![]() |
![]() |
Your cart is empty |
||
Books > Science & Mathematics > Physics > Applied physics & special topics > General
"People like myself, who truly feel at home in several countries, are not strictly at home anywhere," writes Abraham Pais, one of the world's leading theoretical physicists, near the beginning of this engrossing chronicle of his life on two continents. The author of an immensely popular biography of Einstein, Subtle Is the Lord, Pais writes engagingly for a general audience. His "tale" describes his period of hiding in Nazi-occupied Holland (he ended the war in a Gestapo prison) and his life in America, particularly at the newly organized Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, then directed by the brilliant and controversial physicist Robert Oppenheimer. Pais tells fascinating stories about Oppenheimer, Einstein, Bohr, Sakharov, Dirac, Heisenberg, and von Neumann, as well as about nonscientists like Chaim Weizmann, George Kennan, Erwin Panofsky, and Pablo Casals. His enthusiasm about science and life in general pervades a book that is partly a memoir, partly a travel commentary, and partly a history of science. Pais's charming recollections of his years as a university student become somber with the German invasion of the Netherlands in 1940. He was presented with an unusual deadline for his graduate work: a German decree that July 14, 1941, would be the final date on which Dutch Jews could be granted a doctoral degree. Pais received the degree, only to be forced into hiding from the Nazis in 1943, practically next door to Anne Frank. After the war, he went to the Institute of Theoretical Physics in Copenhagen to work with Niels Bohr. 1946 began his years at the Institute for Advanced Study, where he worked first as a Fellow and then as a Professor until his move to Rockefeller University in 1963. Combining his understanding of disparate social and political worlds, Pais comments just as insightfully on Oppenheimer's ordeals during the McCarthy era as he does on his own and his European colleagues' struggles during World War II. Originally published in 1997. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.
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 ninth volume covers a broad range of topics from this interdisciplinary research field, focusing on ultrafast molecular responses to an intense laser field, advanced techniques for attosecond pulse generation, atomic and molecular responses to attosecond pulses, photoelectron spectroscopy of atoms and molecules interacting with intense light fields, and attosecond pulse interaction with solid materials.
Discussed is the electromagnetic field theory and its mathematical methods. Maxwell's equations are presented and explained. It follows a detailed discussion of electrostatics, flux, magnetostatics, quasi stationary fields and electromagnetic fields. The author presents how to apply numerical methods like finite differences, finite elements, boundary elements, image charge methods, and Monte-Carlo methods to field theory problems. He offers an outlook on fundamental issues in physics including quantum mechanics. Some of these issues are still unanswered questions. A chapter dedicated to the theory of special relativity, which allows to simplify a number of field theory problems, complements this book. A book whose usefulness is not limited to engineering students, but can be very helpful for physicists and other branches of science.
The vital interconnections that rivers share with the land, the sky, and us Rivers are essential to every aspect of civilization, from brewing beer to building computers, yet how many of us understand how they work? Where the River Flows takes you on a journey along our planet's waterways, providing a scientist's reflections on the profound interrelationships that rivers have with landscapes, ecosystems, and societies. Drawing on examples ranging from backyard creeks to evocative rivers like the Mississippi, Yangtze, Thames, and Congo, Sean Fleming looks at rivers through the lens of physics, using abundant graphics and intuitive analogies to explore surprising connections between watershed hydrology and the world around us. He explains how river flows fluctuate like stock markets, what "digital rainbows" tell us about climate change and its effects on water, how building virtual watersheds in silicon may help avoid water wars, and more. Along the way, you'll see what communications theory, fractals, artificial life, and other exciting scientific ideas reveal about the life of rivers.
