This collection of lectures treats the dynamics of open systems with a strong emphasis on dissipation phenomena related to dynamical chaos. This research area is very broad, covering topics such as nonequilibrium statistical mechanics, environment-system coupling (decoherence) and applications of Markov semi-groups to name but a few. The book addresses not only experienced researchers in the field but also nonspecialists from related areas of research, postgraduate students wishing to enter the field and lecturers searching for advanced textbook material.

Multiply charged ions have always been in the focus of atomic physics, astrophysics, plasma physics, and theoretical physics. Within the last few years, strong progress has been achieved in the development of ion sources, ion storage rings, ion traps, and methods to cool ions. As a consequence, nowadays, experiments with ensembles of multiply charged ions of brilliant quality are performed in many laboratories. The broad spectrum of the experiments demonstrates that these ions are an extremely versatile tool for investigations in pure and applied physics. It was the aim of this ASI to bring together scientists working in different fields of research with multiply charged ions in order to get an overview of the state of the art, to sound out possibilities for fruitful cooperations, and to discuss perspectives for the future. Accordingly, the programme of the ASI reached from established areas like QED calculations, weak interactions, x-ray astronomy, x-ray lasers, multi photon excitation, heavy-ion induced fusion, and ion-surface interactions up to the very recently opened areas like bound-beta decay, laser and x-ray spectroscopy, and spectrometry of ions in rings and traps, and the interaction of highly charged ions with biological cells. Impressive progress in nearly all of the fields could be reported during the meeting which is documented by the contributions to this volume. The theoretical understand ing of QED and correlation effects in few-electron heavy ions is rapidly developing."

Theoretical and experimental studies of phase transitions are at the forefront of modern condensed-matter physics. The seminal insight into the role played by fluctuations led to the renormalization group, an approach that has proved extremely useful in many other fields as well. This text considers a wide variety of problems in the theory of phase transitions, revealing their common features as well as their distinctions. Formal aspects are developed as required in discussions of particular systems, and theory is compared to experiment wherever possible. This book begins with a review of the classical approach, including the main aspects of a self-consistent treatment of systems with broken symmetry and a discussion of the Ginzburg-Landau functional. It then turns to a treatment of the renormalization group, discussing both Wilson's formulation based on Kadanoff's scale invariance as well as the approach using field theory. The authors then turn to a generalized approach using scale equations, which eliminates many of the problems of the other formulations. Subsequent chapters discuss applications of this approach: first to simple models; then to more realistic systems such as complex Heisenberg magnets, antiferromagnets, ferroelectrics, impure systems, and high-T(subscript c) superconductors. Finally, in the last two chapters many of these systems are analyzed within the framework of exactly solvable models. Suitable for advanced undergraduates as well as graduate students in physics, the text assumes some knowledge of statistical mechanics, but is otherwise self-contained.

My aim in this book has been to give an account of the theoretical methods of analysis of multiphoton processes in atomic physics. In this account I have emphasized systematic methods as opposed to ad hoc approaches. Both perturbative and nonperturbative methods are presented with il- lustrative results of concrete applications. The perturbation theory is the primary tool of analysis of nonresonant multiphoton processes. It is developed here in conjunction with a diagrammatic language and is also renormalized to free it from the unwanted divergences which accompany the ordinary treatment when higher-order corrections are considered. The nonperturbative methods (i.e., methods other than that of power series ex- pansion in the field strength) become particularly important for consistent treatments of problems involving, for example, intermediate resonances, high field strengths, and finite pulse duration. The specifically nonpertur- bative methods for multiphoton transitions are presented in Chapters 6-11. The methods of resolvent equations and of effective Hamiltonians are developed for both the stationary and the time-dependent fields. The densi- ty matrix method is presented in conjunction with the problems of relaxa- tion and of fluctuating fields. The Floquet theory is presented both in the energy domain and in the time domain. Also treated are the methods of continued fractions, recursive iterative equations, and chain Hamiltonians.

