In this thesis, ultimate sensitive measurement for weak force imposed on a suspended mirror is performed with the help of a laser and an optical cavity for the development of gravitational-wave detectors. According to the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, such measurements are subject to a fundamental noise called quantum noise, which arises from the quantum nature of a probe (light) and a measured object (mirror). One of the sources of quantum noise is the quantum back-action, which arises from the vacuum fluctuation of the light. It sways the mirror via the momentum transferred to the mirror upon its reflection for the measurement. The author discusses a fundamental trade-off between sensitivity and stability in the macroscopic system, and suggests using a triangular cavity that can avoid this trade-off. The development of an optical triangular cavity is described and its characterization of the optomechanical effect in the triangular cavity is demonstrated. As a result, for the first time in the world the quantum back-action imposed on the 5-mg suspended mirror is significantly evaluated. This work contributes to overcoming the standard quantum limit in the future.

This book presents investigations on the Earth's seismic structure using both active-source and natural earthquake records. It discusses the ground-truth data obtained from the TAiwan Integrated GEodynamics Research (TAIGER) active-source experiments that provides excellent and unique insights into the shallow crustal structures beneath Taiwan. It also explores the full-wave sensitivity kernels, which account for the effects of all possible wave interferences involved in shear-wave splitting and therefore loosen the restrictions on source-receiver geometry amenable to shear-wave splitting analysis. Moreover, it describes the 3D Frechet kernels, which enable us to resolve the vertical and lateral variations in seismic anisotropy and obtain 3D images of the Earth's anisotropic structure, as well as the practice in Southern California that enables us to infer the state of the stress and strain in the lithosphere and the dynamics of the asthenospheric mantle flow for a better understanding of the strength and deformation in the upper mantle beneath the San Andreas Fault system.

Humans receive the vast majority of sensory perception through the eyes and ears. This non-technical book examines the everyday physics behind hearing and vision to help readers understand more about themselves and their physical environment. It begins wit

This book offers review chapters written by invited speakers of the 3rd Session of the Sant Cugat Forum on Astrophysics - Gravitational Waves Astrophysics. All chapters have been peer reviewed. The book goes beyond normal conference proceedings in that it provides a wide panorama of the astrophysics of gravitational waves and serves as a reference work for researchers in the field.

Nominated as an outstanding thesis by Professor Robert Crittenden of the Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation in Portsmouth, and winner of the Michael Penston Prize for 2014 given by the Royal Astronomical Society for the best doctoral thesis in Astronomy or Astrophysics, this work aims to shed light on one of the most important probes of the early Universe: the bispectrum of the cosmic microwave background. The CMB bispectrum is a potential window on exciting new physics, as it is sensitive to the non-Gaussian features in the primordial fluctuations, the same fluctuations that evolved into today's planets, stars and galaxies. However, this invaluable information is potentially screened, as not all of the observed non-Gaussianity is of primordial origin. Indeed, a bispectrum arises even for perfectly Gaussian initial conditions due to non-linear dynamics, such as CMB photons scattering off free electrons and propagating in an inhomogeneous Universe. Dr. Pettinari introduces the reader to this intrinsic bispectrum in a pedagogic way, building up from the standard model of cosmology and from cosmological perturbation theory, the tool cosmologists use to unravel the history of the cosmos. In doing so, he introduces SONG, a new and efficient code for solving the second-order Einstein and Boltzmann equations. Next, he moves on to answer the crucial question: is the intrinsic bispectrum going to screen the primordial signal in the CMB? Using SONG, he computes the intrinsic bispectrum and shows how its contamination leads to a small bias in the estimates of primordial non-Gaussianity, a great news for the prospect of using CMB data to probe primordial non-Gaussianity.

