This book describes and contextualises collisionless plasma theory, and in particular collisionless plasma equilibria. The Vlasov-Maxwell theory of collisionless plasmas is an increasingly important tool for modern plasma physics research: our ability to sustain plasma in a steady-state, and to mitigate instabilities, determines the success of thermonuclear fusion power plants on Earth; and our understanding of plasma aids in the prediction and mitigation of Space Weather effects on terrestrial environments and satellites. Further afield, magnetic reconnection is a ubiquitous energy release mechanism throughout the Universe, and modern satellites are now able to make in-situ measurements with kinetic scale resolution. To keep pace with these challenges and technological developments, a modern scientific discussion of plasma physics must enhance, and exploit, its 'literacy' in kinetic theory. For example, accurate analytical calculations and computer simulations of kinetic instabilities are predicated on a knowledge of Vlasov-Maxwell equilibria as an initial condition. This book highlights new fundamental work on Vlasov-Maxwell equilibria, of potential interest to mathematicians and physicists alike. Possible applications involve two of the most significant magnetic structures known to confine plasma and store energy: current sheets and flux tubes.

Advances in Imaging and Electron Physics, Volume 210, merges two long-running serials, Advances in Electronics and Electron Physics and Advances in Optical and Electron Microscopy. The series features extended articles on the physics of electron devices (especially semiconductor devices), particle optics at high and low energies, microlithography, image science, digital image processing, electromagnetic wave propagation, electron microscopy and the computing methods used in all these domains. Sections in this new release cover Electron energy loss spectroscopy at high energy losses, Examination of 2D Hexagonal Band Structure from a Nanoscale Perspective for use in Electronic Transport Devices, and more.

This thesis focuses on the key technologies involved in magnetically coupled Wireless Power Transfer (WPT). Starting from the basic structures and theories of WPT, it addresses four fundamental aspects of these systems. Firstly, it analyzes the factors affecting transfer efficiency and compares various methods for reducing the working frequency. Secondly, it discusses frequency splitting and offers a physical explanation. Thirdly, it proposes and assesses three multiple-load transfer structures. Lastly, it investigates WPT systems with active voltage-source and current-source load. As such, the thesis offers readers a deeper understanding of WPT technology, while also proposing insightful new advances.

This book presents the latest research in ultrathin carbon-based protective overcoats for high areal density magnetic data storage systems, with a particular focus on hard disk drives (HDDs) and tape drives. These findings shed new light on how the microstructure and interfacial chemistry of these sub-20 nm overcoats can be engineered at the nanoscale regime to obtain enhanced properties for wear, thermal and corrosion protection - which are critical for such applications. Readers will also be provided with fresh experimental insights into the suitability of graphene as an atomically-thin overcoat for HDD media. The easy readability of this book will appeal to a wide audience, ranging from non-specialists with a general interest in the field to scientists and industry professionals directly involved in thin film and coatings research.

This book studies the structural, magnetic and electronic properties of, as well as magnetic excitations in, high-temperature BaFe2-xNixAs2 superconductors using neutron diffraction and neutron spectroscopic methods. It describes the precise determination of the phase diagram of BaFe2-xNixAs2, which demonstrates strong magnetoelastic coupling and avoided quantum criticality driven by short-range incommensurate antiferromagnetic order, showing cluster spin glass behavior. It also identifies strong nematic spin correlations in the tetragonal state of uniaxial strained BaFe2-xNixAs2. The nematic correlations have similar temperature and doping dependence as resistivity anisotropy in detwinned samples, which suggests that they are intimately connected. Lastly, it investigates doping evolution of magnetic excitations in overdoped BaFe2-xNixAs2 and discusses the links with superconductivity. This book includes detailed neutron scattering results on BaFe2-xNixAs2 and an introduction to neutron scattering techniques, making it a useful guide for readers pursuing related research.

