Have you ever seen a comet? It is a marvelous experience, one that all humans can share, that spawns a deep yearning to understand the spectacle. Have you ever wondered what comets are and why astronomers spend so much time studying them? Now, a comet expert and an astronomical historian have come together to produce the unique book that you now hold in your hands. Using their several decades of teaching experience, the authors have concisely presented the information you need to comprehend these majestic apparitions that grace our night skies. No mathematical proficiency is needed, in fact, this book doesn't contain a single equation! Comets are cosmic Rosetta stones, bridging our current knowledge by digging back to the earliest days of our Solar Systems. How did life arise on Earth? Did comets play a significant role in bringing water and the necessary organic matter to our early Earth? How about the dinosaurs? Were they driven to extinction by a cometary impact 66 million years ago? Comets may be both the enablers and destroyers of life on Earth as we know it. These are some of the tantalizing questions discussed here. If you so desire, steps are given to join the ranks of amateur comet hunters. Astronomy is one of the last sciences where amateurs play a significant role. Your reward for discovery? A comet officially bearing your name in the history books! The next Great Comet is on its way, we just do not know when it will arrive. Armed with this book, you will be ready to enjoy this unforgettable event.

Learn about the Big Bang theory, astrophysics and gravity in The Physics Book.

Part of the fascinating Big Ideas series, this book tackles tricky topics and themes in a simple and easy to follow format. Learn about Physics in this overview guide to the subject, brilliant for beginners looking to learn and experts wishing to refresh their knowledge alike! The Physics Book brings a fresh and vibrant take on the topic through eye-catching graphics and diagrams to immerse yourself in.

This captivating book will broaden your understanding of physics, with:

- More than 100 ground-breaking ideas in this field of science
- Packed with facts, charts, timelines and graphs to help explain core concepts
- A visual approach to big subjects with striking illustrations and graphics throughout
- Easy to follow text makes topics accessible for people at any level of understanding

The Physics Book is the perfect introduction to the science, aimed at adults with an interest in the subject and students wanting to gain more of an overview. Here you'll discover more than 90 of the most important laws and theories in the history of physics and the great minds behind them. If you've ever wondered exactly how physicists formulated and proved groundbreaking abstract concepts, this is the perfect book for you.

Your Physics Questions, Simply Explained

How do magnets generate electricity? What is antimatter? Is time travel possible? If you thought it was difficult to learn the many laws and concepts of physics, The Physics Book presents key information in a clear layout. Learn about Pythagoras's observations on music, Galileo's experiments with spheres and Isaac Newton's theories of gravity and laws of motion with superb mind maps and step-by-step summaries.

The Big Ideas Series

With millions of copies sold worldwide, The Physics Book is part of the award-winning Big Ideas series from DK. The series uses striking graphics along with engaging writing, making big topics easy to understand.

Geophysical Potential Fields: Geological and Environmental Applications, Volume Two, investigates the similarities and differences of potential geophysical fields, including gravity, magnetics, temperature, resistivity and self-potential, along with the influence of noise on these fields. As part of the Computational Geophysics series, this volume provides computational examples and methods for effectively solving geophysical problems in a full cycle manner. Including both quantitative and qualitative analysis, the book offers different filtering and transformation procedures, integrated analysis, and special interpretation methodologies, also presenting a developed 3D algorithm for combined modeling of gravity and magnetic fields in complex environments. The book also includes applications of the unified potential field system, such as studying deep structure, searching hydrocarbon and ore deposits, localizing buried water horizons and rockslide areas, tectono-structural mapping of water basins, and classifying archaeological targets. It is an ideal and unique resource for geophysicists, exploration geologists, archaeologists and environmental scientists.

