This work presents a computational program based on the principles of non-commutative geometry and showcases several applications to topological insulators. Noncommutative geometry has been originally proposed by Jean Bellissard as a theoretical framework for the investigation of homogeneous condensed matter systems. Recently, this approach has been successfully applied to topological insulators, where it facilitated many rigorous results concerning the stability of the topological invariants against disorder.In the first part of the book the notion of a homogeneous material is introduced and the class of disordered crystals defined together with the classification table, which conjectures all topological phases from this class. The manuscript continues with a discussion of electrons' dynamics in disordered crystals and the theory of topological invariants in the presence of strong disorder is briefly reviewed. It is shown how all this can be captured in the language of noncommutative geometry using the concept of non-commutative Brillouin torus, and a list of known formulas for various physical response functions is presented. In the second part, auxiliary algebras are introduced and a canonical finite-volume approximation of the non-commutative Brillouin torus is developed. Explicit numerical algorithms for computing generic correlation functions are discussed. In the third part upper bounds on the numerical errors are derived and it is proved that the canonical-finite volume approximation converges extremely fast to the thermodynamic limit. Convergence tests and various applications concludes the presentation.The book is intended for graduate students and researchers in numerical and mathematical physics.

Smart Hydrogel Functional Materials comprehensively and systematically describes our current understanding of smart or intelligent hydrogel functional materials with environmental stimuli-responsive functions. The contents range from hydrogels (including hydrogel-functionalized membranes) to microgels (including hydrogel-functionalized microcapsules) with various response properties, such as thermo-response, pH-response, pH-/thermo-dual-response, glucose-response, ethanol-response, ion-recognition, molecular-recognition, and so on. Most of the contents in this book represent the fresh achievements of the authors’ group on smart hydrogel functional materials. While all chapters can be read as stand-alone papers, together they clearly describe the design concepts, fabrication strategies and methods, microstructures and performances of smart hydrogel functional materials. Vivid schematics and illustrations throughout the book enhance the accessibility of the theory and technologies involved. This is an ideal reference book for a broad general readership including chemists, materials researchers, chemical engineers, pharmaceutical scientists and biomedical researchers, who are interested in designing and fabricating smart hydrogel functional materials for various application purposes. Dr. Liang-Yin Chu is a professor at the School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, China. He is a Distinguished Young Scholar of the National Natural Science Foundation of China and a Distinguished Professor of the “Chang Jiang Scholars Program” of the Ministry of Education of China.

This textbook presents the physical principles pertinent to the mathematical modeling of soft materials used in engineering practice, including both man-made materials and biological tissues. It is intended for seniors and masters-level graduate students in engineering, physics or applied mathematics. It will also be a valuable resource for researchers working in mechanics, biomechanics and other fields where the mechanical response of soft solids is relevant. Soft Solids: A Primer to the Theoretical Mechanics of Materials is divided into two parts. Part I introduces the basic concepts needed to give both Eulerian and Lagrangian descriptions of the mechanical response of soft solids. Part II presents two distinct theories of elasticity and their associated theories of viscoelasticity. Seven boundary-value problems are studied over the course of the book, each pertaining to an experiment used to characterize materials. These problems are discussed at the end of each chapter, giving students the opportunity to apply what they learned in the current chapter and to build upon the material in prior chapters.

