Electron collisions with atoms, ions, and molecules have been investigated since the earliest years of the last century because of their pervasiveness and importance in fields ranging from astrophysics and plasma physics to atmospheric and condensed matter physics. Written in an accessible yet rigorous style, this book introduces the theory of electron-atom scattering into both the non-relativistic and relativistic quantum frameworks. The book also includes exercises with an increasing degree of difficulty to allow the reader to become familiar with the subject.

This book introduces the wider field of functional nanomaterials sciences, with a strong emphasis on semiconductor photonics. Whether you are studying photonic quantum devices or just interested in semiconductor nanomaterials and their benefits for optoelectronic applications, this book offers you a pedagogical overview of the relevant subjects along with topical reviews. The book discusses different yet complementary studies in the context of ongoing international research efforts, delivering examples from both fundamental and applied research to a broad readership. In addition, a hand-full of useful optical techniques for the characterization of semiconductor quantum structures and materials are addressed. Moreover, nanostructuring methods for the production of low-dimensional systems, which exhibit advantageous properties predominantly due to quantum effects, are summarized. Science and engineering professionals in the interdisciplinary domains of nanotechnology, photonics, materials sciences, and quantum physics can familiarize themselves with selected highlights with eyes towards photonic applications in the fields of two-dimensional materials research, light-matter interactions, and quantum technologies.

This book covers newly emerging two-dimensional nanomaterials which have been recently used for the purpose of water purification. It focuses on the synthesis methods of 2D materials and answers how scientists/engineers/nanotechnologist/environmentalists could use these materials for fabricating new separation membranes and most probably making commercially feasible technology. The chapters are written by a collection of international experts ensuring a broad view of each topic. The book will be of interest to experienced researchers as well as young scientists looking for an introduction into 2D materials-based cross-disciplinary 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.

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 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 book approaches condensed matter physics from the perspective of quantum information science, focusing on systems with strong interaction and unconventional order for which the usual condensed matter methods like the Landau paradigm or the free fermion framework break down. Concepts and tools in quantum information science such as entanglement, quantum circuits, and the tensor network representation prove to be highly useful in studying such systems. The goal of this book is to introduce these techniques and show how they lead to a new systematic way of characterizing and classifying quantum phases in condensed matter systems. The first part of the book introduces some basic concepts in quantum information theory which are then used to study the central topic explained in Part II: local Hamiltonians and their ground states. Part III focuses on one of the major new phenomena in strongly interacting systems, the topological order, and shows how it can essentially be defined and characterized in terms of entanglement. Part IV shows that the key entanglement structure of topological states can be captured using the tensor network representation, which provides a powerful tool in the classification of quantum phases. Finally, Part V discusses the exciting prospect at the intersection of quantum information and condensed matter physics - the unification of information and matter. Intended for graduate students and researchers in condensed matter physics, quantum information science and related fields, the book is self-contained and no prior knowledge of these topics is assumed.

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 presents new approaches that offer a better characterization of the interrelationship between crystalline and amorphous phases. In recent years, the use of dielectric spectroscopy has significantly improved our understanding of crystallization. The combination of modern scattering methods, using either synchrotron light or neutrons and infrared spectroscopy with dielectrics, is now helping to reveal modifications of both crystalline and amorphous phases. In turn, this yields insights into the underlying physics of the crystallization process in various materials, e.g. polymers, liquid crystals and diverse liquids. The book offers an excellent introduction to a valuable application of dielectric spectroscopy, and a helpful guide for every scientist who wants to study crystallization processes by means of dielectric spectroscopy.

