This book offers an informal, easy-to-understand account of topics in modern physics and mathematics. The focus is, in particular, on statistical mechanics, soft matter, probability, chaos, complexity, and models, as well as their interplay. The book features 28 key entries and it is carefully structured so as to allow readers to pursue different paths that reflect their interests and priorities, thereby avoiding an excessively systematic presentation that might stifle interest. While the majority of the entries concern specific topics and arguments, some relate to important protagonists of science, highlighting and explaining their contributions. Advanced mathematics is avoided, and formulas are introduced in only a few cases. The book is a user-friendly tool that nevertheless avoids scientific compromise. It is of interest to all who seek a better grasp of the world that surrounds us and of the ideas that have changed our perceptions.

Throughout the world 10 million tons of wood are used every year for paper-making, cellulose preparations, tobacco filters, cloth and dietary supplements. Wood is mainly composed of polysaccharides and lignin which are hydrophilic and hydrophobic respectively. This book describes the academic approaches to native bonds between lignin and the carbohhydrates in wood and other plants. The roles of lignin-carbohydrates complexes are discussed for practical use and wood processing. The authors describe the close relationship between lignin-carbohydrate complexes and biobleaching of kraft pulp, and the residual lignin in kraft pulp and their contribution to benzylated wood foaming. In addition they introduce the artificial lignin-carbohydrate bond formation and an enzymic degradation of lignin-carbohydrate bonds.

- A brief and accessible introduction to a complex topic - Contains a thorough treatment of the motions of heavenly bodies than conventional elementary mechanics texts. - Provides a wealth of end-of-chapter exercises to test understanding

Introduces a new way of looking at various important and fundamental phenomena in condensed matter from the perspective of microscopic theory Explores a new interface of quantum condensed matter physics and molecular biophysics, highlighting research potentialities Addresses the crucial questions surrounding these phenomena when they are mutually coexisting or competing in real condensed matter systems or materials, from both theoretical and experimental angles Deals with biological molecules and some of their properties and processes and discusses the modeling of these with the help of condensed matter physics and statistical physics Emphasizes fundamental concepts, particularly in condensed matter physics and making proper use of them

Presents a comprehensive study of the physical models for quantum dots (QDs) Discusses the properties of QDs and their applications Suggests ways to fine tune the electronic properties of QDs for specific applications Will be helpful for solid state physicists, material scientists, and engineers

Uncertainty Quantification of Stochastic Defects in Materials investigates the uncertainty quantification methods for stochastic defects in material microstructures. It provides effective supplementary approaches for conventional experimental observation with the consideration of stochastic factors and uncertainty propagation. Pursuing a comprehensive numerical analytical system, this book establishes a fundamental framework for this topic, while emphasizing the importance of stochastic and uncertainty quantification analysis and the significant influence of microstructure defects on the material macro properties. Key Features Consists of two parts: one exploring methods and theories and the other detailing related examples Defines stochastic defects in materials and presents the uncertainty quantification for defect location, size, geometrical configuration, and instability Introduces general Monte Carlo methods, polynomial chaos expansion, stochastic finite element methods, and machine learning methods Provides a variety of examples to support the introduced methods and theories Applicable to MATLAB (R) and ANSYS software This book is intended for advanced students interested in material defect quantification methods and material reliability assessment, researchers investigating artificial material microstructure optimization, and engineers working on defect influence analysis and nondestructive defect testing.

Waves and Oscillations in Plasmas addresses central issues in modern plasma sciences, within the context of general classical physics. The book is working gradually from an introductory to an advanced level. Addressing central issues in modern plasma sciences, including linear and nonlinear wave phenomena, this second edition has been fully updated and includes the latest developments in relevant fluid models as well as kinetic plasma models, including a detailed discussion of, for instance, collisionless Landau damping, linear as well as non-linear. The book is the result of many years of lecturing plasma sciences in Norway, Denmark, Germany, and also at the Unites States of America. Offering a clear separation of linear and nonlinear models, the book can be tailored for students of varying levels of expertise in plasma physics, in addition to areas as diverse as the space sciences, laboratory experiments, plasma processing, and more. Features: Presents a simple physical interpretation of basic problems is presented where possible Supplies a complete summary of classical papers and textbooks placed in the proper context Includes worked examples, exercises, and problems with general applicability

