This book will help readers understand thermodynamic properties caused by magnetic fields. Providing a concise review of time independent magnetic fields, it goes on to discuss the thermodynamic properties of magnetizing materials of different shapes, and finally, the equilibrium properties of superconductors of different shapes and also of different sizes. Chapters are accompanied by problems illustrating the applications of the principles to optimize and enhance understanding. This book will be of interest to advanced undergraduates, graduate students, and researchers specializing in thermodynamics, solid state physics, magnetism, and superconductivity. Features: The first book to provide comprehensive coverage of thermodynamics in magnetic fields, only previously available, in part, in journal articles Chapters include problems and worked solutions demonstrating real questions in contemporary superconductivity, such as properties of vortex matter

This book informs the reader about a fascinating class of materials referred to as skutterudites, the atomic lattice of which has large structural voids that can be filled by a variety of foreign species, spanning from alkali to alkaline to rare earth ions. The fillers, in their unique way, drastically modify the physical properties of the parent structure, giving rise to outstanding thermoelectric properties. This exciting material is of growing importance and is finding applications in a variety of different fields. This book will be of interest to researchers working in materials science, physics, and chemistry in addition to graduate students in these subjects. Features: * Gives a comprehensive account of all fundamental physical properties of skutterudites * Each major topic is accompanied by introductory sections and a further detailed theoretical treatment is provided in Appendices * Supported by many figures and a vast number of relevant references

Introduction to Epitaxy provides the essential information for a comprehensive upper-level graduate course treating the crystalline growth of semiconductor heterostructures. Heteroepitaxy represents the basis of advanced electronic and optoelectronic devices today and is considered one of the top fields in materials research. The book covers the structural and electronic properties of strained epitaxial layers, the thermodynamics and kinetics of layer growth, and the description of the major growth techniques metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy, molecular beam epitaxy and liquid phase epitaxy. Cubic semiconductors, strain relaxation by misfit dislocations, strain and confinement effects on electronic states, surface structures and processes during nucleation and growth are treated in detail. The Introduction to Epitaxy requires only little knowledge on solid-state physics. Students of natural sciences, materials science and electrical engineering as well as their lecturers benefit from elementary introductions to theory and practice of epitaxial growth, supported by pertinent references and over 200 detailed illustrations.

This is the first book to give a comprehensive and coherent account of the basic methods of characterizing a solid through its interaction with electromagnetic fields. The theoretical treatment focuses on the determination of the essential parameters of a solid (energy bands, energy levels, effective mass of electrons and holes, etc.) from measured absorption coefficients, scattering data, magneto-optical results, etc. The discussion is at an intermediate level and all the formulas are carefully deduced and explained. All types of solids (semiconductors, crystals, metals, etc.) are covered and the latest experimental results are also presented.

The second edition offers an update on the single most comprehensive survey of the two intertwined fields of spintronics and magnetism, covering the diverse array of materials and structures, including silicon, organic semiconductors, carbon nanotubes, graphene, and engineered nanostructures. It focuses on seminal pioneering work, together with the latest in cutting-edge advances, notably extended discussion of two-dimensional materials beyond graphene, topological insulators, skyrmions, and molecular spintronics. The main sections cover physical phenomena, spin-dependent tunneling, control of spin and magnetism in semiconductors, and spin-based applications.

This book summarizes some of the most exciting theoretical developments in the topological phenomena of skyrmions in noncentrosymmetric magnetic systems over recent decades. After presenting pedagogical backgrounds to the Berry phase and homotopy theory, the author systematically discusses skyrmions in the order of their development, from the Ginzburg-Landau theory, CP1 theory, Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert theory, and Monte Carlo numerical approaches. Modern topics, such as the skyrmion-electron interaction, skyrmion-magnon interaction, and various generation mechanisms of the skyrmion are examined with a focus on their general theoretical aspects. The book concludes with a chapter on the skyrmion phenomena in the cold atom context. The topics are presented at a level accessible to beginning graduate students without a substantial background in field theory. The book can also be used as a text for those who wish to engage in the physics of skyrmions in magnetic systems, or as an introduction to the various theoretical methods used in studying current condensed-matter systems.

Fabrication of Graphene from Camphor: Emerging Energy Applications provides a short review of recent discoveries in the field of graphene. Its specific focus is on the synthesis of graphene sheets by naturally available sources of carbon as solid precursors. It delves into three major issues in the field: * The low-cost fabrication process for the development of large-scale graphene using natural camphor as a solid source of carbon. * The fabrication of graphene-silicon and graphene-silicon nanowire arrays (SiNWAs) Schottky junction near-infrared photodetectors (NIRPDs). * The applications of graphene thin film for lithium-ion batteries.

