Quantum theory is one of the most fascinating and successful constructs in the intellectual history of mankind. Nonetheless, the theory has very shaky philosophical foundations. This book contains thoughtful discussions by eminent researchers of a spate of experimental techniques newly developed to test some of the stranger predictions of quantum physics. The advances considered include recent experiments in quantum optics, electron and ion interferometry, photon down conversion in nonlinear crystals, single trapped ions interacting with laser beams, atom-field coupling in micromaser cavities, quantum computation, quantum cryptography, decoherence and macroscopic quantum effects, the quantum state diffusion model, quantum gravity, the quantum mechanics of cosmology and quantum non-locality along with the continuing debate surrounding the interpretation of quantum mechanics. Audience: The book is intended for physicists, philosophers of science, mathematicians, graduate students and those interested in the foundations of quantum theory.

This volume contains the lectures presented at the first course of the Inter national School of Space Chemistry held in Erice (Sicily) from May 10 to May 20 at the 'E. Majorana Centre for Scientific Culture'. The course was attended by 57 participants from 11 countries. The recognition by Professor A. Zichichi that space chemistry is one of the important and rapidly growing scientific disciplines with many and varied appli cations provided the stimulation to initiate this new school. Historically, the study of chemistry in space had its major origins in comets, the solar nebula and circumstellar envelopes before the interstellar medium achieved its current prominence. A remarkably rapid development in interstellar chemistry was precipitated by the discovery of formaldehyde in the late 1960's made possible by the new radio observational techniques. A four atom molecule in interstellar space was indeed a surprise considering that only a short time ear lier there were still arguments about the existence of the simplest of all molecules - the hydrogen molecule. The application of ion-molecule reactions to interstellar cloud chemistry provided a rich variety of new possibilities which were, however, continuously under pressure to keep pace with radio-astronomical discoveries of more and more complex molecules."

Applying a unified quantum approach, contributors offer fresh insights into the theoretical developments in the excitation energy transfer processes in condensed matter. This comprehensive volume examines Frenkel and Wannier excitonic processes; rates of excitonic processes; theory of laser sputter and polymer ablation; and polarons, excitonic polarons and self-trapping.

This thesis provides a comprehensive description of methods used to compute the vibrational spectra of liquid systems by molecular dynamics simulations. The author systematically introduces theoretical basics and discusses the implications of approximating the atomic nuclei as classical particles. The strengths of the methodology are demonstrated through several different examples. Of particular interest are ionic liquids, since their properties are governed by strong and diverse intermolecular interactions in the liquid state. As a novel contribution to the field, the author presents an alternative route toward infrared and Raman intensities on the basis of a Voronoi tessellation of the electron density. This technique is superior to existing approaches regarding the computational resources needed. Moreover, this book presents an innovative approach to obtaining the magnetic moments and vibrational circular dichroism spectra of liquids, and demonstrates its excellent agreement with experimental reference data.

Channeling, by its nature, involves a wide and disparate range of disciplines. Crystal preparation, material science, accelerator physics, sophisticated theoretical analysis and, of course, channeling itself all must work in concert in a research program. In spite of the gulfs separating some of these activities, researchers have drawn together over the last decade to carry out remarkable experiments in relativistic channeling and channeling radiation. Several informal workshops on high-energy channeling have been held over he years at Aarhus and Fermilab. However, with the vigorous progress in the field in the last several years it became clear that a more formal, comprehensive workshop was needed along with a book that covered the whole spectrum of the new developments, probed the future, and also laid out some of the foundations of the subject. This volume is the outcome of that process. The organization and preparation of both the volume and the workshop owe much to several outstanding scientific committees. The membership of these included J. Andersen (Aarhus), S. Baker (Fermilab), B. Berman (G. Washington), G. Bologna (Torino), E. Bonderup (Aarhus), S. Datz (Oak Ridge), J. Forster (Chalk River), F. Fujimoto (Tokyo), W. Gibson (Albany), I. Mitchell (Chalk River), Y. Ohtsuki (Waseda), R. Pantell (Stanford), S. Picraux (Sandia), J. Remillieux (Lyon), A. Saenz (NRL), V. Schegelsky (Gatchina), C. Sun (Albany), H. tiberall (Catholic U. ), E. Uggerhcentsj (CERN), and R. Wedell (Humboldt). Others from across the spectrum of scientific disciplines agreed to serve as session chairme