Origins of Life: A Cosmic Perspective presents an overview of the concepts, methods, and theories of astrobiology and origins of life research while presenting a summary of the latest findings. The book provides insight into the environments and processes that gave birth to life on our planet, which naturally informs our assessment of the probability that has arisen (or will arise) elsewhere. In addition, the book encourages readers to go beyond basic concepts, to explore topics in greater depth, and to engage in lively discussions. The text is intended to be suitable for mid- and upper-level undergraduates and beginning graduate students and more generally as an introduction and overview for researchers and general readers seeking to follow current developments in this interdisciplinary field. Readers are assumed to have a basic grounding in the relevant sciences, but prior specialized knowledge is not required. Each chapter concludes with a list of questions and discussion topics as well as suggestions for further reading. Some questions can be answered with reference to material in the text, but others require further reading and some have no known answers. The intention is to encourage readers to go beyond basic concepts, to explore topics in greater depth, and, in a classroom setting, to engage in lively discussions with class members.

Inverse problems in wave propagation occur in geophysics, ocean acoustics, civil and environmental engineering, ultrasonic non-destructive testing, biomedical ultrasonics, radar, astrophysics, as well as other areas of science and technology. The papers in this volume cover these scientific and technical topics, together with fundamental mathematical investigations of the relation between waves and scatterers.

The search for gravitational radiation with optical interferometers is gaining momentum worldwide. Beside the VIRGO and GEO gravitational wave observatories in Europe and the two LIGOs in the United States, which have operated successfully during the past decade, further observatories are being completed (KAGRA in Japan) or planned (ILIGO in India). The sensitivity of the current observatories, although spectacular, has not allowed direct discovery of gravitational waves. The advanced detectors (Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo) at present in the development phase will improve sensitivity by a factor of 10, probing the universe up to 200 Mpc for signal from inspiraling binary compact stars. This book covers all experimental aspects of the search for gravitational radiation with optical interferometers. Every facet of the technological development underlying the evolution of advanced interferometers is thoroughly described, from configuration to optics and coatings and from thermal compensation to suspensions and controls. All key ingredients of an advanced detector are covered, including the solutions implemented in first-generation detectors, their limitations, and how to overcome them. Each issue is addressed with special reference to the solution adopted for Advanced VIRGO but constant attention is also paid to other strategies, in particular those chosen for Advanced LIGO.

This book reviews and assesses the various methodologies for site characterization and site effect estimation to carry out seismic zonation at micro and macro levels. Readers will learn about the suitability of these methodologies for each level of zoning that needs to be assessed in order to optimize the resources for carrying out seismic zonation. The Indian sub-continent is highly vulnerable to earthquake hazards, and past studies have focused primarily on the Himalayan region (inter-plate zone) and the northeast region (subduction zone). The book improves understanding of the Peninsular India that also has significantly high seismicity and is prone to earthquakes of sizeable magnitude. Particular attention is given to the various methodologies for assessing seismic hazards, the scales at which site characterizations are carried out, and optimal methods for zonation practices using site data and hazard indexes. Aimed at students, this book will be of use to post-graduates and doctoral students researching seismic zonation, hazard assessment and mitigation, and spatial data in earth sciences.

The main focus of this book is on the interconnection of two unorthodox scientific ideas, the varying-gravity hypothesis and the expanding-earth hypothesis. As such, it provides a fascinating insight into a nearly forgotten chapter in both the history of cosmology and the history of the earth sciences. The hypothesis that the force of gravity decreases over cosmic time was first proposed by Paul Dirac in 1937. In this book the author examines in detail the historical development of Dirac's hypothesis and its consequences for the structure and history of the earth, the most important of which was that the earth must have been smaller in the past.

This book first focuses on the explanation of the theory about focal mechanisms and moment tensor solutions and their role in the modern seismology. The second part of the book compiles several state-of-the-art case studies in different seismotectonic settings of the planet.The assessment of seismic hazard and the reduction of losses due to future earthquakes is probably the most important contribution of seismology to society. In this regard, the understanding of reliable determination seismic source and of its uncertainty can play a key role in contributing to geodynamic investigation, seismic hazard assessment and earthquake studies. In the last two decades, the use of waveforms recorded at local-to-regional distances has increased considerably. Waveform modeling has been used also to estimate faulting parameters of small-to-moderate sized earthquakes.