This book provides a survey of the latest research and developments in plasma technology. In an easy and comprehensive manner, it explores what plasma is and the technologies utilized to produce plasma. It then investigates the main applications and their benefits. Different from other books on the topic that focus on specific aspects of plasma technology, the intention is to provide an introduction to all aspects related to plasma technologies. This book will be an ideal resource for graduate students studying plasma technologies, in addition to researchers in physics, engineering, and materials science. Features Accessible and easy to understand Provides simple yet exhaustive explanations of the foundations Explores the latest technologies and is filled with practical applications and case studies

Over the course of the last century it has become clear that both elementary particle physics and relativity theories are based on the notion of symmetries. These symmetries become manifest in that the "laws of nature" are invariant under spacetime transformations and/or gauge transformations. The consequences of these symmetries were analyzed as early as in 1918 by Emmy Noether on the level of action functionals. Her work did not receive due recognition for nearly half a century, but can today be understood as a recurring theme in classical mechanics, electrodynamics and special relativity, Yang-Mills type quantum field theories, and in general relativity. As a matter of fact, as shown in this monograph, many aspects of physics can be derived solely from symmetry considerations. This substantiates the statement of E.P. Wigner ..". if we knew all the laws of nature, or the ultimate Law of nature, the invariance properties of these laws would not furnish us new information." Thanks to Wigner we now also understand the implications of quantum physics and symmetry considerations: Poincare invariance dictates both the characteristic properties of particles (mass, spin, ...) and the wave equations of spin 0, 1/2, 1, ... objects. Further, the work of C.N. Yang and R. Mills reveals the consequences of internal symmetries as exemplified in the symmetry group of elementary particle physics. Given this pivotal role of symmetries it is thus not surprising that current research in fundamental physics is to a great degree motivated and inspired by considerations of symmetry. The treatment of symmetries in this monograph ranges from classical physics to now well-established theories of fundamental interactions, to the latest research on unified theories and quantum gravity.

Optoelectronic Organic-Inorganic Semiconductor Heterojunctions summarizes advances in the development of organic-inorganic semiconductor heterojunctions, points out challenges and possible solutions for material/device design, and evaluates prospects for commercial applications. Introduces the concept and basic mechanism of semiconductor heterojunctions Describes a series of organic-inorganic semiconductor heterojunctions with desirable electrical and optical properties for optoelectronic devices Discusses typical devices such as solar cells, photo-detectors, and optoelectronic memories Outlines the materials and device challenges as well as possible strategies to promote the commercial translation of semiconductor heterojunctions-based optoelectronic devices Aimed at graduate students and researchers working in solid-state materials and electronics, this book offers a comprehensive yet accessible view of the state of the art and future directions.

An extensive body of research is involved in pushing miniaturisation to its physical limit, encompassing the miniaturisation of electronic devices, the manipulation of single atoms by scanning tunnelling microscopy, bio-engineering, the chemical synthesis of complex molecules, microsensor technology, and information storage and retrieval. In parallel to these practical aspects of miniaturisation there is also the necessity to understand the physics of small structures. Ultimate Limits of Fabrication and Measurement brings together a number of leading articles from a variety of fields with the common aim of ultimate miniaturisation and measurement.

Quantum Mechanics: An Introduction for Device Physicists and Electrical Engineers, Third Edition provides a complete course in quantum mechanics for students of semiconductor device physics and electrical engineering. It provides the necessary background to quantum theory for those starting work on micro- and nanoelectronic structures and is particularly useful for those beginning work with modern semiconductors devices, lasers, and qubits. This book was developed from a course the author has taught for many years with a style and order of presentation of material specifically designed for this audience. It introduces the main concepts of quantum mechanics which are important in everyday solid-state physics and electronics. Each topic includes examples which have been carefully chosen to draw upon relevant experimental research. It also includes problems with solutions to test understanding of theory. Full updated throughout, the third edition contains the latest developments, experiments, and device concepts, in addition to three fully revised chapters on operators and expectations and spin angular momentum, it contains completely new material on superconducting devices and approaches to quantum computing.

Quantum Mechanics: An Introduction for Device Physicists and Electrical Engineers, Third Edition provides a complete course in quantum mechanics for students of semiconductor device physics and electrical engineering. It provides the necessary background to quantum theory for those starting work on micro- and nanoelectronic structures and is particularly useful for those beginning work with modern semiconductors devices, lasers, and qubits. This book was developed from a course the author has taught for many years with a style and order of presentation of material specifically designed for this audience. It introduces the main concepts of quantum mechanics which are important in everyday solid-state physics and electronics. Each topic includes examples which have been carefully chosen to draw upon relevant experimental research. It also includes problems with solutions to test understanding of theory. Full updated throughout, the third edition contains the latest developments, experiments, and device concepts, in addition to three fully revised chapters on operators and expectations and spin angular momentum, it contains completely new material on superconducting devices and approaches to quantum computing.

