The book presents the recent achievements on bifurcation studies of nonlinear dynamical systems. The contributing authors of the book are all distinguished researchers in this interesting subject area. The first two chapters deal with the fundamental theoretical issues of bifurcation analysis in smooth and non-smooth dynamical systems. The cell mapping methods are presented for global bifurcations in stochastic and deterministic, nonlinear dynamical systems in the third chapter. The fourth chapter studies bifurcations and chaos in time-varying, parametrically excited nonlinear dynamical systems. The fifth chapter presents bifurcation analyses of modal interactions in distributed, nonlinear, dynamical systems of circular thin von Karman plates. The theories, methods and results presented in this book are of great interest to scientists and engineers in a wide range of disciplines. This book can be adopted as references for mathematicians, scientists, engineers and graduate students conducting research in nonlinear dynamical systems.
- New Views for Difficult Problems
- Novel Ideas and Concepts
- Hilbert's 16th Problem
- Normal Forms in Polynomial Hamiltonian Systems
- Grazing Flow in Non-smooth Dynamical Systems
- Stochastic and Fuzzy Nonlinear Dynamical Systems
- Fuzzy Bifurcation
- Parametrical, Nonlinear Systems
- Mode Interactions in nonlinear dynamical systems

This book is devoted to an important branch of the dynamical systems theory: the study of the fine (fractal) structure of Poincare recurrences -instants of time when the system almost repeats its initial state. The authors were able to write an entirely self-contained text including many insights and examples, as well as providing complete details of proofs. The only prerequisites are a basic knowledge of analysis and topology. Thus this book can serve as a graduate text or self-study guide for courses in applied mathematics or nonlinear dynamics (in the natural sciences). Moreover, the book can be used by specialists in applied nonlinear dynamics following the way in the book. The authors applied the mathematical theory developed in the book to two important problems: distribution of Poincare recurrences for nonpurely chaotic Hamiltonian systems and indication of synchronization regimes in coupled chaotic individual systems.

* Portions of the book were published in an article that won the title "month's new hot paper in the field of Mathematics" in May 2004
* Rigorous mathematical theory is combined with important physical applications
* Presents rules for immediate action to study mathematical models of real systems
* Contains standard theorems of dynamical systems theory

Advances in Imaging and Electron Physics merges two long-running serials-Advances in Electronics and Electron Physics and Advances in Optical and Electron Microscopy. This series features extended articles on the physics of electron devices (especially semiconductor devices), particle optics at high and low energies, microlithography, image science and digital image processing, electromagnetic wave propagation, electron microscopy, and the computing methods used in all these domains.

The book requires only rudimentary physics knowledge but ability to program computers creatively and to keep the mind open to simple and not so simple models, based in individuals, for the living world around us.
* Interdisciplinary coverage
* Research oriented
* Contains and explains programs
* Based on recent discoveries
* Little special knowledge required besides programming
* Suitable for undergraduate and graduate research projects

