This volume considers the role comets may have played in the origins and evolution of life. This is the only book dealing in depth with this subject. It is particularly relevant in light of recent investigations of Halley's comet, of new insights into organic synthesis in meteorites and comets, and of new results of numerical simulations of cometary orbits and impacts on Earth. The book is intended as a comprehensive review of current research.

This volume comprises review papers presented at the Conference on Antidifferentiation and the Calculation of Feynman Amplitudes, held in Zeuthen, Germany, in October 2020, and a few additional invited reviews. The book aims at comprehensive surveys and new innovative results of the analytic integration methods of Feynman integrals in quantum field theory. These methods are closely related to the field of special functions and their function spaces, the theory of differential equations and summation theory. Almost all of these algorithms have a strong basis in computer algebra. The solution of the corresponding problems are connected to the analytic management of large data in the range of Giga- to Terabytes. The methods are widely applicable to quite a series of other branches of mathematics and theoretical physics.

This collection of selected papers presented at the 11th International Conference on Scientific Computing in Electrical Engineering (SCEE), held in St. Wolfgang, Austria, in 2016, showcases the state of the art in SCEE. The aim of the SCEE 2016 conference was to bring together scientists from academia and industry, mathematicians, electrical engineers, computer scientists, and physicists, and to promote intensive discussions on industrially relevant mathematical problems, with an emphasis on the modeling and numerical simulation of electronic circuits and devices, electromagnetic fields, and coupled problems. The focus in methodology was on model order reduction and uncertainty quantification. This extensive reference work is divided into six parts: Computational Electromagnetics, Circuit and Device Modeling and Simulation, Coupled Problems and Multi-Scale Approaches in Space and Time, Mathematical and Computational Methods Including Uncertainty Quantification, Model Order Reduction, and Industrial Applications. Each part starts with a general introduction, followed by the respective contributions. This book will appeal to mathematicians and electrical engineers. Further, it introduces algorithm and program developers to recent advances in the other fields, while industry experts will be introduced to new programming tools and mathematical methods.

This monograph is devoted to the systematic presentation of foundations of the quantum field theory. Unlike numerous monographs devoted to this topic, a wide range of problems covered in this book are accompanied by their sufficiently clear interpretations and applications. An important significant feature of this monograph is the desire of the author to present mathematical problems of the quantum field theory with regard to new methods of the constructive and Euclidean field theory that appeared in the last thirty years of the 20th century and are based on the rigorous mathematical apparatus of functional analysis, the theory of operators, and the theory of generalized functions. The monograph is useful for students, post-graduate students, and young scientists who desire to understand not only the formality of construction of the quantum field theory but also its essence and connection with the classical mechanics, relativistic classical field theory, quantum mechanics, group theory, and the theory of path integral formalism.

The aim of this volume is to present the state of the art in the mathematical analysis of transport and mixing phenomena in fluids and associated problems. It supplements current literature on the subject with a unique blend of contributions that touch upon both theoretical as well as modeling questions and showcase a variety of techniques, from the analysis of partial differential equations, to harmonic analysis, to computational methods. The volume contains the expanded notes from lectures by leading experts in the field at the Summer School "Transport, Fluids, and Mixing" held in Levico Terme, Italy, July 19-24, 2015.

This book gathers selected contributions on emerging research work presented at the International Conference eXtended Discretization MethodS (X-DMS), held in Ferrara in September 2015. It highlights the most relevant advances made at the international level in the context of expanding classical discretization methods, like finite elements, to the numerical analysis of a variety of physical problems. The improvements are intended to achieve higher computational efficiency and to account for special features of the solution directly in the approximation space and/or in the discretization procedure. The methods described include, among others, partition of unity methods (meshfree, XFEM, GFEM), virtual element methods, fictitious domain methods, and special techniques for static and evolving interfaces. The uniting feature of all contributions is the direct link between computational methodologies and their application to different engineering areas.

This book is for students following an introductory course in numerical methods, numerical techniques or numerical analysis. It introduces MATLAB as a computing environment for experimenting with numerical methods. It approaches the subject from a pragmatic viewpoint; theory is kept at a minimum commensurate with comprehensive coverage of the subject and it contains abundant worked examples which provide easy understanding through a clear and concise theoretical treatment. This edition places even greater emphasis on 'learning by doing' than the previous edition.

