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Books > Science & Mathematics > Physics > General
Constructibility and complexity play central roles in recent research in computer science, mathematics and physics. For example, scientists are investigating the complexity of computer programs, constructive proofs in mathematics and the randomness of physical processes. But there are different approaches to the explication of these concepts. This volume presents important research on the state of this discussion, especially as it refers to quantum mechanics. This foundational debate' in computer science, mathematics and physics was already fully developed in 1930 in the Vienna Circle. A special section is devoted to its real founder Hans Hahn, referring to his contribution to the history and philosophy of science. The documentation section presents articles on the early Philipp Frank and on the Vienna Circle in exile. Reviews cover important recent literature on logical empiricism and related topics.
This work tackles the problems of understanding how energy is transmitted and distributed in power-grids as well as in determining how robust this transmission and distribution is when modifications to the grid or power occur. The most important outcome is the derivation of explicit relationships between the structure of the grid, the optimal transmission and distribution of energy, and the grid's collective behavior (namely, the synchronous generation of power). These relationships are extremely relevant for the design of resilient power-grid models. To allow the reader to apply these results to other complex systems, the thesis includes a review of relevant aspects of network theory, spectral theory, and novel analytical calculations to predict the existence and stability of periodic collective behavior in complex networks of phase oscillators, which constitute a paradigmatic model for many complex systems.
Many books have been written on the history of quantum mechanics. So far as I am aware, however, this is the first to incorporate the results of the large amount of detailed scholarly research completed by professional historians of physics over the past fifteen years. It is also, I believe, the first since Max Jammer's pioneering study of fifteen years ago to attempt a genuine 'history' as opposed to a mere technical report or popular or semi-popular account. My aims in making this attempt have been to satisfy the needs of historians of science and, more especially, to promote a serious interest in the history of science among phYSicists and physics students. Since the creation of quantum mechanics was inevitably a technical process conducted through the medium of technical language it has been impossible to avoid the introduction of a large amount of such language. Some acquaintance with quantum mechanics, corresponding to that obtained through an undergraduate physics course, has accordingly been assumed. I have tried to ensure, however, that such an acquaintance should be sufficient as well as necessary, and even someone with only the most basic grounding in physics should be able with judicious skip ping, to get through the book. The technical details are essential to the dialogue, but the plot proceeds and can, I hope, be understood on a non technical level."
very small domain (environment) affects through analytic continuation the whole of Riemann surface, or analytic manifold . Riemann was a master at applying this principle and also the first who noticed and emphasized that a meromorphic function is determined by its 'singularities'. Therefore he is rightly regarded as the father of the huge 'theory of singularities' which is developing so quickly and whose importance (also for physics) can hardly be overe~timated. Amazing and mysterious for our cognition is the role of Euclidean space. Even today many philosophers believe (following Kant) that 'real space' is Euclidean and other spaces being 'abstract constructs of mathematicians, should not be called spaces'. The thesis is no longer tenable - the whole of physics testifies to that. Nevertheless, there is a grain of truth in the 3 'prejudice': E (three-dimensional Euclidean space) is special in a particular way pleasantly familiar to us - in it we (also we mathematicians!) feel particularly 'confident' and move with a sense of greater 'safety' than in non-Euclidean spaces. For this reason perhaps, Riemann space M stands out among the multitude of 'interesting geometries'. For it is: 1. Locally Euclidean, i. e. , M is a differentiable manifold whose tangent spaces TxM are equipped with Euclidean metric Uxi 2. Every submanifold M of Euclidean space E is equipped with Riemann natural metric (inherited from the metric of E) and it is well known how often such submanifolds are used in mechanics (e. g. , the spherical pendulum).
This provocative and critical work addresses the question of why scientific realists and positivists consider experimental physics to be a natural and empirical science. Taking insights from contemporary science studies, continental philosophy, and the history of physics, this book describes and analyses the metaphysical presuppositions that underwrite the technological use of experimental apparatus and instruments to explore, model, and understand nature. By revealing this metaphysical foundation, the author questions whether experimental physics is a natural and empirical science at all.