Quantum cryptography (or quantum key distribution) is a state-of-the-art technique that exploits properties of quantum mechanics to guarantee the secure exchange of secret keys. This 2006 text introduces the principles and techniques of quantum cryptography, setting it in the wider context of cryptography and security, with specific focus on secret-key distillation. The book starts with an overview chapter, progressing to classical cryptography, information theory (classical and quantum), and applications of quantum cryptography. The discussion moves to secret-key distillation, privacy amplification and reconciliation techniques, concluding with the security principles of quantum cryptography. The author explains the physical implementation and security of these systems, enabling engineers to gauge the suitability of quantum cryptography for securing transmission in their particular application. With its blend of fundamental theory, implementation techniques, and details of recent protocols, this book will be of interest to graduate students, researchers, and practitioners in electrical engineering, physics, and computer science.
One of the questions about which humanity has often wondered is the arrow of time. Why does temporal evolution seem irreversible? That is, we often see objects break into pieces, but we never see them reconstitute spontaneously. This observation was first put into scientific terms by the so-called second law of thermodynamics: entropy never decreases. However, this law does not explain the origin of irreversibly; it only quantifies it. Kinetic theory gives a consistent explanation of irreversibility based on a statistical description of the motion of electrons, atoms, and molecules. The concepts of kinetic theory have been applied to innumerable situations including electronics, the production of particles in the early universe, the dynamics of astrophysical plasmas, quantum gases or the motion of small microorganisms in water, with excellent quantitative agreement. This book presents the fundamentals of kinetic theory, considering classical paradigmatic examples as well as modern applications. It covers the most important systems where kinetic theory is applied, explaining their major features. The text is balanced between exploring the fundamental concepts of kinetic theory (irreversibility, transport processes, separation of time scales, conservations, coarse graining, distribution functions, etc.) and the results and predictions of the theory, where the relevant properties of different systems are computed.
The pendulum: a case study in physics is a unique book in several ways. Firstly, it is a comprehensive quantitative study of one physical system, the pendulum, from the viewpoint of elementary and more advanced classical physics, modern chaotic dynamics, and quantum mechanics. In addition, coupled pendulums and pendulum analogs of superconducting devices are also discussed. Secondly, this book treats the physics of the pendulum within a historical and cultural context, showing, for example, that the pendulum has been intimately connected with studies of the earth's density, the earth's motion, and timekeeping. While primarily a physics book, the work provides significant added interest through the use of relevant cultural and historical vignettes. This approach offers an alternative to the usual modern physics courses. The text is amply illustrated and augmented by exercises at the end of each chapter.
An introduction to developments in chaos and related topics in nonlinear dynamics, including the detection and quantification of chaos in experimental data, fractals, and complex systems. Most of the important elementary concepts in nonlinear dynamics are discussed, with emphasis on the physical concepts and useful results rather than mathematical proofs and derivations. While many books on chaos are purely qualitative and many others are highly mathematical, this book fills the middle ground by giving the essential equations, but in the simplest possible form. It assumes only an elementary knowledge of calculus. Complex numbers, differential equations, and vector calculus are used in places, but those tools are described as required. The book is aimed at the student, scientist, or engineer who wants to learn how to use the ideas in a practical setting. It is written at a level suitable for advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students in all fields of science and engineering.
The focus of this book is the remarkable advances in understanding of low pressure RF (radio frequency) glow discharges. A basic analytical theory and plasma physics are explained. Plasma diagnostics are also covered before the practicalities of etcher use are explored.