Written by a leading expert on comets, this textbook is divided into seven main elements with a view to allowing advanced students to appreciate the interconnections between the different elements. The author opens with a brief introductory segment on the motivation for studying comets and the overall scope of the book. The first chapter describes fundamental aspects most usually addressed by ground-based observation. The author then looks at the basic physical phenomena in four separate chapters addressing the nucleus, the emitted gas, the emitted dust, and the solar wind interaction. Each chapter introduces the basic physics and chemistry but then new specific measurements by Rosetta instruments at comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko are brought in. A concerted effort has been made to distinguish between established fact and conjecture. Deviations and inconsistencies are brought out and their significance explained. Links to previous observations of comets Tempel 1, Wild 2, Hartley 2, Halley and others are made. The author then closes with three smaller chapters on related objects, the loss of comets, and prospects for future exploration. This textbook includes over 275 graphics and figures - most of which are original. Thorough explanations and derivations are included throughout the chapters. The text is therefore designed to support MSc. students and new PhD students in the field wanting to gain a solid overview of the state-of-the-art.

"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. This particular volume presents several timely articles on the scanning transmission electron microscope.
Updated with contributions from leading international scholars and industry experts
Discusses hot topic areas and presents current and future research trends
Provides an invaluable reference and guide for physicists, engineers and mathematicians

This volume collects the edited and reviewed contributions presented in the 8th iTi Conference on Turbulence, held in Bertinoro, Italy, in September 2018. In keeping with the spirit of the conference, the book was produced afterwards, so that the authors had the opportunity to incorporate comments and discussions raised during the event. The respective contributions, which address both fundamental and applied aspects of turbulence, have been structured according to the following main topics: I TheoryII Wall-bounded flowsIII Simulations and modellingIV ExperimentsV Miscellaneous topicsVI Wind energy

This book provides a comprehensive overview of statistical descriptions of turbulent flows. Its main objectives are to point out why ordinary perturbative treatments of the Navier-Stokes equation have been rather futile, and to present recent advances in non-perturbative treatments, e.g., the instanton method and a stochastic interpretation of turbulent energy transfer. After a brief introduction to the basic equations of turbulent fluid motion, the book outlines a probabilistic treatment of the Navier-Stokes equation and chiefly focuses on the emergence of a multi-point hierarchy and the notion of the closure problem of turbulence. Furthermore, empirically observed multiscaling features and their impact on possible closure methods are discussed, and each is put into the context of its original field of use, e.g., the renormalization group method is addressed in relation to the theory of critical phenomena. The intended readership consists of physicists and engineers who want to get acquainted with the prevalent concepts and methods in this research area.

This book provides a systematic introduction to the observation and application of kinetic Alfven waves (KAWs) in various plasma environments, with a special focus on the solar-terrestrial coupling system. Alfven waves are low-frequency and long-wavelength fluctuations that pervade laboratory, space and cosmic plasmas. KAWs are dispersive Alfven waves with a short wavelength comparable to particle kinematic scales and hence can play important roles in the energization and transport of plasma particles, the formation of fine magneto-plasma structures, and the dissipation of turbulent Alfven waves. Since the 1990s, experimental studies on KAWs in laboratory and space plasmas have significantly advanced our understanding of KAWs, making them an increasingly interesting subject. Without a doubt, the solar-terrestrial coupling system provides us with a unique natural laboratory for the comprehensive study of KAWs. This book presents extensive observations of KAWs in solar and heliospheric plasmas, as well as numerous applications of KAWs in the solar-terrestrial coupling system, including solar atmosphere heating, solarwind turbulence, solar wind-magnetosphere interactions, and magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling. In addition, for the sake of consistency, the book includes the basic theories and physical properties of KAWs, as well as their experimental demonstrations in laboratory plasmas. In closing, it discusses possible applications of KAWs to other astrophysical plasmas. Accordingly, the book covers all the major aspects of KAWs in a coherent manner that will appeal to advanced graduate students and researchers whose work involves laboratory, space and astrophysical plasmas.

