The aim of this book is to provide the reader with a coherent and updated comprehensive treatise that covers the central subjects of the field. The style and content is suitable both for students and researchers. Highlights of the book include (among many others) the Ion-Sphere model, statistical models, Average-Atom model, emission spectrum, unresolved transition arrays, supertransition arrays, radiation transport, escape factors and x-ray lasers.

In the modern world of ever smaller devices and nanotechnology, electron crystallography emerges as the most important method capable of determining the structure of minute objects down to the size of individual atoms. Crystals of only a few millionths of a millimetre are studied. This is the first textbook explaining how this is done. Great attention is given to symmetry in crystals and how it manifests itself in electron microscopy and electron diffraction, and how this symmetry can be determined and taken advantage of in achieving improved electron microscopy images and solving crystal structures from electron diffraction patterns. Theory and practice are combined; experimental images, diffraction patterns, formulae and numerical data are discussed in parallel, giving the reader a complete understanding of what goes on inside the "black boxes" of computer programs. This up-to-date textbook contains the newest techniques in electron crystallography, including detailed descriptions and explanations of the recent remarkable successes in determining the very complex structures of zeolites and intermetallics. The controversial issue of whether there is phase information present in electron micrsocopy images or not is also resolved once and for all. The extensive appendices include computer labs which have been used at various courses at Stockholm University and international schools in electron crystallography, with applications to the textbook. Students can download image processing programs and follow these lab instructions to get a hands-on experience of electron crystallography.

This book summarizes the latest findings by leading researchers in the field of photon science in Russia and Japan. It discusses recent advances in the field of photon science and chemistry, covering a wide range of topics, including photochemistry and spectroscopy of novel materials, magnetic properties of solids, photobiology and imaging, and spectroscopy of solids and nanostructures. Based on lectures by respected scientists at the forefront of photon and molecular sciences, the book helps keep readers abreast of the current developments in the field.

A comprehensive and up-to-date text in the field of electron scattering and ionization, covering fundamentals, experimental background, quantum scattering theories and applications. Electron impact ionization of atoms and molecules in ground/metastable states is discussed comprehensively. The text covers electron scattering phenomena for diatomic and common molecules, polyatomic molecules and radicals including hydro-carbons, fluoro-carbons and other larger molecules together with relevant radical species in detail. Applications of electron impact ionization and excitation in gaseous or plasma and condensed matter is discussed in a separate chapter. Recent advances in the field of electron molecule scattering and ionization for polyatomic molecules is covered extensively.

The aim of this book is to present review articles describing the latest theoretical and experimental developments in the field of cold atoms and molecules. Our hope is that this series will promote research by both highlighting recent breakthroughs and by outlining some of the most promising research directions in the field.

Following the path by which humanity learned quantum mechanics can lead to an improved teaching and understanding of the fundamental theory and the origins of its perceived limitations. The purpose of this textbook is to retrace the development of quantum mechanics by investigating primary sources (including original published papers and letters) with attention to their timing and influence. Placing the development of quantum mechanics in its historical context, from the nascent philosophical notions of matter, atoms, and void in Ancient Greece, to their scientific realization in the 19th and 20th centuries, the book culminates with an examination of the current state of the field and an introduction to quantum information and computing.

This book covers a broad range of topics from the interdisciplinary research field of ultrafast intense laser science, focusing on atoms and molecules interacting with intense laser fields, laser-induced filamentation, high-order harmonics generation, and high power lasers and their applications. This sixteenth volume features contributions from world-renowned researchers, introducing the latest reports on probing molecular chirality with intense laser fields, and the most recent developments in the Shanghai Superintense Ultrafast Laser Facility project. The PUILS series delivers up-to-date reviews of progress in this emerging interdisciplinary research field, spanning atomic and molecular physics, molecular science, and optical science, which has been stimulated by the recent developments in ultrafast laser technologies. Each volume compiles peer-reviewed articles authored by researchers at the forefront of each of their own subfields of ultrafast intense laser science. Every chapter opens with an overview of the topics to be discussed, so that researchers unfamiliar to the subfield, especially graduate students, can grasp the importance and attractions of the research topic at hand; these are followed by reports of cutting-edge discoveries.