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to ferroics and frustrated materials. Ferroics comprise a range of materials classes with functionalities such as magnetism, polarization, and orbital degrees of freedom and strain. Frustration, due to geometrical constraints, and disorder, due to chemical and/or structural inhomogeneities, can lead to glassy behavior, which has either been directly observed or inferred in a range of materials classes from model systems such as artificial spin ice, shape memory alloys, and ferroelectrics to electronically functional materials such as manganites. Interesting and unusual properties are found to be associated with these glasses and have potential for novel applications. Just as in prototypical spin glass and structural glasses, the elements of frustration and disorder lead to non-ergodocity, history dependence, frequency dependent relaxation behavior, and the presence of inhomogeneous nano clusters or domains. In addition, there are new states of matter, such as spin ice; however, it is still an open question as to whether these systems belong to the same family or universality class. The purpose of this work is to collect in a single volume the range of materials systems with differing functionalities that show many of the common characteristics of geometrical frustration, where interacting degrees of freedom do not fit in a lattice or medium, and glassy behavior is accompanied by additional presence of disorder. The chapters are written by experts in their fields and span experiment and theory, as well as simulations. Frustrated Materials and Ferroic Glasses will be of interest to a wide range of readers in condensed matter physics and materials science.

This thesis presents various characteristics of 122-type iron pnictide (FeSC) such as crystal and electronic structure, carrier-doping effect, and impurity-scattering effect, using transport, magnetization, specific heat, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and optical spectral measurements. Most notably the measurement on the magnetic fluctuation in the material successfully explains already known unusual electronic properties, i.e., superconducting gap symmetry, anisotropy of in-plane resistivity in layered structure, and charge dynamics; and comparing them with those of normal phase, the controversial problems in FeSCs are eventually settled. The thesis provides broad coverage of the physics of FeSCs both in the normal and superconducting phase, and readers therefore benefit from the efficient up-to-date study of FeSCs in this thesis. An additional attraction is the detailed description of the experimental result critical for the controversial problems remaining since the discovery of FeSC in 2008, which helps readers follow up recent developments in superconductor research.

This thesis demonstrates the novel magnetic functionalities in cyanido-bridged metal assemblies, and as such appeals to readers in the field of materials science. The utilization of octacyanidometalates as building blocks enables the observation of (i) photo-induced magnetization due to a light-induced spin-crossover in an iron octacyanidoniobate-based assembly, (ii) photo-induced magnetization with a two-step spin-crossover behavior in an iron octacyanidoniobate-based material, and (iii) the coexistence of super-ionic conductivity and metamagnetism in a manganese-octacyanoniobate system. These multi-functionalities are achieved by incorporating a spin-crossover moiety or a hydrogen-bonding network into a cyanido-bridged network structure with a strong magnetic interaction. In particular, in light-induced spin-crossover magnets, a magnetically non-ordered state can be altered to a magnetically ordered state by photo-irradiation, which is one of the attractive mechanisms for novel optical switching devices.

As a continuation of classical condensed matter physics texts, this graduate textbook introduces advanced topics of correlated electron systems, mesoscopic transport,quantum computing, optical excitations and topological insulators. The book is focusing on an intuitive understanding of the basic concepts of these rather complex subjects.

This thesis addresses two very different but equally important topics in the very broad fields of astrophysics and cosmology: (I) the generation of cosmological magnetic fields and (II) gravitational fragmentation of the Cosmic Web. All mathematical developments are completed by illuminating physical interpretations, and the thesis, which is guided by existing observations, is purely theoretical. In part I, the author further develops a magnetogenesis model proposed in the literature, providing an unprecedented level of physical understanding. He demonstrates that the physics of photoionisation is very likely to have premagnetised, at a relevant level, the entire Universe at the early epoch of the formation of the first luminous sources. In part II, the author adapts the tools of plasma spectral theory to the context of gravitational instability of the baryonic gas within the stratified structures of the Cosmic Web. He skillfully derives the wave equation governing the growth of perturbations and explores various equilibrium configurations, in planar and cylindrical geometries characteristic of cosmic walls and filaments, for isothermal and polytropic conditions, with or without an external gravitational background. Clearly structured and written in pedagogical style, this outstanding thesis puts the results into perspective and highlights the merits and limitations of the various approaches explored.

Bringing together nanoscience with stem cell and bacterial cell biology, this thesis is truly interdisciplinary in scope. It shows that the creation of superparamagnetic nanoparticles inside a protein coat, followed by chemical functionalisation of the protein surface, provides a novel methodology for cell magnetisation using incubation times as short as one minute. Crucially, stem cell proliferation and multi-lineage differentiation capacity is not impaired after labelling. Due to the unspecific labelling mechanism, this thesis also shows that the same magnetic protein nanoparticles can be used for rapid bacterial magnetisation. Thus, it is possible to magnetically capture and concentrate pathogens from clinical samples quickly and highly efficiently.

