Assuming no previous knowledge of polymers, this book provides a general introduction to the physics of solid polymers. Covering a wide range of topics within the field of polymer physics, the book begins with a brief history of the development of synthetic polymers and an overview of the methods of polymerization and processing. In the following chapter, David Bower describes important experimental techniques used in the study of polymers. The main part of the book, however, is devoted to the structure and properties of solid polymers, including blends, copolymers and liquid crystal polymers.

This book introduces the world of antimatter without using technical language or equations. The author shows how the quest for symmetry in physics slowly revealed the properties of antimatter. When large particle accelerators came on line, the antimatter debris of collisions provided new clues on its properties. This is a fast-paced and lucid account of how science fiction became fact.

Superfluid helium is a quantum liquid that exhibits a range of counter-intuitive phenomena such as frictionless flow. Quantized vortices are a particularly important feature of superfluid helium, and all superfluids, characterized by a circulation that can only take prescribed integer values. However, the strong interactions between atoms in superfluid helium prohibit quantitative theory of vortex behaviour. Experiments have similarly not been able to observe coherent vortex dynamics. This thesis resolves this challenge, bringing microphotonic techniques to bear on two-dimensional superfluid helium, observing coherent vortex dynamics for the first time, and achieving this on a silicon chip. This represents a major scientific contribution, as it opens the door not only to providing a better understanding of this esoteric quantum state of matter, but also to building new quantum technologies based upon it, and to understanding the dynamics of astrophysical superfluids such as those thought to exist in the core of neutron stars.

Quantum is rapidly emerging as a game-changer in technology. The end of Moore's Law for exponential growth is rapidly approaching and engineers and physicist alike are looking at moving past the classical limitations of modern technology and are exploring the new opportunities that quantum behaviour creates in sensing, metrology, communications and information processing. This book serves as introduction to quantum theory with emphasis on dynamical behaviour and applications of quantum mechanics, with minimal discussion of formalism. The goal is to help students begin to learn the tools for a quantum toolbox they will need to work in this area. It is aimed at upper level undergraduates and first year graduate students and assumes the reader has not had any training in quantum mechanics beyond what might be encountered in two semesters of introductory physics. The language of quantum is mathematics and builds on what is covered in typically the first two years. The first six chapters introduce Schroedinger's equation and develop the quantized description of common systems that exist in real space like a vibrator, nano-particles, atoms, crystals, etc. Beginning in Ch. 7 and for the remaining nine chapters, the focus is primarily on dynamical behaviour and how to think about real quantum systems. Spin, the quantized electromagnetic field, dissipation, loss and spontaneous emission, are discussed as well as quantum optics and the operator equations for common two-state systems such as the quantum flip flop and the density matrix equations. The book is structured so that a two semester course sequence is possible or a single semester course with options discussed in the preface to set different learning objectives. Even a one semester course based on this text covers much more material than a typical upper quantum course for undergraduates in physics, but at the expense of more detailed discussions about solutions to various differential equations such as for angular momentum and the hydrogen atom or band theory for semiconductors.

The field of matter transport is central to understanding the processing of materials and their subsequent mechanical properties. This text gives a solid grounding in the principles of matter transport and their application to a range of engineering problems. The author develops a unified treatment of mass transport applicable to both solids and liquids. Traditionally, matter transport in fluids is considered as an extension of heat transfer and can appear to have little relationship to diffusion in solids. This unified approach clearly makes the connection between these important fields. Aimed at advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students of materials science and engineering and related disciplines, the book contains numerous worked examples and unsolved problems.

