"Physics of Nanostructured Solid State Devices"introduces readers to theories and concepts such as semi-classical and quantum mechanical descriptions of electron transport, methods for calculations of band structures in solids with applications in calculation of optical constants, and other advanced concepts. The information presented here will equip readers with the necessary tools to carry out cutting edge research in modern solid state nanodevices."

This is the sixth volume of a well-established and popular series in which expert practitioners discuss topical aspects of light scattering in solids. This volume discusses recent results of Raman spectroscopy of high Tc superconductors, organic polymers, rare earth compounds, semimagnetic superconductors, and silver halides, as well as developments in the rapidly growing field of time-resolved Raman spectroscopy. Emphasis is placed on obtaining information about elementary excitations, the basic properties of materials, and the use of Raman spectroscopy as an analytical tool. This volume may be regarded as an encyclopedia of condensed matter physics from the viewpoint of the Raman spectroscopist. It will be useful to advanced students and to all researchers who apply Raman spectroscopy in their work.

This book clearly demonstrates the progression of nanoparticle therapeutics from basic research to applications. This book, unlike others covering nanoparticles used in medical applications, presents the medical challenges that can be reduced or even overcome by recent advances in nanoscale drug delivery. Each chapter highlights recent progress in the design and engineering of select multifunctional nanoparticles with topics covering targeting, imaging, delivery, diagnostics, and therapy.

The behavior of nanoscale materials can change rapidly with time either because the environment changes rapidly or because the influence of the environment propagates quickly across the intrinsically small dimensions of nanoscale materials. Extremely fast time resolution studies using X-rays, electrons and neutrons are of very high interest to many researchers and is a fast-evolving and interesting field for the study of dynamic processes. Therefore, in situ structural characterization and measurements of structure-property relationships covering several decades of length and time scales (from atoms to millimeters and femtoseconds to hours) with high spatial and temporal resolutions are crucially important to understand the synthesis and behavior of multidimensional materials. The techniques described in this book will permit access to the real-time dynamics of materials, surface processes and chemical and biological reactions at various time scales. This book provides an interdisciplinary reference for research using in situ techniques to capture the real-time structural and property responses of materials to surrounding fields using electron, optical and x-ray microscopies (e.g. scanning, transmission and low-energy electron microscopy and scanning probe microscopy) or in the scattering realm with x-ray, neutron and electron diffraction.

Proceedings of the Thirteenth Latin American Conference on the Applications of the Moessbauer Effect, Medellin, Colombia, November 11-16, 2012. The broad scope of the Applications of the Moessbauer Effect to interdisciplinary subjects makes this volume an outstanding source of information to researchers and graduate students, who will find the unique results of Moessbauer spectroscopy a valuable aid and complement to their research in conjunction with other techniques. In this volume, applications to mineralogy, catalysis, soil science, amorphous materials, nanoparticles, magnetic materials, nanotechnology, metallurgy, corrosion, and magnetism, have been put together in original works produced by invited speakers and different research teams across the continent. Reprinted from Hyperfine Interactions (HYPE) Volume

The reader will find here a timely update on new THz sources and detection schemes as well as concrete applications to the detection of Explosives and CBRN. Included is a method to identify hidden RDX-based explosives (pure and plastic ones) in the frequency domain study by Fourier Transformation, which has been complemented by the demonstration of improvement of the quality of the images captured commercially available THz passive cameras. The presented examples show large potential for the detection of small hidden objects at long distances (6-10 m). Complementing the results in the short-wavelength range, laser spectroscopy with a mid-infrared, room temperature, continuous wave, DFB laser diode and high performance DFB QCL have been demonstrated to offer excellent enabling sensor technologies for environmental monitoring, medical diagnostics, industrial and security applications. From the new source point of view a number of systems have been presented - From superconductors to semiconductors, e.g. Detection of Terahertz Waves from Superconducting Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+ Intrinsic Josephson Junctions.The quest for a compact room temperature THz source and the recent advances in high power mid-IR QCLs lead to the development of a semiconductor THz source based on intracavity difference frequency generation. Furthermore, alternative electrically pumped THz sources based on the high emission efficiency predicted for polaritonic states in the ultra-strong coupling regime led to the demonstration of electroluminescent devices. Finally, antipolaritons in dispersive media were discussed and different aspects of the interaction of THz radiation with biomatter were presented."

