This volume presents the state-of-the-art in selected topics across modern nuclear physics, covering fields of central importance to research and illustrating their connection to many different areas of physics. It describes recent progress in the study of superheavy and exotic nuclei, which is pushing our knowledge to ever heavier elements and neutron-richer isotopes. Extending nuclear physics to systems that are many times denser than even the core of an atomic nucleus, one enters the realm of the physics of neutron stars and possibly quark stars, a topic that is intensively investigated with many ground-based and outer-space research missions as well as numerous theoretical works. By colliding two nuclei at very high ultra-relativistic energies one can create a fireball of extremely hot matter, reminiscent of the universe very shortly after the big bang, leading to a phase of melted hadrons and free quarks and gluons, the so-called quark-gluon plasma. These studies tie up with effects of crucial importance in other fields. During the collision of heavy ions, electric fields of extreme strength are produced, potentially destabilizing the vacuum of the atomic physics system, subsequently leading to the decay of the vacuum state and the emission of positrons. In neutron stars the ultra-dense matter might support extremely high magnetic fields, far beyond anything that can be produced in the laboratory, significantly affecting the stellar properties. At very high densities general relativity predicts the stellar collapse to a black hole. However, a number of current theoretical activities, modifying Einstein's theory, point to possible alternative scenarios, where this collapse might be avoided. These and related topics are addressed in this book in a series of highly readable chapters. In addition, the book includes fundamental analyses of the practicalities involved in transiting to an electricity supply mainly based on renewable energies, investigating this scenario less from an engineering and more from a physics point of view. While the topics comprise a large scope of activities, the contributions also show an extensive overlap in the methodology and in the analytical and numerical tools involved in tackling these diverse research fields that are the forefront of modern science.

This book provides advanced undergraduate and graduate students with an overview of the fundamentals of cold and ultracold chemistry. Beginning with definitions of what cold and ultracold temperatures mean in chemistry, the book then takes the student through the essentials of scattering theory (classical and quantum mechanical), light-matter interaction, reaction dynamics and Rydberg physics. The author aims to show the reader the richness of the topic while motivating students to understand the fundamentals of these intriguing reactions and underlying connecting relationships. Including material which was previously only found in specialized review articles, this book provides students working in the fields of ultracold gases, chemical physics and physical chemistry with the tools they need to immerse themselves in the realm of cold and ultracold chemistry. This book opens up the exciting chemical laws which govern chemistry at low temperatures to the next generation of researchers.

The few-body problem (FBP), the essence of which is the Schroedinger equation is not solvable for more than two interacting particles. Atomic collisions are ideally suited to study the FBP because the underlying force is essentially understood and because simple systems can be studied for which kinematically complete experiments are feasible. The book would cover various experimental and theoretical approaches in atomic collision research.

Chemical reactions and growth processes on surfaces depend on the diffusion and re-orientation of the adsorbate molecules. A fundamental understanding of the forces guiding surface motion is thus of utmost importance for the advancement of many fields of science and technology. To date, our understanding of the principles underlying surface dynamics remains extremely limited, due to the difficulties involved in measuring these processes experimentally. The helium-3 spin-echo (HeSE) technique is uniquely capable of probing such surface dynamical phenomena. The present thesis extends the field of application of HeSE from atomic and small molecular systems to more complex systems. Improvements to the supersonic helium beam source, a key component of the spectrometer, as well as a detailed investigation of a range of five-membered aromatic adsorbate species are presented. The thesis provides a comprehensive description of many aspects of the HeSE method - instrumentation, measurement and data analysis - and as such offers a valuable introduction for newcomers to the field.

Nature is characterized by a number of physical laws and fundamental dimensionless couplings. These determine the properties of our physical universe, from the size of atoms, cells and mountains to the ultimate fate of the universe as a whole. Yet it is rather remarkable how little we know about them. The constancy of physical laws is one of the cornerstones of the scientific research method, but for fundamental couplings this is an assumption with no other justification than a historical assumption. There is no 'theory of constants' describing their role in the underlying theories and how they relate to one another or how many of them are truly fundamental. Studying the behaviour of these quantities throughout the history of the universe is an effective way to probe fundamental physics. This explains why the ESA and ESO include varying fundamental constants among their key science drivers for the next generation of facilities. This symposium discussed the state-of-the-art in the field, as well as the key developments anticipated for the coming years.