This book introduces readers to MesoBioNano (MBN) Explorer - a multi-purpose software package designed to model molecular systems at various levels of size and complexity. In addition, it presents a specially designed multi-task toolkit and interface - the MBN Studio - which enables the set-up of input files, controls the simulations, and supports the subsequent visualization and analysis of the results obtained. The book subsequently provides a systematic description of the capabilities of this universal and powerful software package within the framework of computational molecular science, and guides readers through its applications in numerous areas of research in bio- and chemical physics and material science - ranging from the nano- to the mesoscale. MBN Explorer is particularly suited to computing the system's energy, to optimizing molecular structure, and to exploring the various facets of molecular and random walk dynamics. The package allows the use of a broad variety of interatomic potentials and can, e.g., be configured to select any subset of a molecular system as rigid fragments, whenever a significant reduction in the number of dynamical degrees of freedom is required for computational practicalities. MBN Studio enables users to easily construct initial geometries for the molecular, liquid, crystalline, gaseous and hybrid systems that serve as input for the subsequent simulations of their physical and chemical properties using MBN Explorer. Despite its universality, the computational efficiency of MBN Explorer is comparable to that of other, more specialized software packages, making it a viable multi-purpose alternative for the computational modeling of complex molecular systems. A number of detailed case studies presented in the second part of this book demonstrate MBN Explorer's usefulness and efficiency in the fields of atomic clusters and nanoparticles, biomolecular systems, nanostructured materials, composite materials and hybrid systems, crystals, liquids and gases, as well as in providing modeling support for novel and emerging technologies. Last but not least, with the release of the 3rd edition of MBN Explorer in spring 2017, a free trial version will be available from the MBN Research Center website (mbnresearch.com).

The second edition of this book on nanomagnetism presents the basics and latest studies of low-dimensional magnetic nano-objects. It highlights the intriguing properties of nanomagnetic objects, such as thin films, nanoparticles, nanowires, nanotubes, nanodisks and nanorings as well as novel phenomena like spin currents. It also describes how nanomagnetism was an important factor in the rapid evolution of high-density magnetic recording and is developing into a decisive element of spintronics. Further, it presents a number of biomedical applications. With exercises and solutions, it serves as a graduate textbook.

Developments and Applications for ECG Signal Processing: Modeling, Segmentation, and Pattern Recognition covers reliable techniques for ECG signal processing and their potential to significantly increase the applicability of ECG use in diagnosis. This book details a wide range of challenges in the processes of acquisition, preprocessing, segmentation, mathematical modelling and pattern recognition in ECG signals, presenting practical and robust solutions based on digital signal processing techniques. Users will find this to be a comprehensive resource that contributes to research on the automatic analysis of ECG signals and extends resources relating to rapid and accurate diagnoses, particularly for long-term signals. Chapters cover classical and modern features surrounding f ECG signals, ECG signal acquisition systems, techniques for noise suppression for ECG signal processing, a delineation of the QRS complex, mathematical modelling of T- and P-waves, and the automatic classification of heartbeats.

This book tells you all you want to know about optical fibers: Their structure, their light-guiding mechanism, their material and manufacture, their use. It began with telephone, then came telefax and email. Today we use search engines, music downloads and internet videos, all of which require shuffling of bits and bytes by the zillions. The key to all this is the conduit: the line which is designed to carry massive amounts of data at breakneck speed. In their data carrying capacity optical fiber lines beat all other technologies (copper cable, microwave beacons, satellite links) hands down, at least in the long haul; wireless devices rely on fibers, too. Several effects tend to degrade the signal as it travels down the fiber: they are spelled out in detail. Nonlinear processes are given due consideration for a twofold reason: On the one hand they are fundamentally different from the more familiar processes in electrical cable. On the other hand, they form the basis of particularly interesting and innovative applications, provided they are understood well enough. A case in point is the use of so-called solitons, i.e. special pulses of light which have the wonderful property of being able to heal after perturbation. The book will take you from the physical basics of ray and beam optics, explain fiber structure and the functions of optical elements, and bring you to the forefront of both applications and research. The state of the art of high speed data transmission is described, and the use of fiber optic sensors in metrology is treated. The book is written in a pedagogical style so that students of both physics and electrical engineering, as well as technicians and engineers involved in optical technologies, will benefit. The new edition is largely updated and has new sections on nonlinear phenomena in fibers as well as on the latest trends in applications.