This textbook offers a strong introduction to the fundamental concepts of materials science. It conveys the quintessence of this interdisciplinary field, distinguishing it from merely solid-state physics and solid-state chemistry, using metals as model systems to elucidate the relation between microstructure and materials properties. Mittemeijer's Fundamentals of Materials Science provides a consistent treatment of the subject matter with a special focus on the microstructure-property relationship. Richly illustrated and thoroughly referenced, it is the ideal adoption for an entire undergraduate, and even graduate, course of study in materials science and engineering. It delivers a solid background against which more specialized texts can be studied, covering the necessary breadth of key topics such as crystallography, structure defects, phase equilibria and transformations, diffusion and kinetics, and mechanical properties. The success of the first edition has led to this updated and extended second edition, featuring detailed discussion of electron microscopy, supermicroscopy and diffraction methods, an extended treatment of diffusion in solids, and a separate chapter on phase transformation kinetics. "In a lucid and masterly manner, the ways in which the microstructure can affect a host of basic phenomena in metals are described.... By consistently staying with the postulated topic of the microstructure - property relationship, this book occupies a singular position within the broad spectrum of comparable materials science literature .... it will also be of permanent value as a reference book for background refreshing, not least because of its unique annotated intermezzi; an ambitious, remarkable work." G. Petzow in International Journal of Materials Research. "The biggest strength of the book is the discussion of the structure-property relationships, which the author has accomplished admirably.... In a nutshell, the book should not be looked at as a quick 'cook book' type text, but as a serious, critical treatise for some significant time to come." G.S. Upadhyaya in Science of Sintering. "The role of lattice defects in deformation processes is clearly illustrated using excellent diagrams . Included are many footnotes, 'Intermezzos', 'Epilogues' and asides within the text from the author's experience. This ..... soon becomes valued for the interesting insights into the subject and shows the human side of its history. Overall this book provides a refreshing treatment of this important subject and should prove a useful addition to the existing text books available to undergraduate and graduate students and researchers in the field of materials science." M. Davies in Materials World.

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.

'... the author uses color drawings in two-dimensions (2D) and three-dimensions (3D) to help the reader better understand what is happening in the phase diagram. Examples of ternary compounds include important alloys such as stainless steels (Fe-Cr-Ni). These illustrations greatly help one to visualize important points described in each diagram and clarifies difficult processes by also including a step-by-step description of key points through the graph ... For material scientists and engineers who need to understand phase diagrams, this book can provide you with that basic knowledge that will make you an expert at reading these sometimes very complicated graphs.'IEEE Electrical Insulation MagazinePhase diagrams are a MUST for materials scientists and engineers (MSEs). However, understanding phase diagrams is a difficult task for most MSEs. The audience of this book are young MSEs who start learning phase diagrams and are supposed to become specialists and those who were trained in fields other than materials science and engineering but are involved in research and/or development of materials after they are employed.Ternary phase diagrams presented in Chapter 4 are far more complex than binary phase diagrams. For this reason, ternary phase diagrams are nowadays less and less taught. However, in ceramics and semiconductors ternary phase diagrams become more and more important. Recent software provides necessary information to handle ternary phase diagrams. However, needless to say, without fundamental knowledge of ternary phase diagrams it is impossible to understand ternary phase diagrams correctly. In this book ternary phase diagrams are presented in a completely original way, with many diagrams illustrated in full color.In this book the essence of phase diagrams is presented in a user-friendly manner. This book is expected to be a Bible for MSEs.

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.

This volume comprises 8 articles written by lecturers of 50th Karpacz Winter School of Theoretical Physics and their collaborators. The contributing lecturers are outstanding researchers, and experts in various fields of physics, in particular in condensed matter, quantum phase transitions and quantum critical phenomena. The articles reflect the contents of the lectures given for school participants and cover various aspects of quantum phase transitions and quantum critical phenomena, from experimental to mathematical ones. For those wishing to get acquainted with the subject, extensive lists of references are provided in the articles.

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.

