Features Fully updated throughout, with exciting new coverage on graphene, nanostructures and nanocomposites, thermoelectric nanomaterials, and topological nanomaterials. Authored by an authority on phonons. Interdisciplinary, with broad applications through condensed matter physics, nanoscience, and solid state physics.

This book introduces the fascinating world of self-assembly in mesoporous ordered silica films. Beginning from a single droplet, it guides the reader, in a step-by-step learning process, how to obtain and control ordered porous mesophases in thin films by varying only the precursor chemistry and the process. It explains, in great detail, how order control is achieved through chemical design and post-deposition processing, the latter of which is a unique property in materials science. The book places a special focus on silica, whose particularly complex chemistry enables order control over a range of different length scales. This book is suitable for students and researchers in the fields of sol-gel or colloidal chemistry and interested in the topics of self-assembly and mesoporous phases.

The study of disorder in solids is one of the key areas in contemporary solid state science. In crystalline solids there are well-developed models for describing the way in which defects control the atomic transport, thermodynamic and spectroscopic properties. In contrast, the conceptual and theoretical framework for describing these properties in amorphous solids is less well developed, partly due to the uncertainties in the structural models used to represent the disordered systems. Moreover, disordered solids include materials of great contemporary technological importance, for example, ceramic superconductors and amorphous semiconductors. The field has developed rapidly in the last few years, driven both by technological needs for improved materials and by the fundamental scientific problems posed by disorder in solids. Progress has been especially rapid in structural studies, using diffraction, EXAFS, NMR and microscopy techniques, in investigation of atomic and charge transport and in the application of theoretical and computational methods. The book provides a unified approach to disorder in solids. The earlier chapters present a survey of the theoretical and structural concepts used in describing defective and amorphous solids and the basic properties of these materials. The next chapters are devoted to a thorough survey of techniques and properties, including structural studies, transport, thermodynamic and spectroscopic properties and theoretical and computational techniques. The final chapters review materials and applications, including fast-ion conductors, sensors, amorphous semiconductors and novel glasses. It therefore presents a unique survey of an important field incontemporary solid state science.

Solid-State NMR Characterization of Heterogeneous Catalysts and Catalytic Reactions provides a comprehensive account of state-of-the-art solid-state NMR techniques and the application of these techniques in heterogeneous catalysts and related catalytic reactions. It includes an introduction to the basic theory of solid-state NMR and various frequently used techniques. Special emphasis is placed on characterizing the framework and pore structure, active site, guest-host interaction, and synthesis mechanisms of heterogeneous catalysts using multinuclear one- and two-dimensional solid-sate NMR spectroscopy. Additionally, various in-situ solid-state NMR techniques and their applications in investigation of the mechanism of industrially important catalytic reactions are also discussed. Both the fundamentals and the latest research results are covered, making the book suitable as a reference guide for both experienced researchers in and newcomers to this field. Feng Deng is a Professor at Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The book includes a thorough description of a wide range of physical properties of organic superconductors of reduced dimensionality. The authors start with an overview of the field followed by a background discussion and selected experimental topics. A critical discussion of theoretical proposals is presented under the constraints of experimental observations and exciting possibilities for the symmetry of the order parameter are presented, including the cases of inhomogeneous superconducting states and triplet superconductivity. The possible origins of Cooper pairing are explored and tests to detect experimentally the pairing symmetry are described in detail. The book ends with a discussion of important open questions, where the search for their answers will keep the field alive for the next decade.

The present volume contains the written versions of most of the invited talks of the Spring Meeting of the Condensed Matter Physics section of the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft held from March 25 to 29, 2002 in Regensburg, Germany. Also contained are those talks presented as part of the Symposia most of which were organized by several divisions in collaboration and covered a fascinating selection of topics of current interest. Thus this volume reflects the status of condensed matter physics in Germany in the year 2002. In particular, one notes a slight change in paradigms: from quantum dots and wires to spin transport and soft matter systems in the broadest sense. This seems to reflect the present general trend in physics. Nevertheless, a large portion of the invited papers concentrate on nanostructured matter.

In this thesis Johanna Bruckner reports the discovery of the lyotropic counterpart of the thermotropic SmC* phase, which has become famous as the only spontaneously polarized, ferroelectric fluid in nature. By means of polarizing optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction and electro-optic experiments she firmly establishes aspects of the structure of the novel lyotropic liquid crystalline phase and elucidates its fascinating properties, among them a pronounced polar electro-optic effect, analogous to the ferroelectric switching of its thermotropic counterpart. The helical ground state of the mesophase raises the fundamental question of how chiral interactions are "communicated" across layers of more or less disordered and achiral solvent molecules which are located between adjacent bi-layers of the chiral amphiphile molecules. This thesis bridges an important gap between thermotropic and lyotropic liquid crystals and pioneers a new field of liquid crystal research.

