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 is a textbook on the theory and calculation of molecular electromagnetic and spectroscopic properties designed for a one-semester course with lectures and exercise classes. The idea of the book is to provide thorough background knowledge for the calculation of electromagnetic and spectroscopic properties of molecules with modern quantum chemical software packages.
The book covers the derivation of the molecular Hamiltonian in the presence of electromagnetic fields, and of time-independent and time-dependent perturbation theory in the form of response theory. It defines many molecular properties and spectral parameters and gives an introduction to modern computational chemistry methods.

This book illustrates the significance of various optical spectroscopy and microscopy techniques, including absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy for deciphering the nature of biological molecules. The content of this book chiefly focuses on (1) the principle, theory, and instrumentation used in different optical spectroscopy techniques, and (2) the application of these techniques in exploring the nature of different biomolecules (e.g., proteins, nucleic acids, enzymes, and carbohydrates). It emphasizes the structural, conformational and dynamic, and kinetic including the changes in biomolecules under a range of conditions. In closing, the book summarizes recent advances in the field of optical spectroscopic and microscopic techniques.

This comprehensive text presents not only a detailed exposition of the basic principles of nuclear physics but also provides a contemporary flavour by covering the recent developments in the field. Starting with a synoptic view of the subject, the book explains various physical phenomena in nuclear physics along with experimental methods of measurement. Nuclear forces as encountered in two body problems are detailed next followed by the problems of radioactive decay. Nuclear reactions are then comprehensively explained along with the various models of reaction mechanism. This is followed by recent developments like the pre-equilibrium model and heavy ions induced reaction.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

"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.

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.

This thesis presents two significant results in the field of precision measurements in low-energy nuclear physics. Firstly, it presents a precise half-life determination of 11C, leading to the most precise ft-value for a beta decay transition between mirror nuclides, an important advance in the testing of the electroweak sector of the Standard Model. Secondly, it describes a high-precision mass measurement of 56Cu, a critical nucleus for determining the path of the astrophysical rapid-proton capture process, performed by the author using the LEBIT Penning trap at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory. This new measurement resolves discrepancies in previously-reported calculated mass excesses. In addition, the thesis also presents the construction and testing of a radio-frequency quadrupole cooler and buncher that will be part of the future N = 126 factory at Argonne National Laboratory aimed at producing nuclei of interest for the astrophysical rapid-neutron capture process for the first time.

This textbook describes the physics of semiconductor nanostructures with emphasis on their electronic transport properties. At its heart are five fundamental transport phenomena: quantized conductance, tunnelling transport, the Aharonov-Bohm effect, the quantum Hall effect, and the Coulomb blockade effect.
The book starts out with the basics of solid state and semiconductor physics, such as crystal structure, band structure, and effective mass approximation, including spin-orbit interaction effects important for research in semiconductor spintronics. It contains material aspects such as band engineering, doping, gating, and a selection of nanostructure fabrication techniques. The book discusses the Drude-Boltzmann-Sommerfeld transport theory as well as conductance quantization and the Landauer-Buttiker theory. These concepts are extended to mesoscopic interference phenomena and decoherence, magnetotransport, and interaction effects in quantum-confined systems, guiding the reader from fundamental effects to specialized state-of-the-art experiments.
The book will provide a thorough introduction into the topic for graduate and PhD students, and will be a useful reference for lecturers and researchers working in the field.

This book aims to present a unified account of the physics of atoms and molecules from a modern viewpoint. It is based on courses given by the authors at Middle East Technical University, Ankara and Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, and is suitable for study at third and fourth year levels of an undergraduate course.Students should be able to read this volume and understand its contents without the need to supplement it by referring to more detailed discussions. The whole subject covered in this volume is expected to be finished in one semester.

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.

