Physics of Planetary Rings describes striking structures of the planetary rings of Saturn, Uranus, Jupiter, and Neptune: Narrow ringlets, spiral waves, and a chain of clumps. The author has contributed essential ideas to the full understanding of planetary rings via the stability analysis of dynamical systems. The combination of a high-quality description, the set of interesting illustrations, as well as the fascinating and natural presentation will make this book of considerable interest to astronomers, physicists, and mathematicians as well as students. There is no competing text for this book so far.

Biopolymers from Renewable Resources is a compilation of information on the diverse and useful polymers derived from agricultural, animal, and microbial sources. The volume provides insight into the diversity of polymers obtained directly from, or derived from, renewable resources. The beneficial aspects of utilizing polymers from renewable resources, when considering synthesis, pro cessing, disposal, biodegradability, and overall material life-cycle issues, suggests that this will continue to be an important and growing area of interest. The individual chapters provide information on synthesis, processing and properties for a variety of polyamides, polysaccharides, polyesters and polyphenols. The reader will have a single volume that provides a resource from which to gain initial insights into this diverse field and from which key references and contacts can be drawn. Aspects of biology, biotechnology, polymer synthesis, polymer processing and engineering, mechanical properties and biophysics are addressed to varying degrees for the specific biopolymers. The volume can be used as a reference book or as a teaching text. At the more practical level, the range of important materials derived from renewable resources is both extensive and impressive. Gels, additives, fibers, coatings and films are generated from a variety of the biopolymers reviewed in this volume. These polymers are used in commodity materials in our everyday lives, as well as in specialty products."

Within the framework of Jaynes' "Predictive Statistical Mechanics," this book presents a detailed derivation of an ensemble formalism for open systems arbitrarily away from equilibrium. This involves a large systematization and extension of the fundamental works and ideas of the outstanding pioneers Gibbs and Boltzmann, and of Bogoliubov, Kirkwood, Green, Mori, Zwanzig, Prigogine and Zubarev, among others.
Chapters 1 to 5 include a description of the philosophy, foundations, and construction (methodology) of the formalism, including the derivation of a nonequilibrium grand-canonical ensemble for far-from-equilibrium systems as well as the derivation of a quantum nonlinear kinetic theory and a response function theory together with a theory of scattering. In chapter 6 applications of the theory are cataloged, making comparisons with experimental data (a basic step for the validation of any theory). Chapter 7 is devoted to the description of irreversible thermodynamics, providing a far-reaching generalization of Informational-Statistical Thermodynamics. The last chapter gives an overall picture of the formalism, and questions and criticisms related to it are discussed.
Audience: This book is directed at an audience of researchers in the field of Statistical Mechanics and Thermodynamics of open nonequilibrium systems. In addition, it is relevant for the study of far-from-equilibrium processes in condensed matter, particularly semiconductor physics, as well as molecular Hydrodynamics, Rheology, many-body systems with complex behavior and areas of engineering, etc. The book can also be used as a complement to advanced graduate courses in Statistical Mechanics.

Mesoscopic physics has made great strides in the last few years. It is an area of research that is attractive to many graduate students of theoretical condensed matter physics. The techniques that are needed to understand it go beyond the conventional perturbative approaches that still form the bulk of the graduate lectures that are given to students. Even when the non-perturbative techniques are presented, they often are presented within an abstract context. It is important to have lectures given by experts in the field, which present both theory and experiment in an illuminating and inspiring way, so that the impact of new methodology on novel physics is clear. It is an apt time to have such a volume since the field has reached a level of maturity. The pedagogical nature of the articles and the variety of topics makes it an important resource for newcomers to the field. The topics range from the newly emerging area of quantum computers and quantum information using Josephson junctions to the formal mathematical methods of conformal field theory which are applied to the understanding of Luttinger liquids.

Electrons which interact strongly can give rise to non-trivial ground states such as superconductivity, quantum Hall states and magnetism. Both their theory and application are discussed in a pedagogical way for quantum information in mesoscopic superconducting devices, skyrmions and magnetism in two dimensional electron gases, transport in quantum wires, metal-insulator transitions and spin electronics.

Optical Properties of Metal Clusters deals with the electronic structure of metal clusters determined optically. Clusters - as state intermediate between molecules and the extended solid - are important in many areas, e.g. in air pollution, interstellar matter, clay minerals, photography, heterogeneous catalysis, quantum dots, and virus crystals. This book extends the approaches of optical molecular and solid-state methods to clusters, revealing how their optical properties evolve as a function of size. Cluster matter, i.e. extended systems of many clusters - the most frequently occuring form - is also treated. The combination of reviews of experimental techniques, lists of results and detailed descriptions of selected experiments will appeal to experts, newcomers and graduate students in this expanding field.

Crystal engineers need an understanding of bonding theory, computational chemistry, applied spectroscopy, structural methods, synthesis strategies, and applications of custom-designed solids. This book contains chapters on all these topics, written by internationally recognized experts, plus contributions from leading researchers in the field.