Particulate products make up around 80% of chemical products, from all industry sectors. Examples given in this book include the construction materials, fine ceramics and concrete; the delicacies, chocolate and ice cream; pharmaceutical, powders, medical inhalers and sun screen; liquid and powder paints. Size distribution and the shape of the particles provide for different functionalities in these products. Some functions are general, others specific. General functions are powder flow and require - at the typical particulate concentrations of these products - that the particles cause adequate rheological behavior during processing and/or for product performance. Therefore, this book addresses particle packing as well as its relation to powder flow and rheological behavior. Moreover, general relationships to particle size are discussed for e.g. color and sensorial aspects of particulate products. Product-specific functionalities are often relevant for comparable product groups. Particle size distribution and shape provide, for example, the following functionalities: - dense particle packing in relation to sufficient strength is required in concrete construction, ceramic objects and pharmaceutical tablets - good sensorial properties (mouthfeel) to chocolate and ice cream - effective dissolution, flow and compression properties for pharmaceutical powders - adequate hiding power and effective coloring of paints for protection and the desired esthetical appeal of the objects - adequate protection of our body against sun light by sunscreen - effective particle transport and deposition to desired locations for medical inhalers and powder paints. Adequate particle size distribution, shape and porosity of particulate products have to be achieved in order to reach optimum product performance. This requires adequate management of design and development as well as sufficient knowledge of the underlying principles of physics and chemistry. Moreover, flammability, explosivity and other health hazards from powders, during handling, are taken into account. This is necessary, since great risks may be involved. In all aspects, the most relevant parameters of the size distribution (and particle shape) have to be selected. In this book, experts in the different product fields have contributed to the product chapters. This provides optimum information on what particulate aspects are most relevant for behavior and performance within specified industrial products and how optimum results can be obtained. It differs from other books in the way that the critical aspects of different products are reported, so that similarities and differences can be identified. We trust that this approach will lead to improved optimization in design, development and quality of many particulate products.

Lieb-Robinson bounds for multi-commutators are effective mathematical tools to handle analytic aspects of infinite volume dynamics of non-relativistic quantum particles with short-range, possibly time-dependent interactions.In particular, the existence of fundamental solutions is shown for those (non-autonomous) C*-dynamical systems for which the usual conditions found in standard theories of (parabolic or hyperbolic) non-autonomous evolution equations are not given. In mathematical physics, bounds on multi-commutators of an order higher than two can be used to study linear and non-linear responses of interacting particles to external perturbations. These bounds are derived for lattice fermions, in view of applications to microscopic quantum theory of electrical conduction discussed in this book. All results also apply to quantum spin systems, with obvious modifications. In order to make the results accessible to a wide audience, in particular to students in mathematics with little Physics background, basics of Quantum Mechanics are presented, keeping in mind its algebraic formulation. The C*-algebraic setting for lattice fermions, as well as the celebrated Lieb-Robinson bounds for commutators, are explained in detail, for completeness.

In the never-ending quest for miniaturization, optically controlled particle trapping has opened up new possibilities for handling microscopic matter non-invasively. This thesis presents the application of photorefractive crystals as active substrate materials for optoelectronic tweezers. In these tweezers, flexible optical patterns are transformed into electrical forces by a photoconductive material, making it possible to handle matter with very high forces and high throughput. Potential substrate materials’ properties are investigated and ways to tune their figures-of-merit are demonstrated. A large part of the thesis is devoted to potential applications in the field of optofluidics, where photorefractive optoelectronic tweezers are used to trap, sort and guide droplets or particles in microfluidic channels, or to shape liquid polymers into optical elements prior to their solidification. Furthermore, a new surface discharge model is employed to discuss the experimental conditions needed for photorefractive optoelectronic tweezers.

This book summarizes the latest knowledge in the science and technology of ionic liquids and polymers in different areas. Ionic liquids (IL) are actively being investigated in polymer science and technology for a number of different applications. In the first part of the book the authors present the particular properties of ionic liquids as speciality solvents. The state-of-the art in the use of ionic liquids in polymer synthesis and modification reactions including polymer recycling is outlined. The second part focuses on the use of ionic liquids as speciality additives such as plasticizers or antistatic agents. The third part examines the use of ionic liquids in the design of functional polymers (usually called polymeric ionic liquids (PIL) or poly(ionic liquids)). Many important applications in diverse scientific and industrial areas rely on these polymers, like polymer electrolytes in electrochemical devices, building blocks in materials science, nanocomposites, gas membranes, innovative anion sensitive materials, smart surfaces, and a countless set range of emerging applications in different fields such as energy, optoelectronics, analytical chemistry, biotechnology, nanomedicine or catalysis.