Quantum information- the subject- is a new and exciting area of science, which brings together physics, information theory, computer science and mathematics. Quantum Information- the book- is based on two successful lecture courses given to advanced undergraduate and beginning postgraduate students in physics. The intention is to introduce readers at this level to the fundamental, but offer rather simple, ideas behind ground-breaking developments including quantum cryptography, teleportation and quantum computing. The text is necessarily rather mathematical in style, but the mathematics nowhere allowed priority over the key physical ideas. My aim throughout was to be as complete and self- contained but to avoid, as far as possible, lengthy and formal mathematical proofs. Each of the eight chapters is followed by about forty exercise problems with which the reader can test their understanding and hone their skills. These will also provide a valuable resource to tutors and lectures.
To request a copy of the Solutions Manual, visit: http: //global.oup.com/uk/academic/physics/admin/solutions

Life is an enduring mystery. Yet, science tells us that living beings are merely sophisticated structures of lifeless molecules. If this view is correct, where do the seemingly purposeful motions of cells and organisms originate? In Life's Ratchet , physicist Peter M. Hoffmann locates the answer to this age-old question at the nanoscale.Below the calm, ordered exterior of a living organism lies microscopic chaos, or what Hoffmann calls the molecular storm,specialized molecules immersed in a whirlwind of colliding water molecules. Our cells are filled with molecular machines, which, like tiny ratchets, transform random motion into ordered activity, and create the purpose" that is the hallmark of life. Tiny electrical motors turn electrical voltage into motion, nanoscale factories custom-build other molecular machines, and mechanical machines twist, untwist, separate and package strands of DNA. The cell is like a city,an unfathomable, complex collection of molecular workers working together to create something greater than themselves.Life, Hoffman argues, emerges from the random motions of atoms filtered through these sophisticated structures of our evolved machinery. We are agglomerations of interacting nanoscale machines more amazing than anything in science fiction. Rather than relying on some mysterious life force" to drive them,as people believed for centuries,life's ratchets harness instead the second law of thermodynamics and the disorder of the molecular storm.Grounded in Hoffmann's own cutting-edge research, Life's Ratchet reveals the incredible findings of modern nanotechnology to tell the story of how the noisy world of atoms gives rise to life itself.

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."

Intermetallic compounds are in the focus of solid-state research for a wide range of future applications, e.g. in heterogeneous catalysis, for thermoelectric generators, and basic research of quantum critical effects. A comprehensive overview is given on various crystal growth techniques that are particularly adopted to intermetallic phases. Experienced authors from leading institutes give detailed descriptions of the specific problems in crystal growth of intermetallic compounds and approaches to solve them.

These peer-reviewed NIC XV conference proceedings present the latest major advances in nuclear physics, astrophysics, astronomy, cosmochemistry and neutrino physics, which provide the necessary framework for a microscopic understanding of astrophysical processes. The book also discusses future directions and perspectives in the various fields of nuclear astrophysics research. In addition, it also includes a limited number of section of more general interest on double beta decay and dark matter.

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.

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.

Deep Inelastic Scattering of Leptons and Tests of Quark/Parton Models (J.T. Londergan, S. Kumano). MesonExchange and Deep Inelastic Scattering (WY.P. Hwang, J. Speth). Hadronic Reactions in the QuasiElastic Peak Region (A. DePace). Gluons, Spin and Flavor in the LEP (F.E. Close). Flavor Production at Low Energies (R.A. Eisenstein). ChiralOdd Parton Distributions and Polarized DrellYan (R.L. Jaffe). Three Decades of Missing GamowTeller Strength (C.D. Goodman). Chiral Symmetry and Axial Charge Sum Rules (M. Kirchbach). SpontaneousSymmetry Breaking and GamowTeller States (F.C. Khanna et al.). Development and Application of FullFolding Optical Potentials (C. Alvarez et al.). Experimental Foundation for NN Interactions (J.A. Carr). The Continuum Spin Response to Intermediate Energy Protons at Low Momentum Transfer (F.T. Baker, C. Glashauser). 29 additional articles. Index.