This book is intended to give an introduction and a comprehensive overview concerning the main areas of surface magnetism with special emphasis on rare earth metals. Investigations in this ?eld require experimental techniques which are sensitive to the topmost layers on the one hand and simultaneously to magnetic properties on the other hand. Using additionally tools with a high lateral resolution the visualization of magnetic domains becomes possible. Theunderstandingofmagneticandelectronicbehaviorrequirestheknowledgeof the structure on a microscopic scale. Due to this important relationship the dep- dence of electronic on structural properties is the ?rst topic. This contains inves- gations not only on rare earth metals but additionally on 3d ferromagnetic systems. It is important to keep in mind that the chemical behavior of a surface det- mines the surface electronic properties. Thus, variations, e.g. due to adsorbate atoms, have a signi?cant in?uence. This aspect will be focused on as the next topic with the description of selected substrate layers which were exposed to different types of gaseous molecules. Investigations on the surface magnetism of itinerant ferromagnetic materials, including the in?uence of adsorbates on surface magnetic properties, and magnets with localized moments is the ?nal and main topic of this volume. It will end with the realization of laterally resolved spin polarized vacuum tunneling which enables to image magnetic domains on the nanometer scale. Acknowledgements This work summarizes my research on the above-mentioned topics performed at the Universities of Bielefeld, Mainz, Hamburg, and Dusseldorf."

Quantum mechanics allows a remarkably accurate description of nature and powerful predictive capabilities. The analyses of quantum systems and their interpretation lead to many surprises, for example, the ability to detect the characteristics of an object without ever touching it in any way, via "interaction-free measurement," or the teleportation of an atomic state over large distances. The results can become downright bizarre. Quantum mechanics is a subtle subject that usually involves complicated mathematics - calculus, partial differential equations, etc., for complete understanding. Most texts for general audiences avoid all mathematics. The result is that the reader misses almost all deep understanding of the subject, much of which can be probed with just high-school level algebra and trigonometry. Thus, readers with that level of mathematics can learn so much more about this fundamental science. The book starts with a discussion of the basic physics of waves (an appendix reviews some necessary classical physics concepts) and then introduces the fundamentals of quantum mechanics, including the wave function, superposition, entanglement, Bell's theorem, etc., and applications to Bose-Einstein condensation, quantum computing, and much more. The interpretation of the mathematics of quantum mechanics into a world view has been the subject of much controversy. The result is a variety of conflicting interpretations, from the famous Copenhagen view of Bohr to the multiple universes of Everett. We discuss these interpretations in the chapter "What is a wave function?" and include some very recent advances, for example, quantum Bayesianism, and measurements of the reality of the wave function.

Nuclear isomers are the long-lived excited states of nuclei. Therefore, they constitute the meta-stable landscape of nuclei. The first isomer was probably identified as early as 1921. Since then, the number of isomers has been growing steadily picking up pace in recent times. Interest in nuclear isomers has grown in recent years for many reasons. The experimental capabilities to observe isomers have been expanding to cover a wider time scale. This has opened up new windows to observe and decipher the underlying nuclear structure and interactions. Further, the isomers are beginning to be seen as potential energy storage devices and nuclear clocks with a host of applications. Possible discovery of a gamma ray laser has also ignited many researches in this area. Isomers now cover the full nuclear landscape with structural peculiarities specific to each region of the nuclear chart. Exploring the nuclear isomers, therefore, provides a novel insight into the nuclear structure properties of that region. There could be many different reasons for the long lives of excited nuclear states, which lead to the classification of isomers. Isomers are broadly classified in to four classes: Spin isomers, shape isomers, fission isomers and K-isomers. Seniority isomers have also been identified which are often clubbed with the spin isomers. We discuss this classification and the underlying causes in detail. Many examples are considered to highlight the large variety of isomers. The range of half-lives covered by the isomers varies from billions of years to nano-seconds and even small. To understand this vast variation is a fascinating endeavor in itself. The angular momentum couplings, nuclear shapes, pairing etc. conspire together to give this vast range of half-lives. We go through these aspects in detail, highlighting the various selection rules at work. It is interesting that the nuclear shapes play an important role in many types of isomers. The spin isomers, which occur in spherical or, near-spherical nuclei, are generally confined to the magic numbers. Seniority isomers are largely found in semi-magic nuclei and should be explored in conjunction with the spin isomers. New developments in seniority and generalized seniority isomers are discussed in detail. As the nuclei deform; the nature of isomers changes. We take a close look into the decay properties of isomers in deformed nuclei, particularly the K isomers, the shape isomers and the fission isomers. While doing so, the theoretical and experimental developments of isomers are also addressed. A number of open questions are posed for possible new experiments and better understanding of the isomers.