Fully documented MATLAB code for the numerical methods described in the book will be available as supplementary material to the book on http: //extras.springer.com

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The book collects the most relevant results from the INdAM Workshop "Shocks, Singularities and Oscillations in Nonlinear Optics and Fluid Mechanics" held in Rome, September 14-18, 2015. The contributions discuss recent major advances in the study of nonlinear hyperbolic systems, addressing general theoretical issues such as symmetrizability, singularities, low regularity or dispersive perturbations. It also investigates several physical phenomena where such systems are relevant, such as nonlinear optics, shock theory (stability, relaxation) and fluid mechanics (boundary layers, water waves, Euler equations, geophysical flows, etc.). It is a valuable resource for researchers in these fields.

This book presents nanomaterials as predicted by computational modelling and numerical simulation tools, and confirmed by modern experimental techniques. It begins by summarizing basic theoretical methods, then giving both a theoretical and experimental treatment of how alkali metal clusters develop into nanostructures, as influenced by the cluster's "magic number" of atoms. The book continues with a discussion of atomic clusters and nanostructures, focusing primarily on boron and carbon, exploring, in detail, the one-, two-, and three-dimensional structures of boron and carbon, and describing their myriad potential applications in nanotechnology, from nanocoating and nanosensing to nanobatteries with high borophene capacity. The broad discussion of computational modelling as well as the specific applications to boron and carbon, make this book an essential reference resource for materials scientists in this field of research.

The seminar on Stochastic Analysis and Mathematical Physics of the Ca tholic University of Chile, started in Santiago in 1984, has being followed and enlarged since 1995 by a series of international workshops aimed at pro moting a wide-spectrum dialogue between experts on the fields of classical and quantum stochastic analysis, mathematical physics, and physics. This volume collects most of the contributions to the Fourth Interna tional Workshop on Stochastic Analysis and Mathematical Physics (whose Spanish abbreviation is "ANESTOC"; in English, "STAMP"), held in San tiago, Chile, from January 5 to 11, 2000. The workshop style stimulated a vivid exchange of ideas which finally led to a number of written con tributions which I am glad to introduce here. However, we are currently submitted to a sort of invasion of proceedings books, and we do not want to increase our own shelves with a new one of the like. On the other hand, the editors of conference proceedings have to use different exhausting and com pulsive strategies to persuade authors to write and provide texts in time, a task which terrifies us. As a result, this volume is aimed at smoothly start ing a new kind of publication. What we would like to have is a collection of books organized like our seminar.

Succeed in your course, improve your problem-solving skills, and enrich your understanding of the world around you with COLLEGE PHYSICS, Volume 1, 11th Edition! This proven text combines a logical presentation of physical concepts with a consistent strategy for solving problems and an unparalleled array of worked examples to help you master the concepts and skills of the course.

This book introduces the reader with little or no previous computer-programming experience to the Python programming language of interest for a physicist or a natural-sciences student. The book starts with basic interactive Python in order to acquire an introductory familiarity with the language, than tackle Python scripts (programs) of increasing complexity, that the reader is invited to run on her/his computer. All program listings are discussed in detail, and the reader is invited to experiment on what happens if some code lines are modified. The reader is introduced to Matplotlib graphics for the generation of figures representing data and function plots and, for instance, field lines. Animated function plots are also considered. A chapter is dedicated to the numerical solution of algebraic and transcendental equations, the basic mathematical principles are discussed and the available Python tools for the solution are presented. A further chapter is dedicated to the numerical solution of ordinary differential equations. This is of vital importance for the physicist, since differential equations are at the base of both classical physics (Newton's equations) and quantum mechanics (Schroedinger's equation). The shooting method for the numerical solution of ordinary differential equations with boundary conditions at two boundaries is also presented. Python programs for the solution of two quantum-mechanics problems are discussed as examples. Two chapters are dedicated to Tkinter graphics, which gives the user more freedom than Matplotlib, and to Tkinter animation. Programs displaying the animation of physical problems involving the solution of ordinary differential equations (for which in most cases there is no algebraic solution) in real time are presented and discussed. Finally, 3D animation is presented with Vpython.