The reader will find here a timely update on new THz sources and detection schemes as well as concrete applications to the detection of Explosives and CBRN. Included is a method to identify hidden RDX-based explosives (pure and plastic ones) in the frequency domain study by Fourier Transformation, which has been complemented by the demonstration of improvement of the quality of the images captured commercially available THz passive cameras. The presented examples show large potential for the detection of small hidden objects at long distances (6-10 m). Complementing the results in the short-wavelength range, laser spectroscopy with a mid-infrared, room temperature, continuous wave, DFB laser diode and high performance DFB QCL have been demonstrated to offer excellent enabling sensor technologies for environmental monitoring, medical diagnostics, industrial and security applications. From the new source point of view a number of systems have been presented - From superconductors to semiconductors, e.g. Detection of Terahertz Waves from Superconducting Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+ Intrinsic Josephson Junctions.The quest for a compact room temperature THz source and the recent advances in high power mid-IR QCLs lead to the development of a semiconductor THz source based on intracavity difference frequency generation. Furthermore, alternative electrically pumped THz sources based on the high emission efficiency predicted for polaritonic states in the ultra-strong coupling regime led to the demonstration of electroluminescent devices. Finally, antipolaritons in dispersive media were discussed and different aspects of the interaction of THz radiation with biomatter were presented."

The International Workshop on "Intersubband Transitions in Quantum Wells:: Physics and Applications," was held at National Cheng Kung University, in Tainan, Taiwan, December 15-18, 1997. The objective of the Workshop is to facilitate the presentation and discussion of the recent results in theoretical, experimental, and applied aspects of intersubband transitions in quantum wells and dots. The program followed the tradition initiated at the 1991 conference in Cargese-France, the 1993 conference in Whistler, B. C. Canada, and the 1995 conference in Kibbutz Ginosar, Israel. Intersubband transitions in quantum wells and quantum dots have attracted considerable attention in recent years, mainly due to the promise of various applications in the mid- and far-infrared regions (2-30 J. lm). Over 40 invited and contributed papers were presented in this four-day workshop, with topics covered most aspects of the intersubband transition phenomena including: the basic intersubband transition processes, multiquantum well infrared photodetector (QWIP) physics, large format (640x480) GaAs QWIP (with 9. 0 J. lffi cutoff) focal plane arrays (FPAs) for IR imaging camera applications, infrared modulation, intersubband emission including mid- and long- wavelength quantum cascade (QC) lasers such as short (A. "" 3. 4 J. lm) and long (A. "" 11. 5 J. lm) wavelength room temperature QC lasers, quantum fountain intersubband laser at 15. 5 J. lm wavelength in GaAs/AIGaAs quantum well, harmonic generation and nonlinear effects, ultra-fast phenomena such as terahertz (THz) intersubband emission and detection. The book divides into five Chapters.

This book deals with the Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) a widely used atomic emission spectroscopy technique for elemental analysis of materials. It is based on the use of a high-power, short pulse laser excitation. The book is divided into two main sections: the first one concerning theoretical aspects of the technique, the second one describing the state of the art in applications of the technique in different scientific/technological areas. Numerous examples of state of the art applications provide the readers an almost complete scenario of the LIBS technique. The LIBS theoretical aspects are reviewed. The book helps the readers who are less familiar with the technique to understand the basic principles. Numerous examples of state of the art applications give an almost complete scenario of the LIBS technique potentiality. These examples of applications may have a strong impact on future industrial utilization. The authors made important contributions to the development of this field.

