interactions, the human contribution to naturally occurring processes, laboratory modeling of earth and environment processes, and testing of new developed physical and mathematical models. The book particularly focuses on modeling in the field of oil and gas production as well as new alternative energy sources.

Adapting to Climate Change in Europe: Exploring Sustainable Pathways - From Local Measures to Wider Policies is a scientific synthesis of a four-year project on adaptation activities in Europe. It combines scientific assessments with real-world case descriptions to present specific tools and methods. This book aims at ensuring sustainable solutions in adaptation to climate change. The challenge of adaptation is still at an early stage; this book fills relevant gaps in current knowledge on climate adaptation, providing a crucial set of tools to support effective decision-making. It acts as a guide to practitioners and decision-makers along different steps of on-going adaptation processes. Adapting to Climate Change in Europe contains methods and tools for improving stakeholder's participation and analyzing costs and benefits of different adaptation measures. It is an essential resource for researchers, graduate students, and experts and policymakers working in climate change and adaptation.

Black holes entered the world of science fiction and films in the 1960s, and their popularity in our culture remains today. The buzz surrounding black holes was and is due, in large part, to their speculative nature. It is still difficult for the general public to determine fact versus fiction as it pertains to this terrifying idea: something big enough to swallow anything and everything in close proximity, with a gravitational force so strong that nothing, including light, can escape. In the fall of 2015, scientists at the Laser Interferometry Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) detected the first sounds from black holes, brought to earth by the gravitational waves that emitted from the merging of two black holes 1.4 billion light years away in space. This confirmed the existence of gravitational waves, which Albert Einstein predicted in 1916. In the spring of 2017, physicists and astronomers who were working on the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) project captured the first image of a black hole. This was the supermassive black hole hosted by the galaxy M87 in the constellation Virgo, 53 million light years away, and the image shows the shadow the black hole casts upon the bright light surrounding it. In this book, John Moffat shares the history of black holes and presents the latest research into these mysterious celestial objects, including the astounding results from gravitational wave detection and the shadow of the black hole.

The critically acclaimed laboratory standard for more than forty years, Methods in Enzymology is one of the most highly respected publications in the field of biochemistry. Since 1955, each volume has been eagerly awaited, frequently consulted, and praised by researchers and reviewers alike. More than 285 volumes have been published (all of them still in print) and much of the material is relevant even today-truly an essential publication for researchersin all fields of life sciences.
Key Features
* Prokaryotic ABC Transporters
* Eukaryotic ABC Transporters
* Nonmammalian ABC Transport Systems
* Mammalian P-Glycoproteins
* Multidrug Resistance Associated Protein
* Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator
* Sulfonylurea Receptor
* Intracellular ABC Transporters

Assuming a background in basic classical physics, multivariable calculus, and differential equations, A Concise Introduction to Quantum Mechanics provides a self-contained presentation of the mathematics and physics of quantum mechanics. The relevant aspects of classical mechanics and electrodynamics are reviewed, and the basic concepts of wave-particle duality are developed as a logical outgrowth of experiments involving blackbody radiation, the photoelectric effect, and electron diffraction. The Copenhagen interpretation of the wave function and its relation to the particle probability density is presented in conjunction with Fourier analysis and its generalization to function spaces. These concepts are combined to analyze the system consisting of a particle confi ned to a box, developing the probabilistic interpretation of observations and their associated expectation values. The Schroedinger equation is then derived by using these results and demanding both Galilean invariance of the probability density and Newtonian energy-momentum relations. The general properties of the Schroedinger equation and its solutions are analyzed, and the theory of observables is developed along with the associated Heisenberg uncertainty principle. Basic applications of wave mechanics are made to free wave packet spreading, barrier penetration, the simple harmonic oscillator, the Hydrogen atom, and an electric charge in a uniform magnetic fi eld. In addition, Dirac notation, elements of Hilbert space theory, operator techniques, and matrix algebra are presented and used to analyze coherent states, the linear potential, two state oscillations, and electron diffraction. Applications are made to photon and electron spin and the addition of angular momentum, and direct product multiparticle states are used to formulate both the Pauli exclusion principle and quantum decoherence. The book concludes with an introduction to the rotation group and the general properties of angular momentum.