Most of the interesting and difficult problems in statistical mechanics arise when the constituent particles of the system interact with each other with pair or multipartiele energies. The types of behaviour which occur in systems because of these interactions are referred to as cooperative phenomena giving rise in many cases to phase transitions. This book and its companion volume (Lavis and Bell 1999, referred to in the text simply as Volume 1) are princi pally concerned with phase transitions in lattice systems. Due mainly to the insights gained from scaling theory and renormalization group methods, this subject has developed very rapidly over the last thirty years. ' In our choice of topics we have tried to present a good range of fundamental theory and of applications, some of which reflect our own interests. A broad division of material can be made between exact results and ap proximation methods. We have found it appropriate to inelude some of our discussion of exact results in this volume and some in Volume 1. Apart from this much of the discussion in Volume 1 is concerned with mean-field theory. Although this is known not to give reliable results elose to a critical region, it often provides a good qualitative picture for phase diagrams as a whole. For complicated systems some kind of mean-field method is often the only tractable method available. In this volume our main concern is with scaling theory, algebraic methods and the renormalization group."

The purpose of this book is to review the current state of this quickly developing field. Up until now, there has been no concise review available of the rather diverse aspects of this field. This book gives a basic introduction to the concepts behind Bloch oscillations. It describes how the physics of high field transport has been investigated through a broad range of experimental techniques such as interband and intraband optical spectroscopy and transport experiments. Possible applications and further trends are also discussed.

th Superconductivity occ upies as pecial, unique place in the 20 century physics. Just think ofi t: its microscopic mechanism was understood only in 1957-46years after the discovery of superconductivity in 1911. In contrast, thetheory ofnormal metals behavior (or, to be more precise, the theory of metals in normal state) wasformed as early as the twenties, immediately f ollowing the creation of quantum mechanics. Moreover, when I took up the theory of superconductivity in 1943, not only microscopic theory was non existent, but even macroscopic superconductivity theory was quiteincomplete. The problem is that the Londons equations, introduced in 1935, allow only aquantitative description ofsuperconductors in magneticf ields weak in comparison with the critical field. Also, even in weakfields, theLondons theory is strictly applicableonly to Type II superconductors-although the division ofsuperconductors into Type I and Type II materials was notsuggested until much later, in early 1950's. Asf ar as nonequilibrium phenomena are conc erned, then until 1943 the most remarkable, yet proved to be fault afterwards, implication was that ofa complete absence ofa ll thermoelectric effects in superconducting state.

A major barrier to the introduction of ferroelectric devices into mass markets remains their limited reliability due to fatigue. The underlying physical and chemical mechanisms of this material fatigue phenomenon are extremely complex, and the relevant influences range from single-point defects to macroscopic boundary conditions. This book summarizes the different aspects of fatigue in ferroelectrics. It is primarily concerned with bulk material effects. Mechanical, electrical, and physico-chemical processes are described; reference data are given for different loading regimes and boundary conditions; and various fatigue models are compared. The monograph also demonstrates how the results of acoustic emission and of microscopy studies reveal the microscopic origins of fatigue in ferroelectric devices.

This coherent monograph describes and explains quantum phenomena in two-dimensional (2D) electron systems with extremely strong internal interactions, which cannot be described by the conventional Fermi-liquid approach. The central physical objects considered are the 2D Coulomb liquid, of which the average Coulomb interaction energy per electron is much higher than the mean kinetic energy, and the Wigner solid. The text provides a new and comprehensive review of the remarkable properties of Coulomb liquids and solids formed on the free surface of liquid helium and other interfaces. This book is intended for graduate students and researchers in the fields of quantum liquids, electronic properties of 2D systems, and solid-state physics. It includes different levels of sophistication so as to be useful for both theorists and experimentalists. The presentation is largely self-contained, and also describes some instructive examples that will be of general interest to solid-state physicists.

This book is an excellent introduction to density functional theory for electrons. Largely written in review style, it will also serve as an excellent overview of recent developments.
Nonrelativistic and relativistic approaches are discussed and conventional ground-state as well as polarization density functional and time-dependent density functional formalisms are introduced. A careful discussion of the exchange-correlation functional and approximations is presented and a chapter is devoted to an analysis of hybrid wavefunction/density-functional approximations.

It is known that composites have insufficient transversal strength and rigidity, and low longitudinal shear modulus, compression and shear strength. This book describes methods to avoid these disadvantages by hybridization and spiral reinforcement of composites at the micro-level during the production stage. Mathematical models and design methods have been developed for various composites. The authors discuss the technology of spiral reinforcement and fillers, the structures and properties of spirally reinforced composites, binders, the manufacture of such composites, and the application of new materials and constructions. This informative text will be of interest to researchers, teachers and students in academia and also to industrial scientists and engineers involved in the development and application of new materials.

Deals with the influence of stoiciometry and order/disorder on materials properties. It summarizes the knowledge available in a comprehensive way.

Raman scattering is now being applied with increasing success to a wide range of practical problems at the cutting edge of materials science. The purpose of this book is to make Raman spectroscopy understandable to the non-specialist and thus to bring it into the mainstream of routine materials characterization. The book is pedagogical in approach and focuses on technologically important condensed-matter systems in which the specific use of Raman spectroscopy yields new and useful information. Included are chapters on instrumentation, bulk semiconductors and alloys, heterostructures, high-Tc superconductors, catalysts, carbon-based materials, wide-gap and super-hard materials, and polymers.