The book gives an introduction to the field quantization (second quantization) of light and matter with applications to atomic physics. The first chapter briefly reviews the origins of special relativity and quantum mechanics and the basic notions of quantum information theory and quantum statistical mechanics. The second chapter is devoted to the second quantization of the electromagnetic field, while the third chapter shows the consequences of the light field quantization in the description of electromagnetic transitions. In the fourth chapter it is analyzed the spin of the electron, and in particular its derivation from the Dirac equation, while the fifth chapter investigates the effects of external electric and magnetic fields on the atomic spectra (Stark and Zeeman effects). The sixth chapter describes the properties of systems composed by many interacting identical particles by introducing the Hartree-Fock variational method, the density functional theory and the Born-Oppenheimer approximation. Finally, in the seventh chapter it is explained the second quantization of the non-relativistic matter field, i.e. the Schrodinger field, which gives a powerful tool for the investigation of many-body problems and also atomic quantum optics. At the end of each chapter there are several solved problems which can help the students to put into practice the things they learned.

Excellent bridge between general solid-state physics textbook and research articles packed with providing detailed explanations of the electronic, vibrational, transport, and optical properties of semiconductors "The most striking feature of the book is its modern outlook ... provides a wonderful foundation. The most wonderful feature is its efficient style of exposition ... an excellent book." Physics Today "Presents the theoretical derivations carefully and in detail and gives thorough discussions of the experimental results it presents. This makes it an excellent textbook both for learners and for more experienced researchers wishing to check facts. I have enjoyed reading it and strongly recommend it as a text for anyone working with semiconductors ... I know of no better text ... I am sure most semiconductor physicists will find this book useful and I recommend it to them." Contemporary Physics Offers much new material: an extensive appendix about the important and by now well-established, deep center known as the DX center, additional problems and the solutions to over fifty of the problems at the end of the various chapters.

This book presents a unified view of the physicochemical origin of the mechanical behaviour of gases, simple solids and liquids, suspensions, polymers, emulsions, foams, and granular materials, along with techniques for measuring that behaviour. Besides molecular materials in all their classical gaseous, solid, or liquid states, we deal daily with a number of other materials made of coarser elements such as polymers, cells, grains, bubbles, and droplets. They take on the familiar appearance of paints, inks, cements, muds, foams, emulsions, toothpastes, gels, etc. These materials exhibit complex structures and sometimes amazing types of mechanical behaviour, often intermediate between those of a simple liquid and a simple solid. From a practical standpoint, the aim is to analyze their internal evolution (aging, restructuring, phase separation, etc.), then to formulate these materials in accordance with the desired properties, and thereby devise new materials. With that aim in mind, it is crucial to understand how these materials deform or flow, depending on the interactions and structures formed by the elements they contain. This book is intended for students as well as more advanced researchers in mechanics, physics, chemistry, and biology. The mathematical formalism is reduced in order to focus on physical explanations.

This book continues the biannual series of conference proceedings, which has become a classical reference resource in traffic and granular research alike, and addresses the latest developments at the intersection of physics, engineering and computational science. These involve complex systems, in which multiple simple agents, be they vehicles or particles, give rise to surprising and fascinating phenomena. The contributions collected in these proceedings cover several research fields, all of which deal with transport. Topics include highway, pedestrian and internet traffic; granular matter; biological transport; transport networks; data acquisition; data analysis and technological applications. Different perspectives, i.e., modeling, simulations, experiments, and phenomenological observations are considered.

The study of fluctuations in statistical physics has a long history, and a general theory is well established, connecting fluctuations to response properties of equilibrium systems. Remarkably, this framework fails as soon as some current is flowing across the system, driving it out of equilibrium. The presence of currents is quite common in nature and produces rich phenomena which are far from being included in a general framework. This thesis focuses on this general problem by studying different models such as granular materials and systems exhibiting anomalous diffusion and shows how the generalized response techniques can be successfully used to catch the relevant degrees of freedom that drive the systems out of equilibrium. This study paves the way to the use of the generalized fluctuation relations in an operative way, in order to extract information from a non-equilibrium system and to build the corresponding phenomenological theory.