This volume emphasises studies related to
classical Stefan problems. The term "Stefan problem" is
generally used for heat transfer problems with
phase-changes such
as from the liquid to the solid. Stefan problems have some
characteristics that are typical of them, but certain problems
arising in fields such as mathematical physics and engineering
also exhibit characteristics similar to them. The term
classical" distinguishes the formulation of these problems from
their weak formulation, in which the solution need not possess
classical derivatives. Under suitable assumptions, a weak solution
could be as good as a classical solution. In hyperbolic Stefan
problems, the characteristic features of Stefan problems are
present but unlike in Stefan problems, discontinuous solutions are
allowed because of the hyperbolic nature of the heat equation. The
numerical solutions of inverse Stefan problems, and the analysis of
direct Stefan problems are so integrated that it is difficult to
discuss one without referring to the other. So no strict line of
demarcation can be identified between a classical Stefan problem
and other similar problems. On the other hand, including every
related problem in the domain of classical Stefan problem would
require several volumes for their description. A suitable
compromise has to be made.
The basic concepts, modelling, and analysis of the classical
Stefan problems have been extensively investigated and there seems
to be a need to report the results at one place. This book
attempts to answer that need. Within the framework of the
classical Stefan problem with the emphasis on the basic concepts,
modelling and analysis, it tries to include some weak
solutions and analytical and numerical solutions also. The main
considerations behind this are the continuity and the clarity of
exposition. For example, the description of some phase-field
models in Chapter 4 arose out of this need for a smooth transition
between topics. In the mathematical formulation of Stefan
problems, the curvature effects and the kinetic condition are
incorporated with the help of the modified Gibbs-Thomson relation.
On the basis of some thermodynamical and metallurgical
considerations, the modified Gibbs-Thomson relation can be
derived, as has been done in the text, but the rigorous
mathematical justification comes from the fact that this relation
can be obtained by taking appropriate limits of phase-field
models. Because of the unacceptability of some phase-field models
due their so-called thermodynamical inconsistency, some consistent
models have also been described. This completes the discussion of
phase-field models in the present context.
Making this volume self-contained would require reporting and
deriving several results from tensor analysis, differential
geometry, non-equilibrium thermodynamics, physics and functional
analysis. The text is enriched with appropriate
references so as not to enlarge the scope of the book. The proofs
of propositions and theorems are often lengthy and different from
one another. Presenting them in a condensed way may not be of much
help to the reader. Therefore only the main features of proofs
and a few results have been presented to suggest the essential
flavour of the theme of investigation. However at each place,
appropriate references have been cited so that inquisitive
readers can follow them on their own.
Each chapter begins with basic concepts, objectives and the
directions in which the subject matter has grown. This is followed
by reviews - in some cases quite detailed - of published works. In a
work of this type, the author has to make a suitable compromise
between length restrictions and understandability.

Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) has become the technique of choice for many areas of radiation dosimetry. The technique is finding widespread application in a variety of radiation dosimetry fields, including personal monitoring, environmental monitoring, retrospective dosimetry (including geological dating and accident dosimetry), space dosimetry, and many more. In this book we have attempted to synthesize the major advances in the field, covering both fundamental understanding and the many applications. The latter serve to demonstrate the success and popularity of OSL as a dosimetry method.

The book is designed for researchers and radiation dosimetry practitioners alike. It delves into the detailed theory of the process from the point of view of stimulated relaxation phenomena, describing the energy storage and release processes phenomenologically and developing detailed mathematical descriptions to enable a quantitative understanding of the observed phenomena. The various stimulation modes (continuous wave, pulsed, or linear modulation) are introduced and compared. The properties of the most important synthetic OSL materials beginning with the dominant carbon-doped Al2O3, and moving through discussions of other, less-well studied but nevertheless important, or potentially important, materials. The OSL properties of the two most important natural OSL dosimetry material types, namely quartz and feldspars are discussed in depth. The applications chapters deal with the use of OSL in personal, environmental, medical and UV dosimetry, geological dating and retrospective dosimetry (accident dosimetry and dating). Finally the developments in instrumentation that have occurred over the past decade or more are described.

The book will find use in those laboratories within academia, national institutes and the private sector where research and applications in radiation dosimetry using luminescence are being conducted. Potential readers include personnel involved in radiation protection practice and research, hospitals, nuclear power stations, radiation clean-up and remediation, food irradiation and materials processing, security monitoring, geological and archaeological dating, luminescence studies of minerals, etc.

The scientific program of these important proceedings was arranged to cover most of the field of neutrino physics. In light of the rapid growth of interest stimulated by new interesting results from the field, more than half of the papers presented here are related to the neutrino mass and oscillations, including atmospheric and solar neutrino studies. Neutrino mass and oscillations could imply the existence of a mass scale many orders of magnitudes higher than presented in current physics and will probably guide scientists beyond the standard model of particle physics.