Thin Films and Coatings: Toughening and Toughness Characterization captures the latest developments in the toughening of hard coatings and in the measurement of the toughness of thin films and coatings. Featuring chapters contributed by experts from Australia, China, Czech Republic, Poland, Singapore, Spain, and the United Kingdom, this book: Presents the current status of hard-yet-tough ceramic coatings Reviews various toughness evaluation methods for films and hard coatings Explores the toughness and toughening mechanisms of porous thin films and laser-treated surfaces Examines adhesions of the film/substrate interface and the characterization of coating adhesion strength Discusses nanoindentation determination of fracture toughness, resistance to cracking, and sliding contact fracture phenomena Toughening and toughness measurement (of films and coatings) are two related, yet separate, fields of great importance in today's nanotechnology world. Thin Films and Coatings: Toughening and Toughness Characterization is a timely reference written in such a way that novices will find it a stepping stone to the field and veterans will find it a rich source of information for their research.

This book presents different thermodynamic approaches in the area of constitutive theory: thermodynamics of irreversible processes, rational thermodynamics, and extended thermodynamics. These different approaches are analyzed with respect to their presuppositions, as well as to their results, and each method is applied to several important examples. In many cases these examples are archetypes for numerous technologically important materials; i.e. complex materials having an internal structure. Some of the examples dealt with in this book are liquid crystals, colloid suspensions, ans fiber suspensions. The book well serves students and researchers who have basic knowledge in continuum mechanics and thermodynamics. It provides a systematic overview of the vast field of thermodynamic constitutive theory, beginning from a historical perspective and concluding with outstanding questions in recent research.

This book introduces the world of antimatter without using technical language or equations. The author shows how the quest for symmetry in physics slowly revealed the properties of antimatter. When large particle accelerators came on line, the antimatter debris of collisions provided new clues on its properties. This is a fast-paced and lucid account of how science fiction became fact.

Liquid crystal (LC) displays dominating in the present market of flat panel displays are generally based on interactions of light and LCs. Recent progress in this field indicates that integrating photochromic molecules into LC materials enables one to photomanipulate unique features such as photoinduced phase transition, photocontrolled alignment, and phototriggered molecular cooperative motion, giving birth to their novel applications beyond displays. For instance, on connecting with three-dimensionally crosslinked elastomers, LCs show photomechanical and photomobile properties, converting light energy directly into mechanical work. Combining supramolecular cooperative motion with microphase separation of well-defined block copolymers, they exhibit controllable regular nanostructures on a macroscopic scale with excellent reproducibility and mass production. This book first introduces the basic knowledge on LCs in a step-by-step manner and then deeply discusses photoresponsive LCs in low-molecular-weight compounds or small molecules, polymers or macromolecules, elastomers, and block copolymers, respectively. The engrossing photoresponsive LC materials offer an effective and convenient chance to adjust properties of advanced materials by integrating photoresponsive molecules with LC properties, which has become one of the emerging topics in the present and future LC researches. This book comprehensively compiles the nature of this type of materials and the ongoing progress in this research area and uses graphs and figures extensively to enhance understanding especially of beginners. This book would be useful for students and primary researchers in soft materials and self-organized materials in both chemistry and physics. It may also serve as a reference for experienced researchers to keep up the current research trends in photoresponsive LC materials.

Few-body physics covers a rich and wide variety of phenomena, ranging from the very lowest energy scales of atomic and molecular physics to high-energy particle physics. The papers contained in the present volume provide an apercu of recent progress in the field from both the theoretical and experimental perspectives and are based on work presented at the "22nd International Conference on Few-Body Problems in Physics". This book is geared towards academics and graduate students involved in the study of systems which present few-body characteristics and those interested in the related mathematical and computational techniques.

This thesis focuses on experimental studies on collective motion using swimming bacteria as model active-matter systems. It offers comprehensive reviews of state-of-the-art theories and experiments on collective motion from the viewpoint of nonequilibrium statistical physics. The author presents his experimental studies on two major classes of collective motion that had been well studied theoretically. Firstly, swimming filamentous bacteria in a thin fluid layer are shown to exhibit true, long-range orientational order and anomalously strong giant density fluctuations, which are considered universal and landmark signatures of collective motion by many numerical and theoretical works but have never been observed in real systems. Secondly, chaotic bacterial turbulence in a three-dimensional dense suspension without any long-range order as described in the first half is demonstrated to be capable of achieving antiferromagnetic vortex order by imposing a small number of constraints with appropriate periodicity. The experimental results presented significantly advance our fundamental understanding of order and fluctuations in collective motion of motile elements and their future applications.

