Handbook on the Physics and Chemistry of Rare Earths: Including Actinides, Volume 54, is a continuous series of books covering all aspects of rare earth science, including chemistry, life sciences, materials science and physics. The book's main emphasis is on rare earth elements [Sc, Y, and the lanthanides (La through Lu], but whenever relevant, information is also included on the closely related actinide elements. Individual chapters are comprehensive, broad, up-to-date, critical reviews written by highly experienced, invited experts. The series, which was started in 1978 by Professor Karl A. Gschneidner Jr., combines, and integrates, both the fundamentals and applications of these elements.

Solid State Physics, Volume 69, provides the latest information on the branch of physics that is 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.

An informal and highly accessible writing style, a simple treatment of mathematics, and clear guide to applications have made this book a classic text in electrical and electronic engineering. The fundamental ideas relevant to the understanding of the electrical properties of materials are emphasized; in addition, topics are selected in order to explain the operation of devices having applications (or possible future applications) in engineering. The mathematics, kept deliberately to a minimum, is well within the grasp of undergraduate students. This is achieved by choosing the simplest model that can display the essential properties of a phenomenom, and then examining the difference between the ideal and the actual behaviour. The whole text is designed as an undergraduate course. However most individual sections are self contained and can be used as background reading in graduate courses, and for interested persons who want to explore advances in microelectronics, lasers, nanotechnology, and several other topics that impinge on modern life.

Handbook on the Physics and Chemistry of Rare Earths: Including Actinides, Volume 53, is a continuous series covering all aspects of rare earth science, including chemistry, life sciences, materials science and physics. The book focuses on rare earth elements [Sc, Y, and the lanthanides (La through Lu], but when relevant, information is included on the related actinide elements. Individual chapters are comprehensive, up-to-date, critical reviews written by highly experienced, invited experts, with this release including chapters on a Comparison of the Electronic Properties of Lanthanides with Formally Isoelectronic Actinides, Redox catalysis with redox-inactive rare-earth ions in artificial photosynthesis, and more. The series, which was started in 1978 by Professor Karl A. Gschneidner Jr., combines, and integrates, both the fundamentals and applications of these elements with two published volumes each year.

Gibbs' Entropic Paradox and Problems of Separation Processes reviews the so-called Gibb's Paradox observed during the mixing of two systems. During the last 150 years, many physicists and specialists in thermodynamics, statistical and quantum mechanics been engaged in the solution of the Gibbs paradox. Many books and journal articles have written on this topic, but a widely accepted answer is still lacking. In this book, the author reviews and analyzes all this data. Based on findings, the book formulates a different approach to this paradox and substantiates it on the basis of physical and statistical principles. The book clearly shows that entropy consists of two parts, static and dynamic. Up to now, entropy has been connected only with the process dynamics. However, the Gibbs paradox is caused by the change in the static component of entropy. Finally, the book includes examples of separation processes and how to optimize them in various fields, including biology, cosmology, crystallography and the social sciences.

Foams are ubiquitous in our daily lives. Their presence is highly desirable in certain foods, drinks and cosmetics, and they are essential in oil recovery and mineral extraction. In some industrial processes (such as the manufacture of glass, paper and wine) foams are an unwelcome by-product. Why do they appear? What controls the rate at which they disappear? Do they flow in the same way as ordinary liquids? All of these questions and more are addressed here, incorporating significant recent contributions to the field of foams. This book is the first to provide a thorough description of all aspects of the physico-chemical properties of foams. It sets out what is known about their structure, their stability, and their rheology. Engineers, researchers and students will find descriptions of all the key concepts, illustrated by numerous applications, as well as experiments and exercises for the reader. A solutions manual for lecturers is available via the publisher's web site.