Ray, wave and quantum concepts are central to diverse and seemingly incompatible models of light. Each model particularizes a specific ''manifestation'' of light, and then corresponds to adequate physical assumptions and formal approximations, whose domains of applicability are well-established. Accordingly each model comprises its own set of geometric and dynamic postulates with the pertinent mathematical means.
At a basic level, the book is a complete introduction to the Wigner optics, which bridges between ray and wave optics, offering the optical phase space as the ambience and the Wigner function based technique as the mathematical machinery to accommodate between the two opposite extremes of light representation: the localized ray of geometrical optics and the unlocalized wave function of wave optics.
At a parallel level, the analogies with other branches of both classical and quantum physics, like classical and quantum mechanics, quantum optics, signal theory as well as magnetic optics, are evidenced by pertinent comments and/or rigorous mathematics. So, the Lie algebra and group methods are introduced and explained through the elementary optical systems within both the ray and wave optics contexts, the former being related to the symplectic group and the latter to the metaplectic group. In a like manner, the Wigner function is introduced by following the original issue to individualize a phase space representation of quantum mechanics, which is mirrored by the issue to individualize a local frequency spectrum within the signal theory context.
The basic analogy with the optics of charged particles inherently underlying the ray-optics picture in phase space is also evidenced within the wave-optics picture in the Wigner phase space.
. amalgamation of a great deal of contributions having witnessed the phase space picture of optics over the past 30 years
. introduces abstract concepts through concrete systems
. hosts of figures and logical diagrams to favour intuition and to introduce mathematics
. emphasis on the interrelations with quantum optics, signal theory and magnetic optics
. feeds a feeling for genuine issues in higher mathematics and theoretical physics"

Our Universe is amazing. This is its story, told in simple language. The story tells how the Universe came to be what it is today. It starts with the Big Bang and describes how stars, black holes, and our solar system developed. It explores the evolution of life on Earth and investigates the possibility of extra-terrestrial life. It peers into the future and wonders about the Universe's likely old age and death, or whatever else may be its end. The challenge the book takes up is to explain all of this, including some of the astonishing concepts we have in science, such as Einstein's theories of Relativity and Quantum Mechanics, using virtually no mathematics and without dumbing-down. All are described narratively and explained using examples and anecdotes. The book is written for young people with a thirst for learning about the science of space, as well as for 'grown-ups' who want a better understanding of this fascinating subject.

This book focuses on the need for an Eulerian formulation of constitutive equations. After introducing tensor analysis using both index and direct notation, nonlinear kinematics of continua is presented. The balance laws of the purely mechanical theory are discussed along with restrictions on constitutive equations due to superposed rigid body motion. The balance laws of the thermomechanical theory are discussed and specific constitutive equations are presented for: hyperelastic materials; elastic-inelastic materials; thermoelastic-inelastic materials with application to shock waves; thermoelastic-inelastic porous materials; and thermoelastic-inelastic growing biological tissues.

This book provides details of the basic frameworks and characteristics of processes occurring in electronically excited states of small molecules, complexes, and clusters. It discusses the perturbations in electronically excited valence states of molecules induced by intramolecular interaction and intermolecular interactions, which occur in collisions and optically populated, weakly bound complexes. Further, it describes the kinetics and mechanisms of photoprocesses in simple molecules and recombination accompanied by radiation. The book also offers information on general kinetics for gas-phase processes and basic theoretical frameworks for elementary processes. It features many useful problems, making it a valuable resource for students and researchers in molecular spectroscopy/molecular physics and chemical physics/physical chemistry.

Recent advances in scientific computing have caused the field of aerodynamics to change at a rapid pace, simplifying the design cycle of aerospace vehicles enormously - this book takes the readers from core concepts of aerodynamics to recent research, using studies and real-life scenarios to explain problems and their solutions. This book presents in detail the important concepts in computational aerodynamics and aeroacoustics taking readers from the fundamentals of fluid flow and aerodynamics to a more in-depth analysis of acoustic waves, aeroacoustics, computational modelling and processing. This book will be of use to students in multiple branches of engineering, physics and applied mathematics. Additionally, the book can also be used as a text in professional development courses for industry engineers and as a self-help reference for active researchers in both academia and the industry.