This thesis explores the physics of non-equilibrium quantum dynamics in homogeneous two-dimensional (2D) quantum gases. Ultracold quantum gases driven out of equilibrium have been prominent platforms for studying quantum many-body physics. However, probing non-equilibrium dynamics in conventionally trapped, inhomogeneous atomic quantum gases has been a challenging task because coexisting mass transport and spreading of quantum correlations often complicate experimental analyses. In this work, the author solves this technical hurdle by producing ultracold cesium atoms in a quasi-2D optical box potential. The exquisite optical trap allows one to remove density inhomogeneity in a degenerate quantum gas and control its dimensionality. The author also details the development of a high-resolution, in situ imaging technique to monitor the evolution of collective excitations and quantum transport down to atomic shot-noise, and at the length scale of elementary collective excitations. Meanwhile, tunable Feshbach resonances in ultracold cesium atoms permit precise and dynamical control of interactions with high temporal and even spatial resolutions. By employing these state-of-the-art techniques, the author performed interaction quenches to control the generation and evolution of quasiparticles in quantum gases, presenting the first direct measurement of quantum entanglement between interaction quench generated quasiparticle pairs in an atomic superfluid. Quenching to attractive interactions, this work shows stimulated emission of quasiparticles, leading to amplified density waves and fragmentation, forming 2D matter-wave Townes solitons that were previously considered impossible to form in equilibrium due to their instability. This thesis unveils a set of scale-invariant and universal quench dynamics and provides unprecedented tools to explore quantum entanglement transport in a homogenous quantum gas.

"If there would be no God ~ then what a staff-captain am I?" ~ said one of the characters in a novel by Dostoevskii. In a similar way we can exclaim: "If there would be no nonlinearity ~ than what physics would that be'?". Really, the most interesting and exciting effects are described by non linear equations, and vanish in the linear approximation. For example, the general theory of relativity by A.Einstein comes to mind first - one of the most beautiful physical theories, which is in fact essentially nonlinear. Next, the phase transitions crystal ~ liquid and liquid ~ gas are due to the anhar monicity of inter-particle interactions, to dissociation and infinite motion. Similarly, transitions into the superconducting state or the superftuid would be impossible with purely harmonic interaction potentials. Another bril liant achievement in nonlinear physics was the construction of a laser and the subsequent development of nonlinear optics. The latter describes the in teraction of the matter with light of super-high intensity, when multi-quanta intra-molecular transitions become essential. Last, we should note here the very beautiful mathematical theory ~ the theory of catastrophes. Its subject is the study of invariant general properties of multi-dimensional surfaces in the vicinity of bifurcation points with respect to continuous transformations.

First published in 1983, this book has become a classic among advanced textbooks. The new fourth edition maintains the high standard of its predecessors. The book offers basic knowledge of field theory and particle phenomenology. The author presents the basic facts of quark and gluon physics in pedagogical form. Explanations of theory are supported throughout with experimental findings. The text provides readers with sufficient understanding to follow modern research articles. This fourth edition presents a new section on heavy quark effective theories, more material on lattice QCD and on chiral perturbation theory.

This book covers the fundamental aspects of fiber lasers and fiber amplifiers, and includes a wide range of material from laser physics fundamentals to state-of-the-art topics in this rapidly growing field of quantum electronics. This expanded and updated new edition includes substantial new material on nonlinear frequency conversion and Raman fiber lasers and amplifiers, as well as an expanded list of references inclusive of the recent literature in the field. Emphasis is placed on the nonlinear processes taking place in fiber lasers and amplifiers, their similarities, differences to, and their advantages over other solid-state lasers. The reader will learn the basic principles of solid-state physics and optical spectroscopy of laser active centers in fibers, the main operational laser regimes, and will receive practical recommendations and suggestions on fiber laser research, laser applications, and laser product development. The book will be useful for students, researchers, and professional physicists and engineers who work with lasers in the optical and telecommunications field, as well as those in the chemical and biological industries.

This thesis is a tour-de-force combination of analytic and computational results clarifying and resolving important questions about the nature of quantum phase transitions in one- and two-dimensional magnetic systems. The author presents a comprehensive study of a low-dimensional spin-half quantum antiferromagnet (the J-Q model) in the presence of a magnetic field in both one and two dimensions, demonstrating the causes of metamagnetism in such systems and providing direct evidence of fractionalized excitations near the deconfined quantum critical point. In addition to describing significant new research results, this thesis also provides the non-expert with a clear understanding of the nature and importance of computational physics and its role in condensed matter physics as well as the nature of phase transitions, both classical and quantum. It also contains an elegant and detailed but accessible summary of the methods used in the thesis-exact diagonalization, Monte Carlo, quantum Monte Carlo and the stochastic series expansion-that will serve as a valuable pedagogical introduction to students beginning in this field.