This work focuses on complementary crystallographic and spectroscopic areas of dynamic structural science, from papers presented at the 46th NATO sponsored course in Erice, Sicily 2013. These papers cover a range of material from background concepts to more advanced material and represent a fully inter-disciplinary collection of the latest ideas and results within the field. They will appeal to practising or novice crystallographers, both chemical and biological, who wish to learn more about modern spectroscopic methods and convergent advances and hence vice versa for experimental and computational spectroscopists.The chapters refer to the latest techniques, software and results and each chapter is fully referenced. The volume provides an excellent starting point for new comers in the emerging, multi-disciplinary area of time resolved science."

The bright colour of haemoglobin has, from the very beginning, played a significant role in both the investigation of this compound as well as in the study of blood oxygen transport. Numerous optical methods have been developed for measuring haemoglobin concentration, oxygen saturation, and the principal dyshaemoglobins in vitro as well as in vivo. Modern applications include pulse oximeters, fibre optic oximeters, multiwavelength haemoglobin photometers ('co-oximeters') and instruments for near infrared spectroscopy in vivo. Knowledge of the light absorption spectra of the common haemoglobin derivatives is a prerequisite for the development and understanding of these techniques. In the 1960s a reference method based on the absorptivity of a single derivative (haemiglobincyanide; HiCN) at a single wavelength (540 nm) was established for measuring the total haemoglobin concentration. Thus an anchor value was provided on which the absorptivity spectra of all other haemoglobin derivatives could be based. This monograph presents absorption spectra and absorptivity data in the wavelength range of 480 to 1000 nm of the major haemoglobin derivatives for human adult and foetal haemoglobin and for haemoglobin of several animals (cow, dog, horse, pig, rat, and adult and foetal sheep). A detailed description of the methods used to acquire these data has been included to allow future investigators to reproduce and expand on the data. The second part of the monograph includes chapters on the principles and development, in historical perspective, of the principal methods for measuring total haemoglobin concentration for two, three, and multi-component analysis of haemoglobin derivatives, and for blood oxygen saturation measurement. Accurate quantitative data pertaining to haemoglobin in human blood are presented, together with a description of methods for measuring haemoglobin oxygen capacity and oxygen affinity. These chapters have been written with a view to foster

When I was contacted by Kluwer Academic Publishers in the Fall of 200 I, inviting me to edit a volume of papers on the issue of electron transport in quantum dots, I was excited by what I saw as an ideal opportunity to provide an overview of a field of research that has made significant contributions in recent years, both to our understanding of fundamental physics, and to the development of novel nanoelectronic technologies. The need for such a volume seemed to be made more pressing by the fact that few comprehensive reviews of this topic have appeared in the literature, in spite of the vast activity in this area over the course of the last decade or so. With this motivation, I set out to try to compile a volume that would fairly reflect the wide range of opinions that has emerged in the study of electron transport in quantum dots. Indeed, there has been no effort on my part to ensure any consistency between the different chapters, since I would prefer that this volume instead serve as a useful forum for the debate of critical issues in this still developing field. In this matter, I have been assisted greatly by the excellent series of articles provided by the different authors, who are widely recognized as some of the leaders in this vital area of research.

At present, there is an increasing interest in the prediction of properties of classical and new materials such as substitutional alloys, their surfaces, and metallic or semiconductor multilayers. A detailed understanding based on a thus of the utmost importance for fu microscopic, parameter-free approach is ture developments in solid state physics and materials science. The interrela tion between electronic and structural properties at surfaces plays a key role for a microscopic understanding of phenomena as diverse as catalysis, corrosion, chemisorption and crystal growth. Remarkable progress has been made in the past 10-15 years in the understand ing of behavior of ideal crystals and their surfaces by relating their properties to the underlying electronic structure as determined from the first principles. Similar studies of complex systems like imperfect surfaces, interfaces, and mul tilayered structures seem to be accessible by now. Conventional band-structure methods, however, are of limited use because they require an excessive number of atoms per elementary cell, and are not able to account fully for e.g. substitu tional disorder and the true semiinfinite geometry of surfaces. Such problems can be solved more appropriately by Green function techniques and multiple scattering formalism.