The book reviews photosynthetic water oxidation and proton-coupled electron transfer in photosystem, focusing on the molecular vibrations of amino acid residues and water molecules. Photosynthetic water oxidation performed by plants and cyanobacteria is essential for the sustenance of life on Earth, not only as an electron source for synthesizing sugars from CO2, but also as an O2 source in the atmosphere. Water oxidation takes place at the Mn4CaO5 cluster in photosystem II, where a series of electron transfer reactions coupled with proton transfer occur using light energy. The author addresses the unresolved mechanisms of photosynthetic water oxidation and relevant proton-coupled electron transfer reactions using a combined approach of experimental and computational methods such as Fourier transform infrared difference spectroscopy and quantum chemical calculations. The results show that protonation and hydrogen-bond structures of water molecules and amino acid residues in the protein play important roles in regulation of the electron and proton transfer reactions. These findings and the methodology make a significant contribution to our understanding the molecular mechanism of photosynthetic water oxidation.

This book illustrates the computational framework based on knowledge of flow and mass transfer together with optimization techniques to solve problems relevant to micromixing technology. The authors provide a detailed analysis of the different numerical techniques applied to the design of micromixers. Flow and mixing analysis is based on both the Eulerian and Lagrangian approaches; relative advantages and disadvantages of the two methods and suitability to different types of mixing problems are analysed. The book also discusses the various facets of numerical schemes subjected to discretization errors and computational grid requirements. Since a large number of studies are based on commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) packages, relevant details of these packages to the mixing problem using them are presented. Numerical optimization techniques coupled with CFD analysis of flow and mixing have proved to be an important tool for micromixers design, and therefore, are an important part of the book. These techniques are presented briefly, and focus is on surrogate modeling and optimization applied to design of micromixers.

This book focuses on theoretical thermotics, the theory of transformation thermotics and its extended theories for the active control of macroscopic thermal phenomena of artificial systems, which is in sharp contrast to classical thermodynamics comprising the four thermodynamic laws for the passive description of macroscopic thermal phenomena of natural systems. The book covers the basic concepts and mathematical methods, which are necessary to understand thermal problems extensively investigated in physics, but also in other disciplines of engineering and materials. The analyses rely on models solved by analytical techniques accompanied with computer simulations and laboratory experiments. This book serves both as a reference work for senior researchers and a study text for zero beginners.

This book provides a unique and comprehensive overview of the latest advances, challenges and accomplishments in the rapidly growing field of theoretical and computational materials science. Today, an increasing number of industrial communities rely more and more on advanced atomic-scale methods to obtain reliable predictions of materials properties, complement qualitative experimental analyses and circumvent experimental difficulties. The book examines some of the latest and most advanced simulation techniques currently available, as well as up-to-date theoretical approaches adopted by a selected panel of twelve international research teams. It covers a wide range of novel and advanced materials, exploring their structural, elastic, optical, mass and electronic transport properties. The cutting-edge techniques presented appeal to physicists, applied mathematicians and engineers interested in advanced simulation methods in materials science. The book can also be used as additional literature for undergraduate and postgraduate students with majors in physics, chemistry, applied mathematics and engineering.

This is the second edition of a well-received book. It provides an up-to-date, concise review of essential topics in the physics of matter, from atoms and molecules to solids, including elements of statistical mechanics. It features over 160 completely revised and enhanced figures illustrating the main physical concepts and the fundamental experimental facts, and discusses selected experiments, mainly in spectroscopy and thermodynamics, within the general framework of the adiabatic separation of the motions of electrons and nuclei. The book focuses on what can be described in terms of independent-particle models, providing the mathematical derivations in sufficient detail for readers to grasp the relevant physics involved. The final section offers a glimpse of more advanced topics, including magnetism and superconductivity, sparking readers' curiosity to further explore the latest developments in the physics of matter.