What happens when the Dalai Lama meets with leading physicists and a historian? This book is the carefully edited record of the fascinating discussions at a Mind and Life conference in which five leading physicists and a historian (David Finkelstein, George Greenstein, Piet Hut, Arthur Zajonc, Anton Zeilinger, and Tu Weiming) discussed with the Dalai Lama current thought in theoretical quantum physics, in the context of Buddhist philosophy. A contribution to the science-religion interface, and a useful explanation of our basic understanding of quantum reality, couched at a level that intelligent readers without a deep involvement in science can grasp. In the tradition of other popular books on resonances between modern quantum physics and Zen or Buddhist mystical traditions--notably The Dancing Wu Li Masters and The Tao of Physics, this book gives a clear and useful update of the genuine correspondences between these two rather disparate approaches to understanding the nature of reality.

In the science classroom, there are some ideas that are as difficult for young students to grasp as they are for teachers to explain. Forces, electricity, light, and basic astronomy are all examples of conceptual domains that come into this category. How should a teacher teach them? The authors of this monograph reject the traditional separation of subject and pedagogic knowledge. They believe that to develop effective teaching for meaningful learning in science, we must identify how teachers themselves interpret difficult ideas in science and, in particular, what supports their own learning in coming to a professional understanding of how to teach science concepts to young children. To do so, they analyzed trainee and practising teachers' responses to engaging with difficult ideas when learning science in higher education settings. The text demonstrates how professional insight emerges as teachers identify the elements that supported their understanding during their own learning. In this paradigm, professional awareness derives from the practitioner interrogating their own learning and identifying implications for their teaching of science. The book draws on a significant body of critically analysed empirical evidence collated and documented over a five-year period involving large numbers of trainee and practising teachers. It concludes that it is essential to 'problematize' subject knowledge, both for learner and teacher. The book's theoretical perspective draws on the field of cognitive psychology in learning. In particular, the role of metacognition and cognitive conflict in learning are examined and subsequently applied in a range of contexts. The work offers a unique and refreshing approach in addressing the important professional dimension of supporting teacher understanding of pedagogy and critically examines assumptions in contemporary debates about constructivism in science education.

This book deals with a selection of research topics in theoretical physics that have (almost) been proven to be a dead-end or continue at least to be highly controversial. Nevertheless, small but dedicated research communities continue to work on these issues. In a series of essays this book describes their work and struggle as well as the chances of any breakthrough in these areas. It is written as both an entertainment and serious study.

"This book addresses mathematical problems motivated by various applications in physics, engineering, chemistry and biology. It gathers the lecture notes from the mini-course presented by Jean-Christophe Mourrat on the construction of the various stochastic "basic" terms involved in the formulation of the dynamic OE4 theory in three space dimensions, as well as selected contributions presented at the fourth meeting on Particle Systems and PDEs, which was held at the University of Minho's Centre of Mathematics in December 2015. The purpose of the conference was to bring together prominent researchers working in the fields of particle systems and partial differential equations, offering them a forum to present their recent results and discuss their topics of expertise. The meeting was also intended to present to a vast and varied public, including young researchers, the area of interacting particle systems, its underlying motivation, and its relation to partial differential equations. The book will be of great interest to probabilists, analysts, and all mathematicians whose work focuses on topics in mathematical physics, stochastic processes and differential equations in general, as well as physicists working in statistical mechanics and kinetic theory."

This book discusses group theory investigations of zincblende and wurtzite semiconductors under symmetry-breaking conditions. The text presents the group theory elements required to develop a multitude of symmetry-breaking problems, giving scientists a fast track to bypass the need for recalculating electronic states. The text is not only a valuable resource for speeding up calculations but also illustrates the construction of effective Hamiltonians for a chosen set of electronic states in crystalline semiconductors. Since Hamiltonians have to be invariant under the transformations of the point group, the crystal symmetry determines the multiplet structure of these states in the presence of spin-orbit, crystal-field, or exchange interactions. Symmetry-breaking leads to additional coupling of the states, resulting in shifts and/or splittings of the multiplets. Such interactions may be intrinsic, as in the case of the quasi-particle dispersion, or extrinsic, induced by magnetic, electric, or strain fields. Using a power expansion of the perturbations these interaction terms can be determined in their parameterized form in a unique way. The hierarchic structure of this invariant development allows to estimate the importance of particular symmetry-breaking effects in the Hamiltonian. A number of selected experimental curves are included to illustrate the symmetry-based discussions, which are especially important in optical spectroscopy. This text is written for graduate students and researchers who want to understand and simulate experimental findings reflecting the fine structure of electronic or excitonic states in crystalline semiconductors.