"The Frontiers of Knowhledge (to coin a phrase) are always on the move. - day's discovery will tomorrow be part of the mental furniture of every research worker. By the end of next week it will be in every course of graduate lectures. Within the month there will be a clamour to have it in the undergraduate c- riculum. Next year, I do believe, it will seem so commonplace that it may be assumed to be known by every schoolboy. "The process of advancing the line of settlements, and cultivating and c- ilizing the new territory, takes place in stages. The original papers are p- lished, to the delight of their authors, and to the critical eyes of their readers. Review articles then provide crude sketch plans, elementary guides through the forests of the literature. Then come the monographs, exact surveys, mapping out the ground that has been won, adjusting claims for priority, putting each fact or theory into its place" (J. M. Ziman, Principles of the Theory of Solids (Cambridge University Press, 1972) p.v). The main purpose of the book is to present the mechanism of - perconductivity discovered in 1986 by J. G. Bednorz and K. A. Muller, and to discuss the physics of superconductors. The last chapter of the book presents analysis of tunneling measurements in cuprates. The book is - dressed to researchers and graduate students in all branches of exact sciences."

This book presents a theory for unconventional superconductivity driven by spin excitations. Using the Hubbard Hamiltonian and a self-consistent treatment of the spin excitations, the interplay between magnetism and superconductivity in various unconventional superconductors is discussed. In particular, the monograph applies this theory for Cooper-pairing due to the exchange of spin fluctuations to the case of singlet pairing in hole- and electron-doped high-Tc superconductors, and to triplet pairing in
Sr2RuO4. Within the framework of a generalized Eliashberg-like treatment, calculations of both many normal and superconducting properties as well as elementary excitations are performed. The results are related to the phase diagrams of the materials which reflect
the interaction between magnetism and superconductivity.

Recent developments in electronic structure theory have led to a new understanding of magnetic materials at the microscopic level. This enables a truly first-principles approach to investigations of technologically important magnetic materials. Among the advances treated here have been practical schemes for handling non-collinear magnetic systems, including relativity, and an understanding of the origins and role of orbital magnetism within band structure formalisms. This book provides deep theoretical insight into magnetism, mahneatic materials, and magnetic systems. It covers these recent developments with review articles by some of the main originators of these developments.

The development of advanced materials with preselected properties is one of the main goals of materials research. Of especial interest are electronics, high-temperature and supemard materials for various applications, as well as alloys with improved wear, corrosion and mechanical resistance properties. The technical challenge connected with the production of these materials is not only associated with the development of new specialised preparation techniques but also with quality control. The energetic charged particle, electron and photon beams offer the possibility of modifying the properties of the near-surface regions of materials without seriously affecting their bulk, and provide unique analytical tools for testing their qUality. This volume includes most of the lectures and contributions delivered at the NATO-funded Advanced Study Institute "Application of Particle and Laser Beams in Materials Technology," which was held in Kallithea, Chalkidiki, in Northern Greece, from the 8th to the 21st of May, 1994 and attended by 73 participants from 21 countries. The aim of this ASI was to provide to the participants an overview of this rapidly expanding field. Fundamental aspects concerning the interactions and collisions on atomic, nuclear and solid state scale were presented in a didactic way, along with the application of a variety of techniques for the solution of problems ranging from the development of electronics materials to corrosion research and from archaeometry to environmental protection.

This book gives a theoretical description of linear and nonlinear optical responses of matter with special emphasis on the microscopic and 'nonlocal' nature of resonant response. It will have a tremendous influence on modern device techniques, as it deals with frontier research in response theory.

Sensors and Actuators using polymeric systems is one of the most promising fields of "Intelligent Polymers," which is becoming more and more important associating with artificial sensing and actuating systems in living organisms. Some practical applications have now started to test in industry. The book covers optical, gas, taste, and other sensing systems using various kinds of polymers. Soft and wet actuating systems using polymer gels and networks are another field which caused excitation in the last year. The contributors are all pioneers in the field, and were selected from world-wide level. They provide the necessary background information and science to develop a basic understanding of the field, its supporting technologies and current applications. Besides, the overviews will provide a sense of how these supporting technologies can be combined to meet the requirements of advanced systems. Finally, the readers will learn about potential future developments.

Heterostructures consist of combinations of different materials, which are in contact through at least one interface. Magnetic heterostructures combine different physical properties which do not exist in nature. This book provides the first comprehensive overview of an exciting and fast developing field of research, which has already resulted in numerous applications and is the basis for future spintronic devices.

In the last two decades remarkable progress has been made in understanding and describing tunneling processes in complex systems in terms of classical trajectories. This book introduces recent concepts and achievements. There is particular emphasis on a dynamical formulation and relations to specific systems in mesoscopic, molecular, atomic and nuclear physics.

This is the first handbook on zeolites and other microporous materials. It is an up-to-date, highly sophisticated collection of information for those who deal with zeolites in industry or at academic institutions as well as being a guide for newcomers.