Methods and the latest results of experimental studies of the strength properties, polymorphism and metastable states of materials and substances with extremely short durations of shock-wave action are presented. The author provides a comprehensive and theoretical description of specific features of the dynamics of elastoplastic shock compression waves in relaxing media. The presentation is preceded by a detailed description of the theoretical foundations of the method and a brief discussion of the basic methods of generating and diagnosing shock waves in solids. Key Selling Features: Addresses dynamic elastic-plastic response, spallation, and shock-induced phase transformation. Provides a centralized presentation of topics of interest to the shock physics community Presents new data on the mechanism and basic patterns of sub-microsecond polymorphic transformations and phase transitions. Investigates destruction waves in shock-compressed glasses. Analyzes the behavior of highly hard brittle materials under shock-wave loading and ways to diagnose fracture.

Oxide-based materials and structures are becoming increasingly important in a wide range of practical fields including microelectronics, photonics, spintronics, power harvesting, and energy storage in addition to having environmental applications. This book provides readers with a review of the latest research and an overview of cutting-edge patents received in the field. It covers a wide range of materials, techniques, and approaches that will be of interest to both established and early-career scientists in nanoscience and nanotechnology, surface and material science, and bioscience and bioengineering in addition to graduate students in these areas. Features: Contains the latest research and developments in this exciting and emerging field Explores both the fundamentals and applications of the research Covers a wide range of materials, techniques, and approaches

Presents the latest global achievements in the processing and applications of high-Tc superconductors Discusses large-scale applications of high-temperature superconducting materials Contains contributions from several eminent scientists

Autowave Plasticity: Localization and Collective Modes discusses the nature of plastic flow in solids associated with the development of a localized plastic flow. Written by an authority in the field, the author demonstrates how patterns of localized plastic flow are associated with autowave modes that are generated in a deformable sample and delivers a complete work on the subject. Key Features An original work on the nature of plastic flows in solids, particularly metals and crystals Focuses on plastic flow as an autowave process Contains elements of theories, experimental considerations, and numerical modeling This reference will help readers with creating experimental methods to observe or localize plastic flow and with the modeling of plastic flows. It is a valuable reference for graduate students and research specialists working in material science.

This book is t e fifth in aseries of scientific textbooks designed to cover advances in selected research fields from a basic and general view point. The reader is taken carefully but rapidly through the introductory material in order that t e significance of recent developments can be understood with only limited initial knowledge. The inclusion in the Appendix of the abstracts of many of the more important papers in the field provides further assistance for the non-specialist, and acts as aspringboard to supplementary reading for those who wish to consult the original liter ature. Surface analysis has been the subject of numerous books and review articles, and the fundamental scientific principles of t e more popular techniques are now reasonably weIl established. This book is concerned with the very powerful techniques of Auger electron and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (AES and XPS), with an emphasis on how they may be performed as part of a modern analytical facility. Since the development of AES and XPS in the late 1960s and early 1970s there have been great strides forward in the sensitivities and resolutions of the instrumentation. Simultaneously, these spectroscopies have undergone a veritable explosion, both in their acceptance alongside more routine ana1ytical techniques and in the range of problems and materials to which they are applied. As a result, many researchers in industry and in academia now come into contact with AES and XPS not as specialists, but as users."

Presents a new physical and mathematical theory of irreversible deformations and ductile fracture of metals that acknowledges the continuous change in the structure of materials during deformation and the accumulation of deformation damage. Plastic deformation, viscous destruction, evolution of structure, creep processes, and long-term strength of metals and stress relaxation are described in the framework of a unified approach and model. The author then expands this into a mathematical model for determining the mechanical characteristics of quasi-samples of standard mechanical properties in deformed semi-finished products.

Between the microscopic world of quarks and atoms, and the macroscopic (observable) one of pebbles, planets and galaxies, there is another world, strangely neglected by science since Isaac Newton. It is inhabited by pollen, DNA and viruses - not to mention globules of paint, shampoo, milk and chocolate. Its tiny denizens have one thing in common: they cannot keep still. Physicist Mark Haw tells the pacy story of how scientists finally saw the restless middle world 200 years ago, having ignored it for so long. How, at the beginning of the twentieth century, it spectacularly answered Einstein's most basic question about the nature of matter. And how we then ignored it again until the past decade or so. Finally Haw reveals that, today, understanding the weird, jiggling 'mesoscale' has become central to nanotechnology, medicine and working out the origins of life.