This book discusses various aspects of graphene fictionalization strategies from inorganic oxides and organic moieties including preparation, design, and characterization of functionalization material and its applications. Including illustrations and tables summarizing the latest research on manufacturing, design, characterization and applications of graphene functionalization, it describes graphene functionalization using different techniques and materials and highlights the latest technologies in the field of manufacturing and design. This book is a valuable reference resource for lecturers, students, researchers and industrialists working in the field of material science, especially polymer composites.

The self-contained properties of discotic liquid crystals (DLCs) render them powerful functional materials for many semiconducting device applications and models for energy and charge migration in self-organized dynamic functional soft materials. The past three decades have seen tremendous interest in this area, fueled primarily by the possibility of creating a new generation of organic semiconductors and wide viewing displays using DLCs. While a number of books on classical calamitic liquid crystals are available, there are, as yet, no books that are dedicated exclusively to the basic design principles, synthesis, and physical properties of DLCs. The first reference book to cover DLCs, Chemistry of Discotic Liquid Crystals: From Monomers to Polymers highlights the chemistry and thermal behavior of DLCs. Divided into six chapters, each with a general description, background, and context for the concepts involved, the book begins with a basic introduction to liquid crystals, describing molecular self-assembly and various types of liquid crystals. It outlines their classification, covers their history and general applications, and focuses on DLCs and their discovery, structure, characterization, and alignment. The book goes on to examine the chemistry and physical properties of various monomeric DLCs, including 25 sections describing the synthesis and mesomorphic properties of monomeric DLCs formed by different cores. The bulk of the book covers the chemistry and mesomorphism of discotic dimers, oligomers, and polymers and concludes with a look at some applicable properties of DLCs. A comprehensive and up-to-date resource, this book is designed to be accessible and of value not just for students and researchers but also to the directors and principal investigators working in this field, providing the foundation and fuel to advance this fast-growing technological field.

This book offers a genuinely practical introduction to the most commonly encountered optical and non-optical systems used for the metrology and characterization of surfaces, including guidance on best practice, calibration, advantages and disadvantages, and interpretation of results. It enables the user to select the best approach in a given context. Most methods in surface metrology are based upon the interaction of light or electromagnetic radiation (UV, NIR, IR), and different optical effects are utilized to get a certain optical response from the surface; some of them record only the intensity reflected or scattered by the surface, others use interference of EM waves to obtain a characteristic response from the surface. The book covers techniques ranging from microscopy (including confocal, SNOM and digital holographic microscopy) through interferometry (including white light, multi-wavelength, grazing incidence and shearing) to spectral reflectometry and ellipsometry. The non-optical methods comprise tactile methods (stylus tip, AFM) as well as capacitive and inductive methods (capacitive sensors, eddy current sensors). The book provides: Overview of the working principles Description of advantages and disadvantages Currently achievable numbers for resolutions, repeatability, and reproducibility Examples of real-world applications A final chapter discusses examples where the combination of different surface metrology techniques in a multi-sensor system can reasonably contribute to a better understanding of surface properties as well as a faster characterization of surfaces in industrial applications. The book is aimed at scientists and engineers who use such methods for the measurement and characterization of surfaces across a wide range of fields and industries, including electronics, energy, automotive and medical engineering.

Physicists are pondering on the possibility of simulating black holes in the laboratory by means of various "analog models". These analog models, typically based on condensed matter physics, can be used to help us understand general relativity (Einstein's gravity); conversely, abstract techniques developed in general relativity can sometimes be used to help us understand certain aspects of condensed matter physics. This book contains 13 chapters - written by experts in general relativity, particle physics, and condensed matter physics - that explore various aspects of this two-way traffic.

Presents simplified but useful and practical equations that can be applied in estimating performance and design of energy-efficient systems in low-temperature systems or cryogenics Contains practical approaches and advanced design materials for insulation, shields/anchors, cryogen vessels/pipes, calorimeters, cryogenic heat switches, cryostats, current leads, and RF couplers Provides a comprehensive introduction to the necessary theory and models needed for solutions to common difficulties and illustrates the engineering examples with about 300 figures

Modern Magnetooptics and Magnetooptical Materials provides a comprehensive account of the principles and applications of magnetooptics, bridging the gap between textbooks and specialist accounts in the research and review literature. The book is aimed at the graduate physicist and electrical engineer, but assumes no specialist knowledge of magnetooptics. Chapters have been designed to be reasonably independent, so that readers in search of information on a particular topic can go straight to the appropriate place in the book, with only occasional reference to material elsewhere. Divided into three main parts, the book begins with the principles of magnetooptics to provide the necessary theoretical background. This section's emphasis is on introducing practical considerations through examples taken from real-life situations. The next part surveys a wide range of magnetooptic materials, including metals, alloys, and granular structures. The final part explores applications of magnetooptics in practical devices, such as modulators, switches, memory devices, and waveguides. This book provides a thorough introduction for graduate students of physics and electrical engineering, and a useful reference for researchers.