This book focuses on the impact dynamics and cratering of soft matter to describe its importance, difficulty, and wide applicability to planetary-related problems. A comprehensive introduction to the dimensional analysis and constitutive laws that are necessary to discuss impact mechanics and cratering is first provided. Then, particular coverage is given to the impact of granular matter, which is one of the most crucial constituents for geophysics. While granular matter shows both solid-like and fluid-like behaviors, neither solid nor fluid dynamics is sufficient to fully understand the physics of granular matter. In order to reveal its fundamental properties, extensive impact tests have been carried out recently. The author reveals the findings of these recent studies as well as what remains unsolved in terms of impact dynamics. Impact crater morphology with various soft matter impacts also is discussed intensively. Various experimental and observational results up to the recent Itokawa asteroid's terrain and nanocrater are reviewed and explained mainly by dimensional analysis. The author discusses perspectives of the relation between soft matter physics and planetary science, because it is an important step towards unifying physics and planetary science, in both of which fields crater morphology has been studied independently.

This short primer offers non-specialist readers a concise, yet comprehensive introduction to the field of classical fluids - providing both fundamental information and a number of selected topics to bridge the gap between the basics and ongoing research. In particular, hard-sphere systems represent a favorite playground in statistical mechanics, both in and out of equilibrium, as they represent the simplest models of many-body systems of interacting particles, and at higher temperature and densities they have proven to be very useful as reference systems for real fluids. Moreover, their usefulness in the realm of soft condensed matter has become increasingly recognized - for instance, the effective interaction among (sterically stabilized) colloidal particles can be tuned to almost perfectly match the hard-sphere model. These lecture notes present a brief, self-contained overview of equilibrium statistical mechanics of classical fluids, with special applications to both the structural and thermodynamic properties of systems made of particles interacting via the hard-sphere potential or closely related model potentials. In particular it addresses the exact statistical-mechanical properties of one-dimensional systems, the issue of thermodynamic (in)consistency among different routes in the context of several approximate theories, and the construction of analytical or semi-analytical approximations for the structural properties. Written pedagogically at the graduate level, with many figures, tables, photographs, and guided end-of-chapter exercises, this introductory text benefits students and newcomers to the field alike.

Most matter in the Universe, from the deep interior of planets to the core of stars, is at high temperature or high pressure compared to the matter of our ordinary experience. This book offers a comprehensive introduction to the basic physical theory on matter at such extreme conditions and the mathematical modeling techniques involved in numerical simulations of its properties and behavior. Focusing on computational modeling, the book discusses topics such as the basic properties of dense plasmas; ionization physics; the physical mechanisms by which laser light is absorbed in matter; radiation transport in matter; the basics of hydrodynamics and shock-wave formation and propagation; and numerical simulation of radiation-hydrodynamics phenomenology. End-of-chapter exercises allow the reader to test their understanding of the material and introduce additional physics, making this an invaluable resource for researchers and graduate students in this broad and interdisciplinary area of physics.

Catalysis and catalyst is a key technology to solve the problems in energy and environment issues to sustain our human society. We believe that comprehensive understanding of the catalysis and catalyst provides us a chance to develop a new catalyst and contributes greatly to our society. However, the ?eld of heterogeneous catalyst is dif?cultto study andstill stays behindmoredeveloped?elds ofchemistry such as organic and physical chemistries. This is a dilemma to the chemists who study the catalysis and catalyst. While we can accomplish the progress in the - dustrial application, the scienti?c understandingis not complete yet. A gap between the useful application and incomplete scienti?c understanding, however, becomes smaller and smaller in recent years. Because zeolites are ?ne crystals, and the structure is clearly known, the study on the catalysis using the zeolites is easier than those encountered in other catalysts such as metals and metal oxides. Very fortunately, zeolites provide us the strong acidity with the ?ne distribution which enables various useful catalytic reactions. When some metals and cations are loaded in close to the acid sites, these loadede- ments show extraordinarycharacters, and many catalytic reactions proceed thereon.