This volume provides an overview of the recent advances in the field of paper microfluidics, whose innumerable research domains have stimulated considerable efforts to the development of rapid, cost-effective and simplified point-of-care diagnostic systems. The book is divided into three parts viz. theoretical background of paper microfluidics, fabrication techniques for paper-based devices, and broad applications. Each chapter of the book is self-explanatory and focuses on a specific topic and its relation to paper microfluidics and starts with a brief description of the topic's physical background, essential definitions, and a short story of the recent progress in the relevant field. The book also covers the future outlook, remaining challenges, and emerging opportunities. This book shall be a tremendous up-to-date resource for researchers working in the area globally.

Random fields are a necessity when formulating stochastic continuum theories. In this book, a theory of random piezoelectric and piezomagnetic materials is developed. First, elements of the continuum mechanics of electromagnetic solids are presented. Then the relevant linear governing equations are introduced, written in terms of either a displacement approach or a stress approach, along with linear variational principles. On this basis, a statistical description of second-order (statistically) homogeneous and isotropic rank-3 tensor-valued random fields is given. With a group-theoretic foundation, correlation functions and their spectral counterparts are obtained in terms of stochastic integrals with respect to certain random measures for the fields that belong to orthotropic, tetragonal, and cubic crystal systems. The target audience will primarily comprise researchers and graduate students in theoretical mechanics, statistical physics, and probability.

This book provides a thorough overview of transport phenomena in complex fluids, based on the latest research results and the newest methods for their analytical prediction and numerical simulation. The respective chapters cover several topics, including: a description of the structural features of the most common complex fluids (polymer and surfactant solutions, colloidal suspensions); an introduction to the most common non-Newtonian constitutive models and their relationship with the fluid microstructure; a detailed overview of the experimental methods used to characterise the thermophysical properties, bulk rheology, and surface properties of complex fluids; a comprehensive introduction to heat, mass, and momentum transport, and to hydrodynamic instabilities in complex fluids; and an introduction to state-of-the-art numerical methods used to simulate complex fluid flows, with a focus on the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) and the Dissipative Particle Dynamics (DPD) techniques. Subsequent chapters provide in-depth descriptions of phenomena such as thermal convection, elastic turbulence, mixing of complex fluids, thermophoresis, sedimentation, and non-Newtonian drops and sprays. The book addresses research scientists and professionals, engineers, R&D managers and graduate students in the fields of engineering, chemistry, biology, medicine, and the applied and fundamental sciences.

Granular forms of common materials such as metals and ceramics, sands and soils, porous energetic materials (explosives, reactive mixtures), and foams exhibit interesting behaviors due to their heterogeneity and critical length scale, typically commensurate with the grain or pore size. Under extreme conditions of impact, granular and porous materials display highly localized phenomena such as fracture, inelastic deformation, and the closure of voids, which in turn strongly influence the bulk response. Due to the complex nature of these interactions and the short time scales involved, computational methods have proven to be powerful tools to investigate these phenomena. Thus, the coupled use of experiment, theory, and simulation is critical to advancing our understanding of shock processes in initially porous and granular materials. This is a comprehensive volume on granular and porous materials for researchers working in the area of shock and impact physics. The book is divided into three sections, where the first presents the fundamentals of shock physics as it pertains to the equation of state, compaction, and strength properties of porous materials. Building on these fundamentals, the next section examines several applications where dynamic processes involving initially porous materials are prevalent, focusing on the areas of penetration, planetary impact, and reactive munitions. The final section provides a look at emerging areas in the field, where the expansion of experimental and computational capabilities are opening the door for new opportunities in the areas of advanced light sources, molecular dynamics modeling, and additively manufactured porous structures. By intermixing experiment, theory, and simulation throughout, this book serves as an excellent, up-to-date desk reference for those in the field of shock compression science of porous and granular materials.