In June 25-30, 1995 the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on" PhotoactifOrganic Materials: Science and Applications, devoted to organic materials and their specific responses to the light beam in view of their exploitation in devices was held in Novotel hotel in Avignon, France. It consisted ofplenary lectures, given by leading specialists in tbis field, shorter oral contributions and a poster session. Three working groups discussed more specific aspects related to (i) molecular engineering, (ii) electroluminescence and photorefractive effects as weil as (iii) nonlinear optical response of these materials, respectively. It allowed deeper insights into different problems and aspects of the workshop field. The conclusions of working groups were presented last day by their leaders. These pointed out the progress, problems encountered as weil as possible developments. The presentations have been followed by a plenary, brainstorm . discussion. The talks presented ranged around the working group subjects. Important progress was noted in the field of organic light emitted diodes (LEDls), as discussed and presented by several speakers. Light emission over the entire visible spectrum, from blue to red is possible with organic polymers. Tbis can be done on large, flexible surfaces with low cost. The best organic LEDls show actually the operation life time of 1600 to 1700 hours at room temperature. One expects their commercialization in the near future. Sirnilarly, important progress has been accomplished with photorefractive of merit for these materials are better than those for polymers.

Polarization and Correlation Phenomena in Atomic Collisions: A Practical Theory Course bridges the gap between traditional courses in quantum mechanics and practical investigations. The authors' goal is to guide students in training their ability to perform theoretical calculations of polarization and correlation characteristics of various processes in atomic collisions. The book provides a concise description of the density matrix and statistical tensor formalism and presents a general approach to the description of angular correlation and polarization phenomena. It illustrates an application of the angular momentum technique to a broad variety of atomic processes. The book contains derivations of the most important expressions for observable quantities in electron-atom and ion-atom scattering, including that for polarized beams and/or polarized targets, in photo-induced processes, autoionization and cascades of atomic transitions. Spin-polarization and angular distributions of the reaction products are described, including the angular correlations in different types of coincidence measurements. The considered processes exemplify the general approach and the number of examples can be easily extended by a reader. The book supplies researchers, both theoreticians and experimentalists with a collection of helpful formulae and tables, and can serve as a reference book. Based on a highly regarded course at Moscow State University and elsewhere, the book provides real guidance on theoretical calculations of practical use.

Surfaces and interfaces play an increasingly important role in today's solid state devices. In this book the reader is introduced, in a didactic manner, to the essential theoretical aspects of the atomic and electronic structure of surfaces and interfaces. The book does not pretend to give a complete overview of contemporary problems and methods. Instead, the authors strive to provide simple but qualitatively useful arguments that apply to a wide variety of cases. The emphasis of the book is on semiconductor surfaces and interfaces but it also includes a thorough treatment of transition metals, a general discussion of phonon dispersion curves, and examples of large computational calculations. The exercises accompanying every chapter will be of great benefit to the student.

General routes to the development of innovative, multi functional nanosystems are described by experts in the field. The systems described are based on fullerenes, nanotubes, metals (Au, Ag, Pt, etc.) and semiconductors (Si, CdS, CdTe, metal oxides), nanocrystals and polymer / biopolymer assembly systems. The book also discusses the realization and characterization of the fundamental properties of nanosystems, defined by nano-size effects, as well as the application of such systems in electronics, optics, magnetoelectronics, spintronics, biomedicine, pharmaceutical biocomplexes, and biosensors.