This book arises from the NATO Advanced Study Institute (ASI) titled "Functionalized Nanoscale Materials, Devices, and Systems for chem.-bio Sensors, Photonics, and Energy Generation and Storage" held in Sinaia, Romania in June 2007. It comprises a variety of invited contributions by highly experienced educators, scientists, and industrialists, and is structured to cover important aspects of the field, from underlying principles, synthesis routes, characterizations, applications, and detailed considerations of commercial viability. In addition, the book consists of a selection of contributed articles describing various aspects of their current research and development activities. Several related topics ranging from nanomaterial in chemical-biological sensors, to energy storage and generation devices, and to environmental protection and pollution remediation. Several top-down (attrition) and bottoms-up (self-assembly) approaches to prepare nanomaterials are discussed. In addition, several synthesis routes, viz. synthesis using new laser systems generating ultra-short (ns, ps, fs, and very recently, as pulses) with very high quality beams that allow very accurate focusing, provide unique tools for handling and processing nanomaterials in the form of nanocoatings, nanopowders, nanotubes, and other advanced structures are also included in the book. It will be of considerable interest and value to those already pursuing or considering careers in the field of nanostructured materials and nanotechnology, in general. It also serves as a valuable source of information for those interested in related aspects of the field, such as science and technology of thin film materials and devices.

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 book provides an in-depth introduction to the sol to gel transition in inorganic and hybrid organic-inorganic systems, one of the most important chemical-physical transitions and the basis of the sol-gel process. Familiarity with the fundamental chemistry and physics of this transition is essential for students in chemistry and materials science through academic and industry researchers working on sol-gel-related applications. The book features a didactic approach, using simple and clear language to explain the sol to gel transition and the accompanying processes. The text is also suitable for use in short courses and workshops for graduate students as well as professionals.This fully revised and updated new edition contains a wealth of new content. In particular, it includes a detailed discussion of the chemistry of transition metal alkoxides and organosilanes, and an extended discussion of the sol to gel transition models.

This book discusses the tribological, rheological and optical properties of liquid-crystal nanomaterials as well as lubricant media. It also describes the formation of liquid-crystal materials and the application of cholesteric liquid-crystal compounds in technical friction units and in human and animal joints. Further, it shows the connection between the tribological and other physical properties of liquid-crystal cholesterol compounds and develops a lubricity conceptual model of cholesteric-nematic, liquid-crystalline nanostructures on the basis of physical and energetic interpretations. This general model is valid for all surfaces and friction pairs, including biopolymers, and could lead to applications of cholesteric liquid-crystalline nanomaterials in different friction units and tribosystems as well as in the treatment of joint diseases.

This book presents an overview of fundamental aspects of surface-based biosensors and techniques for enhancing their detection sensitivity and speed. It focuses on rapid detection using miniaturized sensors and describes the physical principles of nanoscale transducers, surface modifications, microfluidics and reaction engineering, diffusion and kinetics. A key challenge in the field of bioanalytical sensors is the rapid delivery of target biomolecules to the sensing surface. While various nanostructures have shown great promise in sensitive detection, diffusion-limited binding of analyte molecules remains a fundamental problem. Recently, many researchers have put forward novel schemes to overcome this challenge, such as nanopore channels, electrokinetics, and dielectrophoresis, to name but a few. This book provides the readers an up-to-date account on these technological advances.

Magnetic perovskite with multi functional properties (magneto-resistive, magneto-dielectric, multiferroics, spintronics, etc.) have attracted increasing attention due to their possible applications towards storage materials and intriguing fundamental Physics. Despite the numerous investigations on multi functional materials in the past few years, a very few magnetic perovskites have been known to realize as ferromagnetic-insulators. In perovskites centred transition metal oxides strong interplay between lattice, charge, spin and/or orbital degrees of freedom provide a fantastic playground to tune their physical properties. The main purpose of this book is to introduce the phenomenon and physics of complex magnetism (phase separation, spin glass, frustrations, etc.) in perovskite manganites and cobaltites via an experimental approach. The book is organized into four chapters; Chap. 1 gives a brief introduction of various interesting phenomena in magnetic perovskites. Chapter 2 describes the results of the investigations on electronic phase separation and glassy ferromagnetism of the hole-doped perovskite manganites and cobaltites. Ordered and disordered effects and related aspects in hole-doped perovskite cobaltites are described in Chap. 3. Finally, in Chap. 4 the bismuth based magnetic perovskite is discussed.