This multidisciplinary book is intended to serve as a reference for postgraduate students and researchers working in the fields of charged particle optics or other finite-element-related applications. It is also suitable for use as a graduate text. For the non-specialist in charged particle optics, the opening chapters provide an introduction to the kinds of field problems that occur in charged particle beam systems. A new and comprehensive approach to the subject is taken. The finite element method is placed within a wider framework than strictly charged particle optics. Concepts developed in fluid flow and structural analysis, not hitherto used in charged particle optics, are presented. Benchmark test results provide a way of comparing the finite element method to other field-solving methods. The book also reports on some high-order interpolation techniques and mesh generation methods that will be of interest to other finite element researchers. Additional coverage includes: field theory and field solutions for charged particle optics; aspects of the finite difference method related to the finite element method; finite element theory and procedure, including detailed formulation of local and global matrices; higher-order elements, which can be an effective way of improving finite element accuracy; the finite element method in three dimensions; ways to formulate scalar and vector problems for magnetic fields; and significant reduction of truncation errors using higher-order elements and extrapolation methods.

This book collects the lectures given at the NATO Advanced Study Institute on "Atoms in Strong Fields," which took place on the island of Kos, Greece, during the two weeks of October 9-21,1988. The designation "strong field" applies here to an external electromagnetic field that is sufficiently strong to cause highly nonlinear alterations in atomic or molecular struc ture and dynamics. The specific topics treated in this volume fall into two general cater gories, which are those for which strong field effects can be studied in detail in terrestrial laboratories: the dynamics of excited states in static or quasi-static electric and magnetic fields; and the interaction of atoms and molecules with intense laser radiation. In both areas there exist promising opportunities for research of a fundamental nature. An electric field of even a few volts per centimeter can be very strong on the atom ic scale, if it acts upon a weakly bound state. The study of Rydberg states with high reso lution laser spectroscopic techniques has made it possible to follow the transition from weak-field to strong-field behavior in remarkable detail, using static fields of modest lab oratory strength; in the course of this transition the atomic system evolves from one which can be thoroughly understood in terms of field-free quantum numbers, to one which cannot be meaningfully associated at all with the zero-field states of the atom."

This thesis presents significant new observations of nuclear wobbling, and thus expands our understanding of nuclear triaxiality and its prevalence in the nuclear chart. Triaxial nuclear shapes are a very rare phenomena and their experimental identification often relies on two unique signatures - nuclear wobbling motion and chiral rotation. While nuclear chirality is a well-studied phenomenon, experimental observations of wobbling nuclei are rather limited. With the identification of 135Pr and 187Au as wobblers, this work establishes triaxiality to be a general phenomenon present in different regions of the nuclear chart, irrespective of any particular spin or deformation. A major focus of this work is the detailed investigation of the different kinds of wobbling modes. Depending on the geometry of the nuclear system, wobbling can be classified into two types - longitudinal and transverse. This work has, for the first time, reported evidence of the possible coexistence of both forms of wobbling in a single nucleus. Another important result reported in this work is the very first observation of co-existing chiral and wobbling modes in the 135Pr nucleus. This thesis details the experimental methods that led to this breakthrough, along with pertinent theoretical interpretations.

Quantum logic gates are the crucial information-processing operation of quantumcomputers. Two crucial performance metrics for logic gates are their precision andspeed. Quantum processors based on trapped ions have always been the touchstonefor gate precision, but have suffered from slow speed relative to other quantum logicplatforms such as solid state systems. This thesis shows that it is possible to acceleratethe logic "clock speed" from kHz to MHz speeds, whilst maintaining a precision of99.8%. This is almost as high as the world record for conventional trapped-ion gates,but more than 20 times faster. It also demonstrates entanglement generation in atime (480ns) shorter than the natural timescale of the ions' motion in the trap, whichstarts to probe an interesting new regime of ion trap physics. In separate experiments, some of the first "mixed-species" quantum logic gates areperformed, both between two different elements, and between different isotopes.The mixed-isotope gate is used to make the first test of the quantum-mechanical Bellinequality between two different species of isolated atoms.