This book offers an introduction to the booming field of high-power laser-matter interaction. It covers the heating of matter to super-high temperatures and pressures, novel schemes of fast particle acceleration, matter far from thermal equilibrium, stimulated radiation scattering, relativistic optics, strong field QED, as well as relevant applications, such as extreme states of matter, controlled fusion, and novel radiation sources. All models and methods considered are introduced as they arise and illustrated by relevant examples. Each chapter contains a selection of problems to test the reader's understanding, to apply the models under discussion to relevant situations and to discover their limits of validity. The carefully chosen illustrations greatly facilitate the visualization of physical processes as well as presenting detailed numerical results. A list of useful formulas and tables are provided as a guide to quantifying results from experiments and numerical simulations. Each chapter ends with a description of the state of the art and the current research frontiers.

This book presents the theoretical and experimental investigations on antiferromagnetically coupled ferrimagnets and reveals new aspects of ferrimagnetic dynamics in terms of the role of angular momentum. The purpose of this book is to show readers that antiferromagnets/ferrimagnets are useful in spintronic devices in that (1) The non adiabatic spin transfer torque in antiferromagnets acts as a staggered magnetic field, which can drive the magnetic domain walls, and (2) The Gilbert damping parameter , the energy dissipation rate associated with the magnetic dynamics of ferrimagnets, is insensitive to temperature in contrast to the conventional understanding that the effective of ferrimagnets diverges at the angular momentum compensation temperature. This book provides readers with a scientific platform of ferrimagnetic dynamics, which serves as a useful basis for realizing the next generation of spintronic devices.

Quantum Mechanics of Non-Hamiltonian and Dissipative Systems is self-contained and can be used by students without a previous course in modern mathematics and physics. The book describes the modern structure of the theory, and covers the fundamental results of last 15 years. The book has been recommended by Russian Ministry of Education as the textbook for graduate students and has been used for graduate student lectures from 1998 to 2006.
Requires no preliminary knowledge of graduate and advanced mathematics
Discusses the fundamental results of last 15 years in this theory
Suitable for courses for undergraduate students as well as graduate students and specialists in physics mathematics and other sciences

This introductory text emphasises physical principles, rather than the mathematics. Each topic begins with a discussion of the physical characteristics of the motion or system. The mathematics is kept as clear as possible, and includes elegant mathematical descriptions where possible. Designed to provide a logical development of the subject, the book is divided into two sections, vibrations followed by waves. A particular feature is the inclusion of many examples, frequently drawn from everyday life, along with more cutting-edge ones. Each chapter includes problems ranging in difficulty from simple to challenging and includes hints for solving problems. Numerous worked examples included throughout the book.

This is the first book on secure quantum network coding, which integrates quantum cryptography into quantum communication. It summarizes the main research findings on quantum network coding, while also systematically introducing readers to secure quantum network coding schemes. With regard to coding methods, coding models and coding security, the book subsequently provides a series of quantum network coding schemes based on the integration of quantum cryptography into quantum communication. Furthermore, it describes the general security analysis method for quantum cryptographic protocols. Accordingly, the book equips readers with effective tools for researching and applying quantum network coding.

This book highlights the use of LEDs in biomedical photoacoustic imaging. In chapters written by key opinion leaders in the field, it covers a broad range of topics, including fundamentals, principles, instrumentation, image reconstruction and data/image processing methods, preclinical and clinical applications of LED-based photoacoustic imaging. Apart from preclinical imaging studies and early clinical pilot studies using LED-based photoacoustics, the book includes a chapter exploring the opportunities and challenges of clinical translation from an industry perspective. Given its scope, the book will appeal to scientists and engineers in academia and industry, as well as medical experts interested in the clinical applications of photoacoustic imaging.