Launched in 2004, "Nuclear Physics in Astrophysics" has established itself in a successful topical conference series addressing the forefront of research in the field. This volume contains the selected and refereed papers of the 2nd conference, held in Debrecen in 2005 and reprinted from "The European Physical Journal A - Hadrons and Nuclei."

Computational Surface and Roundness Metrology provides an extraordinarily practical and hands-on approach towards understanding the diverse array of mathematical methods used in surface texture and roundness analysis. The book, in combination with a mathematical package or programming language interface, provides an invaluable tool for experimenting, learning, and discovering the many flavors of mathematics that are so routinely taken for granted in metrology. Whether the objective is to understand the origin of that ubiquitous transmission characteristics curve of a filter we see so often yet do not quite comprehend, or to delve into the intricate depths of a deceptively simple problem of fitting a line or a plane to a set of points, this book describes it all (in exhaustive detail). From the graduate student of metrology to the practicing engineer on the shop floor, this book is a must-have reference for all involved in metrology, instrumentation/optics, manufacturing, and electronics."

This highly practical and self-contained guidebook explains the principles and major applications of digital hologram recording and numerical reconstruction (Digital Holography).

A special chapter is designated to digital holographic interferometry with applications in deformation and shape measurement and refractive index determination.

Applications in imaging and microscopy are also described.

Spcial techniques such as digital light-in-flight holography, holographic endoscopy, information encrypting, comparative holography, and related techniques of speckle metrology are also treated

Metrology and Properties of Engineering Surfaces provides in a single volume a comprehensive and authoritative treatment of the crucial topics involved in the metrology and properties of engineering surfaces. The subject matter is a central issue in manufacturing technology, since the quality and reliability of manufactured components depend greatly upon the selection and qualities of the appropriate materials as ascertained through measurement. The book can in broad terms be split into two parts; the first deals with the metrology of engineering surfaces and covers the important issues relating to the measurement and characterization of surfaces in both two and three dimensions. This covers topics such as filtering, power spectral densities, autocorrelation functions and the use of Fractals in topography. A significant proportion is dedicated to the calibration of scanning probe microscopes using the latest techniques. The remainder of the book deals with the properties of engineering surfaces and covers a wide range of topics including hardness (measurement and relevance), surface damage and the machining of brittle surfaces, the characterization of automobile cylinder bores using different techniques including artificial neural networks and the design and use of polymer bearings in microelectromechanical devices. Edited by three practitioners with a wide knowledge of the subject and the community, Metrology and Properties of Engineering Surfaces brings together leading academics and practitioners in a comprehensive and insightful treatment of the subject. The book is an essential reference work both for researchers working and teaching in the technology and for industrial users who need to be aware of current developments of the technology and new areas of application.

The field of Adaptive Optics (AO) for astronomy has matured in recent years, and diffraction-limited image resolution in the near-infrared is now routinely achieved by ground-based 8 to 10m class telescopes. This book presents the proceedings of the ESO Workshop on Science with Adaptive Optics held in the fall of 2003. The book provides an overview on AO instrumentation, data acquisition and reduction strategies, and covers observations of the sun, solar system objects, circumstellar disks, substellar companions, HII regions, starburst environments, late-type stars, the galactic center, active galaxies, and quasars. The contributions present a vivid picture of the multitude of science topics being addressed by AO in observational astronomy.

The expression of uncertainty in measurement poses a challenge since it involves physical, mathematical, and philosophical issues. This problem is intensified by the limitations of the probabilistic approach used by the current standard (the GUM Instrumentation Standard). This text presents an alternative approach. It makes full use of the mathematical theory of evidence to express the uncertainty in measurements. Coverage provides an overview of the current standard, then pinpoints and constructively resolves its limitations. Numerous examples throughout help explain the book 's unique approach.

Digital Signal Processing for Measurement Systems: Theory and Applications covers the theoretical as well as the practical issues which form the basis of the modern DSP-based instruments and measurement methods. It covers the basics of DSP theory before discussing the critical aspects of DSP unique to measurement science.

Key Features:

Approaches signal processing through a unique measurement science perspective

Covers both theory and state-of-the-art applications, from the sampling theorem to the design of FIR/IIR filters

Includes important topics, for example, problems that arise when sampling periodic signals and the relationship between the sampling rate and the SNR

Physical processes, involving atomic phenomena, allow more and more precise time and frequency measurements. This progress is not possible without convenient processing of the respective raw data. The book describes the data processing at various levels: design of the time and frequency references, characterization of the time and frequency references, applications involving precise time and/or frequency references.The metrological properties stability, accuracy and reproducibility are defined and the processes leading to their characterization are shown. The various aspects of the variance of the frequency fluctuations are discussed and compared and their significance is given.