Diffusion in solids at moderate temperatures is a well-known phenomenon. However, direct experimental evidence about the responsible atomic-scale mechanisms has been scarce, due to difficulties in probing the relevant length- and time-scales. The present thesis deals with the application of X-ray Photon Correlation Spectroscopy (XPCS) for answering such questions. This is an established method for the study of slow dynamics on length-scales of a few nanometres. The scattered intensity in the diffuse regime, i.e. corresponding to atomic distances, is very low, however, and so it has so far been considered impossible to use XPCS for this problem. Threefold progress is reported in this work: It proposes a number of systems selected for high diffuse intensity, it optimizes the photon detection and data evaluation procedures, and it establishes theoretical models for interpretating the results. Together these advances allowed the first successful atomic-scale XPCS experiment, which elucidated the role of preferred configurations for atomic jumps in a copper-gold alloy. The growth in available coherent X-ray intensity together with next-generation X-ray sources will open up a wide field of application for this new method.

In his thesis, Matthias Junk takes an innovative approach to assess the local structure and dynamics of biological and synthetic amphiphilic macromolecules capable of transporting small molecules. Replacing the latter with stable radicals, he uses state-of-the-art electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy to describe the highly relevant transport function from the viewpoint of the guest molecules. Such, he demonstrates that the functional structure of human serum albumin in solution significantly differs from its crystal structure - a consequence of the protein's adaptability to host various endogenous compounds and drug molecules. Further, he shows that the thermal collapse of thermoresponsive hydrogels and dendronized polymers leads to static and dynamic heterogeneities on the nanoscale. These heterogeneities bear consequences for the material's hosting properties and enable unforeseen complex catalytic functionalities.

The "Rudolf Moessbauer Story" recounts the history of the discovery of the "Moessbauer Effect" in 1958 by Rudolf Moessbauer as a graduate student of Heinz Maier-Leibnitz for which he received the Nobel Prize in 1961 when he was 32 years old. The development of numerous applications of the Moessbauer Effect in many fields of sciences , such as physics, chemistry, biology and medicine is reviewed by experts who contributed to this wide spread research. In 1978 Moessbauer focused his research interest on a new field "Neutrino Oscillations" and later on the study of the properties of the neutrinos emitted by the sun.

The field of solid state ionics is multidisciplinary in nature. Chemists, physicists, electrochimists, and engineers all are involved in the research and development of materials, techniques, and theoretical approaches. This science is one of the great triumphs of the second part of the 20th century. For nearly a century, development of materials for solid-state ionic technology has been restricted. During the last two decades there have been remarkable advances: more materials were discovered, modem technologies were used for characterization and optimization of ionic conduction in solids, trial and error approaches were deserted for defined predictions. During the same period fundamental theories for ion conduction in solids appeared. The large explosion of solid-state ionic material science may be considered to be due to two other influences. The first aspect is related to economy and connected with energy production, storage, and utilization. There are basic problems in industrialized countries from the economical, environmental, political, and technological points of view. The possibility of storing a large amount of utilizable energy in a comparatively small volume would make a number of non-conventional intermittent energy sources of practical convenience and cost. The second aspect is related to huge increase in international relationships between researchers and exchanges of results make considerable progress between scientists; one find many institutes joined in common search programs such as the material science networks organized by EEC in the European countries.

This book is a comprehensive source of the fundamentals, process parameters, instrumental components and applications of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). The effect of multiple pulses on material ablation, plasma dynamics and plasma emission is presented. A heuristic plasma modeling allows to simulate complex experimental plasma spectra. These methods and findings form the basis for a variety of applications to perform quantitative multi-element analysis with LIBS. These application potentials of LIBS have really boosted in the last years ranging from bulk analysis of metallic alloys and non-conducting materials, via spatially resolved analysis and depth profiling covering measuring objects in all physical states: gaseous, liquid and solid. Dedicated chapters present LIBS investigations for these tasks with special emphasis on the methodical and instrumental concepts as well as the optimization strategies for a quantitative analysis. Requirements, concepts, design and characteristic features of LIBS instruments are described covering laboratory systems, inspections systems for in-line process control, mobile systems and remote systems. State-of-the-art industrial applications of LIBS systems are presented demonstrating the benefits of inline process control for improved process guiding and quality assurance purposes.