This thesis represents a decisive breakthrough in our understanding of the physics of universal quantum-mechanical three-body systems. The Efimov scenario is a prime example of how fundamental few-body physics features universally across seemingly disparate fields of modern quantum physics. Initially postulated for nuclear physics more than 40 years ago, the Efimov effect has now become a new research paradigm not only in ultracold atomic gases but also in molecular, biological and condensed matter systems. Despite a lot of effort since its first observations, the scaling behavior, which is a hallmark property and often referred to as the "holy grail" of Efimov physics, remained hidden until recently. In this work, the author demonstrates this behavior for the first time for a heteronuclear mixture of ultracold Li and Cs atoms, and pioneers the experimental understanding of microscopic, non-universal properties in such systems. Based on the application of Born-Oppenheimer approximation, well known from molecular physics textbooks, an exceptionally clear and intuitive picture of heteronuclear Efimov physics is revealed.

Dispersion forces acting on both atoms and bodies play a key role in modern nanotechnology. As demonstrated in this book, macroscopic quantum electrodynamics provides a powerful method for understanding and quantifying dispersion forces in a vast range of realistic scenarios. The basic physical concepts and theoretical steps allowfor thederivation ofoutlined general expressions for dispersion forces. As illustrated by a number of examples, these expressions can easily be used to study forces between objects of various shapes and materials, including effects like material absorption, nontrivial magnetic properties and dynamical forces asssociated with excited systems.

In 2010, the ALPHA collaboration achieved a first for mankind: the stable, long-term storage of atomic antimatter, a project carried out a the Antiproton Decelerator facility at CERN. A crucial element of this observation was a dedicated silicon vertexing detector used to identify and analyze antihydrogen annihilations. This thesis reports the methods used to reconstruct the annihilation location. Specifically, the methods used to identify and extrapolate charged particle tracks and estimate the originating annihilation location are outlined. Finally, the experimental results demonstrating the first-ever magnetic confinement of antihydrogen atoms are presented. These results rely heavily on the silicon detector, and as such, the role of the annihilation vertex reconstruction is emphasized.

This exhaustive survey is the result of a four year effort by many leading researchers in the field to produce both a readable introduction and a yardstick for the many upcoming experiments using heavy ion collisions to examine the properties of nuclear matter. The books falls naturally into five large parts, first examining the bulk properties of strongly interacting matter, including its equation of state and phase structure. Part II discusses elementary hadronic excitations of nuclear matter, Part III addresses the concepts and models regarding the space-time dynamics of nuclear collision experiments, Part IV collects the observables from past and current high-energy heavy-ion facilities in the context of the theoretical predictions specific to compressed baryonic matter. Part V finally gives a brief description of the experimental concepts. The book explicitly addresses everyone working or planning to enter the field of high-energy nuclear physics.

Since the discovery that atomic-size particles can be described as waves, many interference experiments have been realized with electrons to demonstrate their wave behavior. In this book, after describing the different steps that led to the present knowledge, we focus on the strong link existing between photon and electron interferences, highlighting the similarities and the differences. For example, the atomic centers of a hydrogen molecule are used to mimic the slits in the Young's famous interference experiment with light. We show, however, that the basic time-dependent ionization theories that describe these Young-type electron interferences are not able to reproduce the experiment. This crucial point remains a real challenge for theoreticians in atomic collision physics.

This volume comprises the recent development in the theoretical and experimental progress dedicated to trapped charged particles and related fundamental physics and applications. The content has been divided topic-wise covering basic questions of Fundamental Physics, Quantum and QED Effects, Plasmas and Collective Behavior and Anti-Hydrogen. More technical issues include Storage Ring Physics, Precision Spectroscopy and Frequency Standards, Highly Charged Ions in Traps, Traps for Radioactive Isotopes and New Techniques and Facilities. An applied aspect of ion trapping is discussed in section devoted to Applications of Particle Trapping including Quantum Information, Chemistry and Trace Analysis. Each topic has a more general introduction, but also more detailed contributions are included. A selection of contributions exemplifies the interdisciplinary nature of the research on trapped charged particles worldwide.
Reprinted from Hyperfine Interactions (HYPE) Volumes XXX

The book is devoted to the modern theory and experimental manifestation of Polarization Bremsstrahlung (PB) which arises due to scattering of charged particles from various targets: atoms, nanostructures (including atomic clusters, nanoparticle in dielectric matrix, fullerens, graphene-like two-dimensional atomic structure) and in condensed matter (monocrystals, polycrystals, partially ordered crystals and amorphous matter) The present book addresses mainly researchers interested in the radiative processes during the interaction between fast particles and matter. It also will be useful for post-graduate students specializing in radiation physics and related fields.

