This relatively new field applies equations from string theory to solve the questions of early cosmology, since the standard picture of our universe emerging from a 'big bang' leaves many fundamental issues unanswered. String theory, on the other hand, postulates that fundamental ingredients of nature are not zero-dimensional point particles but tiny one-dimensional filaments. This theory harmoniously unites quantum mechanics and general relativity -- the previously known laws of the small and the large -- which are otherwise incompatible.
The field of string cosmology has matured considerably over the past few years, attracting many new adherents. Due to the multidisciplinary nature of the topic, it is difficult for practitioners to be conversant with all the many different aspects. This book thus fills a huge gap by bringing together all the different strains of research into one single volume. The resulting collection of selected articles presents the latest, ongoing results from renowned experts currently working in the field.
From the contents:
* Introduction to Cosmology and String Theory
* String Inflation: Brane Inflation and Inflation from Moduli
* Cosmic Superstrings
* The CMB as a Possible Probe of String Theory
* String Gas Cosmology
* Gauge-gravity Duality and String Cosmology
* Heterotic M-theory and C
A welcome addition to the literature for graduate students, students in astronomy, astronomers, mathematicians and theoretical physicists.

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 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.

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 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."

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.

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.

This book highlights a comprehensive and detailed introduction to the fundamental principles related to nuclear engineering. As one of the most popular choices of future energy, nuclear energy is of increasing demand globally. Due to the complexity of nuclear engineering, its research and development as well as safe operation of its facility requires a wide scope of knowledge, ranging from basic disciplines such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, and thermodynamics to applied subjects such as reactor theory and radiation protection. The book covers all necessary knowledge in an illustrative and readable style, with a sufficient amount of examples and exercises. It is an easy-to-read textbook for graduate students in nuclear engineering and a valuable handbook for nuclear facility operators, maintenance personnel and technical staff.

This book comprises selected peer-reviewed papers presented at the 7th Topical Conference of the Indian Society of Atomic and Molecular Physics, jointly held at IISER Tirupati and IIT Tirupati, India. The contributions address current topics of interest in atomic and molecular physics, both from the theoretical and experimental perspective. The major focus areas include quantum collisions, spectroscopy of atomic and molecular clusters, photoionization, Wigner time delay in collisions, laser cooling, Bose-Einstein condensates, atomic clocks, quantum computing, and trapping and manipulation of quantum systems. The book also discusses emerging topics such as ultrafast quantum processes including those at the attosecond time-scale. This book will prove to be a valuable reference for students and researchers working in the field of atomic and molecular physics.

This book is placed at the interface between string theory and elementary particle physics and shows novel results in the search for a heterotic string vacuum that reproduces those matter particles and interactions observed in our universe. The author provides a systematic classification of potentially realistic heterotic covariant lattice vacua, which possess a lower number of moduli fields when compared to conventional compactification methods, by means of number theoretical methods. These methods, while well known to the mathematics community, have not yet found many applications to physics. They are introduced to the degree necessary to understand the computations carried out throughout this work. Furthermore, explicit covariant lattice models with particularly interesting properties are analyzed in detail. Finally, new light is shed on the relation between covariant lattice models and asymmetric orbifold compactifications, the result being a concrete correspondence between certain types of asymmetric orbifolds and those classified covariant lattices.

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 thesis lays the groundwork for producing a new class of ultracold molecule by associating an alkali-metal atom and a closed-shell alkaline-earth-like atom, specifically Cs and Yb. Such molecules exhibit both a magnetic dipole moment and an electric dipole moment in their ground state. This extra degree of freedom opens up new avenues of research including the study of exotic states of matter, the shielding of molecular collisions and the simulation of lattice spin models. In detail, the thesis reports the first and only ultracold mixture of Cs and Yb in the world, giving details of the methods used to cool such contrasting atomic species together. Using sensitive two-colour photoassociation measurements to measure the binding energies of the near-threshold CsYb molecular levels in the electronic ground state has allowed the previously unknown scattering lengths to be accurately determined for all the Cs-Yb isotopic combinations. As part of this work, the one-photon photoassociation of ultracold Cs*Yb is also studied, yielding useful information on the excited-state potential. Knowledge of the scattering lengths enables a strategy to be devised to cool both species to quantum degeneracy and, crucially, determines the positions of interspecies Feshbach resonances required for efficient association of ground-state CsYb molecules. With these results, the prospect of bringing a new molecule into the ultracold regime has become considerably closer.

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.

Key features: Complete introductory overview of cosmic ray physics Covers the origins, acceleration, transport mechanisms and detection of these particles Mathematical and technical detail is kept separate from the main text

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.