This textbook offers an introduction to the foundations of spectroscopic methods and provides a bridge between basic concepts and experimental applications in fields as diverse as materials science, biology, solar energy conversion, and environmental science. The author emphasizes the use of time-dependent theory to link the spectral response in the frequency domain to the behavior of molecules in the time domain, strengthened by two brand new chapters on nonlinear optical spectroscopy and time-resolved spectroscopy. Theoretical underpinnings are presented to the extent necessary for readers to understand how to apply spectroscopic tools to their own interests.

The volume presents, for the very first time, an exhaustive collection of those modern theoretical methods specifically tailored for the analysis of Strongly Correlated Systems. Many novel materials, with functional properties emerging from macroscopic quantum behaviors at the frontier of modern research in physics, chemistry and materials science, belong to this class of systems. Any technique is presented in great detail by its own inventor or by one of the world-wide recognized main contributors. The exposition has a clear pedagogical cut and fully reports on the most relevant case study where the specific technique showed to be very successful in describing and enlightening the puzzling physics of a particular strongly correlated system. The book is intended for advanced graduate students and post-docs in the field as textbook and/or main reference, but also for other researchers in the field who appreciates consulting a single, but comprehensive, source or wishes to get acquainted, in a as painless as possible way, with the working details of a specific technique.

Reviews in Fluorescence 2010, the seventh volume of the book serial from Springer, serves as a comprehensive collection of current trends and emerging hot topics in the field of fluorescence and closely related disciplines. It summarizes the year's progress in fluorescence and its applications, with authoritative analytical reviews specialized enough to be attractive to professional researchers, yet also appealing to the wider audience of scientists in related disciplines of fluorescence. Reviews in Fluorescence offers an essential reference material for any lab working in the fluorescence field and related areas. All academics, bench scientists, and industry professionals wishing to take advantage of the latest and greatest in the continuously emerging field of fluorescence will find it an invaluable resource. Key features: Accessible utility in a single volume reference. chapters authored by known leading figures in the fluorescence field, new volume publishes annually, comprehensive coverage of the year's hottest and emerging topics, each Reviews in Fluorescence volume is citable (ISI) and indexed. Reviews in Fluorescence 2010 topics include: Novel Metal-based Luminophores for Biological Imaging. hydration Dynamics of Probes and Peptides in Captivity, how does tobacco etch viral mRNA get translated? A fluorescence study of competition, stability and kinetics, synchronous Fluorescence Spectroscopy and Its Applications in Clinical Analysis and Food Safety Evaluation, quantitative molecular imaging in living cells via FLIM, a Multiparametric Imaging of Cellular Coenzymes for Monitoring Metabolic and Mitochondrial Activities, optimal Conditions for Live Cell Microscopy and Raster Image Correlation Spectroscopy (RICS).

The research of unitary concepts in solid state and molecular chemistry is of current interest for both chemist and physicist communities. It is clear that due to their relative simplicity, low dimensional materials have attracted most of the attention. Thus, many non-trivial problems were solved in chain systems, giving some insight into the behavior of real systems which would otherwise be untractable. The NATO Advanced Research Workshop on "Organic and Inorganic Low-Dimensional Crystalline Materials" was organized to review the most striking electronic properties exhibited by organic and inorganic sytems whose space dimensionality ranges from zero (Od) to one (1d), and to discuss related scientific and technological potentials. The initial objectives of this Workshop were, respectively: i) To research unitary concepts in solid state physics, in particular for one dimensional compounds, ii) To reinforce, through a close coupling between theory and experiment, the interplay between organic and inorganic chemistry, on the one hand, and solid state physics on the other, iii) To get a salient understanding of new low-dimensional materials showing "exotic" physical properties, in conjunction with structural features.