In philosophy as in ordinary life, cause and effect are twin
pillars on which much of our thought seems based. But almost a
century ago, Bertrand Russell declared that modern physics leaves
these pillars without foundations. Russell's revolutionary
conclusion was that "the law of causality is a relic of a bygone
age, surviving, like the monarchy, only because it is erroneously
supposed to do no harm."
Based on research on the links between deep brain stimulation and its applications in the field of psychiatry, the history of techniques is of great importance in this book in order to understand the scope of the fields of application of electricity in brain sciences. The concepts of brain electricity, stimulation, measurement and therapy are further developed to identify lines of convergence, ruptures and conceptual perspectives for a materialistic understanding of human nature that emerged during the 18th century. In an epistemological posture, at the crossroads of the concepts of epistemes, as stated by Foucault, and phenomenotechnics, as conceived by Bachelard, the analyses focus on the technical content of the theories while inscribing them in the language and specificities of each era.
General relativity ranks among the most accurately tested fundamental theories in all of physics. Deficiencies in mathematical and conceptual understanding still exist, hampering further progress. This book collects surveys by experts in mathematical relativity writing about the current status of, and problems in, their fields. There are four contributions for each of the following mathematical areas: differential geometry and differential topology, analytical methods and differential equations, and numerical methods.
In this introductory text, Dr. Birdi demonstrates experimental methods and analyses of fractal dimensions in natural processes. In addition to a general overview, he discusses in detail problems in the fields of chemistry, geochemistry, and biophysics. Both students and professionals with a minimum of mathematics or physical science training will learn to find and model shapes and patterns from their own everyday observations.
The 26th International Conference on the Physics of Semiconductors was held from 29 July to 2 August 2002 at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre. It is the premier meeting in the field of semiconductor physics and attracted over 1000 participants from leading academic, governmental and industrial institutions in some 50 countries around the world. Plenary and invited papers (34) have been printed in the paper volume, and all submitted papers (742) are included on the downloadable resources.These proceedings provide an international perspective on the latest research and a review of recent developments in semiconductor physics. Topics range from growth and properties of bulk semiconductors to the optical and transport properties of semiconductor nanostructures. There are 742 papers, mostly arranged in chapters on Bulk, dynamics, defects and impurities, growth (147); Heterostructures, quantum wells, superlattices - optical (138); Heterostructures, quantum wells, superlattices - transport (97); Quantum nanostructures - optical (120); Quantum nanostructures - transport (85); New materials and concepts (52); Novel devices (43); and Spin and magnetic effects (48). A number of trends were identified in setting up the overall programme of the conference. There were significant contributions from new directions of research such as nanostructures and one-dimensional physics; spin effects and ferromagnetism; and terahertz and subband physics. These complemented areas in which the conference has traditional strengths, such as defects and bulk materials; crystal growth; quantum transport; and optical properties.As a record of a conference that covers the whole range of semiconductor physics, this book is an essential reference for researchers working on semiconductor physics, device physics, materials science, chemistry, and electronic and electrical engineering.
Miniaturization has revolutionized human affairs by making possible inexpensive integrated electronic circuits comprised of devices and wires with sub-micrometer dimensions. These integrated circuits are now ubiquitous, controlling everything from our automobiles to our toasters. Continued miniaturization, beyond sub-micrometer dimensions, seems likely. And so we are compelled to explore science and technology on a new, yet smaller scale: the nanometer scale. This volume is a survey of the machinery and science of the nanometer scale. Its twenty-two contributing authors, drawn from many different disciplines including atomic physics, microelectronics, polymer chemistry, and bio-physics, delineate the course of current research and articulate a vision for the development of the nanometer frontiers in electronics, mechanics, chemistry, magnetics, materials, and biology. They reveal a world thirty years hence where motors are smaller than the diameter of a human hair; where single-celled organisms are programmed to fabricate materials with nanometer precision; where single atoms are used for computation, and where quantum chaos is the norm. Aimed at the level of comprehension of at least a junior- or senior-level undergraduate science (biology, chemistry, physics, or engineering) student, the book provides a survey of developments within the breadth of the nanotechnology field. The book is thus intended for both students and researchers in tunneling microscopy, polymer chemistry, bio-physics, atomic physics, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, materials science, condensed matter physics, biology, lithography, and chaos. Mathematical derivations have been minimized, but not eliminted. The book contains many illustrations, some in color.