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * At the end of World War II, a band of aces gathered in the Mojave Desert on a Top Secret quest to break the sound barrier-nicknamed "The Demon" by pilots. The true story of what happened in those skies has never been told. Speed. In 1947, it represented the difference between victory and annihilation. After Hiroshima, the ability to deliver a nuclear device to its target faster than one's enemy became the singular obsession of American war planners. And so, in the earliest days of the Cold War, a highly classified program was conducted on a desolate air base in California's Mojave Desert. Its aim: to push the envelope of flight to new frontiers. There gathered an extraordinary band of pilots, including Second World War aces Chuck Yeager and George Welch, who risked their lives flying experimental aircraft to reach Mach 1, the so-called sound barrier, which pilots called "the demon." Shrouding the program in secrecy, the US military reluctantly revealed that the "barrier" had been broken two months later, after the story was leaked to the press. The full truth has never been fully revealed-until now. Chasing the Demon, from decorated fighter pilot and acclaimed aviation historian Dan Hampton, tells, for the first time, the extraordinary true story of mankind's quest for Mach 1. Here, of course, is twenty-four-year-old Captain Chuck Yeager, who made history flying the futuristic Bell X-1 faster than the speed of sound on October 14, 1947. Officially Yeager was the first to achieve supersonic flight, but drawing on new interviews with survivors of the program, including Yeager's former commander, as well as declassified files, Hampton presents evidence that a fellow American-George Welch, a daring fighter pilot who shot down a remarkable sixteen enemy aircraft during the Pacific War-met the demon first, though he was not favored to wear the laurels, as he was now a civilian test pilot and was not flying the Bell X-1. Chasing the Demon sets the race between Yeager and Welch in the context of aviation history, so that the reader can learn and appreciate their accomplishments as never before.
Manufacturing processes have existed, in some form, since the dawn of civilization. Modelling and numerical simulation of mechanics of such processes, however, are of fairly recent vintage; made possible, mainly by improved understanding of the fundamental mechanics and physics of these processes as well as by the availability of ever more powerful computers. Our capabilities of designing manufacturing processes, however, significantly lag behind our abilities in simulating such processes. In fact, research in the area of design of manufacturing processes is barely a decade old. Analysis of manufacturing processes, and its integration into the design cycle of these processes, are the dual themes of this book. The boundary element method (BEM) is the computational method of choice. This versatile and powerful method has enjoyed extensive development during the last two decades and has been applied to virtually all areas of engieering mechanics (both linear and nonlinear) as well as in other areas. The BEM infra-structure is presented in Chapters 2, 3, and 4. Chapters 2 and 3, respectively provide reviews of the fundamentals of nonlinear and thermal problems. Material and geometric nonlinearities are ubiquitous in manufacturing processes such as forming and machining while thermal issues play significant roles in casting and machining processes. Chapter 4 discusses design sensitivity analysis, and provides an avenue for utilizing insights gained from analysis toward design synthesis of manufacturing processes. Chapters 5 through 9 are devoted to detailed discussions of a broad range of manufacturing processes - forming, solidification, machining, and ceramic grinding. The unique features of this book are its emphasis on numerical simulation as well as on design of manufacturing processes, and the use of the boundary element method as the computational method of choice.
In spite of the current excitement and novelty of magnetic, i.e., diskette, tape and solid state imaging techniques, photographic film still provides the highest resolution and most beautiful images of any imaging medium. This book systematically describes the theory and mechanisms of photographic sensitivity, with topics stressing the understanding of the characteristics of silver halide photography. This book will be suitable for a wide audience, from chemists and physicists who work with silver halide imaging techniques, to those working in solid-state imaging, who need to compare their work with that of silver halide experts.
Market: Those involved in the design and use of UHV component systems. Written 25 years ago, this book explains both the design and use of UHV systems and components, as well as the underlying physical principles on which the performance of the equipment depends. Because of its close association of these underlying physical principles with the practical problems inherent in UHV equipment, the book retains its value to this day.