The development of molecular physics and physical chemistry cannot be understood without a knowledge of the work of Dutch physicist Johannes Diderik van der Waals. His doctoral thesis of 1873 was the first theory of liquids and gases in which the essential differences and similarities of these two phases were interpreted in terms of the properties of the constituent molecules. This view contradicted the work of Mach, Ostwald, Duhem and other "energeticists" and provides the foundation for our current understanding of fluids. In the years since the end of World War II, there has been a re-appraisal of van der Waals's work, which has established his historic place as one of the founders of molecular science. This is the only biography of Johannes van der Waals and should be read by anyone with an interest in the history of physics and chemistry, and its most important innovator.

This book provides details of the basic frameworks and characteristics of processes occurring in electronically excited states of small molecules, complexes, and clusters. It discusses the perturbations in electronically excited valence states of molecules induced by intramolecular interaction and intermolecular interactions, which occur in collisions and optically populated, weakly bound complexes. Further, it describes the kinetics and mechanisms of photoprocesses in simple molecules and recombination accompanied by radiation. The book also offers information on general kinetics for gas-phase processes and basic theoretical frameworks for elementary processes. It features many useful problems, making it a valuable resource for students and researchers in molecular spectroscopy/molecular physics and chemical physics/physical chemistry.

Some countries have moved beyond the design and operation of nuclear electricity generating systems to confronting the issue of nuclear waste disposal, whole others are still committed to further nuclear facility construction. Volume 24 chronicles these key developments and examines nuclear reactor accidents at Chernobyl, Bhopal, and TMI. The text also analyzes current international knowledge of neutron interactions; deterministic methods based on mean values for assessing radiation distributions; practical applications of the TIBERE models to explicit computation of leakage terms in realistic reactor geometry; and a technique to deal with the issues of finance, risk assessment, and public perception.

This PhD sought to determine the mechanisms for the reactor explosions by mapping, collecting and analysing samples from across the area of Japan that received radioactive fallout from the explosions. In doing this, the author conducted significant fieldwork in the restricted-access fallout zone using ground and novel UAV-based mapping of radiation to identify hot-spot areas for sample collecting but also using these tools to verify the efficacy of the clean-up operations ongoing in the prefecture. Such fieldwork was both technically pioneering for its use of UAVs (drones) but also selfless in terms of bravely entering a nuclear danger area to collect samples for the greater benefit of the scientific community.

Quantum optics, i.e. the interaction of individual photons with matter, began with the discoveries of Planck and Einstein, but in recent years, it has expanded beyond pure physics to become an important driving force for technological innovation. This book serves the broader readership growing out of this development by starting with an elementary description of the underlying physics and then building up a more advanced treatment. The reader is led from the quantum theory of the simple harmonic oscillator to the application of entangled states to quantum information processing.
An equally important feature of the text is a strong emphasis on experimental methods. Primary photon detection, heterodyne and homodyne techniques, spontaneous down-conversion, and quantum tomography are discussed, together with important experiments. These experimental and theoretical considerations come together in the chapters describing quantum cryptography, quantum communications, and quantum computing.

Volume 1 of this three-part series introduces the fundamental concepts of quantum field theory using the formalism of canonical quantization. This volume is intended for use as a text for an introductory quantum field theory course that can include both particle and condensed matter physics students. Dr. Strickland starts with a brief review of classical field theory and uses this as a jumping off point for the quantization of classical field, thereby promoting them to proper quantum fields. He then presents the formalism for real and complex scalar field theories, fermion field quantization, gauge field quantization, toy models of the nuclear interaction, and finally the full Lagrangian for QED and its renormalization. Part of IOP Series in Nuclear Medicine.

This book provides advanced students and postdocs, as well as current practitioners of any field of nuclear physics involving fission an understanding of the nuclear fission process. Key topics covered are: fission cross sections, fission fragment yields, neutron and gamma emission from fission and key nuclear technologies and applications where fission plays an important role. It addresses both fundamental aspects of the fission process and fission-based technologies including combining quantitative and microscopic modeling.

