This monograph begins by deriving the theory of elastic depolarizing collisions and then describes some nonlinear electromagnetic phenomena in gaseous media in which elasric depolarizing collisions are of primary importance. The formation of photon echo and a description of its various types in gaseous media are then included and it is shown that the characteristics of the corresponding signals depend essentially on the elastic depolarizing collisions. The significance of these collisions to corresponding signals and their characteristics is given and a new kind of photon echo spectroscopy (polarization photon echo-spectroscopy) is presented and its advantages considered. The final part describes the investigation of double-mode lasing of gas lasers and the coupling of strong and weak electromagnetic waves travelling through resonant gaseous media. This specialized and unique volume will be of interest to researchers and advanced graduates in the field of nonlinear optics and quantum electronics.

Devoted to the preparation, characterization, and evaluation of HTS electronic devices, the Handbook of High-Temperature Superconductor Electronics provides information on using high-Tc thin films and junctions to increase speed, lessen noise, lower power consumption and enhance upper frequency limits in superconductor electronics. Compiled by a group of internationally renowned authors, it discusses the implementation of HTS digital circuits, microwave filters and subsystems and transition-edge bolometers. Other topics include cryocooler usage in high-Tc devices, HTS thin films for electronic devices, and the fabrication and applications of various HTS junctions.

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)-based sensors and actuators have become remarkably popular in the past few decades. Rapid advances have taken place in terms of both technologies and techniques of fabrication of MEMS structures. Wet chemical-based silicon bulk micromachining continues to be a widely used technique for the fabrication of microstructures used in MEMS devices. Researchers all over the world have contributed significantly to the advancement of wet chemical-based micromachining, from understanding the etching mechanism to exploring its application to the fabrication of simple to complex MEMS structures. In addition to its various benefits, one of the unique features of wet chemical-based bulk micromachining is the ability to fabricate slanted sidewalls, such as 45 Degrees walls as micromirrors, as well as freestanding structures, such as cantilevers and diaphragms. This makes wet bulk micromachining necessary for the fabrication of structures for myriad applications. This book provides a comprehensive understating of wet bulk micromachining for the fabrication of simple to advanced microstructures for various applications in MEMS. It includes introductory to advanced concepts and covers research on basic and advanced topics on wet chemical-based silicon bulk micromachining. The book thus serves as an introductory textbook for undergraduate- and graduate-level students of physics, chemistry, electrical and electronic engineering, materials science, and engineering, as well as a comprehensive reference for researchers working or aspiring to work in the area of MEMS and for engineers working in microfabrication technology.

This volume touches upon some significant themes that have arisen in the fields of operator algebras, low-dimensional topology and mathematical physics. Gathering together a collection of papers from a NATO-sponsored Advance Research Workshop, its intention is to reveal that these seemingly diverse fields are now inextricably interconnected. While operator algebras and mathematical physics have enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship dating back to the time of von Neumann, the link between operator algebras and low-dimensional topology only emerged with the work of Vaughan Jones.

Towards the close of the 20th century, the world's leading experts in theoretical and experimental physics review the major developments in their respective research areas, and present the prospects for the coming 21st century. The subjects covered in this volume are field theory, string theory, quantum cosmology, solid state physics, physics of complex systems, high energy physics, quark-gluon plasma, nuclear physics and observational cosmology.

The book addresses the compelling demand for quantitative training in plant biology, including comparisons of the rate of processes, the size of structures and interactions among different processes, approached at different levels from molecules to the environment. Attention is paid to aspects of modern molecular biology and to modern biophysical treatments of classical transport and circulatory problems. This will allow the reader to become familiar with calculus as a tool to understand plant science. The book discusses specific problems covering six specific topics, and includes an additional section devoted to miscellaneous issues. It is also complemented by appendices describing units, conversion factors, formulae and data relevant to plant biology and to the relationship of plants with the environment.

This book deals with the dynamics of mechanical systems in presence of impact and friction. The contributors are an international group of engineers and scientists from industrial and academic institutions of more than 23 countries around the world concerned with the modeling, analysis, measurement and control of nonsmooth mechanical structures. Contact laws lead to mathematical models that are highly nonlinear and nonsmooth or discontinuous. Discontinuous and nonsmooth processes introduce problems with data processing techniques and analytical methods. Thanks to great advances in computer technology and computational analysis, as well as the introduction of new experimental devices such as the atomic-force microscope and the quartz-crystal-microbalance probe, the study of impact and friction - one of the oldest problems in physics, is now in a phase of rapid and exciting development. The growing number of research breakthroughs have promoted the development of new technologies in the description and design of systems with impact and friction models to understand nature, structures, machines, transportation systems, and other processes. A fairly comprehensive picture of these new developments is presented in this book by researchers who are giving up-to-date accounts of the present state of the field in many aspects.The book is essential for introducing readers in mechanical engineering, material science, applied mathematics, aerospace engineering, ocean engineering, biomechanics, and civil engineering to recent developments in nonsmooth mechanics. It is also useful for self-study purposes by professionals and practitioners in the field.

The author attempts to present in a condensed form the fundamentals of the physics of luminescence. He presents his own views on the subject. The book is divided into the following main sections: