This book describes the basic mechanisms, theory, simulations and technological aspects of Laser processing techniques. It covers the principles of laser quenching, welding, cutting, alloying, selective sintering, ablation, etc. The main attention is paid to the quantitative description. The diversity and complexity of technological and physical processes is discussed using a unitary approach. The book aims on understanding the cause-and-effect relations in physical processes in Laser technologies. It will help researchers and engineers to improve the existing and develop new Laser machining techniques. The book addresses readers with a certain background in general physics and mathematical analysis: graduate students, researchers and engineers practicing laser applications.

The book contains a comprehensive review of the physics, modelling and simulation of electron transport at interfaces in semiconductor devices. Particular emphasis is put on the consistent derivation of interface or boundary conditions for semiconductor device simulation. It combines a review of existing interface charge transport models with original developments. A unified representation of charge transport at semiconductor interfaces is introduced. Models for the most important interfaces are derived, classified within the unique modelling framework, and discussed in the context of device simulation. Discretization methods for numerical solution techniques are presented.

The book presents a synopsis of the main results achieved during the 3 year EU-project "Advanced Inflight Measurement Techniques (AIM)" which applied advanced image based measurement techniques to industrial flight testing. The book is intended to be not only an overview on the AIM activities but also a guide on the application of advanced optical measurement techniques for future flight testing. Furthermore it is a useful guide for engineers in the field of experimental methods and flight testing who face the challenge of a future requirement for the development of highly accurate non-intrusive in-flight measurement techniques.

This volume is a review on coherent states and some of their applications. The usefulness of the concept of coherent states is illustrated by considering specific examples from the fields of physics and mathematical physics. Particular emphasis is given to a general historical introduction, general continuous representations, generalized coherent states, classical and quantum correspondence, path integrals and canonical formalism. Applications are considered in quantum mechanics, optics, quantum chemistry, atomic physics, statistical physics, nuclear physics, particle physics and cosmology. A selection of original papers is reprinted.

The aim of the book is to present, in a novel and unified fashion, the elements of Mechanics in Material Space or Configurational Mechanics, with applications to fracture and defect mechanics. This mechanics, in contrast to Newtonian mechanics in physical space, is concerned with defects such as cracks and dislocations, which are embedded in the material and might move in it. The level is kept accessible to any engineer, scientist or graduate student possessing some knowledge of calculus and partial differential equations, and working in the various areas where rational use of materials is essential.

The book reports an extended version of the lectures given by distinguished scholars at the workshop "Fault diagnosis and fault tolerance for dynamic systems" held in conjunction with the 2002 IEEE International Symposium on Intelligent Control in Vancouver, Canada, from 27-30 October 2002. The book collects some of the most recent results in fault diagnosis and fault tolerant systems with particular emphasis on mechatronic systems. Each chapter focuses on either theoretical aspects or applications to different fields of interest in mechatronics such as industrial robotics, underwater vehicles, hydraulic systems, and flight control.

This book is an introduction to the dynamics of reaction-diffusion systems, with a focus on fronts and stationary spatial patterns. Emphasis is on systems that are non-standard in the sense that either the transport is not simply classical diffusion (Brownian motion) or the system is not homogeneous. A important feature is the derivation of the basic phenomenological equations from the mesoscopic system properties. Topics addressed include transport with inertia, described by persistent random walks and hyperbolic reaction-transport equations and transport by anomalous diffusion, in particular subdiffusion, where the mean square displacement grows sublinearly with time. In particular reaction-diffusion systems are studied where the medium is in turn either spatially inhomogeneous, compositionally heterogeneous or spatially discrete. Applications span a vast range of interdisciplinary fields and the systems considered can be as different as human or animal groups migrating under external influences, population ecology and evolution, complex chemical reactions, or networks of biological cells. Several chapters treat these applications in detail.

One of the major challenges in current chemistry is to ?nd molecules able to move charges rapidly and ef?ciently from, for example, one terminus to another one under the control of an external electrical, electrochemical or photochemical stimulus. Nature has provided impressive examples of how these goals are achieved. The photosynthetic reaction center protein, for instance, rapidly moves electrons with near unity quantum ef?ciency across a lipid bilayer membrane using several redox cofactors, and thus, serves as a model for developing biomimetic analogues for applications in ?elds such as photovoltaic devices, molecular electronics and photonic materials. In this context, p-conjugated oligomeric molecular assemblies are of particular interest because they provide ef?cient electronic couplings between electroactive units - donor and acceptor termini - and display wire-like behavior. In order to make a molecule able to behave as an ideal molecular wire different requirements need to be ful?lled: i) matching between the donor (acceptor) and bridge energy levels, ii) a good electronic coupling between the electron donor and acceptor units via the bridge orbitals, and iii) a small attenuation factor. Among the many different p-conjugated oligomers, oligo(p-phenylenevin- enes) (oPPV), have emerged as a particularly promising model system that helps to comprehend/rationalize the basic features of polymeric poly(p-phenyle- vinylenes) and also as a versatile building block for novel materials with che- cally tailored properties.

Wind Turbine Airfoils and Blades introduces new ideas in the design of wind turbine airfoils and blades based on functional integral theory and the finite element method, accompanied by results from wind tunnel testing. The authors also discuss the optimization of wind turbine blades as well as results from aerodynamic analysis. This book is suitable for researchers and engineers in aeronautics and can be used as a textbook for graduate students.

Physical models of gas discharge processes in gas flows and numerical simulation methods, which are used for numerical simulation of these phenomena are considered in the book. Significant attention is given to a solution of two-dimensional problems of physical mechanics of electric arc, radio-frequency, micro-wave, and optical discharges, as well as to investigation of electrodynamic structure of direct current glow discharges. Problems of modern computational magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) are considered also. Prospects of the different kinds of discharges use in aerospace applications are discussed. This book is intended for scientists and engineers concerned with physical gas dynamics, physics of the low-temperature plasma and gas discharges, and also for students and post-graduate students of physical and technical specialties of universities.

This book systematizes data on the heterophase states and their evolution in perovskite-type ferroelectric solid solutions. It also provides a general interpretation of heterophase and domain structures on changing temperature, composition or electric field, as well as the complete analysis of interconnections domain structures, unit-cell parameters changes, heterophase structures and stress relief. The description of numerous examples of heterophase states in lead-free ferroelectric solid solutions is also included. Domain state-interface diagrams contribute to the interpretation of heterophase states in perovskite-type ferroelectric solid solutions and describe the stress relief in the presence of polydomain phases, the behavior of unit-cell parameters of coexisting phases, the effect of external electric field etc. This 2nd edition generalizes the results on the heterophase ferroelectric solid solutions and the stress relief and presents new results on heterophase/domain structures and phase contents in lead-free ferroelectric solid solutions.

This volume represents a collection of authoritative reviews by internationally recognized experts in the field of middle infrared (mid-IR) coherent sources and their applications. The compilation describes the fundamental principles and state-of-the-art of practical solid-state sources in the mid-IR regions of the spectrum covering the 2-50 m range. Coherent mid-IR sources also offer important technologies for atmospheric chemistry, free-space communication, imaging, rapid detection of explosives, chemical and biological agents, narcotics, as well as for applications in air- and sea-born security. In comparison to the previous volume on this subject in 2003, which focused mainly on the design and development of mid-IR sources, the emphasis in the present volume is shifted towards applications. The instructive nature of the book makes it an excellent text for practicing engineers, physicists and graduate students.

This book provides an interdisciplinary presentation of the current knowledge of pattern formation in complex system, with sufficiently many details, tools, and concrete examples to be useful for the graduate student or scientist entering this area of research.

This book examines the intersection of Organizational Behavior Management (OBM) and Industrial and Organizational Psychology (I/O Psychology). It argues that, whilst OBM and I/O Psychology have developed simultaneously, they have done so with minimal integration. I/O Psychology, a somewhat older field, has evolved to become widely accepted, both influencing management and social sciences and being affected by them. It can be viewed as a research-oriented subject that is closely aligned with human resources functions. With regards to the intersection of I/O Psychology with OBM, some practices are more closely related than others; and of those that are related, some are relatively consistent with OBM practices, while others are very inconsistent. Most I/O Psychology interventions focus on many people simultaneously, seeking to ensure that one intervention affects multiple employees as a cost-efficient way to improve organizations, while OBM is usually better than I/O Psychology at improving the behaviors of individuals and smaller groups or workers. This book provides a framework for understanding differences and similarities between I/O Psychology and OBM, and as such is an innovative compendium for students, scholars, applied psychologists, and human resource specialists. It was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Organizational Behavior Management.

This book gives an overview of recent advances in the fracture mechanics of polymers (experimental and alternative methods), morphology property correlations (homopolymers, copolymers, blends), hybrid methods for polymer testing and polymer diagnostics, and biocompatible materials and medical prostheses, as well as application examples and limits. The investigation of deformation and fracture behaviour using the experimental methods of fracture mechanics has been the subject of intense research during the last decade. In a systematic manner, each chapter of this book gives a review of the particular aspects. This book will be of great value to scientists, engineers and graduates in polymer materials science.