The study of atomic systems exposed to super-intense laser fields de fines an important area in atomic, molecular and optical physics. Although the concept of super-intense field has no absolute meaning, it is now usual to call an electromagnetic field super-intense when it exceeds the atomic binding field. In the case of the simplest atomic system, hydrogen in its 16 2 ground state, this occurs above an intensity of 3. 5 x 10 Wattfcm which is the atomic unit of intensity. Presently at the laboratory scale and in ex tremely short and tightly focussed laser pulses, the electric field strength 16 18 2 reaches peak values which are of the order of 10 - 10 Wattfcm in the infrared frequency regime, the prospect being that such peak intensities may be reached within a few years in a regime of much higher frequencies (XUV or even X). The interaction of such electromagnetic fields with an atomic system has a highly non-linear character which has led to the observation of to tally unexpected phenomena. There are three fundamental processes which have marked the beginning of an intensive research in the field of super intense laser-atom physics (SILAP). These processes which only involve one atomic electron are (i) the so-called above-threshold ionisation i. e."

This book presents in a concise way the Mie theory and its current applications. It begins with an overview of current theories, computational methods, experimental techniques, and applications of optics of small particles. There is also some biographic information on Gustav Mie, who published his famous paper on the colour of Gold colloids in 1908. The Mie solution for the light scattering of small spherical particles set the basis for more advanced scattering theories and today there are many methods to calculate light scattering and absorption for practically any shape and composition of particles. The optics of small particles is of interest in industrial, atmospheric, astronomic and other research. The book covers the latest developments in divers fields in scattering theory such as plasmon resonance, multiple scattering and optical force.

Volume 21 provides the basis of the MHD theory in two extended reviews. The first review deals with high-temperature plasma equilibrium and stability in conventional stellarators (the steady state three-dimensional magnetic confinement systems). The second review considers the processes in the stationary plasma thrusters (SPT) created by one of the authors, A.I Morozov. In spite of the three-dimensional nature of stellarators, the author of the review, V.D. Pustovitov, has been able to give a concise presentation of basic ideas and results of the rather complicated theory of stellarators, both for specialists and for students in this field. The results of experimental and theoretical investigations of a new type of discharge device, SPT, are presented in the second review. Plasma thrusters generate quasi-neutral multi-ampere streams of ions with particle energies of 50 - 1000eV. They are most widely known as electric propulsion thrusters for spacecraft, and have been mounted onboard more than 50 Russian satellites. In addition, the SPTs are now used in technological systems for processing the surface layers of various products.

This book presents the versatile and pivotal role of electron spin interactions in nature. It provides the background, methodologies and tools for basic areas related to spin interactions, such as spin chemistry and biology, electron transfer, light energy conversion, photochemistry, radical reactions, magneto-chemistry and magneto-biology. The book also includes an overview of designing advanced magnetic materials, optical and spintronic devices and photo catalysts. This monograph will be of interest to scientists and graduate students working in the areas related to spin interactions physics, biophysics, chemistry and chemical engineering.

Numerous experiments and calculations have shown that isolated metal clusters possess many interesting features, quite different from those known from surface and solid- state physics or from atomic and molecular physics. The technological exploitation of these new properties, e.g. in miniature electronic or mechanical components, requires the cluster to be brought into an environment such as an encapsulating matrix or a surface. Due to the interaction with the contact medium, the properties of the clusters may change or even disappear. Thus the physics of cluster-on-surface systems -- the main subject of this book -- is of fundamental importance. The book addresses a wide audience, from the newcomer to the expert. Starting from fundamental concepts of adsorbate-surface interactions, the modification of electronic properties through electron confinement, and concepts of cluster production, it elucidates the distinct properties of the new metallic nanostructures.

The twelve chapters of this volume aim to provide a complete manual for using noble gases in terrestrial geochemistry, covering applications which range from high temperature processes deep in the Earth's interior to tracing climatic variations using noble gases trapped in ice cores, groundwaters and modern sediments. Other chapters cover noble gases in crustal (aqueous, CO2 and hydrocarbon) fluids and laboratory techniques for determining noble gas solubilities and diffusivities under geologically relevant conditions. Each chapter deals with the fundamentals of the analysis and interpretation of the data, detailing sampling and sampling strategies, techniques for analysis, sources of error and their estimation, including data treatment and data interpretation using recent case studies.