Quantum Systems in Chemistry and Physics: Progress in Methods and Applications is a collection of 33 selected papers from the scientific contributions presented at the 16th International Workshop on Quantum Systems in Chemistry and Physics (QSCP-XVI), held at Ishikawa Prefecture Museum of Art in Kanazawa, Japan, from September 11th to 17th, 2011. The volume discusses the state of the art, new trends, and the future of methods in molecular quantum mechanics and their applications to a wide range of problems in physics, chemistry, and biology. The breadth and depth of the scientific topics discussed during QSCP-XVI appears in the classification of the contributions in six parts: I. Fundamental Theory II. Molecular Processes III. Molecular Structure IV. Molecular Properties V. Condensed Matter VI. Biosystems. Quantum Systems in Chemistry and Physics: Progress in Methods and Applications is written for advanced graduate students as well as for professionals in theoretical chemical physics and physical chemistry. The book covers current scientific topics in molecular, nano, material, and bio sciences and provides insights into methodological developments and applications of quantum theory in physics, chemistry, and biology that have become feasible at end of 2011.

Micro and Nano Flow Systems for Bioanalysis addresses the latest developments in biomedical engineering at very small scales. It shows how organic systems require multi-scale understanding in the broadest sensewhether the approach is experimental or mathematical, and whether the physiological state is healthy or diseased. Micro-and nano-fluidics represent key areas of translational research in which state-of-the-art engineering processes and devices are applied to bedside monitoring and treatment. By applying conventional micro- and nano-engineering to complex organic solids, fluids, and their interactions, leading researchers from throughout the world describe methods and techniques with great potential for use in medicine and clinical practice. Coverage includes the seeming plethora of new, fine-scale optical methods for measuring blood flow as well as endothelial activation and interaction with tissue. Generic areas of modeling and bioelectronics are also considered. In keeping with the recurring theme of medicine and clinical practice, approximately half of the chapters focus on the specific application of micro- and nano- flow systems to the understanding and treatment of cancer and cardiovascular diseases. This book developed from an Expert Overview Session on "Micro & Nano Flows in Medicine: the way ahead" at the 3rd Micro and Nano Flows Conference (MNF2011) held in Thessaloniki, Greece. Additional chapters were included to enhance the international, state-of-the-art coverage.

This dissertation contributes to the understanding of fundamental issues in the highly interdisciplinary field of colloidal science. Beyond colloid science, the system also serves as a model for studying interactions in biological matter. This work quantitatively investigated the scaling laws of the characteristic lengths of the structuring of colloidal dispersions and tested the generality of these laws, thereby explaining and resolving some long-standing contradictions in literature. It revealed the effect of confinement on the structuring, independently of specific properties of the confining interfaces. In addition, it resolved the influence of roughness and charge of the confining interfaces on the structuring and as well providing a method to measure the effect of surface deformability on colloidal structuring.

In conventional metals, various transport coefficients are scaled according to the quasiparticle relaxation time, \tau, which implies that the relaxation time approximation (RTA) holds well. However, such a simple scaling does not hold in many strongly correlated electron systems, reflecting their unique electronic states. The most famous example would be cuprate high-Tc superconductors (HTSCs), where almost all the transport coefficients exhibit a significant deviation from the RTA results. To better understand the origin of this discrepancy, we develop a method for calculating various transport coefficients beyond the RTA by employing field theoretical techniques. Near the magnetic quantum critical point, the current vertex correction (CVC), which describes the electron-electron scattering beyond the relaxation time approximation, gives rise to various anomalous transport phenomena. We explain anomalous transport phenomena in cuprate HTSCs and other metals near their magnetic or orbital quantum critical point using a uniform approach. We also discuss spin related transport phenomena in strongly correlated systems. In many d- and f-electron systems, the spin current induced by the spin Hall effect is considerably greater because of the orbital degrees of freedom. This fact attracts much attention due to its potential application in spintronics. We discuss various novel charge, spin and heat transport phenomena in strongly correlated metals.