Advances in technology often rely on a world of photons as the basic units of light. Increasingly one reads of photons as essential to enterprises in Photonics and Quantum Technology, with career and investment opportunities. Notions of photons have evolved from the energy-packet crowds of Planck and Einstein, the later field modes of Dirac, the seeming conflict of wave and particle photons, to the ubiquitous laser photons of today. Readers who take interest in contemporary technology will benefit from learning what photons are now considered to be, and how our views of photons have changed - in learning about the various operational definitions that have been used for photons and their association with a variety of quantum-state manipulations that include Quantum Information, astronomical sources and crowds of photons, the boxed fields of Cavity Quantum Electrodynamics and single photons on demand, the photons of Feynman and Glauber, and the photon constituents of the Standard Model of Particle Physics. The narrative points to contemporary photons as causers of change to atoms, as carriers of messages, and as subject to controllable creation and alteration - a considerable diversity of photons, not just one kind. Our Changing Views of Photons: A Tutorial Memoir presents those general topics as a memoir of the author's involvement with physics and the photons of theoretical Quantum Optics, written conversationally for readers with no assumed prior exposure to science. It offers lay readers a glimpse of scientific discovery - of how ideas become practical, as a small scientific community reconsiders its assumptions and offers the theoretical ideas that are then developed, revised, and adopted into technology for daily use. For readers who want a more detailed understanding of the theory, three substantial appendices provide tutorials that, assuming no prior familiarity, proceed from a very elementary start to basics of discrete states and abstract vector spaces; Lie groups; notions of quantum theory and the Schroedinger equation for quantum-state manipulation; Maxwell's equations for electromagnetism, with wave modes that become photons, possibly exhibiting quantum entanglement; and the coupling of atoms and fields to create quasiparticles. The appendices can be seen as a companion to traditional textbooks on Quantum Optics.
Why do elephants have sturdier thigh bones than humans? Why can't ostriches fly? How do bacteria swim through fluids? With each chapter structured around relevant biological case studies and examples, this engaging, full-colour book introduces fundamental physical concepts essential in the study of biological phenomena. Optics is introduced within the context of butterfly wing colouration, electricity is explained through the propagation of nerve signals, and accelerated motion is conveniently illustrated using the example of the jumping armadillo. Other key physical concepts covered include waves, mechanical forces, thermodynamics and magnetism, and important biological techniques are also discussed within this context, such as gel electrophoresis and fluorescence microscopy. A detailed appendix provides further discussion of the mathematical concepts utilised within the book, and numerous exercises and quizzes allow readers to test their understanding of key concepts. This book is invaluable to students aiming to improve their quantitative and analytical skills and understand the deeper nature of biological phenomena.
Many books treat the physics of superconductivity; very few until now have covered the engineering. Superconducting Magnets meets this need, providing a complete theoretical basis for the quantitative engineering design of superconducting magnet systems, ranging from the small instrument magnets, now in everyday use as research tools, to the very large magnet systems used for work on thermonuclear fusion and magnetohydrodynamic power generation. Wilson devotes particular attention to the problem of stabilization, a crucial factor in the design process because of its bearing on the overall reliability of the completed system. He also describes the essential features of field and stress calculation, although in less detail, since they are covered extensively in other works. Other topics considered are measurement techniques, current supply (with emphasis on heat exchanging cryogenic current leads), superconducting materials, the major applications of superconducting magnets, and some practical techniques of magnet manufacture.
Dieses praxisnahe Lehrbuch vermittelt die physikalischen Grundlagen in den Ingenieurwissenschaften auf kompakte und pragnante Weise. Die zugrundeliegenden mathematischen Zusammenhange werden verstandlich formuliert, wahrend viele Tabellen und Abbildungen fur eine hohe UEbersichtlichkeit sorgen. Unterstutzt wird das Verstandnis durch moderne Beispiele aus Technik und Umwelt. Die vorliegende 7. Auflage wurde unter anderem in Bezug auf die uberarbeitete SI-Einheitensystematik erweitert.
Quantum mechanics is traditionally associated with microscopic systems; however, quantum concepts have also been successfully applied to a diverse range of macroscopic systems both within and outside of physics. This book describes how complex systems from a variety of fields can be modelled using quantum mechanical principles; from biology and ecology, to sociology and decision-making. The mathematical basis of these models is covered in detail, furnishing a self-contained and consistent approach. This book provides unique insight into the dynamics of these macroscopic systems and opens new interdisciplinary research frontiers. It will be an essential resource for students and researchers in applied mathematics or theoretical physics who are interested in applying quantum mechanics to dynamical systems in the social, biological or ecological sciences.