Some major applications of the best frequency and time standards are finally discussed. The way the extreme precision of these sources is used to obtain precise time and position information is shown: Time scales, used to describe every human and physical activities, such as astronomy, physical laws, etc.; Positioning systems, such as GPS; Very long base interferometry (VLBI).

This book describes the field of State-of-Charge (SoC) indication for rechargeable batteries. An overview of the state-of-the-art of SoC indication methods including available market solutions from leading semiconductor companies is provided. All disciplines are covered, from electrical, chemical, mathematical and measurement engineering to understanding battery behavior. This book will therefore is for persons in engineering and involved in battery management.

The present volume is a collection of reviews, essays and personal reminiscences on Occhialini's scientific life and work. Through these recollections the reader will also gain a vivid impression of the pioneering days of elementary particle physics when new detection methods emerged, like the triggered cloud chamber and nuclear emulsions - two techniques perfected by Occhialini - which made progress on comic ray physics possible in the first place.

Nearly one half of the point-like gamma-ray sources detected by EGRET instrument of the late Compton satellite are still defeating our attempts at identifying them. To establish the origin and nature of these enigmatic sources has become a major problem of current high-energy astrophysics. The second workshop on Multiwavelength Approach to Unidentified Gamma-ray Sources intends to shed new and fresh light on the problem of the nature of the unidentified gamma-ray sources.

The proceedings contain 46 contributed papers in this subject, which cover theoretical models on gamma-ray sources as well as the best multiwavelength strategies for the identification of the promising candidates. The topics of this conference also include energetic phenomena occurring both in galactic and extragalactic scenarios, phenomena that might lead to the appearance of what we have called high-energy unidentified sources.

The book will be of interest for all active researchers in the high-energy astrophysics and related research areas as well as for scientists and graduate students interested in understanding the recent progress in high-energy astrophysics.

Flow meters measure the volumetric flow rate in a pipeline. Most meters are based on deriving a signal from the fluid flow and calibrating the signal against the volumetric flow rate. The calibration is done in fully-developed flow, and the same state of flow must exist at the meter's position when it is in practical use. Because the field of flow metering has been neglected by fluid mechanicists for a long time, this book addresses two major fluid mechanical problems in flow metering: the analysis of signal generation in turbulent pipe flow, which explains the function of the meter beyond a simple calibration, and the possible use of a meter in non-developed flows. These problems are investigated with reference to, and examples from, a variety of meters, e.g. ultrasound cross-correlation meters, vortex meters, and turbine meters. Studying these problems requires consideration of specific phenomena in turbulent non-developed pipe flow, as caused by installations, and finding special solutions with signal processing, both of which are included in the book.

Mformation about a material can be gathered from its interaction with electromagnetic waves. The information may be stored in the amplitude, the phase, the polarisation, the angular distribution of energy transportation or the spectral characteristics. When re trieved from the wave, certain material properties may thus be determined indirectly. Compared on the one hand to direct material analysis, an indirect method requires calibration and is prone to interference from undesired sources. On the other hand, however, it permits the determination of features inaccessible by direct methods, such as non-destructive material interrogation, high measurement speed, or deep penetration depth. However, being a physical method, the use of electromagnetic waves is still handicapped by the lack of acceptance by many chemists, who are used to applying direct approaches. Historically, the first application of electromagnetic wave interaction with mat ter involved measurement of amplitude changes at a single frequency caused by material properties, and it is still used today by some systems. This approach was soon supplemented by single frequency phase measurements, in order to avoid distortions through amplitude instabilities or parasitic reflections. Such single pa rameter measurements of course require dependence only on one variable in the measured process and sufficient stability of all other ancillary conditions. If that is not the case, the single parameter measurement fails."

The 14th conference in the series focused on the most recent advances in the study of the structural and electronic properties of semiconducting materials by the application of transmission and scanning electron microscopy. The latest developments in the use of other important microcharacterisation techniques were also covered and included the latest work using scanning probe microscopy and also X-ray topography and diffraction.

In this book, Grabe illustrates the breakdown of traditional error calculus in the face of modern measurement techniques. Revising Gauss error calculus ab initio, he treats random and unknown systematic errors on an equal footing from the outset. Furthermore, Grabe also proposes what may be called well defined measuring conditions, a prerequisite for defining confidence intervals that are consistent with basic statistical concepts. The resulting measurement uncertainties are as robust and reliable as required by modern-day science, engineering and technology."

"Nature performs not hing vainly, and makes nothing unnecessary" Aristotle Interest in the passage of charged particles through crystals first appeared at the beginning of this century following experiments on x-ray diffraction in crystallattices, which provided the proof of an ordered distribution of atoms in a crystal. Stark [1] put forward the hypothesis that certain directions in a crystal should be relatively transparent to charged particles. These first ideas on the channeling of charged particles in crystals were forgotten but became topical again in the early 1960s when the channeling effect was rediscovered by computer simulation [2] and in experiments [3] that revealed anomalously long ion ranges in crystals. The orientational ef fects during the passage of charged particles through crystals have been found for a whole range of processes characterized by small impact parameters for collisions between particles and atoms: nuclear reactions, large-angle scatter ing, energy losses. Lindhard explained the channeling of charged particles in crystals [4]. The results of the numerous investigations into the channeling of low-energy (amounting to several MeV) charged particles in crystals have been summarized in several monographs and reviews [5~8l.

Familiarization with the infrared world Thermal imaging systems extend human perception beyond the visible spectrum. Since their principle is based on the natural emission of energy by physical bodies, they represent today the subject of a great deal of interest in many fields, whether in the military field or in industry or in research laboratories. They can be employed to analyse physical properties of objects, such as their energy level or their surface appearance; they are also commonly used to observe scenes in particular conditions like night vision, or in order to increase the visibility range through haze and fogs. All of these applications exploit the properties of infrared radiation whose characteristics are described in this book. This is achieved in a manner which differs from other publications on the same subject in that the book is governed by the intention to progressively lead the reader to a complete understanding of the infrared. The author intends to link physical theory to each specific aspect of the elements involved in the detection process, from their physical origin up to energy mapping in a two-dimensional picture. However we thought that it was unnecessary to demonstrate again that which the reader will easily find in scientific literature, nor to write another data book. Our aim is to fill the gap between theory and practical application. The subject is vast: infrared systems combines a wide variety of disciplines and image interpretation depends on the precise understanding of various phenomena.

Civil infrastructure systems are generally the most expensive assets in any country, and these systems are deteriorating at an alarming rate. In addition, these systems have a long service life in comparison to most other commercial products. As well, the introduction of intelligent materials and innovative design approaches in these systems is painfully slow due to heavy relianceon traditional construction and maintenance practices, and the conservative nature of design codes. Feedback on the "state of the health" of constructed systems is practically nonexistent. In the quest for lighter, stronger and corrosion-resistant structures, the replacement of ferrous materials by high-strength fibrous ones is being actively pursued in several countries around the world, both with respect to the design of new structures as well as for the rehabilitation and strengthening of existing ones. In North America, active research in the design of new highway bridges is focused on a number of specialty areas, including the replacement of steel reinforcing bars in concrete deck slabs by randomly distributed low-modulus fibers, and the replacement of steel prestressing cables for concrete components by tendons comprising super-strong fibers. Research is also being conducted on using FRPs to repair and strengthen existing structures.

The ?eld of multi-sensor fusion and integration is growing into signi?cance as our societyisintransitionintoubiquitouscomputingenvironmentswithroboticservices everywhere under ambient intelligence. What surround us are to be the networks of sensors and actuators that monitor our environment, health, security and safety, as well as the service robots, intelligent vehicles, and autonomous systems of ever heightened autonomy and dependability with integrated heterogeneous sensors and actuators. The ?eld of multi-sensor fusion and integration plays key role for m- ing the above transition possible by providing fundamental theories and tools for implementation. This volume is an edition of the papers selected from the 7th IEEE International Conference on Multi-Sensor Integration and Fusion, IEEE MFI'08, held in Seoul, Korea, August 20-22, 2008. Only 32 papers out of the 122 papers accepted for IEEE MFI'08 were chosen and requested for revision and extension to be included in this volume. The 32 contributions to this volume are organized into three parts: Part I is dedicated to the Theories in Data and Information Fusion, Part II to the Multi-Sensor Fusion and Integration in Robotics and Vision, and Part III to the Applications to Sensor Networks and Ubiquitous Computing Environments. To help readers understand better, a part summary is included in each part as an introduction. The summaries of Parts I, II, and III are prepared respectively by Prof. Hanseok Ko, Prof. Sukhan Lee and Prof. Hernsoo Hahn.

Synchrotron Techniques in Interfacial Chemistry covers the structure of the electrode--solution interface and surface films, theory of X-ray scattering at surfaces and interfaces, synchrotron radiation instrumentation, surface X-ray diffraction, X-ray reflectivity, X-ray absorption spectroscopy (EXAFS and XANES), standing wave techniques, and IR spectroscopy. The use of each technique in the study of electrochemical problems is illustrated.