A collection of papers edited by four experts in the field, this book sets out to describe the way solar activity is manifested in observations of the solar interior, the photosphere, the chromosphere, the corona and the heliosphere. The 11-year solar activity cycle, more generally known as the sunspot cycle, is a fundamental property of the Sun. This phenomenon is the generation and evolution of magnetic fields in the Sun's convection zone, the photosphere. It is only by the careful enumeration and description of the phenomena and their variations that one can clarify their interdependences. The sunspot cycle has been tracked back about four centuries, and it has been recognized that to make this data set a really useful tool in understanding how the activity cycle works and how it can be predicted, a very careful and detailed effort is needed to generate sunspot numbers. This book deals with this topic, together with several others that present related phenomena that all indicate the physical processes that take place in the Sun and its exterior environment. The reviews in the book also present the latest theoretical and modelling studies that attempt to explain the activity cycle. It remains true, as has been shown in the unexpected characteristics of the first two solar cycles in the 21st century, that predictability remains a serious challenge. Nevertheless, the highly expert and detailed reviews in this book, using the very best solar observations from both ground- and space based telescopes, provide the best possible report on what is known and what is yet to be discovered. Originally published in Space Science Reviews, Vol 186, Issues 1-4, 2014.

This thesis considers the non-equilibrium and energy transfer processes involved in the evolution of astrophysical gases and plasmas. Momentum-energy transfer in collisions of atoms, molecules and ions governs the evolution of interacting astrophysical gas and plasmas. These collisions require an accurate quantum mechanical description and the work presented here develops a unified kinetic and quantum-mechanical model for this consideration. The multi-scale computational approach implemented here takes into account non-thermal distributions of atomic particles and clarifies their role in the evolution of interstellar gas and planetary atmospheres. As shown, the physical parameters of non-thermal distributions strongly depend on the differential cross sections of atomic, molecular and ion collisions. Readers will find a detailed description of the energy relaxation of energetic atoms, produced in the interstellar gas by the solar and stellar wind plasmas. Computation of the non-thermal diffuse background of energetic helium atoms in the heliosphere is also included for evaluation of the contributions from local and cosmic sources and analysis of related satellite observations. Work involving modeling of energetic particle precipitation into planetary atmospheres and formation of the planetary and exoplanetary escape fluxes has been performed with very accurate cross sections, describing momentum-energy transfer processes with high precision. Results of the Monte Carlo simulations, carried out for the Mars atmosphere at different solar conditions, can be used for analysis of observational data for Mars atmospheric escape and investigation into the history of Martian water.

This thesis develops new and powerful methods for identifying planetary signals in the presence of "noise" generated by stellar activity, and explores the physical origin of stellar intrinsic variability, using unique observations of the Sun seen as a star. In particular, it establishes that the intrinsic stellar radial-velocity variations mainly arise from suppression of photospheric convection by magnetic fields. With the advent of powerful telescopes and instruments we are now on the verge of discovering real Earth twins in orbit around other stars. The intrinsic variability of the host stars themselves, however, currently remains the main obstacle to determining the masses of such small planets. The methods developed here combine Gaussian-process regression for modeling the correlated signals arising from evolving active regions on a rotating star, and Bayesian model selection methods for distinguishing genuine planetary signals from false positives produced by stellar magnetic activity. The findings of this thesis represent a significant step towards determining the masses of potentially habitable planets orbiting Sun-like stars.