Advances in Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics, Volume 69, the latest release in this ongoing series, provides a comprehensive compilation of recent developments in a field that is in a state of rapid growth, as new experimental and theoretical techniques are used on many problems, both old and new. Topics covered in this new release include Strong-field ion spectroscopy, Configurable microscopic optical potentials, Polaritons, Rydberg excitation of trapped cold ions - a new platform for quantum technologies, High intensity QED, Recollision imaging, and more.

Concentrating on techniques for the detection and measurement of radioactivity, this book offers a guide to selecting the type of counter, type of source sample, duration for which the counting must be made, and the radiation emitted by the isotope for its efficient detection. It introduces a novel concept to explain not only the decay processes but also the selection of counting procedures for detecting and measuring radioactivity. The author builds up the foundation from the nature of the interaction of radiation with matter. He also highlights the differences between an ordinary chemical laboratory and a radiochemical one.

This expanded and updated well-established textbook contains an advanced presentationof quantum mechanics adapted to the requirements of modern atomic physics. Itincludes topics of current interest such as semiclassical theory, chaos, atom optics andBose-Einstein condensation in atomic gases. In order to facilitate the consolidationof the material covered, various problems are included, together with completesolutions. The emphasis on theory enables the reader to appreciate the fundamentalassumptions underlying standard theoretical constructs and to embark on independentresearch projects. The fourth edition of Theoretical Atomic Physics contains anupdated treatment of the sections involving scattering theory and near-thresholdphenomena manifest in the behaviour of cold atoms (and molecules). Special attentionis given to the quantization of weakly bound states just below the continuum thresholdand to low-energy scattering and quantum reflection just above. Particular emphasisis laid on the fundamental differences between long-ranged Coulombic potentialsand shorter-ranged potentials falling off faster than 1/r2 at large distances r. The newsections on tunable near-threshold Feshbach resonances and on scattering in two spatialdimensions also address problems relevant for current and future research in the fieldof cold (and ultra-cold) atoms. Graduate students and researchers will find this book avaluable resource and comprehensive reference alike.

With a brand new introduction from the author, this is the complete story of how the bomb was developed. It is told in rich, human, political, and scientific detail, from the turn-of-the-century discovery of the vast energy locked inside the atom to the dropping of the first bombs on Japan. Few great discoveries have evolved so swiftly -- or have been so misunderstood. From the theoretical discussions of nuclear energy to the bright glare of Trinity there was a span of hardly more than twenty-five years. What began as merely an interesting speculative problem in physics grew into the Manhattan Project, and then into the Bomb with frightening rapidity, while scientists known only to their peers -- Szilard, Teller, Oppenheimer, Bohr, Meitner, Fermi, Lawrence, and yon Neumann -- stepped from their ivory towers into the limelight. Richard Rhodes takes us on that journey step by step, minute by minute, and gives us the definitive story of man's most awesome discovery and invention. The Making of the Atomic Bomb has been compared in its sweep and importance to William L. Shirer's The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. It is at once a narrative tour de forceand a document as powerful as its subject.

This book describes collisions between atoms that have been cooled to extremely low temperatures by optical and evaporative cooling techniques. John Weiner reviews the elements of the quantum theory of scattering, and summarizes the theory and experimental techniques of optical cooling and trapping. He also describes applications to precision spectroscopy, the determination of atomic properties, control of inelastic collisions by laser fields, and the manipulation of Bose-Einstein condensates (mesoscopic quantum systems).

