Recent experimental evidence about the possibility of "absolute negative temperature" states in physical systems has triggered a stimulating debate about the consistency of such a concept from the point of view of Statistical Mechanics. It is not clear whether the usual results of this field can be safely extended to negative-temperature states; some authors even propose fundamental modifications to the Statistical Mechanics formalism, starting with the very definition of entropy, in order to avoid the occurrence of negative values of the temperature tout-court. The research presented in this thesis aims to shed some light on this controversial topic. To this end, a particular class of Hamiltonian systems with bounded kinetic terms, which can assume negative temperature, is extensively studied, both analytically and numerically. Equilibrium and out-of-equilibrium properties of this kind of system are investigated, reinforcing the overall picture that the introduction of negative temperature does not lead to any contradiction or paradox.

This multi-volume handbook is the most up-to-date and comprehensive reference work in the field of fractional calculus and its numerous applications. This fifth volume collects authoritative chapters covering several applications of fractional calculus in physics, including electrodynamics, statistical physics and physical kinetics, and quantum theory.

This monograph presents an intuitive theory of trial wave functions for strongly interacting fermions in fractional quantum Hall states. The correlation functions for the proposed fermion interactions follow a novel algebraic approach that harnesses the classical theory of invariants and semi-invariants of binary forms. This approach can be viewed as a fitting and far-reaching generalization of Laughlin's approach to trial wave functions. Aesthetically viewed, it illustrates an attractive symbiosis between the theory of invariants and the theory of correlations. Early research into numerical diagonalization computations for small numbers of electrons shows strong agreement with the constructed trial wave functions.The monograph offers researchers and students of condensed matter physics an accessible discussion of this interesting area of research.

This book discusses in detail the special theory of relativity without including all the instruments of theoretical physics, enabling readers who are not budding theoretical physicists to develop competence in the field. An arbitrary but fixed inertial system is chosen, where the known velocity of light is measured. With respect to this system a moving clock loses time and a moving length contracts. The book then presents a definition of simultaneity for the other inertial frames without using the velocity of light. To do so it employs the known reciprocity principle, which in this context serves to provide a definition of simultaneity in the other inertial frames. As a consequence, the Lorentz transformation is deduced and the universal constancy of light is established. With the help of a lattice model of the special theory of relativity the book provides a deeper understanding of the relativistic effects. Further, it discusses the key STR experiments and formulates and solves 54 problems in detail.

This book introduces the reader to the field of jet substructure, starting from the basic considerations for capturing decays of boosted particles in individual jets, to explaining state-of-the-art techniques. Jet substructure methods have become ubiquitous in data analyses at the LHC, with diverse applications stemming from the abundance of jets in proton-proton collisions, the presence of pileup and multiple interactions, and the need to reconstruct and identify decays of highly-Lorentz boosted particles. The last decade has seen a vast increase in our knowledge of all aspects of the field, with a proliferation of new jet substructure algorithms, calculations and measurements which are presented in this book. Recent developments and algorithms are described and put into the larger experimental context. Their usefulness and application are shown in many demonstrative examples and the phenomenological and experimental effects influencing their performance are discussed. A comprehensive overview is given of measurements and searches for new phenomena performed by the ATLAS and CMS Collaborations. This book shows the impressive versatility of jet substructure methods at the LHC.

This book presents recently obtained mathematical results on Gibbs measures of the q-state Potts model on the integer lattice and on Cayley trees. It also illustrates many applications of the Potts model to real-world situations in biology, physics, financial engineering, medicine, and sociology, as well as in some examples of alloy behavior, cell sorting, flocking birds, flowing foams, and image segmentation.Gibbs measure is one of the important measures in various problems of probability theory and statistical mechanics. It is a measure associated with the Hamiltonian of a biological or physical system. Each Gibbs measure gives a state of the system.The main problem for a given Hamiltonian on a countable lattice is to describe all of its possible Gibbs measures. The existence of some values of parameters at which the uniqueness of Gibbs measure switches to non-uniqueness is interpreted as a phase transition.This book informs the reader about what has been (mathematically) done in the theory of Gibbs measures of the Potts model and the numerous applications of the Potts model. The main aim is to facilitate the readers (in mathematical biology, statistical physics, applied mathematics, probability and measure theory) to progress into an in-depth understanding by giving a systematic review of the theory of Gibbs measures of the Potts model and its applications.