Covers research on nonadiabatic molecular dynamic simulation with time-dependent density functional theory and its application on excited-state molecular dynamics and spectroscopy in photochemistry, including exact quantum, semiclassical, and mixed quantum/classical methodologies and simulations Includes contributions from several well-known and outstanding scientists worldwide in quantum chemistry, chemical physics, photochemistry, and materials chemistry. Illustrated throughout with excellent figures and references to accompany each chapter

The development of atomic bombs under the auspices of the U.S. Army's Manhattan Project during World War II is considered to be the outstanding news story of the twentieth century. In this book, a physicist and expert on the history of the Project presents a comprehensive overview of this momentous achievement. The first three chapters cover the history of nuclear physics from the discovery of radioactivity to the discovery of fission, and would be ideal for instructors of a sophomore-level "Modern Physics" course. Student-level exercises at the ends of the chapters are accompanied by answers. Chapter 7 covers the physics of first-generation fission weapons at a similar level, again accompanied by exercises and answers. For the interested layman and for non-science students and instructors, the book includes extensive qualitative material on the history, organization, implementation, and results of the Manhattan Project and the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombing missions. The reader also learns about the legacy of the Project as reflected in the current world stockpiles of nuclear weapons. This second edition contains important revisions and additions, including a new chapter on the German atomic bomb program and new sections on British and Canadian contributions to the Manhattan project and on feed materials. Several other sections have been expanded; reader feedback has been helpful in introducing minor corrections and improved explanations; and, last but not least, the second edition includes a detailed index.

This volume contains the fourteen papers presented at the NATO-sponsored Ad vanced Research Workshop on the 'Status and Future Developments in the Study of Transport Properties' held in Porto Carras, Halkidiki, Greece from May 29 to May 31, 1991. The Workshop was organised to provide a forum for the discussion among prac titioners of the state-of-the-art in the treatment of the macroscopic, non-equilibrium properties of gases. The macroscopic quantities considered all arise as a result of the pairwise interactions of molecules in states perturbed from an equilibrium, Maxwellian distribution. The non-equilibrium properties of gases have been studied in detail for well over a century following the formulation of the Boltzmann equation in 1872. Since then the range of phenomena amenable to experimental study has expanded greatly from the properties characteristic of a bulk, non-uniform gas, such as the viscosity and thermal conductivity, to the study of differential scattering cross-sections in molecular beams at thermal energies, to studies of spectral-line widths of individual molecules and of Van der Waals complexes and even further. The common thread linking all of these studies is found in the corresponding theory which relates them all to the potential energy function describing the interaction of pairs of molecules. Thus, accompanying the experimental development there has been a corresponding improvement in the theoretical formulation of the quantities characterising the various phenomena."

This open access book is a pedagogical, examples-based guide to using the Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP (R)) code for nuclear safeguards and non-proliferation applications. The MCNP code, general-purpose software for particle transport simulations, is widely used in the field of nuclear safeguards and non-proliferation for numerous applications including detector design and calibration, and the study of scenarios such as measurement of fresh and spent fuel. This book fills a gap in the existing MCNP software literature by teaching MCNP software usage through detailed examples that were selected based on both student feedback and the real-world experience of the nuclear safeguards group at Los Alamos National Laboratory. MCNP input and output files are explained, and the technical details used in MCNP input file preparation are linked to the MCNP code manual. Benefiting from the authors' decades of experience in MCNP simulation, this book is essential reading for students, academic researchers, and practitioners whose work in nuclear physics or nuclear engineering is related to non-proliferation or nuclear safeguards. Each chapter comes with downloadable input files for the user to easily reproduce the examples in the text.

Is the first to present the historic background and numerous case studies on Moebius topology in mathematics, astronomy, chemistry, molecular medicine, physics and nanomaterials, literature, arts, and architecture Covers research on Moebius strip topology-controlled nanodevices for use in chemistry, biology, physics, and material sciences, including aspects from modern computer simulations for molecular design and engineering Highlights case studies on Moebius topology from the 18th-19th century up to the present years, taking examples from Europe, America, Australia, and Asia Reports on how drug-delivery techniques can be revolutionized through the development of topologically protected ring-shaped nanoproteins, such as Moebius-type cyclotides; the structural stability of such bioengineered nanodevices allows for better drug transport across the blood-brain barrier Reports on the spectacular modern architecture of buildings and bridges inspired by Moebius strip topology in Berlin, Amsterdam, Beijing, and Changsha Is richly illustrated with excellent figures to accompany each chapter and section Is authored by internationally renowned researchers in the field of magnetic resonance spectroscopy on complex (bio)chemical systems

This book provides a fresh, photon-based description of modern molecular spectroscopy and photophysics, with applications drawn from chemistry, biology, physics and materials science.

This volume contains two major articles, one providing a historical retrosp- tive of one of the great triumphs of nuclear physics in the twentieth century and the other providing a didactic introduction to one of the quantitative tools for understanding strong interactions in the twenty-first century. The article by Igal Talmi on "Fifty Years of the Shell Model - the Quest for the Effective Interaction," pertains to a model that has dominated nuclear physics since its infancy and that developed with astonishing results over the next five decades. Talmi is uniquely positioned to trace the history of the Shell Model. He was active in developing the ideas at the shell model's inception, he has been central in most of the subsequent initiatives which expanded, cl- ified and applied the shell model and he has remained active in the field to the present time. Wisely, he has chosen to restrict his review to the domin- ing issue: the choice of the effective interactions among valence nucleons that determine the properties of low lying nuclear energy levels. The treatment of the subject is both bold and novel for our series. The ideas pertaining to the effective interaction for the shell model are elucidated in a historical sequence.