Aimed at researchers and graduate students, this book provides up-to-date information about the electronic interactions that impact the optical properties of rare earth ions in solids. Its goal is to establish a connection between fundamental principles and the materials properties of rare-earth activated luminescent and laser optical materials. The theoretical survey and introduction to spectroscopic properties covers electronic energy level structure, intensities of optical transitions, ion-phonon interactions, line broadening, and energy transfer and up-conversion. An important aspect of the book lies in its deep and detailed discussions of materials properties and the potential of new applications such as optical storage, information processing, nanophotonics, and molecular probes that have been identified in recent experimental studies. This volume will be a valuable reference book on advanced topics of rare earth spectroscopy and materials science.

The most comprehensive book ever written on the Andromeda Galaxy is here! Written for the serious amateur, fully illustrated with beautiful color photographs, a complete history and the latest research findings. Help and guidance is provided for the amateur astronomer. This book is destined to become a standard reference book in astronomy.

GU Chaohao The soliton theory is an important branch of nonlinear science. On one hand, it describes various kinds of stable motions appearing in - ture, such as solitary water wave, solitary signals in optical ?bre etc., and has many applications in science and technology (like optical signal communication). On the other hand, it gives many e?ective methods ofgetting explicit solutions of nonlinear partial di?erential equations. Therefore, it has attracted much attention from physicists as well as mathematicians. Nonlinearpartialdi?erentialequationsappearinmanyscienti?cpr- lems. Getting explicit solutions is usually a di?cult task. Only in c- tain special cases can the solutions be written down explicitly. However, for many soliton equations, people have found quite a few methods to get explicit solutions. The most famous ones are the inverse scattering method, B] acklund transformation etc.. The inverse scattering method is based on the spectral theory of ordinary di?erential equations. The Cauchyproblemofmanysolitonequationscanbetransformedtosolving a system of linear integral equations. Explicit solutions can be derived when the kernel of the integral equation is degenerate. The B] ac ] klund transformation gives a new solution from a known solution by solving a system of completely integrable partial di?erential equations. Some complicated "nonlinear superposition formula" arise to substitute the superposition principlein linear science."

In 1997, contrary to the ruling paradigm which was that of a dark matter ?lled, decelerating universe, my work pointed to a dark energydriven- celerating universe with a small cosmological constant. Moreover, the many supposedly accidental Large Number relations in cosmology, including the mysterious Weinbergformula were now deduced from the theory. Obser- tionalcon?rmationforthisscenariocamein1998, whiledarkenergyitselfwas ?nally recon?rmed in 2003, thanks to the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. The 1997, and subsequent work was the consequence of mainly three cons- erations: dark energy or the well known Zero Point Field, fuzzy spacetime and ?uctuations. Indeed String Theory and Quantum Gravity approaches have had to discard the smooth spacetime of General Relativity and Qu- tum Field Theory, in a quest for a uni?ed description of these two pillars of twentieth century physics. This book is the result of some seventy ?ve papers published in international journals, andpartlyanearlierbook,"TheChaoticUniverse: FromthePlanck to the Hubble Scale" (Nova Science, New York, 2001), as also several lectures delivered in Universities and institutes in the United States, Canada and - rope. It describes how, in a simple and somewhat conventional framework, an underpinning of Planck scale oscillators in the ubiquitous Zero Point Field or dark energy leads to a uni?ed description of phenomena involving elementary particles and the cosmos. In particular, apart from the cosmology mentioned above, these considerations lead to a uni?ed description of all interactions, includinggravitation, thoughinanextended gauge ?eld treatment.

In this book for the first time two scientific fields - consensus formation and synchronization of communications - are presented together and examined through their interrelational aspects, of rapidly growing importance. Both fields have indeed attracted enormous research interest especially in relation to complex networks.
In networks of dynamic systems (or agents), consensus means to reach an agreement regarding a certain quantity of interest that depends on the state of all dynamical systems (agents). Consensus problems have a long history in control theory and computer sciences, and form the foundation of the field of distributed computing. Synchronization, which defines correlated-in-time behavior between different processes and roots going back to Huygens to the least, is now a highly popular, exciting and rapidly developing topic, with applications ranging from biological networks to mathematical epidemiology, and from processing information in the brain to engineering of communications devices.
The book reviews recent finding in both fields and describes novel approaches to consensus formation, where consensus is realized as an instance of the nonlinear dynamics paradigm of chaos synchronization. The chapters are written by world-known experts in both fields and cover topics ranging from fundaments to various applications of consensus and synchronization."