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 Am range. The described sources include, along with more traditional heterojunction semiconductor lasers, optical parametric oscillators, difference frequency generators, as well as the most recently developed broadband crystalline, quantum cascade and fiber lasers. The rapid advances in mid-IR science and technology have made these sources indispensable tools for a variety of applications in environmental monitoring and pollution control, agriculture and life sciences, and non-invasive disease diagnosis through breath analysis. 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-borne 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, who intend to develop or use mid-IR laser sources in various applications.
Principles of Metal Refining and Recycling provides a self-contained introduction to the field of purification and recycling of metals. The scientific principles in the treatment of the various metals are the same. The importance of using a clean and properly alloyed metal is described in detail. The text covers thermodynamics, physical and transport properties, mixing, mass transfer and numerical models. It describes methods for removal of dissolved impurity elements, particles, and inclusions. It considers important aspects of the solidification process, remelting and adding of alloys. Recycling, future challenges and specific processes for each metal are discussed in detail. The book is a greatly extended update of the 1992 book Principles of Metal Refining by T. Abel Engh. It includes in particular the subjects of metal recycling, ferrous and non-ferrous metal refining, and metalloids like silicon.
This textbook is a follow-up to the volume Principles of Engineering Physics 1 and aims for an introductory course in engineering physics. It provides a balance between theoretical concepts and their applications. Fundamental concepts of crystal structure including lattice directions and planes, atomic packing factor, diffraction by crystal, reciprocal lattics and intensity of diffracted beam are extensively discussed in the book. The book also covers topics related to superconductivity, optoelectronic devices, dielectric materials, semiconductors, electron theory of solids and energy bands in solids. The text is written in a logical and coherent manner for easy understanding by students. Emphasis has been given to an understanding of the basic concepts and their applications to a number of engineering problems. Each topic is discussed in detail both conceptually and mathematically, so that students will not face comprehension difficulties. Derivations and solved problems are provided in a step-by-step approach.
A clearly written and organized text on the production, propagation, and perception of the sound we call music. Organized into six major parts (each with three chapters) treating the sources of sound and production of musical sound; the propagation of sound and those environmental features that have an immediate influence on the sound that is propagated; and the perceptual aspects of the musical sound. The second edition includes new material on the human voice as a musical instrument, digital recording, and the use of the computer in composing music.
The role of thermodynamics in modern physics is not just to provide an approximate treatment of large thermal systems, but, more importantly, to provide an organising set of ideas. Thermodynamics: A complete undergraduate course presents thermodynamics as a self-contained and elegant set of ideas and methods. It unfolds thermodynamics for undergraduate students of physics, chemistry or engineering, beginning at first year level. The book introduces the necessary mathematical methods, assuming almost no prior knowledge, and explains concepts such as entropy and free energy at length, with many examples. This book aims to convey the style and power of thermodynamic reasoning, along with applications such as Joule-Kelvin expansion, the gas turbine, magnetic cooling, solids at high pressure, chemical equilibrium, radiative heat exchange and global warming, to name a few. It mentions but does not pursue statistical mechanics, in order to keep the logic clear.
Lukas Pehle beschaftigt sich mit der transienten thermischen und strukturmechanischen Analyse einer 19-stufigen Mitteldruck-Dampfturbine. Dafur errechnet und bewertet er Zeitdauern und auftretende Spannungen, um ein breites Spektrum an Vorwarm-Szenarien beschreiben zu koennen. Das dabei verwendete und weiterentwickelte Festkoerpermodell wird an experimentellen Daten kalibriert, um im Anschluss eine Parameterstudie durchfuhren zu koennen. Mithilfe des untersuchten Konzepts des Vorwarmens von Dampfturbinen koennen thermisch induzierte Spannungen beim Kraftwerksstart verringert werden. Dieses Buch leistet aufgrund der dadurch flexibleren Kraftwerke einen wichtigen Beitrag zur Versorgungssicherheit nach der Energiewende, also fur den UEbergang von fossilen Energietragern und der Kernenergie zu einer nachhaltigen Energieversorgung mittels erneuerbarer Energien. |
![]() ![]() You may like...
|