This book provides an interdisciplinary guide to quasicrystals, the 2011 Nobel Prize in Chemistry winning topic, by presenting an up-to-date and detailed introduction to the many fundamental aspects and applications of quasicrystals science. It reviews the most characteristic features of the peculiar geometric order underlying their structure and their reported intrinsic physical properties, along with their potential for specific applications. The role of quasiperiodic order in science and technology is also examined by focusing on the new design capabilities provided by this novel ordering of matter. This book is specifically devoted to promoting the very notion of quasiperiodic order, and to spur its physical implications and technological capabilities. It, therefore, explores the fundamental aspects of intermetallic, photonic, and phononic quasicrystals, as well as soft-matter quasicrystals, including their intrinsic physical and structural properties. In addition, it thoroughly discusses experimental data and related theoretical approaches to explain them, extending the standard treatment given in most current solid state physics literature. It also explores exciting applications in new technological devices of quasiperiodically ordered systems, including multilayered quasiperiodic systems, along with 2D and 3D designs, whilst outlining new frontiers in quasicrystals research. This book can be used as a reader-friendly introductory text for graduate students, in addition to senior scientists and researchers coming from the fields of physics, chemistry, materials science, and engineering. Key features: * Provides an updated and detailed introduction to the interdisciplinary field of quasicrystals in a tutorial style, considering both fundamental aspects and additional freedom degrees provided by designs based on quasiperiodically ordered materials. * Includes 50 fully worked out exercises with detailed solutions, motivating, and illustrating the different concepts and notions to provide readers with further learning opportunities. * Presents a complete compendium of the current state of the art knowledge of quasicrystalline matter, and outlines future next generation materials based on quasiperiodically ordered designs for their potential use in useful technological devices. Dr. Enrique Macia-Barber is Professor of condensed matter physics at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. His research interests include the thermoelectric properties of quasicrystals and DNA biophysics. In 2010 he received the RSEF- BBVA Foundation Excellence Physics Teaching Award. His book Aperiodic Structures in Condensed Matter: Fundamentals and Applications (CRC Press, Boca-Raton, 2009) is one of the Top Selling Physics Books according to YBP Library Services.

21st Century Nanoscience - A Handbook: Public Policy, Education, and Global Trends (Volume 10) will be the most comprehensive, up-to-date large reference work for the field of nanoscience. Its predecessor, Handbook of Nanophysics, by the same editor was published in the fall of 2010 and was embraced as the first comprehensive reference to consider both fundamental and applied aspects of nanophysics. This follow-up project has been conceived as a necessary expansion and full update that considers the significant advances made in the field since 2010. It goes well beyond the physics as warranted by recent developments in the field. This tenth volume in a ten-volume set covers nanophotonics, nanoelectronics, and nanoplasmonics. Key Features: Provides the most comprehensive, up-to-date large reference work for the field. Chapters written by international experts in the field. Emphasizes presentation and real results and applications. This handbook distinguishes itself from other works by its breadth of coverage, readability and timely topics. The intended readership is very broad, from students and instructors to engineers, physicists, chemists, biologists, biomedical researchers, industry professionals, governmental scientists, and others whose work is impacted by nanotechnology. It will be an indispensable resource in academic, government, and industry libraries worldwide. The fields impacted by nanophysics extend from materials science and engineering to biotechnology, biomedical engineering, medicine, electrical engineering, pharmaceutical science, computer technology, aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, food science, and beyond.

"Polymineral-Metasomatic Crystallogenesis" is dedicated to the foundations of polymineral crystallogenesis in solutions typically occurring in nature. Effects, laws, and mechanisms of a metasomatic crystal replacement, joint crystal growth of different phases, mixed crystal formation, and aggregate re-crystallization as well as oriented overgrowth (epitaxy and quasi-epitaxy) and crystal habit origin are considered experimentally. The behaviour of these processes in nature are discussed in addition to pseudomorphs, poikilitic crystals (and other replacement forms), features of rapakivi structure, fluorite morphology, and many more. The concept is a generalization of the classic theory on crystallogenesis which is complicated by phase interaction in polymineral systems.

"Polymineral-Metasomatic Crystallogenesis" is designed for chemists, geologists, physicists, and postgraduates and advanced undergraduate students of these fields.