The book sets out to inform a broad range of professionals working in medicine and healthcare about how creative thinking and design concepts can be used to innovate in providing an enhanced patient experience. It outlines these concepts as a primary means to identify, clarify and resolve some of the process improvement and enhancement challenges in healthcare delivery. It demonstrates by example how such challenges can be addressed, drawing on case examples from healthcare and other industries, and from the authors’ own experiences as innovators and educators. It emphasizes the value of learning in action. For the reader who already has a leaning towards novel approaches to addressing healthcare delivery challenges, it provides guidance on harnessing team inputs and engaging with a network of contributors. It is an ideal resource for all working in medicine and healthcare, from managers, nurses, doctors, administrators, executives, and allied health professionals to medical engineers, medical physicists, medical scientists and medical product developers. Features Provides a unique framework to conceptualise innovation in healthcare and medicine. Authored by an award-winning medical scientist and an established business school Professor who have proven track-records with innovation, in education settings and as entrepreneurs. Presents a clear interdisciplinary approach, complemented with practical case studies set in the context of the challenges facing healthcare delivery in the 21st century. Dr. Barry McMahon has a national and international reputation as an Academic Medical Physicist in the fields of novel physiological measurement and medical device innovation and design. He is the co- inventor of the Functional Lumen Imaging Probe (FLIP) technique later commercialised as EndoFLIP™. He was the Director of the Innovation Academy at Trinity College Dublin from 2012 to 2017. Since 2020 he is advising Children’s Health Ireland on innovation practice. In 2021, he retired as Chief Physicist/Clinical Engineer at Tallaght Hospital, Ireland and currently runs his own innovation-consulting group Electric Mindset Ltd. Dr. Paul Coughlan is Professor in Operations Management and Co-Director of Faculty at Trinity Business School, Trinity College Dublin. His research explores collaborative strategic improvement of operations through network action learning. He was the Director of the Innovation Academy at Trinity College Dublin from 2010 to 2012. He is a founding director of a research-based spin-out venture, Easy Hydro Ltd.

Metamaterials, artificial electromagnetic media achieved by structuring on the subwave-length-scale were initially suggested for the negative index and superlensing. They became a paradigm for engineering electromagnetic space and controlling propagation of waves. The research agenda is now shifting on achieving tuneable, switchable, nonlinear and sensing functionalities. The time has come to talk about the emerging research field of metadevices employing active and tunable metamaterials with unique functionalities achieved by structuring of functional matter on the subwave-length scale. This book presents the first systematic and comprehensive summary of the reviews written by the pioneers and top-class experts in the field of metamaterials. It addresses many grand challenges of the cutting edge research for creating smaller and more efficient photonic structures and devices.

This book introduces recent progress in biological energetics from ATP hydrolysis to molecular machineries. The role of water is now recognized to be essential in biological molecular energetics. Although energetics is a rather distant field to many biologists, any working models for protein machineries such as protein motors, transporters, and other enzymes must be consistent with their energetics. Therefore, the book is intended to help scientists build systematic models of biomolecular functions based on three categories: (1) ATP hydrolysis reactions including ionic hydration and protonation-deprotonation of biomolecules, (2) protein-ligand/protein-protein interactions including hydration-dehydration processes, and (3) functioning mechanisms of protein machineries based on water functions.

Quantum mechanics is widely recognized as the basic law which governs all of nature, including all materials and devices. It has always been essential to the understanding of material properties, and as devices become smaller it is also essential for studying their behavior. Nevertheless, only a small fraction of graduate engineers and materials scientists take a course giving a systematic presentation of the subject. The courses for physics students tend to focus on the fundamentals and formal background, rather than on application, and do not fill the need. This invaluable text has been designed to fill the very apparent gap.The book covers those parts of quantum theory which may be necessary for a modern engineer. It focuses on the approximations and concepts which allow estimates of the entire range of properties of nuclei, atoms, molecules, and solids, as well as the behavior of lasers and other quantum-optic devices. It may well prove useful also to graduate students in physics, whose courses on quantum theory tend not to include any of these applications. The material has been the basis of a course taught to graduate engineering students for the past four years at Stanford University.Topics Discussed: Foundations; Simple Systems; Hamiltonian Mechanics; Atoms and Nuclei; Molecules; Crystals; Transitions; Tunneling; Transition Rates; Statistical Mechanics; Transport; Noise; Energy Bands; Electron Dynamics in Solids; Vibrations in Solids; Creation and Annihilation Operators; Phonons; Photons and Lasers; Coherent States; Coulomb Effects; Cooperative Phenomena; Magnetism; Shake-off Excitations; Exercise Problems.A supplementary Instructor's Solutions Manual is available for this book.

This book provides a general introduction to the most important geophysical exploration methods and their application to forensic sciences. It describes physical principles, campaign procedures and processing, as well as interpretation techniques, while also highlighting new acquisition and data analysis procedures. A large section of the book is devoted to applications, from measurements to the interpretation of data. Further, the book shows how to design and perform a forensic survey, and offers guidance on selecting the best method for the problem at hand, and on selecting the best type of data acquisition and processing. Written in straightforward language and chiefly intended as an introductory text for students in several scientific fields, the book also offers a useful guide for specialists who want to expand their expertise in this fascinating discipline.