Physical-Chemical Mechanics of Disperse Systems and Materials is a novel interdisciplinary area in the science of the disperse state of matter. It covers the broad spectrum of objects and systems with dimensions ranging from nanometers to millimeters and establishes a fundamental basis for controlling and tuning the properties of these systems as well as the processes taking place in them. Physical-chemical mechanics focuses on the analysis of the complex physical-chemical interfacial phenomena taking place both in the transition of a dispersed system into a material, such as in the course of pressing, sintering, hydration hardening, and sol-gel transitions, and in the course of the dispersion of bulk materials taking place in milling, mechanical treatment, friction and wear, and fracturing. These studies are based on thorough experimental investigation of contact interactions between particles in these processes. The book is divided into two sections. The first section covers basic principles of the formation, stability and rupture of contacts between particles in different media and in surfactant solutions, as well as the properties of coagulation structures and their rheology. The second section covers surface phenomena taking place in solid-like structures with phase contacts and in compact bodies with an emphasis on several applications and processes as well as the special role of the Rehbinder effect. Where appropriate and relevant, the book presents essays on specific significant and principal studies, such as the damageability of crystal and glass surfaces, the strength of industrial catalysts, the nano-mechanisms of cement hardening, the role of the structure-mechanical barrier in the stabilization of fluorinated systems, and contact interactions in papermaking. It also devotes attention to experimental methods used in physical-chemical mechanics, the direct measurement of contact strength, and relevant instrumentations. The book utilizes the content used over many years in lecture courses and includes fundamental material on colloid and surface chemistry, the strength of materials, rheology, and tensors, which makes it well suited for novices and experts in the field.

Low-dimensional magnetism physics involves the search for new magnetic compounds and improving their characteristics to meet the needs of innovative technologies. A comprehensive overview of key materials, their formulation data and characteristics are detailed by the author. Key selling features: Explores dominant mechanisms of magnetic interaction to determine the parameters of exchange interactions in new magnetic materials. Describes how magnetism and superconductivity not only compete, but also "help" each other. Details characteristics of key materials in the magnetic subsystem. Results of several internationally renowned research groups are included and cited. Suitable for a wide range of readers in physics, materials science, and chemistry interested in the problems of the structure of matter.

Presents a clear path to developing quantitative multi-phase and multi-component phase field models for solidification and other phase transformation kinetics based on practical grand potential functional Derives explicitly and discusses the quantitative nature of the model formulations through matched interface asymptotic analysis Explores a framework for quantitative treatment of rapid solidification to control solute trapping and solute drag dynamics

The IGBT device has proved to be a highly important Power Semiconductor, providing the basis for adjustable speed motor drives (used in air conditioning and refrigeration and railway locomotives), electronic ignition systems for gasolinepowered motor vehicles and energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulbs. Recent applications include plasma displays (flat-screen TVs) and electric power transmission systems, alternative energy systems and energy storage. This book is the first available to cover the applications of the IGBT, and provide the essential information needed by applications engineers to design new products using the device, in sectors including consumer, industrial, lighting, transportation, medical and renewable energy. The author, B. Jayant Baliga, invented the IGBT in 1980 while working for GE. His book will unlock IGBT for a new generation of engineering applications, making it essential reading for a wide audience of electrical engineers and design engineers, as well as an important publication for semiconductor specialists.

This comprehensive textbook provides the fundamental concepts and methods of dissipative quantum mechanics and related issues in condensed matter physics starting from first principles. It deals with the phenomena and theory of decoherence, relaxation and dissipation in quantum mechanics that arise from the random exchange of energy with the environment. Major theoretical advances in combination with stunning experimental achievements and the arising perspective for quantum computing have brightened the field and brought it to the attention of the general community in natural sciences. Expertise in dissipative quantum mechanics is by now beneficial in a broad sphere.This book - originally published in 1992 and republished as enlarged and updated second, third and fourth edition in 1999, 2008, and 2012 - dives even deeper into the fundamental concepts, methods and applications of quantum dissipation. The fifth edition provides a self-contained and updated account of the quantum mechanics and quantum statistics of open systems. The subject matter of the book has been thoroughly revised to better comply with the needs of newcomers and the demands of the advanced readership. Most of the chapters are rewritten to enhance clarity and topicality. Four new chapters covering recent developments in the field have been added. There are about 600 references. This book is intended for use by advanced undergraduate and graduate students in physics, and for researchers active in the field. They will find the monograph as a rich and stimulating source.