More than 50 years ago, in 1934, Chadwick and Goldhaber (ChG 34) published a paper entitled "A 'Nuclear Photo-effect' Disintegration of the Diplon by -y-Rays."l in the introduction: They noted "By analogy with the excitation and ionisation of atoms by light, one might expect that any complex nucleus should be excited or 'ionised', that is, disintegrated, by -y-rays of suitable energy," and furthermore: "Heavy hydrogen was chosen as the element first to be examined, because the diplon has a small mass defect and also because it is the simplest of all nuclear systems and its properties are as important in nuclear theory as the hydrogen is in atomic theory." Almost at the same time, in 1935, the first theoretical paper on the photodisinte gration of the deuteron entitled "Quantum theory of the diplon" by Bethe and Peierls (BeP 35) appeared. It is not without significance that these two papers mark the be ginning of photonuclear physics in general and emphasize in particular the special role the two-body system has played in nuclear physics since then and still plays. A steady flow of experimental and theoretical papers on deuteron photo disintegration and its inverse reaction, n-p capture, shows the continuing interest in this fundamental process (see fig. 1.1)."

The eleventhAdvancedS tudyInstitute(ASI) on Techniquesand Con- ceptsof High Energy Physics marks thetransitionfrom anextraordinary centuryof scienceto one thatwill surely bring wonderswe can scarcely imagine.It also marks a transitionfrom its founder,theinimitableTom Ferbel,to its newdirectors . We are honoredto have beenasked to con- tinue the venerabletraditionthat Tom established. The school is his distinctivecreation , and will always bearhis mark. The 2000 meetingwas held at the Hotel on the Cay in St. Croix. It is an ideal location: sufficientlysecluded to inspire a vigorous but informal intellectualatmosphere,yet closeenough to the main island to afford opportunitiesto mingle with the locals and partakeof their hospitality.Altogether 76 physicistsboth young, and not so young, par- ticipatedfrom 18 count r ies . Forthe first time, this meetingattract ed a substantialnumber of studentsfrom EasternEurope, all of whom were warmly welcomed.The bulk of thefinancialsupportfor themeetingwas providedby the ScientificAffairs Division of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization(NATO). The ASI was co-sponsoredby the U .S. Depart- ment of Energy (DOE) , by the Fermi National Ac celeratorLaboratory (Fermilab), by the U.S . NationalS cien ceFoundation(NSF ), the Univer- sity of Rochester , Florida State University (FSU) and the Institutefor Theoreticaland ExperimentalPhysics (ITEP , Moscow). As is the tradition , the scientificprogramwas designedfor advanced graduatestudentsand recentPhD recipientsin experimentalparticle physics. The present volume covers topics that updateand comple- ment those published (by Plenum and Kluw er) for the first ten ASIs. The materi al in this volume shou ld be of interest to a wide audience of physicists.

Interferometry, the most precise measurement technique known today, exploits the wave-like nature of the atoms or photons in the interferometer. As expected from the laws of quantum mechanics, the granular, particle-like features of the individually independent atoms or photons are responsible for the precision limit, the shot noise limit. However this "classical" bound is not fundamental and it is the aim of quantum metrology to overcome it by employing entanglement among the particles. This work reports on the realization of spin-squeezed states suitable for atom interferometry. Spin squeezing was generated on the basis of motional and spin degrees of freedom, whereby the latter allowed the implementation of a full interferometer with quantum-enhanced precision.

This book mainly focuses on the study of photon + 3 jets final state in Proton-Proton Collisions at s = 7TeV, searching for patterns of two (or more) distinct hard scatterings in the same collision, i.e the so-called Double Parton Scattering (DPS). A new method by using Monte Carlo generators was performed and provides higher order corrections to the description of the Single Parton Scattering (SPS) background. Further it is investigated whether additional contributions from DPS can improve the agreement between the measured data and the Monte Carlo predictions. The current theoretical uncertainties related to the SPS background are found to be larger than expectation. At the same time a rich set of DPS-sensitive measurements is reported for possible further interpretation.