Written in an accessible and informal style, this textbook is designed to give graduate students an understanding of integrable systems via the study of Riemann surfaces, loop groups, and twistors. The book has its origins in a series of lecture courses given by the authors, all internationally known mathematicians and renowned expositors. The introduction by Nigel Hitchin addresses the meaning of integrability: how do we recognize an integrable system? His own contribution then develops connections with algebraic geometry, and includes an introduction to Riemann surfaces, sheaves, and line bundles.
The motion of a particle in a random potential in two or more dimensions is chaotic, and the trajectories in deterministically chaotic systems are effectively random. It is therefore no surprise that there are links between the quantum properties of disordered systems and those of simple chaotic systems. The question is, how deep do the connec tions go? And to what extent do the mathematical techniques designed to understand one problem lead to new insights into the other? The canonical problem in the theory of disordered mesoscopic systems is that of a particle moving in a random array of scatterers. The aim is to calculate the statistical properties of, for example, the quantum energy levels, wavefunctions, and conductance fluctuations by averaging over different arrays; that is, by averaging over an ensemble of different realizations of the random potential. In some regimes, corresponding to energy scales that are large compared to the mean level spacing, this can be done using diagrammatic perturbation theory. In others, where the discreteness of the quantum spectrum becomes important, such an approach fails. A more powerful method, devel oped by Efetov, involves representing correlation functions in terms of a supersymmetric nonlinear sigma-model. This applies over a wider range of energy scales, covering both the perturbative and non-perturbative regimes. It was proved using this method that energy level correlations in disordered systems coincide with those of random matrix theory when the dimensionless conductance tends to infinity."
Processes with long range correlations occur in a wide variety of fields ranging from physics and biology to economics and finance. This book, suitable for both graduate students and specialists, brings the reader up to date on this rapidly developing field. A distinguished group of experts have been brought together to provide a comprehensive and well-balanced account of basic notions and recent developments. The book is divided into two parts. The first part deals with theoretical developments in the area. The second part comprises chapters dealing primarily with three major areas of application: anomalous diffusion, economics and finance, and biology (especially neuroscience).
The present monograph provides a systematic and basicaIly self-eontained introduetion to a mathematieal framework eapable of ineOIporating those fundamental physical premises of general relativity and quantum meehanics which are not mutually ineonsistent, and which ean be therefore retained in the unifieation of these two fundamental areas of twentieth- eentury physics. Thus, its underlying thesis is that the equivalenee principle of classical general relativity remains true at the quantum level, where it has to be reeonciled, however, with the uneertainty principle. As will be discussed in the first as weIl as in the last chapter, eonventional methods based on classical geometries and on single Hilbert space frame- works for quantum meehanics have failed to aehieve such a reconciliation. On the other hand, foundational arguments suggest that new types of geometries should be introdueed. The geometries proposed and studied in this monograph are referred to as quantum geometries, sinee basic quantum principles are ineorporated into their strueture from the outset. The mathematical tools used in constructing these quantum geometries are drawn from functional analysis and fibre bundle theory, and in particular from Hilbert space the- ory, group representation theory, and modern formulations of differential geometry. The developed physical eoncepts have their roots in nonrelativistic and relativistic quantum me- chanics in Hilbert spaee, in classical general relativity and in quantum field theory for mas- sive and gauge fields.