This book presents a collection of selected reviews from PLMMP 2018 that address modern problems in the fields of liquids, solutions and confined systems, critical phenomena, as well as colloidal and biological systems. The papers focus on state-of-the-art developments in the contemporary physics of liquid matter, and are divided into four parts: (i) water and water systems, (ii) physical-chemical properties of liquid systems, (iii) aggregation in liquid systems, and (iv) biological aspects of liquid systems, irradiation influences on liquid systems. Taken together, they cover the latest developments in the broader field of liquid states, including interdisciplinary problems.

This book discusses the synthesis of chitosan-based solid foams using foam templating. Solid foams with pore sizes between a few micrometres and a few millimetres are widely used in a range of established and emerging applications, including filtration, catalysis, sound and thermal insulation, human protection, and tissue engineering. They are lightweight with large surface-to-volume ratios, and have excellent mechanical, acoustic, and thermal properties. However, most foaming processes are extremely complex, and there remains a lack of sound scientific understanding of-and therefore control over-the parameters that determine the properties of the material. One route towards tailor-made solid foams is liquid foam templating, where the liquid foam is generated first (with the desired structure) before being solidified into a solid foam with the desired structure. This book describes how liquid foam templating can be used to synthesise monodisperse solid foams as well as solid foams with a tuneable polydispersity.

This thesis offers a fascinating journey through various non-perturbative aspects of Conformal Theories, in particular focusing on the Conformal Bootstrap Programme and its extensions to theories with various degrees of symmetry. Because of the preeminent role of Conformal Theories in Nature, as well as the great generality of the results here obtained, this analysis directly applies to many different areas of research. The content of this thesis is certainly relevant for the physics community as a whole and this relevance is well motivated and discussed along the various chapters of this work. The work is self-contained and starts with an original introduction to conformal theories, defects in such theories and how they lead to constraints on data and an extension of the bootstrap programme. This situation is often realized by critical systems with impurities, topological insulators, or - in the high-energy context - by Wilson and 't Hooft operators. The thesis continues with original research results of the author, including supersymmetric extensions. These results may be relevant non only in the high energy physics context - where supersymmetry is required for the theory to be consistent - but also for condensed matter systems that enjoy supersymmetry emergence at long distances.

This tutorial book offers an in-depth overview of the fundamental principles of micro/nano technologies and devices related to sensing, actuation and diagnosis in fluidics and biosystems. Research in the MEMS/NEMS and lab-on-chip fields has seen rapid growth in both academic and industrial domains, as these biodevices and systems are increasingly replacing traditional large size diagnostic tools. This book is unique in describing not only the devices and technologies but also the basic principles of their operation. The comprehensive description of the fabrication, packaging and principles of micro/nano biosystems presented in this book offers guidance for researchers designing and implementing these biosystems across diverse fields including medical, pharmaceutical and biological sciences. The book provides a detailed overview of the fundamental mechanical, optical, electrical and magnetic principles involved, together with the technologies required for the design, fabrication and characterization of micro/nano fluidic systems and bio-devices. Written by a collaborative team from France and Korea, the book is suitable for academics, researchers, advanced level students and industrial manufacturers.

This thesis is a contribution at the intersection of a number of active fields in theoretical and experimental condensed matter, particularly those concerned with disordered systems, integrable models, lattice gauge theories, and non-equilibrium quantum dynamics. It contributes an important new facet to our understanding of relaxation in isolated quantum systems by conclusively demonstrating localization without disorder for the first time, answering a long-standing question in this field. This is achieved by introducing a family of models - intimately related to paradigmatic condensed matter models - and studying their non-equilibrium dynamics through a combination of exact analytical mappings and an array of numerical techniques. This thesis also makes contributions relevant to the theory of quantum chaotic behaviour by calculating novel, and often intractable, entanglement measures and out-of-time-ordered correlators. A concrete and feasible proposal is also made for the experimental realization and dynamical study of the family of models, based on currently available technologies.