Energy Dissipation in Molecular Systems analyzes experimental data on the redistribution and dissipation of energy injected into molecular systems by radiation or charged particles. These processes, competing with such practically important relaxation channels as chemical reaction or stimulated emission (laser action), are the primary focus in this monograph. Among other topics, the book treats vibrational redistribution and electronic relaxation in isolated molecules and the effects of inter-molecular interactions (collisions, complex formation, solvent effects) on the relaxation paths. Primary photo-chemical processes (such as isomerization, proton or hydrogen-atom transfer, electron transfer and ionization) are also treated as particular cases of vibrational or electronic relaxation. Only a basic knowledge of quantum mechanics and spectroscopy is assumed and calculations are kept to a strict minimum, making the book more accessible to students.

In this introductory chemical physics textbook, the authors discuss the interactions, bonding, electron density, and experimental techniques of free molecules, and apply spectroscopic methods to determine molecular parameters, dynamics, and chemical reactions.

This work reports on the generation of artificial magnetic fields with ultracold atoms in optical lattices using laser-assisted tunneling, as well as on the first Chern-number measurement in a non-electronic system. It starts with an introduction to the Hofstadter model, which describes the dynamics of charged particles on a square lattice subjected to strong magnetic fields. This model exhibits energy bands with non-zero topological invariants called Chern numbers, a property that is at the origin of the quantum Hall effect. The main part of the work discusses the realization of analog systems with ultracold neutral atoms using laser-assisted-tunneling techniques both from a theoretical and experimental point of view. Staggered, homogeneous and spin-dependent flux distributions are generated and characterized using two-dimensional optical super-lattice potentials. Additionally their topological properties are studied via the observation of bulk topological currents. The experimental techniques presented here offer a unique setting for studying topologically non-trivial systems with ultracold atoms.

c Societ` a Italiana di Fisica / Springer-Verlag 2008 The 11th Workshop on The Physics of Excited Nucleons, NSTAR 2007, was held at the University of Bonn, Germany,fromSeptember5-8,2007.ItwasthelatestofaseriesofsuccessfulconferencesattheRensselaerPolytechnic Institute (1988), Florida State University (1994 and 2005), Je?erson Lab (1995 and 2000), INT Seattle (1996), GWU ? Washington (1997), ECT Trento (1998), Mainz (2001), Pittsburgh (2002) and the LPSC Grenoble (2004). A Baryon Resonance Analysis Group (BRAG) meeting immediately before the workshop focused especially on the physical meaning of bare and dressed scattering matrix singularities. A focus workshop on? photoproduction rounded o? the NSTAR 2007. The goal of NSTAR 2007 was to bring together experts on all areas of physics relevant to baryon spectroscopy, both in experiment and theory. Latest results were presented in 30 plenary talks and 34 parallel contributions, the proceedings of which are collected in this volume. The workshop was attended by 123 scientists of 41 universities and laboratories from 16 countries. Exciting new high-precision data were shown from facilities in Asia, the US and Europe, e.g. BES, BNL, COSY, ELSA, GRAAL, JLab, MAMI and LEPS. Large-acceptance detectors provide complete angular distributions in many reaction channels. Particular emphasis is put on the measurement of single and double polarisation observables such that many new polarization measurements can be expected in forthcoming meetings.

Research in the biological as well as the physical sciences is again raising questions about the responsible uses of science, much as half a century ago, when the detonation of nuclear weapons led many scientists to consider the uses to which their discoveries were put. Otto Hahn (1879-1968) was awarded the 1944 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his work on atomic fission: His experiments with Lise Meitner and Fritz Strassmann in Berlin in the 1930s and 1940s led to the discovery that uranium nuclei can undergo spontaneous fission, releasing enormous energies. The results, conveyed to England and the US by scientific refugees from Nazi Germany, instigated the Manhattan Project and the development of the Atomic Bomb. Reviled by many after the war as one of the people responsible for the carnage at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Hahn had already begun to reflect on the political and social responsibility of scientists for their fundamental discoveries and the subsequent applications of the knowledge they create. Already during the war, Hahn had protested Nazi restrictions on universities and researchers, and after the War he became actively involved in efforts to restrict the spread of nuclear weapons. In this volume Klaus Hoffmann discusses Hahn's contributions to science and his reflections on scientific and social responsibility. He concludes that Hahn's ideas can still serve as a foundation for responsible and moral actions by scientists.