The relaxation method has enjoyed an intensive development during many decades and this new edition of this comprehensive text reflects in particular the main achievements in the past 20 years. Moreover, many further improvements and extensions are included, both in the direction of optimal control and optimal design as well as in numerics and applications in materials science, along with an updated treatment of the abstract parts of the theory.

This thesis describes the structures of six-dimensional (6d) superconformal field theories and its torus compactifications. The first half summarizes various aspects of 6d field theories, while the latter half investigates torus compactifications of these theories, and relates them to four-dimensional superconformal field theories in the class, called class S. It is known that compactifications of 6d conformal field theories with maximal supersymmetries provide numerous insights into four-dimensional superconformal field theories. This thesis generalizes the story to the theories with smaller supersymmetry, constructing those six-dimensional theories as brane configurations in the M-theory, and highlighting the importance of fractionalization of M5-branes. This result establishes new dualities between the theories with eight supercharges.

This multi-volume handbook is the most up-to-date and comprehensive reference work in the field of fractional calculus and its numerous applications. This fourth volume collects authoritative chapters covering several applications of fractional calculus in physics, including classical and continuum mechanics.

This book puts forward a modern classification theory for superconducting gap nodes, whose structures can be observed by experiments and are essential for understanding unconventional superconductivity. In the first part of the book, the classification method, based on group theory and K theory, is introduced in a step-by-step, pedagogical way. In turn, the latter part presents comprehensive classification tables, which include various nontrivial gap (node) structures, which are not predicted by the Sigrist-Ueda method, but are by the new method. The results obtained here show that crystal symmetry and/or angular momentum impose critical constraints on the superconducting gap structures. Lastly, the book lists a range of candidate superconductors for the nontrivial gap nodes. The classification methods and tables presented here offer an essential basis for further investigations into unconventional superconductivity. They indicate that previous experimental studies should be reinterpreted, while future experiments should reflect the new excitation spectrum.

This book focuses on unstable systems both from the classical and the quantum mechanical points of view and studies the relations between them. The first part deals with quantum systems. Here the main generally used methods today, such as the Gamow approach, and the Wigner-Weisskopf method, are critically discussed. The quantum mechanical Lax-Phillips theory developed by the authors, based on the dilation theory of Nagy and Foias and its more general extension to approximate semigroup evolution is explained. The second part provides a description of approaches to classical stability analysis and introduces geometrical methods recently developed by the authors, which are shown to be highly effective in diagnosing instability and, in many cases, chaotic behavior. It is then shown that, in the framework of the theory of symplectic manifolds, there is a systematic algorithm for the construction of a canonical transformation of any standard potential model Hamiltonian to geometric form, making accessible powerful geometric methods for stability analysis in a wide range of applications.

This book presents the proceedings of the international conference Particle Systems and Partial Differential Equations V, which was held at the University of Minho, Braga, Portugal, from the 28th to 30th November 2016. It includes papers on mathematical problems motivated by various applications in physics, engineering, economics, chemistry, and biology. The purpose of the conference was to bring together prominent researchers working in the fields of particle systems and partial differential equations, providing a venue for them to present their latest findings and discuss their areas of expertise. Further, it was intended to introduce a vast and varied public, including young researchers, to the subject of interacting particle systems, its underlying motivation, and its relation to partial differential equations. The book appeals to probabilists, analysts and also to mathematicians in general whose work focuses on topics in mathematical physics, stochastic processes and differential equations, as well as to physicists working in the area of statistical mechanics and kinetic theory.