This book is aimed at advanced undergraduates, graduate students and other researchers who possess an introductory background in materials physics and/or chemistry, and an interest in the physical and chemical properties of novel materials, especially transition metal oxides. New materials often exhibit novel phenomena of great fundamental and technological importance. Contributing authors review the structural, physical and chemical properties of notable 4d- and 5d-transition metal oxides discovered over the last 10 years. These materials exhibit extraordinary physical properties that differ significantly from those of the heavily studied 3d-transition metal oxides, mainly due to the relatively strong influence of the spin- orbit interaction and orbital order in 4d- and 5d materials. The immense growth in publications addressing the physical properties of these novel materials underlines the need to document recent advances and the current state of this field. This book includes overviews of the current experimental situation concerning these materials.

The present book provides a contemporary systematic treatment of shock waves in high-temperature collisionless plasmas as are encountered in near Earth space and in Astrophysics. It consists of two parts. Part I develops the complete theory of shocks in dilute hot plasmas under the assumption of absence of collisions among the charged particles when the interaction is mediated solely by the self-consistent electromagnetic fields. Such shocks are naturally magnetised implying that the magnetic field plays an important role in their evolution and dynamics. This part treats subcritical shocks which dissipate flow energy by generating anomalous resistance or viscosity. The main emphasis is, however, on super-critical shocks where the anomalous dissipation is insufficient to retard the upstream flow. These shocks, depending on the direction of the upstream magnetic field, are distinguished as quasi-perpendicular and quasi-parallel shocks which exhibit different behaviours, reflecting particles back upstream and generating high electromagnetic wave intensities. Particle acceleration and turbulence at such shocks become possible and important. Part II treats planetary bow shocks and the famous Heliospheric Termination shock as examples of two applications of the theory developed in part I.

These proceedings present observational and theoretical results on cataclysmic variables (CVs). Main topics include: interrelations among CVs; theory and evolution of classical, recurrent, symbiotic novae; dwarf novae, nova-like and accretion-induced phenomena; the role of magnetic fields in CV evolution; CVs as possible precursors of SNI-a; and links between CVs and super-soft X-ray sources. The work should be useful for astronomers interested in cataclysmic variables.

This book offers an introduction to the meteorological boundary conditions for power generation from wind - both onshore and offshore, and provides meteorological information for the planning and running of this important renewable energy source. It includes the derivation of wind laws and wind-profile descriptions, especially those above the logarithmic surface layer, and discusses winds over complex terrains and nocturnal low-level jets. This updated and expanded second edition features new chapters devoted to the efficiency of large wind parks and their wakes and to offshore wind energy.

The second edition of Solar System Astrophysics: Planetary Atmospheres and the Outer Solar System provides a timely update of our knowledge of planetary atmospheres and of the bodies of the outer solar system and their analogs in other planetary systems. This volume begins with an expanded treatment of the physics, chemistry, and meteorology of the atmospheres of the Earth, Venus, and Mars, moving on to their magnetospheres and then to a full discussion of the gas and ice giants and their properties. From here, attention switches to the small bodies of the solar system, beginning with the natural satellites. The comets, meteors, meteorites, and asteroids are discussed in order, and the volume concludes with the origin and evolution of our solar system. Finally, a fully revised section on extrasolar planetary systems puts the development of our system in a wider and increasingly well understood galactic context. All of the material is presented within a framework of historical importance. This book and its sister volume, Solar System Astrophysics: Background Science and the Inner Solar system, are pedagogically well written, providing clearly illustrated explanations, for example, of such topics as the numerical integration of the Adams-Williamson equation, the equations of state in planetary interiors and atmospheres, Maxwell's equations as applied to planetary ionospheres and magnetospheres, and the physics and chemistry of the Habitable Zone in planetary systems. Together, the volumes form a comprehensive text for any university course that aims to deal with all aspects of solar and extra-solar planetary systems. They will appeal separately to the intellectually curious who would like to know how just how far our knowledge of the solar system has progressed in recent years.