This thesis describes the experimental work that finally led to a successful measurement of coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering-a process proposed forty-three years ago. The experiment was performed at the Spallation Neutron Source facility, sited at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, in Tennessee. Of all known particles, neutrinos distinguish themselves for being the hardest to detect, typically requiring large multi-ton devices for the job. The process measured here involves the difficult detection of very weak signals arising from nuclear recoils (tiny neutrino-induced "kicks" to atomic nuclei), but leads to a much larger probability of neutrino interaction when compared to all other known mechanisms. As a result of this, "neutrino technologies" using miniaturized detectors (the author's was handheld and weighed only 14 kg) become a possibility. A large community of researchers plans to continue studying this process, facilitating an exploration of fundamental neutrino properties that is presently beyond the sensitivity of other methods.

At a level accessible to advanced undergraduates, this textbook explains the fundamental role of quantum mechanics in determining the structure, dynamics, and other properties of molecules. Readers will come to understand the quantum-mechanical basis for harmonic oscillators, angular momenta and scattering processes. Exercises are provided to help readers deepen their grasp of the essential phenomena.

This 2nd edition volume of Modern Gas-Based Temperature and Pressure Measurements follows the first publication in 1992. It collects a much larger set of information, reference data, and bibliography in temperature and pressure metrology of gaseous substances, including the physical-chemical issues related to gaseous substances. The book provides solutions to practical applications where gases are used in different thermodynamic conditions. Modern Gas-Based Temperature and Pressure Measurements, 2nd edition is the only comprehensive survey of methods for pressure measurement in gaseous media used in the medium-to-low pressure range closely connected with thermometry. It assembles current information on thermometry and manometry that involve the use of gaseous substances which are likely to be valid methods for the future. As such, it is an important resource for the researcher. This edition is updated through the very latest scientific and technical developments of gas-based temperature and pressure measurements using thermometry and manometry, and brings all of the techniques together under one cover. This book fills the gap in international literature, as no other recently published book provides a comprehensive survey for gaseous media closely connected with thermometry. Updates in this new edition include revised appendices and new chapters on Mutual Recognition Agreement of the Comite International des Poids et Mesures and its main applications, and developments in the European Metrology Society.

This book presents the method of ion beam modification of solids in realization, theory and applications in a comprehensive way. It provides a review of the physical basics of ion-solid interaction and on ion-beam induced structural modifications of solids. Ion beams are widely used to modify the physical properties of materials. A complete theory of ion stopping in matter and the calculation of the energy loss due to nuclear and electronic interactions are presented including the effect of ion channeling. To explain structural modifications due to high electronic excitations, different concepts are presented with special emphasis on the thermal spike model. Furthermore, general concepts of damage evolution as a function of ion mass, ion fluence, ion flux and temperature are described in detail and their limits and applicability are discussed. The effect of nuclear and electronic energy loss on structural modifications of solids such as damage formation, phase transitions and amorphization is reviewed for insulators and semiconductors. Finally some selected applications of ion beams are given.

By selecting the ?rst week of June 2008 for the Nobel Symposium "Single Molecular Spectroscopy in Chemistry, Physics and Biology", Rudolf Rigler, Jerker Widengren and Astrid Grasl .. und have once again won the top prize for Meeting Organizers, providing us with a Mediterranean climate on top of the warm hospitality that is unique to Sweden. The S? anga Sab .. y Conference Center was an ideal place to spend this wonderful week, and the comfort of this beautiful place blended perfectly with the high calibre of the scienti?c programme. It was a special privilege for me to be able to actively participate in this meeting on a ?eld that is in many important ways complementary to myownresearch. Iwasimpressedbytheinterdisciplinarywaysinwhichsingle molecule spectroscopy has evolved and is currently pursued, with ingredients originating from physics, all branches of chemistry and a wide range of b- logical and biomedical research. A beautiful concert by Semmy Stahlhammer and Johan Ull' en further extended the interdisciplinary character of the s- posium. I would like to combine thanks to Rudolf, Jerker and Astrid with a glance into a future of other opportunities to enjoy top-levelscience combined with warm hospitality in the Swedish tradition. Z.. urich, Kurt Wuth .. rich April 2009 Participants of the Nobel-Symposium 138: First row: Sarah Unterko?er, Anders Liljas, Xiao-Dong Su, Birgitta Rigler, Carlos Bus- mante, Toshio Yanagida, Steven Block, Xiaowei Zhuang, Sunney Xie. Second row: Ivan Scheblykin, Lars Thelander, Petra Schwille, Watt W.