The book is devoted to advancing and developing the frontiers of superconductivity; in particular, the theory of the Diagrammatic Iteration Approach (DIA), described in Chapter 1, is unique in the community of superconductivity.The application of DIA to electron correlation effects has allowed the tough issue of strongly-coupled electron systems to be solved, which is important for high-temperature superconductivity (HTS). DIA, when applied to a layered two-dimensional system, gives rise to marvelous outcomes that can explain all the anomalies in the normal state of HTS, and leads to a transition temperature that is dependent on quantities including the dielectric constant, electron band mass and spacing between layers. This then serves as a quantifiable guide on how to make ideal superconductors. Moreover, in such a scenario, the mechanisms of low- and high-temperature superconductivity can be unified on the basis of repulsive Coulomb interactions between electrons.The book contains rich first-hand information on experiments at the frontiers of superconductivity, as well as on relevant applications of such cutting-edge developments. For instance, Jiasu Wang, co-author of the chapter discussing the HTS Maglev train, is the person who completed the world's first HTS Maglev train. Thus, the draw of this book lies not only in its ability to marry theory, experiment and application, but also in its inclusion of research from prestigious experts of the field.

This thesis elucidates electron correlation effects in topological matter whose electronic states hold nontrivial topological properties robust against small perturbations. In addition to a comprehensive introduction to topological matter, this thesis provides a new perspective on correlated topological matter. The book comprises three subjects, in which electron correlations in different forms are considered. The first focuses on Coulomb interactions for massless Dirac fermions. Using a perturbative approach, the author reveals emergent Lorentz invariance in a low-energy limit and discusses how to probe the Lorentz invariance experimentally. The second subject aims to show a principle for synthesizing topological insulators with common, light elements. The interplay between the spin-orbit interaction and electron correlation is considered, and Hund's rule and electron filling are consequently found to play a key role for a strong spin-orbit interaction important for topological insulators. The last subject is classification of topological crystalline insulators in the presence of electron correlation. Unlike non-interacting topological insulators, such two- and three-dimensional correlated insulators with mirror symmetry are demonstrated to be characterized, respectively, by the Z4 and Z8 group by using the bosonization technique and a geometrical consideration.

This book is about field responsive fluids as smart materials, which includes magneto-rheological (MR) fluids, electro-rheological (ER) fluids and ferrofluids. It reviews the previous works and considers all the aspects that can help researchers and industries to choose proper materials as MR fluid constituents. Topics in magnetism and types of magnetic materials are presented. This includes the effect of magnetizable particles behaviors such as size, shape and density. The type of materials on the rheological properties is also compared for MR, ER and ferro-fluids. The second part of the book discusses advanced topics for MR, ER and ferro-fluids comparing some of the properties between the field responsive fluids. This book appeals to engineers, researchers and practitioners in the area of materials and mechanical engineering with interest in the field responsive fluids.

In this monograph, the authors present their recently developed theory of electromagnetic interactions. This neoclassical approach extends the classical electromagnetic theory down to atomic scales and allows the explanation of various non-classical phenomena in the same framework. While the classical Maxwell-Lorentz electromagnetism theory succeeds in describing the physical reality at macroscopic scales, it struggles at atomic scales. Here, quantum mechanics traditionally takes over to describe non-classical phenomena such as the hydrogen spectrum and de Broglie waves. By means of modifying the classical theory, the approach presented here is able to consistently explain quantum-mechanical effects, and while similar to quantum mechanics in some respects, this neoclassical theory also differs markedly from it. In particular, the newly developed framework omits probabilistic interpretations of the wave function and features a new fundamental spatial scale which, at the size of the free electron, is much larger than the classical electron radius and is relevant to plasmonics and emission physics. This book will appeal to researchers interested in advanced aspects of electromagnetic theory. Treating the classical approach in detail, including non-relativistic aspects and the Lagrangian framework, and comparing the neoclassical theory with quantum mechanics and the de Broglie-Bohm theory, this work is completely self-contained.