This book focuses on the state-of-the-art of biosensor research and development for specialists and non-specialists. It introduces the fundamentals of the subject with relevant characteristics of transducer elements, as well as biochemical recognition molecules. This book is ideal for researchers of nanotechnology, materials science and biophysics.

This book highlights the latest research presented at the International Conference on Translational Medicine and Imaging (ICTMI) 2017. This event brought together the world's leading scientists, engineers and clinicians from a wide range of disciplines in the field of medical imaging. Bioimaging has continued to evolve across a wide spectrum of applications from diagnostics and personalized therapy to the mechanistic understanding of biological processes, and as a result there is ever-increasing demand for more robust methods and their integration with clinical and molecular data. This book presents a number of these methods.

This thesis provides new insights into the seemingly anomalous ubiquity of lithium-rich red giant stars. The theory of stellar evolution, one of the most successful models of modern astrophysics, predicts that red giant stars should display negligible levels of lithium (Li) on their surfaces. However, Li-rich giants, defined as those showing more than three times the Li content of the Sun, are found everywhere astronomers look in apparent defiance of established theory. The author addresses this problem, analyzing the different possible explanations for such an anomaly, which include interaction with a binary companion, the production of Li in the interior of the star with its subsequent transport to stellar exteriors, and the stellar interaction with planets. The author focuses on this last possibility, where the Li enrichment may be due to the ingestion of planets or brown dwarfs as the stars in question grew in size while becoming giants. She shows that this process is indeed able to explain an important fraction of giants with Li levels above the three times solar threshold, but that some other mechanism is needed to explain the remaining fraction. While this is an important discovery in its own right, the result that makes this thesis groundbreaking is its demonstration that the threshold between Li-normal and Li-rich is mass dependent rather than a fixed proportion of the Sun's content. This corrects a fundamental misapprehension of the phenomenon and opens up a new framework in which to understand and solve the problem. Finally, the author presents interesting observational applications and samples with which to test this new approach to the problem of Li enrichment in giants.

an integrated approach to electron transfer phenomena
This two-part stand-alone volume in the prestigious Advances in Chemical Physics series provides the most comprehensive overview of electron transfer science today. It draws on cutting-edge research from diverse areas of chemistry, physics, and biology-covering the most recent developments in the field, and pointing to important future trends. This initial volume includes:
* A historical perspective spanning five decades
* A review of concepts, problems, and ideas in current research
* Electron transfer in isolated molecules and in clusters
* General theory, including useful algorithms
* Spectra and electron transfer kinetics in bridged compounds
The second volume covers solvent control, ultrafast electron transfer and coherence effects, molecular electronics, electron transfer and chemistry, and biomolecules.
Electron transfer science has seen tremendous progress in recent years. Technological innovations, most notably the advent of femtosecond lasers, now permit the real-time investigation of intramolecular and intermolecular electron transfer processes on a time scale of nuclear motion. New scientific information abounds, illuminating the processes of energy acquisition, storage, and disposal in large molecules, clusters, condensed phase, and biophysical systems.
Electron Transfer: From Isolated Molecules to Biomolecules is the first book devoted to the exciting work being done in nonradiative electron transfer dynamics today. This two-part edited volume emphasizes the interdisciplinary nature of the field, bringing together the contributions of pioneers in chemistry, physics, and biology.Both theoretical and experimental topics are featured. The authors describe modern approaches to the exploration of different systems, including supersonic beam techniques, femtosecond laser spectroscopy, chemical syntheses, and methods in genetic and chemical engineering. They examine applications in such areas as supersonic jets, solvents, electrodes, semi- conductors, respiratory and enzymatic protein systems, photosynthesis, and more. They also relate electron transfer and radiationless transitions theory to pertinent physical phenomena, and provide a conceptual framework for the different processes.
Complete with over two hundred illustrations, Part One reviews developments in the field since its inception fifty years ago, and discusses electron transfer phenomena in both isolated molecules and in clusters. It outlines the general theory, exploring areas of the control of kinetics, structure-function relationships, fluctuations, coherence, and coupling to solvents with complex spectral density in different types of electron transfer processes.
Timely, comprehensive, and authoritative, Electron Transfer: From Isolated Molecules to Biomolecules is an essential resource for physical chemists, molecular physicists, and researchers working in nonradiative dynamics today.