In this third volume of his modern introduction to quantum field theory, Eberhard Zeidler examines the mathematical and physical aspects of gauge theory as a principle tool for describing the four fundamental forces which act in the universe: gravitative, electromagnetic, weak interaction and strong interaction. Volume III concentrates on the "classical aspects "of gauge theory, describing the four fundamental forces by the curvature of appropriate fiber bundles." "This must be supplemented by the crucial, but elusive quantization procedure. The book is arranged in four sections, devoted to realizing the universal principle "force equals curvature: " Part I: The Euclidean Manifold as a Paradigm Part II: Ariadne's Thread in Gauge Theory Part III: Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity Part IV: Ariadne's Thread in Cohomology For students of mathematics the book is designed to demonstrate that detailed knowledge of the physical background helps to reveal interesting interrelationships among diverse mathematical topics. Physics students will be exposed to a fairly advanced mathematics, beyond the level covered in the typical physics curriculum. "Quantum Field Theory" builds a bridge between mathematicians and physicists, based on challenging questions about the fundamental forces in the universe (macrocosmos), and in the world of elementary particles (microcosmos). "
GAUGE INTEGRAL STRUCTURES FOR STOCHASTIC CALCULUS AND QUANTUM ELECTRODYNAMICS A stand-alone introduction to specific integration problems in the probabilistic theory of stochastic calculus Picking up where his previous book, A Modern Theory of Random Variation, left off, Gauge Integral Structures for Stochastic Calculus and Quantum Electrodynamics introduces readers to particular problems of integration in the probability-like theory of quantum mechanics. Written as a motivational explanation of the key points of the underlying mathematical theory, and including ample illustrations of the calculus, this book relies heavily on the mathematical theory set out in the author's previous work. That said, this work stands alone and does not require a reading of A Modern Theory of Random Variation in order to be understandable. Gauge Integral Structures for Stochastic Calculus and Quantum Electrodynamics takes a gradual, relaxed, and discursive approach to the subject in a successful attempt to engage the reader by exploring a narrower range of themes and problems. Organized around examples with accompanying introductions and explanations, the book covers topics such as: Stochastic calculus, including discussions of random variation, integration and probability, and stochastic processes Field theory, including discussions of gauges for product spaces and quantum electrodynamics Robust and thorough appendices, examples, illustrations, and introductions for each of the concepts discussed within An introduction to basic gauge integral theory (for those unfamiliar with the author's previous book) The methods employed in this book show, for instance, that it is no longer necessary to resort to unreliable "Black Box" theory in financial calculus; that full mathematical rigor can now be combined with clarity and simplicity. Perfect for students and academics with even a passing interest in the application of the gauge integral technique pioneered by R. Henstock and J. Kurzweil, Gauge Integral Structures for Stochastic Calculus and Quantum Electrodynamics is an illuminating and insightful exploration of the complex mathematical topics contained within.
This chronological survey explores Pascal's (162362) achievement as mathematician, physicist and religious thinker; it also has a chapter on his life. His work on conic sections, the probability calculus, number theory, cycloid curves and hydrostatics is considered in detail. Analyses of the Provincial Letters and the Thoughts bring out the many distinctive features, thematicnn and technical, of each text. Pascal's lesser known works are also studied. There is a chapter on the Wager argument. A wide-ranging bibliography completes the book.
This book suggests activities that bring the basic concepts of energy to life with common household objects. Each chapter ends with a summary and an applications section that uses practical examples such as roller coasters and home heating systems to explain energy transformations and convection cells.
Wolfgang Pauli, world-renowned physicist, turned to Carl Jung for help, setting a standing appointment for Mondays at noon. Thus bloomed an extraordinary intellectual conjunction. Eighty letters, written over twenty-six years, record that friendship, and are published here in English for the first time.Through the association of these two pioneering thinkers, developments in physics profoundly influenced the evolution of Jungian psychology. And many of Jung's abiding themes shaped how Pauli - and, through him, other physicists - understood the physical world. Atom and Archetype will appeal not only to those interested in the life of Pauli or Jung, but also to the educated general reader.
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