This book addresses the mechanism of enrichment of heavy elements in galaxies, a long standing problem in astronomy. It mainly focuses on explaining the origin of heavy elements by performing state-of-the-art, high-resolution hydrodynamic simulations of dwarf galaxies. In this book, the author successfully develops a model of galactic chemodynamical evolution by means of which the neutron star mergers can be used to explain the observed abundance pattern of the heavy elements synthesized by the rapid neutron capture process, such as europium, gold, and uranium in the Local Group dwarf galaxies. The book argues that heavy elements are significant indicators of the evolutionary history of the early galaxies, and presents theoretical findings that open new avenues to understanding the formation and evolution of galaxies based on the abundance of heavy elements in metal-poor stars.

For courses in Actuarial Mathematics, Introduction to Insurance, and Personal/Business Finance. This text presents the basic core of information needed to understand the impact of interest rates on the world of investments, real estate, corporate planning, insurance, and securities transactions. The authors presuppose a working knowledge of basic algebra, arithmetic, and percents for the core of the book: their goal is for students to understand well those few underlying principles that play out in nearly every finance and interest problem. There are several sections that utilize calculus and one chapter that requires statistics. Using time line diagrams as important tools in analyzing money and interest exercises, the text contains a great deal of practical financial applications of interest theory as well as its foundational definitions and theorems. It relies on the use of calculator and computer technology instead of tables; this approach frees students to understand challenging topics without wilting under labor-intensive details.

This book describes in detail the various theories on the shape of the Earth from classical antiquity to the present day and examines how measurements of its form and dimensions have evolved throughout this period. The origins of the notion of the sphericity of the Earth are explained, dating back to Eratosthenes and beyond, and detailed attention is paid to the struggle to establish key discoveries as part of the cultural heritage of humanity. In this context, the roles played by the Catholic Church and the philosophers of the Middle Ages are scrutinized. Later contributions by such luminaries as Richer, Newton, Clairaut, Maupertuis, and Delambre are thoroughly reviewed, with exploration of the importance of mathematics in their geodetic enterprises. The culmination of progress in scientific research is the recognition that the reference figure is not a sphere but rather a geoid and that the earth's shape is oblate. Today, satellite geodesy permits the solution of geodetic problems by means of precise measurements. Narrating this fascinating story from the very beginning not only casts light on our emerging understanding of the figure of the Earth but also offers profound insights into the broader evolution of human thought.

This book investigates a wide range of phase equilibrium modelling and calculation problems for compositional thermal simulation. Further, it provides an effective solution for multiphase isenthalpic flash under the classical framework, and it also presents a new flash calculation framework for multiphase systems, which can handle phase equilibrium and chemical reaction equilibrium simultaneously. The framework is particularly suitable for systems with many phases and reactions. In this book, the author shows how the new framework can be generalised for different flash specifications and different independent variables. Since the flash calculation is at the heart of various types of compositional simulation, the findings presented here will promote the combination of phase equilibrium and chemical equilibrium calculations in future simulators, aiming at improving their robustness and efficiency.

In this monograph we study the problem of construction of asymptotic solutions of equations for functions whose number of arguments tends to infinity as the small parameter tends to zero. Such equations arise in statistical physics and in quantum theory of a large number of fi elds. We consider the problem of renormalization of quantum field theory in the Hamiltonian formalism, which encounters additional difficulties related to the Stuckelberg divergences and the Haag theorem. Asymptotic methods for solving pseudodifferential equations with small parameter multiplying the derivatives, as well as the asymptotic methods developed in the present monograph for solving problems in statistical physics and quantum field theory, can be considered from a unified viewpoint if one introduces the notion of abstract canonical operator. The book can be of interest for researchers - specialists in asymptotic methods, statistical physics, and quantum fi eld theory as well as for graduate and undergraduate students of these specialities.

Blockchain Technology: Platforms, Tools and Use Cases, Volume 111, the latest release in the Advances in Computers series published since 1960, presents detailed coverage of innovations in computer hardware, software, theory, design and applications. In addition, it provides contributors with a medium in which they can explore their subjects in greater depth and breadth than journal articles usually allow. This volume has 8 Chapters that discuss the various aspects of Blockchain technology.