Convection in Porous Media, 4th Edition, provides a user-friendly introduction to the subject, covering a wide range of topics, such as fibrous insulation, geological strata, and catalytic reactors. The presentation is self-contained, requiring only routine mathematics and the basic elements of fluid mechanics and heat transfer. The book will be of use not only to researchers and practicing engineers as a review and reference, but also to graduate students and others entering the field. The new edition features approximately 1,750 new references and covers current research in nanofluids, cellular porous materials, strong heterogeneity, pulsating flow, and more.

"The career structure and funding of the universities [...] currently strongly d- courages academics and faculties from putting any investment into teaching - there are no career or ?nancial rewards in it. This is a great pity, because [...] it is the need toengage indialogue,and to makethings logicaland clear,that istheprimary defence against obscurantism and abstraction. " B. Ward-Perkins, The fall of Rome, Oxford (2005) This is the ?rst volume of a planned two-volume treatise on non-equilibrium phase transitions. While such a topic might sound rather special and a- demic, non-equilibrium critical phenomena occur in much wider contexts than their equilibrium counterparts, and without having to ?ne-tune th- modynamic variables to their 'critical' values in each case. As a matter of fact, most systems in Nature are out of equilibrium. Given that the theme of non-equilibrium phase transitions of second order is wide enough to amount essentially to a treatment of almost all theoretical aspects of non-equilibrium many-body physics, a selection of topics is required to keep such a project within a manageable length. Therefore, Vol. 1 discusses a particular kind of non-equilibrium phase transitions, namely those between an active, ?- tuating state and absorbing states. Volume 2 (to be written by one of us (MH) with M. Pleimling) will be devoted to ageing phenomena.

Strain Effect in Semiconductors: Theory and Device Applications presents the fundamentals and applications of strain in semiconductors and semiconductor devices that is relevant for strain-enhanced advanced CMOS technology and strain-based piezoresistive MEMS transducers. Discusses relevant applications of strain while also focusing on the fundamental physics pertaining to bulk, planar, and scaled nano-devices. Hence, this book is relevant for current strained Si logic technology as well as for understanding the physics and scaling for future strained nano-scale devices.

The great interest in photonic crystals and their applications in the last 15 years is being expressed in the publishing of a large number of monographs, collections, textbooks and tutorials, where existing knowledge concerning - eration principles of photonic crystal devices and microstructured ?bers, their mathematicaldescription,well-knownandnovelapplicationsofsuchtechno- gies in photonics and optical communications are presented. They challenges authors of new books to cover the gaps still existing in the literature and highlight and popularize of already known material in a new and original manner. Authorsofthisbookbelievethatthenextsteptowardswideapplicationof photoniccrystalsisthesolutionofmanypracticalproblemsofdesignandc- putation of the speci?c photonic crystal-based devices aimed at the speci?c technicalapplication.Inordertomakethisstep,itisnecessarytoincreasethe number of practitioners who can solve such problems independently. The aim of this book is to extend the group of researchers, developers and students, who could practically use the knowledge on the physics of photonic crystals together with the knowledge and skills of independent calculation of basic characteristics of photonic crystals and modeling of various elements of - tegrated circuits and optical communication systems created on the basis of photonic crystals. The book is intended for quali?ed readers, specialists in the ?eld of optics and photonics, students of higher courses, master degree students and PhD students. As an introduction to the snopest, the book contains the basics of wave optics and radiation propagation in simple guiding media such as planar waveguides and step-index ?bers.

Progress continues in the theoretical treatment of surfaces and processes on surfaces based on first-principles methods, i.e. without invoking any empirical parameters. In this book, the theoretical concepts and computational tools necessary and relevant for a microscopic approach to the theoretical description of surface science is presented, together with a detailed discussion of surface phenomena. This makes the book suitable for both graduate students and for experimentalists seeking an overview of the theoretical concepts in surface science. This second enlarged edition has been carefully revised and updated, a new chapter on surface magnetism is included, and novel developments in theoretical surface science are addressed.