X-ray imaging is a corner stone of breast cancer diagnosis. By exploiting the phase shift of X-rays rather than their attenuation, phase-contrast tomography has the potential to dramatically increase the visibility of small and low contrast features, thus leading to better diagnosis. This thesis presents research on the first synchrotron-based project developing a clinical phase-contrast breast computed tomography (CT) setup at Elettra, the Italian Syncrotron Radiation Facility. This book includes a comprehensive theoretical background on propagation-based phase-contrast imaging, exploring and extending the most recent image formation models. Along with theory, many practical implementation and optimization issues, ranging from detector-specific processing to setup geometry, are tackled on the basis of a large number of experimental evidences. Most of the modelling results and data analysis have general validity, being a valuable framework for optimization of phase-contrast setups. Results obtained at synchrotron are also compared with "real world" laboratory sources: both a first-of-its-kind comparison with one of the few hospital breast CT systems and a state-of-the-art implementation of monochromatic phase-contrast micro-tomography with a conventional rotating anode source are presented. On a more general level, this work sheds a light on the importance of synchrotron-based clinical programs, which are key to trigger the long-anticipated transition of phase-contrast imaging from synchrotrons to hospitals.

This title presents the state-of-the-art in molecular engineering and new developments in the fields of materials science, membrane biophysics, interfaces, sensing, and intermolecular interactions including molecular recognition.
Topics covered are: the organization (orientation and association) of molecules in ultrathin films (monolayers) at the air/water interface; long range order in these films and in assemblies of such films on solid substrates; the interactions with solutes in the aqueous phase (including tensides, enzymes and analytes); and the potential applications of ultrathin films as nanometric modules in devices.
.Contributions are from leading scientists in their fields
.The book presents the most recent developments in molecular engineering
.Aims to stimulate new developments in the field of materials science

Density Functional Theory (DFT) has firmly established itself as the workhorse for atomic-level simulations of condensed phases, pure or composite materials and quantum chemical systems. This work offers a rigorous and detailed introduction to the foundations of this theory, up to and including such advanced topics as orbital-dependent functionals as well as both time-dependent and relativistic DFT. Given the many ramifications of contemporary DFT, the text concentrates on the self-contained presentation of the basics of the most widely used DFT variants: this implies a thorough discussion of the corresponding existence theorems and effective single particle equations, as well as of key approximations utilized in implementations. The formal results are complemented by selected quantitative results, which primarily aim at illustrating the strengths and weaknesses of particular approaches or functionals. The structure and content of this book allow a tutorial and modular self-study approach: the reader will find that all concepts of many-body theory which are indispensable for the discussion of DFT - such as the single-particle Green's function or response functions - are introduced step by step, along with the actual DFT material. The same applies to basic notions of solid state theory, such as the Fermi surface of inhomogeneous, interacting systems. In fact, even the language of second quantization is introduced systematically in an Appendix for readers without formal training in many-body theory.

The Workshop on Nuclear Matter in Different Phases and Transitions, held March 31 - April 10, 1998, brought together both theorists and experimentalists working on the properties of nuclear and hadronic matter produced in heavy-ion collisions in various energy ranges. The main focus was on experimental signals revealing the possible phase changes of the matter, taking into account the finite size of the system, and the non- equilibrium features of the observed phenomena. A discussion of phase transitions in other small quantum systems, such as metallic clusters, or atomic Bose-Einstein condensates was also presented. The papers included in this volume present and review in an understandable and inspiring way the major experimental and theoretical advances in those different communities of physicists addressing similar physics questions, facing similar problems and often using analogous techniques. Audience: This volume will be of interest to postgraduate students and researchers whose work involves nuclear physics, atomic and molecular physics, condensed matter physics, statistical physics, thermodynamics or particle physics.

"Unravelling the Mystery of the Atomic Nucleus" is a history of atomic and nuclear physics. It begins in 1896 with the discovery of radioactivity, which leads to the discovery of the nucleus at the center of the atom. It follows the experimental discoveries and the theoretical developments up to the end of the Fifties.

Unlike previous books regarding on history of nuclear physics, this book methodically describes how advances in technology enabled physicists to probe the physical properties of nuclei as well as how the physical laws which govern these microscopic systems were progressively discovered. The reader will gain a clear understanding of how theory is inextricably intertwined with the progress of technology.

"Unravelling the Mystery of the Atomic Nucleus" will be of interest to physicists and to historians of physics, as well as those interested development of science.

This thesis offers an excellent, comprehensive introduction to the physics of the quark-gluon plasma. It clearly explains the connection between theory and experiment, making the topic accessible to non-specialists in this field. The experimental work, which contributes significantly to our understanding of the quark-gluon plasma, is described in great detail. The results described in the final chapters of the thesis provide interesting new ideas about the connection between proton-proton and Pb-Pb collisions. Simone Schuchmann received the 'ALICE Thesis Award 2016' for this excellent work.