This book gathers the lecture notes of courses given at the 2010 summer school in theoretical physics in Les Houches, France, Session XCIV. Written in a pedagogical style, this volume illustrates how the field of quantum gases has flourished at the interface between atomic physics and quantum optics, condensed matter physics, nuclear and high-energy physics, non-linear physics and quantum information. The physics of correlated atoms in optical lattices is covered from both theoretical and experimental perspectives, including the Bose and Fermi Hubbard models, and the description of the Mott transition. Few-body physics with cold atoms has made spectacular progress and exact solutions for 3-body and 4-body problems have been obtained. The remarkable collisional stability of weakly bound molecules is at the core of the studies of molecular BEC regimes in Fermi gases. Entanglement in quantum many-body systems is introduced and is a key issue for quantum information processing. Rapidly rotating quantum gases and optically induced gauge fields establish a remarkable connection with the fractional quantum Hall effect for electrons in semiconductors. Dipolar quantum gases with long range and anisotropic interaction lead to new quantum degenerate regimes in atoms with large magnetic moments, or electrically aligned polar molecules. Experiments with ultracold fermions show how quantum gases serve as ''quantum simulators'' of complex condensed matter systems through measurements of the equation of state. Similarly, the recent observation of Anderson localization of matter waves in a disordered optical potential makes a fruitful link with the behaviour of electrons in disordered systems.

Turbulence in plasma surface interaction holds crucial uncertainties for its impact on material erosion in the operation of fusion reactors. In this thesis, the design, development and operation of a Thomson scattering diagnostic and its novel implementation with fast visual imaging created a versatile tool to investigate intermittently occuring plasma oscillations. Specifically, ballistic transport events in the plasma edge, constituting turbulent transport, have been targeted in this thesis. With the help of a custom photon counting algorithm, the conditional averaging technique was applied on Thomson scattering for the first time to allow spatial and pseudo-time-resolved measurements. Since plasma turbulence and the emerging transport phenomena are comparable in most magnetized devices, the diagnostic development and the results from the linear plasma device PSI-2 are useful for an implementation of similar techniques in larger fusion experiments. Furthermore, the obtained results indicate a strong enhancement of erosion with turbulent transport and thus underline the importance of dedicated experiments investigating plasma turbulence in the framework of erosion in future fusion reactors.

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 book covers the advances in the studies of hydrogen-bonding-driven supramolecular systems made over the past decade. It is divided into four parts, with the first introducing the basics of hydrogen bonding and important hydrogen bonding patterns in solution as well as in the solid state. The second part covers molecular recognition and supramolecular structures driven by hydrogen bonding. The third part introduces the formation of hollow and giant macrocycles directed by hydrogen bonding, while the last part summarizes hydrogen bonded supramolecular polymers. This book is designed to bring together in a single volume the many important aspects of hydrogen bonding supramolecular chemistry and will be a valuable resource for graduates and researchers working in supramolecular and related sciences. Zhan-Ting Li, PhD, is a Professor of Organic Chemistry at the Department of Chemistry, Fudan University, China. Li-Zhu Wu, PhD, is a Professor of Organic Chemistry at the Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China.

Cosmic inflation and dark energy hold the key to the origin and the eventual fate of the Universe. Despite the increasing prominence of these subjects in research and teaching over the past decade or more, no introductory textbook dedicated to these topics has been previously published. Dr. Konstantinos Dimopoulos is a highly regarded expert in the field, and an experienced communicator of the subject to students. In this book, he provides advanced undergraduate and early graduate students with an accessible introduction and equips them with the tools they need to understand the cosmology of cosmic inflation and dark energy. Features: Provides a concise, pedagogical "crash course" in big bang cosmology, focusing on the dynamics and the history of the Universe, with an emphasis on the role of dark energy Chapters contain questions and problems for readers to test their understanding The first book to make cosmic inflation and dark energy accessible to students

21st Century Nanoscience - A Handbook: Nanophotonics, Nanoelectronics, and Nanoplasmonics (Volume 6) will be the most comprehensive, up-to-date large reference work for the field of nanoscience. Handbook of Nanophysics by the same editor published in the fall of 2010 and was embraced as the first comprehensive reference to consider both fundamental and applied aspects of nanophysics. This follow-up project has been conceived as a necessary expansion and full update that considers the significant advances made in the field since 2010. It goes well beyond the physics as warranted by recent developments in the field. This sixth volume in a ten-volume set covers nanophotonics, nanoelectronics, and nanoplasmonics. Key Features: Provides the most comprehensive, up-to-date large reference work for the field. Chapters written by international experts in the field. Emphasises presentation and real results and applications. This handbook distinguishes itself from other works by its breadth of coverage, readability and timely topics. The intended readership is very broad, from students and instructors to engineers, physicists, chemists, biologists, biomedical researchers, industry professionals, governmental scientists, and others whose work is impacted by nanotechnology. It will be an indispensable resource in academic, government, and industry libraries worldwide. The fields impacted by nanophysics extend from materials science and engineering to biotechnology, biomedical engineering, medicine, electrical engineering, pharmaceutical science, computer technology, aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, food science, and beyond.

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.

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.