Intelligent systems are required to enhance the capacities being made available to us by the internet and other computer based technologies. The theory necessary to help providing solutions to difficult problems in the construction of intelligent systems are discussed. In particular, attention is paid to situations in which the available information and data may be imprecise, uncertain, incomplete or of a linguistic nature. Various methodologies to manage such information are discussed. Among these are the probabilistic, possibilistic, fuzzy, logical, evidential and network-based frameworks.

One purpose of the book is not to consider these methodologies separately, but rather to consider how they can be used cooperatively to better represent the multiplicity of modes of information. Topics in the book include representation of imperfect knowledge, fundamental issues in uncertainty, reasoning, information retrieval, learning and mining, as well as various applications.

Key Features:

Tools for construction of intelligent systems
Contributions by world leading experts
Fundamental issues and applications
New technologies for web searching
Methods for modeling uncertain information
Future directions in web technologies
Transversal to methods and domains

"

This is a practical textbook written for use by engineers, scientists and technicians. It is not intended to be a rigorous scientific treatment of the subject material, as this would fill several volumes. Rather, it introduces the reader to the fundamentals of the subject material, and provides sufficient references for an in-depth study of the subject by the interested technologist. The author has a lifetime teaching credential in the California Community College System. Also, he has taught technical courses with the American Vacuum Society for about 35 years. Students attending many of these classes have backgrounds varying from high-school graduates to Ph.D.s in technical disciplines. This is an extremely difficult class profile to teach. This book still endeavors to reach this same audience. Basic algebra is required to master most of the material. But, the calculus is used in derivation of some of the equations. The author risks use of the first person "I," instead of "the author," and "you" instead of "the reader." Both are thought to be in poor taste when writing for publication in the scientific community. However, "I" am writing this book for "you" because the subject is exciting, and I enjoy teaching you, perhaps, something new. The book is written more in the vein of a "one-on-one" discussion with you, rather than the author lecturing to the reader. There are anecdotes, and examples of some failures and successes I have had over the last forty-five years in vacuum related activities, I'll try not to understate either.
Lastly, there are a few equations which if memorised will help you as a vacuum technician. There are less than a dozen equations and half that many "rules of thumb" to memorize, which will be drawn on time an again in designing, operating and trouble-shooting any vacuum system.

New models for dislocation structure and motion are presented for nanocrystals, nucleation at grain boundaries, shocked crystals, interphase interfaces, quasicrystals, complex structures with non-planar dislocation cores, and colloidal crystals. A review of experimentally established main features of the magnetoplastic effect with their physical interpretation explains many diverse results of this type. The model has many potential applications for forming processes influenced by magnetic fields.
Dislocation model for the magnetoplastic effect
New mechanism for dislocation nucleation and motion in nanocrystals
New models for the dislocation structure of interfaces between crystals with differing crystallographic structure
A unified view of dislocations in quasicrystals, with a new model for dislocation motion
A general model of dislocation behavior in crystals with non-planar dislocation cores
Dislocation properties at high velocities
Dislocations in colloidal crystals"

This book provides a series of concise lectures on the fundamental theories of statistical mechanics, carefully chosen examples and a number of problems with complete solutions.
Modern physics has opened the way for a thorough examination of infra-structure of nature and understanding of the properties of matter from an atomistic point of view. Statistical mechanics is an essential bridge between the laws of nature on a microscopic scale and the macroscopic behaviour of matter. A good training in statistical mechanics thus provides a basis for modern physics and is indispensable to any student in physics, chemistry, biophysics and engineering sciences who wishes to work in these rapidly developing scientific and technological fields.
The collection of examples and problems is comprehensive. The problems are grouped in order of increasing difficulty.