This book is a research monograph summarizing recent advances related to the molecular structure of water and ice, and it is based on the latest spectroscopic data available. A special focus is given to radio- and microwave frequency regions. Within the five interconnected chapters, the author reviews the electromagnetic waves interaction with water, ice, and moist substances, discussing the microscopic mechanisms behind the dielectric responses. Well-established classic views concerning the structure of water and ice are considered along with new approaches related to atomic and molecular dynamics. Particular attention is given to nanofluidics, atmospheric science, and electrochemistry. The mathematical apparatus, based on diverse approaches employed in condensed matter physics, is widely used and allows the reader to quantitatively describe the electrodynamic response of water and ice in both bulk and confined states. This book is intended for a wide audience covering physicists, electrochemists, geophysicists, engineers, biophysicists, and general scientists who work on the electromagnetic radiation interaction with water and moist substances.

This is a book about laser cooling, a new research field with many potential applications. The authors present an original approach, using the tools and concepts of statistical physics. A new understanding of laser cooling, both intuitive and quantitative, is obtained. The volume also comprises a case study allowing non-Gaussian (Lévy) statistics, a technique being used more frequently in many different fields.

This book presents the first simultaneous detection of neutrons and positrons after a terrestrial gamma-ray flash (TGF), a highest-energy transient phenomenon on the earth, triggered by a lightning discharge, based on innovative ground-based observations made in the Hokuriku area of Japan. TGFs, known to be produced by lightning discharges since the 1990s, has been theoretically predicted to react with atmospheric nuclei via photonuclear reactions because they comprise high-energy photons of more than 10 MeV, but such photonuclear reactions by lightning discharges, which produce neutrons and unstable isotopes emitting positrons, were not observationally confirmed. The reactions and propagations of their products in the atmosphere are modeled with Monte Carlo simulations to quantitatively evaluate observations of TGFs, neutrons, and positrons at ground level. The successful comparison between observation and simulation is presented, and demonstrates that lightning discharges to trigger photonuclear reactions and to even produce isotopes in the atmosphere.

Quantum physics has turned our commonsense notion of reality on its head. This accessible book describes in layperson's terms the strange phenomena that exist at the quantum level--a world of tiny dimensions where nothing is absolutely predictable, where we rethink causality, and information seemingly travels faster than light. The author, a veteran physicist, uses illuminating analogies and jargon-free language to illustrate the basic principles of the subatomic world and show how they explain everything from the chemistry around us to the formation of galaxies. He also explains how scientists and engineers interact with this nebulous reality and, despite its mysteries, achieve results of great precision.Up front is a brief history of the early 20th-century "quantum revolution," focusing on some of the brilliant individuals whose contributions changed our view of the world--Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, Paul Dirac, Werner Heisenberg, Erwin Schroedinger, and others. The work concludes with a discussion of the many amazing inventions that have resulted from quantum theory, including lasers, semiconductors, and the myriad of electronic devices that use them.Lucidly written, this book conveys the excitement of discovery while expanding the reader's appreciation for a science that explores the basis of everything we know.

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.

This book provides an introduction to relativistic dissipative fluid dynamics, with particular emphasis on its derivation from microscopic transport theory. After a phenomenological derivation of relativistic dissipative fluid dynamics from the second law of thermodynamics, the intrinsic instabilities of relativistic Navier-Stokes theory are discussed. In turn, analytical solutions of relativistic dissipative fluid dynamics are presented. Following, the authors discuss several theories and approaches to derive transport coefficients in dissipative fluid dynamics such as the Chapman-Enskog theory, the theory of Israel and Stewart, and a more recent derivation of relativistic dissipative fluid dynamics based on kinetic theory, which constitutes the main focus of the second part of this book. This book is intended for advanced graduate students and researchers in physics and requires basic knowledge of the theory of special and general relativity. It should be of particular interest to researchers that apply relativistic fluid dynamics in cosmology, astrophysics, and high-energy nuclear physics.