In the recent years, space-based observation methods have led to a subst- tially improved understanding of Earth system. Geodesy and geophysics are contributing to this development by measuring the temporal and spatial va- ations of the Earth's shape, gravity ?eld, and magnetic ?eld, as well as at- sphere density. In the frame of the GermanR&D programmeGEOTECHNO- LOGIEN, researchprojectshavebeen launchedin2002relatedto the satellite missions CHAMP, GRACE and ESA's planned mission GOCE, to comp- mentary terrestrial and airborne sensor systems and to consistent and stable high-precision global reference systems for satellite and other techniques. In the initial 3-year phase of the research programme (2002-2004), new gravity ?eld models have been computed from CHAMP and GRACE data which outperform previous models in accuracy by up to two orders of m- nitude for the long and medium wavelengths. A special highlight is the - termination of seasonal gravity variations caused by changes in continental water masses. For GOCE, to be launched in 2006, new gravity ?eld analysis methods are under development and integrated into the ESA processing s- tem. 200,000 GPS radio occultation pro?les, observed by CHAMP, have been processed on an operational basis. They represent new and excellent inf- mation on atmospheric refractivity, temperature and water vapor. These new developments require geodetic space techniques (such as VLBI, SLR, LLR, GPS) to be combined and synchronized as if being one global instrument.

A broad, almost encyclopedic overview of spectroscopic and other analytical techniques useful for investigations of phase boundaries in electrochemistry is presented. The analysis of electrochemical interfaces and interphases on a microscopic, even molecular level, is of central importance for an improved understanding of the structure and dynamics of these phase boundaries. The gained knowledge will be needed for improvements of methods and applications reaching from electrocatalysis, electrochemical energy conversion, biocompatibility of metals, corrosion protection to galvanic surface treatment and finishing. The book provides an overview as complete as possible and enables the reader to choose methods most suitable for tackling his particular task. It is nevertheless compact and does not flood the reader with the details of review papers.

Electrostatic accelerators are an important and widespread subgroup within the broad spectrum of modern, large particle acceleration devices. They are specifically designed for applications that require high-quality ion beams in terms of energy stability and emittance at comparatively low energies (a few MeV). Their ability to accelerate virtually any kind of ion over a continuously tunable range of energies makes them a highly versatile tool for investigations in many research fields including, but not limited to, atomic and nuclear spectroscopy, heavy ion reactions, accelerator mass spectroscopy as well as ion-beam analysis and modification. The book is divided into three parts. The first part concisely introduces the field of accelerator technology and techniques that emphasize their major modern applications. The second part treats the electrostatic accelerator per se: its construction and operational principles as well as its maintenance. The third part covers all relevant applications in which electrostatic accelerators are the preferred tool for accelerator-based investigations. Since some topics are common to all types of accelerators, Electrostatic Accelerators will also be of value for those more familiar with other types of accelerators.

Pixel detectors are a particularly important class of particle and radiation detection devices. They have an extremely broad spectrum of applications, ranging from high-energy physics to the photo cameras of everyday life. This book is a general purpose introduction into the fundamental principles of pixel detector technology and semiconductor-based hybrid pixel devices. Although these devices were developed for high-energy ionizing particles and radiation beyond visible light, they are finding new applications in many other areas. This book will therefore benefit all scientists and engineers working in any laboratory involved in developing or using particle detection.

Following my graduation in physical organic chemistry at the University of Amst- dam, I started to work at the Royal Dutch Shell Laboratories in Amsterdam. My first assignment was research in the field of detergents and industrial chemicals. It was followed by development work on thermal wax cracking for production of C - C 2 14 olefins and on acid-catalyzed synthesis of carboxylic acids from C - C olefins. 3 6 Then, I made a significant change to analytical chemistry, first at Shell's process development department and later in the chemical engineering department of Delft University of Technology. In both departments, there was a large variety of analy- cal techniques and development of new methods for automated analysis of small process streams. It was the time that gas chromatography conquered the world. In this field, a firm basis was given by Henk Boer, Arie Kwantes and Frits Zuiderweg at Shell Research Laboratories in Amsterdam, both for packed and for capillary c- umns. The potential of gas chromatography was huge and, therefore, also in Delft, its use increased enormously. Moreover, the growth of this technique was facilitated significantly by the rapidly developing electronics industry. It not only led to digital peak integrators and personal computers but also enabled complex measurement techniques. In addition, I became involved in surface area and porosity characteri- tion of catalysts and adsorbents, on which topic the research had been initiated by Prof. J. H. de Boer.