This book discussed fundamental problems in dynamics, which extensively exist in engineering, natural and social sciences. The book presented a basic theory for the interactions among many dynamical systems and for a system whose motions are constrained naturally or artificially. The methodology and techniques presented in this book are applicable to discontinuous dynamical systems in physics, engineering and control. In addition, they may provide useful tools to solve non-traditional dynamics in biology, stock market and internet network et al, which cannot be easily solved by the traditional Newton mechanics. The new ideas and concepts will stimulate ones' thought and creativities in corresponding subjects. The author also used the simple, mathematical language to write this book. Therefore, this book is very readable, which can be either a textbook for senior undergraduate and graduate students or a reference book for researches in dynamics.
- Challenging continuous Newton's dynamics
- Original theory and seeds of new researches in the field
- Wide spectrum of applications in science and engineering
- Systematic presentation and clear illustrations

Optics has become one of the most dynamic fields of science since the first volume of Progress in Optics was published, forty years ago. At the time of inception of this series, the first lasers were only just becoming operational, holography was in its infancy, subjects such as fiber optics, integrated optics and optoelectronics did not exist and quantum optics was the domain of only a few physicists. The term photonics had not yet been coined. Today these fields are flourishing and have become areas of specialisation for many science and engineering students and numerous research workers and engineers throughout the world. Some of the advances in these fields have been recognized by awarding Nobel prizes to seven physicists in the last twenty years. The volumes in this series which have appeared up to now contain 240 review articles by distinguished research workers, which have become permanent records for many important developments. They have helped optical scientists and optical engineers to stay abreast of their fields. There is no sign that developments in optics are slowing down or becoming less interesting. We confidently expect that, just like their predecessors, future volumes of Progress in Optics will faithfully record the most important advances that are being made in optics and related fields.

This book presents an introduction to the classical theories of continuum mechanics; in particular, to the theories of ideal, compressible, and viscous fluids, and to the linear and nonlinear theories of elasticity. These theories are important, not only because they are applicable to a majority of the problems in continuum mechanics arising in practice, but because they form a solid base upon which one can readily construct more complex theories of material behavior. Further, although attention is limited to the classical theories, the treatment is modern with a major emphasis on foundations and structure

Hardbound. It is a pleasure to record that Progress in Optics is commencing the fifth decade of its existence. The first volume was published in 1961, only a few months after the invention of the laser. This event triggered a wealth of new and exciting developments, many of which were reported in the 240 review articles which were published in this series since its inception. The present volume contains seven articles covering a wide range of subjects. The first article, by M.H. Fields, J. Popp, and R.K. Chang, presents a review of various optical effects in spherical and circular micro-cavities capable of supporting high-Q resonant modes (commonly referred to as morphology-dependent resonances (MDRs) or whispering gallery modes (WGMs)). The article treats the theory of symmetrical and deformed micro-cavities and describes recent research and development in the areas of quantum electrodynamics, lasers, optical spectroscopy, and filters for

"Advances in Imaging and Electron Physics "features cutting-edge articles on the physics of electron devices (especially semiconductor devices), particle optics at high and low energies, microlithography, image science and digital image processing, electromagnetic wave propagation, electron microscopy, and the computing methods used in all these domains.
Key features:

* Contributions from leading authorities * Informs and updates on all the latest developments in the field

"Advances in Imaging and Electron Physics "features cutting-edge articles on the physics of electron devices (especially semiconductor devices), particle optics at high and low energies, microlithography, image science and digital image processing, electromagnetic wave propagation, electron microscopy, and the computing methods used in all these domains.
Key features:

* Contributions from leading authorities * Informs and updates on all the latest developments in the field

"Advances in Imaging and Electron Physics "merges two long-running serials--"Advances in Electronics and Electron Physics" and "Advances in Optical and Electron Microscopy."
This series features extended articles on the physics of electron devices (especially semiconductor devices), particle optics at high and low energies, microlithography, image science and digital image processing, electromagnetic wave propagation, electron microscopy, and the computing methods used in all these domains.
Key features:

* Contributions from leading authorities * Informs and updates on all the latest developments in the field

Solid state physics is the branch of physics primarily devoted to the study of matter in its solid phase, especially at the atomic level. This prestigious serial presents timely and state-of-the-art reviews pertaining to all aspects of solid state physics.