Liquid-crystalline phases are now known to be formed by an ever growing range of quite diverse materials, these include those of low molecular weight as well as the novel liquid-crystalline polymers, such phases can also be induced by the addition of a solvent to amphiphilic systems leading to lyotropic liquid crystals. Irrespective of the structure of the constituent molecules these numerous liquid-cl)'Stailine phases are characterised by their long range orientational order. In addition certain phases exhibit elements of long range positional order. Our understanding, both experimental and theoretical, at the molecular level of the static behaviour of these fascinating and important materials is now well advanced. In contrast the influence of the long range order; both orientational and positional, on the molecular dynamics in liquid Cl)'Stais is less well understood. In an attempt to address this situation a NATO Advanced Study Institute devoted to liquid ctystal dynamics was held at n Ciocco, Barga, Italy in September 1989. This brought together experimentalists and theoreticians concerned with the various dynamical processes occurring in all liquid crystals. The skills of the participants was impressively wide ranging; they spanned the experimental techniques used in the study of molecular dynamics, the nature of the systems investigated and the theoretical models employed to understand the results. While much was learnt it was also recognised that much more needed to be done in order to advance our understanding of molecular dynamics in liquid Cl)'Stais.

Surface Structure Modification and Hardening of Al-SI Alloys explores the hardening of material surfaces using concentrated energy flows resulting in the nanostructuring of surface layers. The authors demonstrate how these methods achieve a reduction in plastic deformation of the surface and a more uniform distribution of elastic stresses near the surface during operational use, significantly reducing part failure. It presents results from research and scientific and technological enterprises involved with the modification of light alloy surfaces for use in the automobile and aerospace industries. Additional key features include: Addresses theoretical and experimental research computer simulations of structural phase transformations at the nanolevel to create new materials Details and compares electroexplosion alloying, electron beam processing and electron-plasma alloying of an Al-Si Alloy Explains multiphase plasma jet treatment to obtain high-quality coatings with good and high functional properties This reference is a valuable resource for specialists in the field of physical material science, condensed state physics, metal science and thermal treatment and will be of interest to undergraduate and post-graduate students in these fields.

Microcavities are semiconductor, metal, or dielectric structures providing optical confinement in one, two or three dimensions. At the end of the 20th century, microcavities have attracted attention due to the discovery of a strong exciton-light coupling regime allowing for the formation of superposition light-matter quasiparticles: exciton-polaritons. In the following century several remarkable effects have been discovered in microcavities, including the Bose-Einstein condensation of exciton-polaritons, polariton lasing, superfluidity, optical spin Hall and spin Meissner effects, amongst other discoveries. Currently, polariton devices exploiting the bosonic stimulation effects at room temperature are being developed by laboratories across the world. This book addresses the physics of microcavities: from classical to quantum optics, from a Boltzmann gas to a superfluid. It provides the theoretical background needed for understanding the complex phenomena in coupled light-matter systems, and it presents a broad overview of experimental progress in the physics of microcavities.

The series Advances in Polymer Science presents critical reviews of the present and future trends in polymer and biopolymer science. It covers all areas of research in polymer and biopolymer science including chemistry, physical chemistry, physics, material science. The thematic volumes are addressed to scientists, whether at universities or in industry, who wish to keep abreast of the important advances in the covered topics. Advances in Polymer Science enjoys a longstanding tradition and good reputation in its community. Each volume is dedicated to a current topic, and each review critically surveys one aspect of that topic, to place it within the context of the volume. The volumes typically summarize the significant developments of the last 5 to 10 years and discuss them critically, presenting selected examples, explaining and illustrating the important principles, and bringing together many important references of primary literature. On that basis, future research directions in the area can be discussed. Advances in Polymer Science volumes thus are important references for every polymer scientist, as well as for other scientists interested in polymer science - as an introduction to a neighboring field, or as a compilation of detailed information for the specialist. Review articles for the individual volumes are invited by the volume editors. Single contributions can be specially commissioned. Readership: Polymer scientists, or scientists in related fields interested in polymer and biopolymer science, at universities or in industry, graduate students