This book presents the topology optimization theory for laminar flows with low and moderate Reynolds numbers, based on the density method and level-set method, respectively. The density-method-based theory offers efficient convergence, while the level-set-method-based theory can provide anaccurate mathematical expression of the structural boundary. Unsteady, body-force-driven and two-phase properties are basic characteristics of the laminar flows. The book discusses these properties, which are typical of microfluidics and one of the research hotspots in the area of Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS), providing an efficient inverse design approach for microfluidic structures. To demonstrate the applications of this topology optimization theory in the context of microfluidics, it also investigates inverse design for the micromixer, microvalve and micropump, which are key elements in lab-on-chip devices.

This book presents the most important advances in the class of topological materials and discusses the topological characterization, modeling and metrology of materials. Further, it addresses currently emerging characterization techniques such as optical and acoustic, vibrational spectroscopy (Brillouin, infrared, Raman), electronic, magnetic, fluorescence correlation imaging, laser lithography, small angle X-ray and neutron scattering and other techniques, including site-selective nanoprobes. The book analyzes the topological aspects to identify and quantify these effects in terms of topology metrics. The topological materials are ubiquitous and range from (i) de novo nanoscale allotropes of carbons in various forms such as nanotubes, nanorings, nanohorns, nanowalls, peapods, graphene, etc. to (ii) metallo-organic frameworks, (iii) helical gold nanotubes, (iv) Moebius conjugated polymers, (v) block co-polymers, (vi) supramolecular assemblies, to (vii) a variety of biological and soft-matter systems, e.g. foams and cellular materials, vesicles of different shapes and genera, biomimetic membranes, and filaments, (viii) topological insulators and topological superconductors, (ix) a variety of Dirac materials including Dirac and Weyl semimetals, as well as (x) knots and network structures. Topological databases and algorithms to model such materials have been also established in this book. In order to understand and properly characterize these important emergent materials, it is necessary to go far beyond the traditional paradigm of microscopic structure-property-function relationships to a paradigm that explicitly incorporates topological aspects from the outset to characterize and/or predict the physical properties and currently untapped functionalities of these advanced materials. Simulation and modeling tools including quantum chemistry, molecular dynamics, 3D visualization and tomography are also indispensable. These concepts have found applications in condensed matter physics, materials science and engineering, physical chemistry and biophysics, and the various topics covered in the book have potential applications in connection with novel synthesis techniques, sensing and catalysis. As such, the book offers a unique resource for graduate students and researchers alike.

This thesis both broadens and deepens our understanding of the Brownian world. It addresses new problems in diffusion theory that have recently attracted considerable attention, both from the side of nanotechnology and from the viewpoint of pure academic research. The author focusses on the difussion of interacting particles in restricted geometries and under externally controlled forces. These geometries serve, for example, to model ion transport through narrow channels in cell membranes or a Brownian particle diffusing in an optical trap, now a paradigm for both theory and experiment. The work is exceptional in obtaining explicit analytically formulated answers to such realistic, experimentally relevant questions. At the same time, with its detailed exposition of the problems and a complete set of references, it presents a clear and broadly accessible introduction to the domain. Many of the problem settings and the corresponding exact asymptotic laws are completely new in diffusion theory.

This book investigates the common nature of granular and active systems, which is rooted in their intrinsic out-of-equilibrium behavior, with the aim of finding minimal models able to reproduce and predict the complex collective behavior observed in experiments and simulations. Granular and active matter are among the most studied systems in out-of-equilibrium statistical physics. The book guides readers through the derivation of a fluctuating hydrodynamic description of granular and active matter by means of controlled and transparent mathematical assumptions made on a lattice model. It also shows how a macroscopic description can be provided from microscopic requirements, leading to the prediction of collective states such as cooling, swarming, clustering and the transitions among them. The analytical and numerical results shed new light on the physical connection between the local, microscopic properties of few particles and the macroscopic collective motion of the whole system.