Key features:

* Contributions from leading authorities * Informs and updates on all the latest developments in the field

Quantum mechanics transcends and supplants classical mechanics at the atomic and subatomic levels. It provides the underlying framework for many subfields of physics, chemistry and materials science, including condensed matter physics, atomic physics, molecular physics, quantum chemistry, particle physics, and nuclear physics. It is the only way we can understand the structure of materials, from the semiconductors in our computers to the metal in our automobiles. It is also the scaffolding supporting much of nanoscience and nanotechnology. The purpose of this book is to present the fundamentals of quantum theory within a modern perspective, with emphasis on applications to nanoscience and nanotechnology, and information-technology. As the frontiers of science have advanced, the sort of curriculum adequate for students in the sciences and engineering twenty years ago is no longer satisfactory today. Hence, the emphasis on new topics that are not included in older reference texts, such as quantum information theory, decoherence and dissipation, and on applications to nanotechnology, including quantum dots, wires and wells.

Key Features

This book provides a novel approach to Quantum Mechanics whilst also giving readers the requisite background and training for the scientists and engineers of the 21st Century who need to come to grips with quantum phenomena.

The fundamentals of quantum theory are provided within a modern perspective, with emphasis on applications to nanoscience and nanotechnology, and information-technology.

Benefits

Older books on quantum mechanics do not contain the amalgam of ideas, concepts and tools necessary to prepare engineers and scientists to deal with the new facets of quantum mechanics and their application to quantum information science and nanotechnology.

As the frontiers of science have advanced, the sort of curriculum adequate for students in the sciences and engineering twenty years ago is no longer satisfactory today.

There are many excellent quantum mechanics books available, but none have the emphasis on nanotechnology and quantum information science thatthis book has. "

This special volume of "Advances in Imaging and Electron Physics "details the current theory, experiments, and applications of neutron and x-ray optics and microscopy for an international readership across varying backgrounds and disciplines. Edited by Dr. Ted Cremer, these volumes attempt to provide rapid assimilation of the presented topics that include neutron and x-ray scatter, refraction, diffraction, and reflection and their potential application.
Key features:

* Contributions from leading authorities * Informs and updates on all the latest developments in the field

"Advances in Imaging and Electron Physics "merges two long-running serials--"Advances in Electronics and Electron Physics" and "Advances in Optical and Electron Microscopy."

This series features extended articles on the physics of electron devices (especially semiconductor devices), particle optics at high and low energies, microlithography, image science and digital image processing, electromagnetic wave propagation, electron microscopy, and the computing methods used in all these domains.
Key features:

* Contributions from leading authorities * Informs and updates on all the latest developments in the field

"Fusion: The Energy of the Universe, 2e"is an essential reference providing basic principles of fusion energy from its history to the issues and realities progressing from the present day energy crisis. The book provides detailed developments and applications for researchers entering the field of fusion energy research. This second edition includes the latest results from the National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory at Livermore, CA, and the progress on the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) tokamak programme at Caderache, France.
Comprehensive coverage basic principles, detailed developments and practical applicationsWide accessibility, but with sufficient detail to keep the technical reader engagedDetails the initial discovery of nuclear fusion, current attempts to create nuclear fusion here on earth and today's concern over future energy supplyColor illustrations and examplesIncludes technical notes for aspiring physicists"

"Advances in Imaging and Electron Physics "merges two long-running serials--"Advances in Electronics and Electron Physics" and "Advances in Optical and Electron Microscopy."
This series features extended articles on the physics of electron devices (especially semiconductor devices), particle optics at high and low energies, microlithography, image science and digital image processing, electromagnetic wave propagation, electron microscopy, and the computing methods used in all these domains.
Key features:

* Contributions from leading authorities * Informs and updates on all the latest developments in the field

Solid state physics is the branch of physics primarily devoted to the study of matter in its solid phase, especially at the atomic level. This prestigious serial presents timely and state-of-the-art reviews pertaining to all aspects of solid state physics.