In any linear system, the input and the output are connected by means of a linear operator. When the input can be notionally represented by a function that is null valued everywhere except at a specific location in spacetime, the corresponding output is called the Green function in field theories. Dyadic Green functions are commonplace in electromagnetics, because both the input and the output are vector functions of space and time. This book provides a survey of the state-of-the-art knowledge of infinite space dyadic Green functions.

This newly revised and updated edition of Radiation Biophysics provides an in-depth description of the physics and chemistry of radiation and its effects on biological systems. Coverage begins with fundamental concepts of the physics of radiation and radioactivity, then progresses through the chemistry and biology of the interaction of radiation with living systems. The Second Edition of this highly praised text includes major revisions which reflect the rapid advances in the field. New material covers recent developments in the fields of carcinogenesis, DNA repair, molecular genetics, and the molecular biology of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. The book also includes extensive discussion of the practical impact of radiation on everyday life.
Key Features
* Covers the fundamentals of radiation physics in a manner that is understandable to students and professionals with a limited physics background
* Includes problem sets and exercises to aid both teachers and students
* Discusses radioactivity, internally deposited radionuclides, and dosimetry
* Analyzes the risks for occupational and non-occupational workers exposed to radiation sources

an integrated approach to electron transfer phenomena
This two-part stand-alone volume in the prestigious Advances in Chemical Physics series provides the most comprehensive overview of electron transfer science today. It draws on cutting-edge research from diverse areas of chemistry, physics, and biology-covering the most recent developments in the field, and pointing to important future trends. This second volume offers the following sections:
* Solvent control, including ultrafast solvation dynamics and related topics
* Ultrafast electron transfer and coherence effects
* Molecular electronics
* Electron transfer and exciplex chemistry
* Biomolecules-from electron transfer tubes to kinetics in a DNA environment
Part One addresses the historical perspective, electron transfer phenomena in isolated molecules and clusters, general theory, and electron transfer kinetics in bridged compounds.
Electron transfer science has seen tremendous progress in recent years. Technological innovations, most notably the advent of femtosecond lasers, now permit the real-time investigation of intramolecular and intermolecular electron transfer processes on a time scale of nuclear motion. New scientific information abounds, illuminating the processes of energy acquisition, storage, and disposal in large molecules, clusters, condensed phase, and biophysical systems.
Electron Transfer: From Isolated Molecules to Biomolecules is the first book devoted to the exciting work being done in nonradiative electron transfer dynamics today. This two-part edited volume emphasizes the interdisciplinary nature of the field, bringing together the contributions of pioneers inchemistry, physics, and biology. Both theoretical and experimental topics are featured. The authors describe modern approaches to the exploration of different systems, including supersonic beam techniques, femtosecond laser spectroscopy, chemical syntheses, and methods in genetic and chemical engineering. They examine applications in such areas as supersonic jets, solvents, electrodes, semi- conductors, respiratory and enzymatic protein systems, photosynthesis, and more. They also relate electron transfer and radiationless transitions theory to pertinent physical phenomena, and provide a conceptual framework for the different processes.
Complete with over two hundred illustrations, Part Two opens with solvent control issues, including electron transfer reactions and ultrafast solvation dynamics. Other topics include ultrafast electron transfer and coherence effects, molecular electronics, and electron transfer in exciplex chemistry. This volume concludes with a section on biomolecules-from electron transfer tubes to experimental electron transfer and transport in DNA.
Timely, comprehensive, and authoritative, Electron Transfer: From Isolated Molecules to Biomolecules is an essential resource for physical chemists, molecular physicists, and researchers working in nonradiative dynamics today.

Physics of Cryogenics: An Ultralow Temperature Phenomenon discusses the significant number of advances that have been made during the last few years in a variety of cryocoolers, such as Brayton, Joule-Thomson, Stirling, pulse tube, Gifford-McMahon and magnetic refrigerators. The book reviews various approaches taken to improve reliability, a major driving force for new research areas. The advantages and disadvantages of different cycles are compared, and the latest improvements in each of these cryocoolers is discussed. The book starts with the thermodynamic fundamentals, followed by the definition of cryogenic and the associated science behind low temperature phenomena and properties. This book is an ideal resource for scientists, engineers and graduate and senior undergraduate students who need a better understanding of the science of cryogenics and related thermodynamics.