This book provides a comprehensive review of complex networks from three different domains, presents novel methods for analyzing them, and highlights applications with accompanying case studies. Special emphasis is placed on three specific kinds of complex networks of high technological and scientific importance: software networks extracted from the source code of computer programs, ontology networks describing semantic web ontologies, and co-authorship networks reflecting collaboration in science. The book is primarily intended for researchers, teachers and students interested in complex networks and network data analysis. However, it will also be valuable for researchers dealing with software engineering, ontology engineering and scientometrics, as it demonstrates how complex network analysis can be used to address important research issues in these three disciplines.

Reliability is one of the fundamental criteria in engineering systems. Design and maintenance serve to support it throughout the systems life. As such, maintenance acts in parallel to production and can have a great impact on the availability and capacity of production and the quality of the products. The authors describe current and innovative methods useful to industry and society.

This book provides a comprehensive analysis of time-fixed terminal rendezvous around the Earth using chemical propulsion. The book has two main objectives. The first is to derive the mathematics of relative motion in near-circular orbit when subjected to perturbations emanating from the oblateness of the Earth, third-body gravity, and atmospheric drag. The mathematics are suitable for quick trajectory prediction and the creation of computer codes and efficient software to solve impulsive maneuvers and fly rendezvous missions. The second objective of this book is to show how the relative motion theory is applied to the exact precision-integrated, long-duration, time-fixed terminal rendezvous problem around the oblate Earth for the general elliptic orbit case. The contents are both theoretical and applied, with long-lasting value for aerospace engineers, trajectory designers, professors of orbital mechanics, and students at the graduate level and above.

This is the second in a pair of works which study small disturbances to the plane, periodic 3D Couette flow in the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations at high Reynolds number Re. In this work, we show that there is constant 0 0 exist at least until t = c0???1 and in general evolve to be O(c0) due to the lift-up e?ect. Further, after times t Re1/3, the streamwise dependence of the solution is rapidly diminished by a mixing-enhanced dissipation e?ect and the solution is attracted back to the class of "2.5 dimensional" streamwise-independent solutions (sometimes referred to as "streaks"). The largest of these streaks are expected to eventually undergo a secondary instability at t ? ???1. Hence, our work strongly suggests, for all (sufficiently regular) initial data, the genericity of the "lift-up e?ect streak growth streak breakdown" scenario for turbulent transition of the 3D Couette flow near the threshold of stability forwarded in the applied mathematics and physics literature.

The articles collected in this volume are based on lectures given at the IMA Workshop, "Computational Radiology and Imaging: Therapy and Diagnostics," March 17-21, 1997. Introductory articles by the editors have been added. The focus is on inverse problems involving electromagnetic radiation and particle beams, with applications to X-ray tomography, nuclear medicine, near-infrared imaging, microwave imaging, electron microscopy, and radiation therapy planning. Mathematical and computational tools and models which play important roles in this volume include the X-ray transform and other integral transforms, the linear Boltzmann equation and, for near-infrared imaging, its diffusion approximation, iterative methods for large linear and non-linear least-squares problems, iterative methods for linear feasibility problems, and optimization methods. The volume is intended not only for mathematical scientists and engineers working on these and related problems, but also for non-specialists. It contains much introductory expository material, and a large number of references. Many unsolved computational and mathematical problems of substantial practical importance are pointed out.

This book aims to bring together researchers and practitioners working across domains and research disciplines to measure, model, and visualize complex networks. It collects the works presented at the 9th International Conference on Complex Networks (CompleNet) in Boston, MA, March, 2018. With roots in physical, information and social science, the study of complex networks provides a formal set of mathematical methods, computational tools and theories to describe, prescribe and predict dynamics and behaviors of complex systems. Despite their diversity, whether the systems are made up of physical, technological, informational, or social networks, they share many common organizing principles and thus can be studied with similar approaches. This book provides a view of the state-of-the-art in this dynamic field and covers topics such as group decision-making, brain and cellular connectivity, network controllability and resiliency, online activism, recommendation systems, and cyber security.