This book offers a detailed discussion of the complex magnetic behavior of magnetic nanosystems, with its myriad of geometries (e.g. core-shell, heterodimer and dumbbell) and its different applications. It provides a broad overview of the numerous current studies concerned with magnetic nanoparticles, presenting key examples and an in-depth examination of the cutting-edge developments in this field. This contributed volume shares the latest developments in nanomagnetism with a wide audience: from upper undergraduate and graduate students to advanced specialists in both academia and industry. The first three chapters serve as a primer to the more advanced content found later in the book, making it an ideal introductory text for researchers starting in this field. It provides a forum for the critical evaluation of many aspects of complex nanomagnetism that are at the forefront of nanoscience today. It also presents highlights from the extensive literature on the topic, including the latest research in this field.

This book deals with standard spectroscopic techniques which can be used to analyze semiconductor samples or devices, in both, bulk, micrometer and submicrometer scale. The book aims helping experimental physicists and engineers to choose the right analytical spectroscopic technique in order to get specific information about their specific demands. For this purpose, the techniques including technical details such as apparatus and probed sample region are described. More important, also the expected outcome from experiments is provided. This involves also the link to theory, that is not subject of this book, and the link to current experimental results in the literature which are presented in a review-like style. Many special spectroscopic techniques are introduced and their relationship to the standard techniques is revealed. Thus the book works also as a type of guide or reference book for people researching in optical spectroscopy of semiconductors.

This book introduces senior-level and postgraduate students to the principles and applications of biophotonics. It also serves as a valuable reference resource or as a short-course textbook for practicing physicians, clinicians, biomedical researchers, healthcare professionals, and biomedical engineers and technicians dealing with the design, development, and application of photonics components and instrumentation to biophotonics issues. The topics include the fundamentals of optics and photonics, the optical properties of biological tissues, light-tissue interactions, microscopy for visualizing tissue components, spectroscopy for optically analyzing the properties of tissue, and optical biomedical imaging. It also describes tools and techniques such as laser and LED optical sources, photodetectors, optical fibers, bioluminescent probes for labeling cells, optical-based biosensors, surface plasmon resonance, and lab-on-a-chip technologies. Among the applications are optical coherence tomography (OCT), optical imaging modalities, photodynamic therapy (PDT), photobiostimulation or low-level light therapy (LLLT), diverse microscopic and spectroscopic techniques, tissue characterization, laser tissue ablation, optical trapping, and optogenetics. Worked examples further explain the material and how it can be applied to practical designs, and the homework problems help test readers' understanding of the text.

This book provides comprehensive coverage of the current state-of-the-art in soft magnetic materials and related applications, with particular focus on amorphous and nanocrystalline magnetic wires and ribbons and sensor applications. Expert chapters cover preparation, processing, tuning of magnetic properties, modeling, and applications. Cost-effective soft magnetic materials are required in a range of industrial sectors, such as magnetic sensors and actuators, microelectronics, cell phones, security, automobiles, medicine, health monitoring, aerospace, informatics, and electrical engineering. This book presents both fundamentals and applications to enable academic and industry researchers to pursue further developments of these key materials. This highly interdisciplinary volume represents essential reading for researchers in materials science, magnetism, electrodynamics, and modeling who are interested in working with soft magnets.

This is the eleventh volume in the series Light Scattering Reviews, devoted to current knowledge of light scattering problems and both experimental and theoretical research techniques related to their solution. The focus of this volume is to describe modern advances in radiative transfer and light scattering optics. This book brings together the most recent studies on light radiative transfer in the terrestrial atmosphere, while also reviewing environmental polarimetry. The book is divided into nine chapters: * the first four chapters review recent advances in modern radiative transfer theory and provide detailed descriptions of radiative transfer codes (e.g., DISORT and CRTM). Approximate solutions of integro-differential radiative transfer equations for turbid media with different shapes (spheres, cylinders, planeparallel layers) are detailed; * chapters 5 to 8 focus on studies of light scattering by single particles and radially inhomogeneous media; * the final chapter discusses the environmental polarimetry of man-made objects.

This book presents the versatile and pivotal role of electron spin interactions in nature. It provides the background, methodologies and tools for basic areas related to spin interactions, such as spin chemistry and biology, electron transfer, light energy conversion, photochemistry, radical reactions, magneto-chemistry and magneto-biology. The book also includes an overview of designing advanced magnetic materials, optical and spintronic devices and photo catalysts. This monograph will be of interest to scientists and graduate students working in the areas related to spin interactions physics, biophysics, chemistry and chemical engineering.