This book contains contributions to the 172. WE-Heraeus-Seminar "Atoms and Molecules in Strong External Fields," which took place April 7-11 1997 at the Phys- zentrum Bad Honnef (Germany). The designation "strong fields" applies to external static magnetic, and/or electric fields that are sufficiently intense to cause alterations in the atomic or molecular str- ture and dynamics. The specific topics treated are the behavior and properties of atoms in strong static fields, the fundamental aspects and electronic structure of molecules in strong magnetic fields, the dynamics and aspects of chaos in highly excited R- berg atoms in external fields, matter in the atmosphere of astrophysical objects (white dwarfs, neutron stars), and quantum nanostructures in strong magnetic fields. It is obvious that the elaboration of the corresponding properties in these regimes causes the greatest difficulties, and is incomplete even today. Present-day technology has made it possible for many research groups to study the behavior of matter in strong external fields, both experimentally and theore- cally, where the phrase "experimentally" includes the astronomical observations. - derstanding these systems requires the development of modern theories and powerful computational techniques. Interdisciplinary collaborations will be helpful and useful in developing more efficient methods to understand these important systems. Hence the idea was to bring together people from different fields like atomic and molecular physics, theoretical chemistry, astrophysics and all those colleagues interested in aspects of few-body systems in external fields.

The accurate determination of the structure of molecular systems provides information about the consequences of weak interactions both within and between molecules. These consequences impact the properties of the materials and the behaviour in interactions with other substances. The book presents modern experimental and computational techniques for the determination of molecular structure. It also highlights applications ranging from the simplest molecules to DNA and industrially significant materials.

Readership Graduate students and researchers in structural chemistry, computational chemistry, molecular spectroscopy, crystallography, supramolecular chemistry, solid state chemistry and physics, and materials science.

This book studies the fundamental aspects of many-body physics in quantum systems open to an external world. Recent remarkable developments in the observation and manipulation of quantum matter at the single-quantum level point to a new research area of open many-body systems, where interactions with an external observer and the environment play a major role. The first part of the book elucidates the influence of measurement backaction from an external observer, revealing new types of quantum critical phenomena and out-of-equilibrium dynamics beyond the conventional paradigm of closed systems. In turn, the second part develops a powerful theoretical approach to study the in- and out-of-equilibrium physics of an open quantum system strongly correlated with an external environment, where the entanglement between the system and the environment plays an essential role. The results obtained here offer essential theoretical results for understanding the many-body physics of quantum systems open to an external world, and can be applied to experimental systems in atomic, molecular and optical physics, quantum information science and condensed matter physics.

This textbook, now in an expanded third edition, emphasizes the importance of advanced quantum mechanics for materials science and all experimental techniques which employ photon absorption, emission, or scattering. Important aspects of introductory quantum mechanics are covered in the first seven chapters to make the subject self-contained and accessible for a wide audience. Advanced Quantum Mechanics: Materials and Photons can therefore be used for advanced undergraduate courses and introductory graduate courses which are targeted towards students with diverse academic backgrounds from the Natural Sciences or Engineering. To enhance this inclusive aspect of making the subject as accessible as possible, introductions to Lagrangian mechanics and the covariant formulation of electrodynamics are provided in appendices. This third edition includes 60 new exercises, new and improved illustrations, and new material on interpretations of quantum mechanics. Other special features include an introduction to Lagrangian field theory and an integrated discussion of transition amplitudes with discrete or continuous initial or final states. Once students have acquired an understanding of basic quantum mechanics and classical field theory, canonical field quantization is easy. Furthermore, the integrated discussion of transition amplitudes naturally leads to the notions of transition probabilities, decay rates, absorption cross sections and scattering cross sections, which are important for all experimental techniques that use photon probes.

This thesis makes significant advances in the quantitative understanding of two intrinsically linked yet technically very different phenomena in quantum chromodynamics (QCD). Firstly, the thesis investigates the soft probe of strong interaction topological fluctuations in the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) which is made possible via the anomalous chiral transport effects induced by such fluctuations. Here, the author makes contributions towards establishing the first comprehensive tool for quantitative prediction of the chiral magnetic effect in the QGP that is produced in heavy ion collision experiments. Secondly, the thesis deals with the hard probe of strongly coupled QGP created in heavy-ion collisions. In particular, this study addresses the basic question related to the nonperturbative color structure in the QGP via jet energy loss observables. The author further develops the CUJET computational model for jet quenching and uses it to analyze the topological degrees of freedom in quark-gluon plasma. The contributions this thesis makes towards these highly-challenging problems have already generated widespread impacts in the field of quark-gluon plasma and high-energy nuclear collisions.