In the last decade, optically functionalized materials have developed rapidly, from bulk matters to structured forms. Now we have a rich variety of attractive advanced materials. They are applied to optical and electrical devices that support the information communication technology in the mid 21-th century. Accordingly, it is quite important to have a broad knowledge of the optical properties of advanced materials for students, scientists and engineers working in optics and related fields. This book is designed to teach fundamental optical properties of such advanced materials effectively. These materials have their own peculiarities which are very interesting in modern optical physics and also for applications because the concepts of optical properties are quite different from those in conventional optical materials. Hence each chapter starts to review the basic concepts of the materials briefly and proceeds to the practical use. The important topics covered in this book include: quantum structures of semiconductors, spintronics, photonic crystals, surface plasmons in metallic nanostructures, photonic metamaterials, liquid crystal materials, organic LED materials and magnet-optics.

This book introduces the use of industrial CMOS processes to produce arrays of nanomechanical cantilever transducers with on-chip driving and signal conditioning circuitry. These cantilevers are familiar from Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM) and allow the sensitive detection of physical quantities such as forces and mass changes. The book is divided into three parts. First fabrication aspects and the mechanisms of cantilever resonators are introduced. Of the possible driving and sensing mechanisms, electrothermal and magnetic excitation, as well as piezoresistive detection and the use of MOS transistors for the deflection detection are introduced. This is followed by two application examples: The use of resonant cantilevers for the mass-sensitive detection of volatile organic compounds, and force sensor arrays for parallel Scanning Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) of large areas.

Lissajous Figures are produced by combining two oscillations at right angles to each other. The figures, drawn by mechanical devices called Harmonographs, have scientific uses, but are also enjoyed for their own beauty. The author has been working with harmonographs since his undergraduate days, has built several of them, lectured about them and has written articles about them. This book is intended for people who enjoy physics or art or both. Certainly physics professionals, both students and faculty members, will enjoy reading about an interesting byway of physics. The book is mainly designed for the reader who has some scientific literacy, but who may not be a scientist. If your mathematics is rusty, a preliminary section on mathematics supplies the necessary background for reading the rest of the book.

The PUILS series delivers up-to-date reviews of progress in Ultrafast Intense Laser Science, a newly emerging interdisciplinary research field spanning atomic and molecular physics, molecular science and optical science which has been stimulated by the recent developments in ultrafast laser technologies. Each volume compiles peer-reviewed articles authored by researchers at the forefront of each their own subfields of UILS. Every chapter opens with an overview of the topics to be discussed, so that researchers unfamiliar to the subfield as well as graduate students can grasp the importance and attractions of the research topic at hand. These are followed by reports of cutting-edge discoveries. This eighth volume covers a broad range of topics from this interdisciplinary research field, focusing on molecules interacting with ultrashort and intense laser fields, advanced technologies for the characterization of ultrashort laser pulses and their applications, laser plasma formation and laser acceleration.

The International Conference on the Theory of Machines and Mechanisms is organized every four years, under the auspices of the International Federation for the Promotion of Mechanism and Machine Science (IFToMM) and the Czech Society for Mechanics. This eleventh edition of the conference took place at the Technical University of Liberec, Czech Republic, 4-6 September 2012. This volume offers an international selection of the most important new results and developments, in 73 papers, grouped in seven different parts, representing a well-balanced overview, and spanning the general theory of machines and mechanisms, through analysis and synthesis of planar and spatial mechanisms, dynamics of machines and mechanisms, linkages and cams, computational mechanics, rotor dynamics, biomechanics, mechatronics, vibration and noise in machines, optimization of mechanisms and machines, control and monitoring systems of machines, accuracy and reliability of machines and mechanisms, robots and manipulators to the mechanisms of textile machines.

This book pays tribute to two pioneers in the field of Mathematical physics, Jiri Patera and Pavel Winternitz of the CRM. Each has contributed more than forty years to the subject of mathematical physics, particularly to the study of algebraic methods.

Optics and Lasers is an introduction to applied optics, covering elementary ray and wave optics as well as lasers, holography, fibers, optical waveguides, integrated optics, and quantum noise. Further chapters deal with the physical principles of optical instruments, light sources, and detectors. Numerous examples and exercises with complete solutions help the readers to deepen their knowledge.This completely revised and enlarged edition is intended for advanced undergraduates in laser physics and engineering but will also be helpful for active scientists.

Art interprets the visible world. Physics charts its unseen workings. The two realms seem completely opposed. But consider that both strive to reveal truths for which there are no words--with physicists using the language of mathematics and artists using visual images. In Art & Physics, Leonard Shlain tracks their breakthroughs side by side throughout history to reveal an astonishing correlation of visions. From the classical Greek sculptors to Andy Warhol and Jasper Johns, and from Aristotle to Einstein, artists have foreshadowed the discoveries of scientists, such as when Monet and Cezanne intuited the coming upheaval in physics that Einstein would initiate. In this lively and colorful narrative, Leonard Shlain explores how artistic breakthroughs could have prefigured the visionary insights of physicists on so many occasions throughout history. Provicative and original, Art & Physics is a seamless integration of the romance of art and the drama of science--and an exhilarating history of ideas.