Electroinduced Drift of Neutral Charge Clusters in Salt Solutions presents studies of the processes accompanying the effect of periodic electric and magnetic fields on salt solutions in polar dielectric liquids. The authors explain phenomena from a physical point of view, without theoretical constructions and mathematical calculations. This is done in order to make the book accessible to a wide audience and to help the reader navigate in a multilateral topic that is touched upon when studying processes that occur in liquid media under the external influence of an electromagnetic nature. Additional Features: Explores the phenomenon of selective drift of solvated ions in polar dielectric liquids Applies general principles of electricity and magnetism to describe experimental results Demonstrates how small perturbations of the equilibrium distribution determine not the corrections to the effects but the effects themselves Approaches nonequilibrium molecular physics as a science of physical and chemical processes This book will be useful to specialists, engineers and graduate students, especially those recording and transmitting information in liquid media.

The behaviour of electrons in systems without periodicity is one of the most fascinating areas in solid-state physics, and the last 25 years have seen an enormous increase in research in this field. This has given rise to many new ideas for understanding electronic states in disordered systems, especially the study of the degenerate electron gas in which electron-electron interactions are important. This book provides a much needed survey of these advances. In the first part of the book, the authors discuss impurity bands in three dimensions. Attention is focused on the regime in which the electrons are spatially localized rather than free, so that an interesting interplay of localization and interaction arises. In the second part of the book, they look at the outstanding features of the two-dimensional systems, explaining how these make the localization problem special and interesting. The authors have provided a clear outline of the theoretical picture for the chosen materials and description heuristic. Each chapter is self-contained, allowing readers to pursue their special interests.

This new book is fully up to date with all the latest developments on both theoretical and experimental investigations of the Standard Model (SM) of particle physics with a particular emphasis on its historical development on both sides. It further stresses the cross-fertilisation between the two sub-disciplines of theoretical and experimental particle physics which has been instrumental in establishing the SM. In other words, the book develops a truly phenomenological attitude to the subject. In addition to emphasising the successes of the SM, this book also critically assesses its limitations and raises key unanswered questions for the purpose of presenting a new perspective of how to further our knowledge above and beyond it. It also contains both historical information from past experiments and latest results from the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. This book will be an invaluable reference to advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students, in addition to early-stage researchers in the field. Key Features: Provides a unique approach not found in current literature in developing and verifying the SM Presents the theory pedagogically but rigorously from basic knowledge of quantum field theory Brings together experimental and theoretical practice in one, cohesive text

This book is dedicated to the fundamental physical aspects of stability, the influence of structural defects on the properties and structural phase transformations of BCC alloys. The authors present patterns that occur in the structural-phase states of functional alloys with low stability or instability under thermal cycling effects. Structural-phase transformations and the physical laws governing the influence of the thermomechanical effect on the properties of alloys are examined to advance development of technological processes for processing functional materials. Features: Studies the correlation between structural phase states and changes in the physico-mechanical properties of intermetallic compounds Explores the influence of thermomechanical cycling on the properties of functional alloys Details low-stability pretransition states in alloys

This thesis presents a series of experimental techniques based on scanning probe microscopy, which make it possible access the degree of freedom of protons both in real and energy space. These novel techniques and methods allow direct visualization of the concerted quantum tunneling of protons within the hydrogen-bonded network and quantification of the quantum component of a single hydrogen bond at a water-solid interface for the first time. Furthermore, the thesis demonstrates that the anharmonic quantum fluctuations of hydrogen nuclei further weaken the weak hydrogen bonds and strengthen the strong ones. However, this trend was reversed when the hydrogen bond coupled to the local environment. These pioneering findings substantially advance our understanding of the quantum nature of H bonds at the molecular level.

This thesis contains three breakthrough results in condensed matter physics. Firstly, broken reflection symmetry in the hidden-order phase of the heavy-fermion material URu2Si2 is observed for the first time. This represents a significant advance in the understanding of this enigmatic material which has long intrigued the condensed matter community due to its emergent long range order exhibited at low temperatures (the so-called "hidden order"). Secondly and thirdly, a novel collective mode (the chiral spin wave) and a novel composite particle (the chiral exciton) are discovered in the three dimensional topological insulator Bi2Se3. This opens up new avenues of possibility for the use of topological insulators in photonic, optoelectronic, and spintronic devices. These discoveries are facilitated by using low-temperature polarized Raman spectroscopy as a tool for identifying optically excited collective modes in strongly correlated electron systems and three-dimensional topological insulators.