There are eight columns in the Periodic Table. The eighth column is comprised of the rare gases, so-called because they are the rarest elements on earth. They are also called the inert or noble gases because, like nobility, they do no work. They are colorless, odorless, invisible gases which do not react with anything, and were thought to be unimportant until the early 1960s. Starting in that era, David Fisher has spent roughly fifty years doing research on these gases, publishing nearly a hundred papers in the scientific journals, applying them to problems in geophysics and cosmochemistry, and learning how other scientists have utilized them to change our ideas about the universe, the sun, and our own planet.
Much Ado about (Practically) Nothing will cover this spectrum of ideas, interspersed with the author's own work which will serve to introduce each gas and the important work others have done with them. The rare gases have participated in a wide range of scientific advances-even revolutions-but no book has ever recorded the entire story. Fisher will range from the intricacies of the atomic nucleus and the tiniest of elementary particles, the neutrino, to the energy source of the stars; from the age of the earth to its future energies; from life on Mars to cancer here on earth. A whole panoply that has never before been told as an entity.

This book, based primarily on late breaking work ... provides an interesting snapshot at some of the main lines of current and new research within the field, such as investigation of the novel properties of ionic liquids and their uses in separations (e.g., gases, organics, and metal ions), biochemistry, medicine, and nanochemistry. The chapters also reflect the growing theoretical and computational work within the field leading to new predictive capability.
- From the Preface

Solid state physics is the branch of physics that is 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.
This latest volume in the series is devoted to the science underpinning two cutting edge areas: protein crystallization and semiconductor nanostructures. The extended and very complete review by E. Runge was awarded this year's Karl-Scheel Prize for "the outstanding publication by a young physicist from Berlin."

The first part of this text provides an overview of the physics of lasers and it describes some of the more common types of lasers and their applications. The production of laser light requires the formation of a resonant cavity where stimulated emission of radiation occurs. The light produced in this way is intense, coherent and monochromatic. Applications of lasers include CD/DVD players, laser printers and fiber optic communication devices. While these devices depend largely on the monochromaticity and coherence of the light that lasers produce, other well-known applications, such as laser machining and laser fusion depend on the intensity of laser light. The second part of the book describes the phenomenon of Bose-Einstein condensation. These condensates represent a state of matter that exists in some dilute gases at very low temperature as predicted first by Satyendra Nath Bose and Albert Einstein. Bose-Einstein condensates were first observed experimentally in 1995 by Eric Cornell and Carl Wieman at the University of Colorado, and shortly thereafter by Wolfgang Ketterle at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The experimental techniques used to create a Bose-Einstein condensate provide an interesting and unconventional application of lasers: the cooling and confinement of a dilute gas at very low temperature.

The progress in device technologies are surveyed in this volume. Included are Si/ (Si-Ge) heterojunctions for high-speed integrated circuits. Schottky-barrier arrays in Si and Si-Ge alloys for infrared imaging, III-V quantum-well detector structures operated in the heterodyne mode for high-data-rate communications, and III-V heterostructures and quantum-wells for infrared transmissions.

In recent years, there have been great advances in the applications of topology and differential geometry to problems in condensed matter physics. Concepts drawn from topology and geometry have become essential to the understanding of several phenomena in the area. The main purpose of this book is to provide a brief, self-contained introduction to some mathematical ideas and methods from differential geometry and topology, and to show a few applications in condensed matter.

This text provides a uniform and consistent approach to diversified problems encountered in the study of dynamical processes in condensed phase molecular systems. Given the broad interdisciplinary aspect of this subject, the book focuses on three themes: coverage of needed background material, in-depth introduction of methodologies, and analysis of several key applications. The uniform approach and common language used in all discussions help to develop general understanding and insight on condensed phases chemical dynamics. The applications discussed are among the most fundamental processes that underlie physical, chemical and biological phenomena in complex systems.
The first part of the book starts with a general review of basic mathematical and physical methods (Chapter 1) and a few introductory chapters on quantum dynamics (Chapter 2), interaction of radiation and matter (Chapter 3) and basic properties of solids (chapter 4) and liquids (Chapter 5). In the second part the text embarks on a broad coverage of the main methodological approaches. The central role of classical and quantum time correlation functions is emphasized in Chapter 6. The presentation of dynamical phenomena in complex systems as stochastic processes is discussed in Chapters 7 and 8. The basic theory of quantum relaxation phenomena is developed in Chapter 9, and carried on in Chapter 10 which introduces the density operator, its quantum evolution in Liouville space, and the concept of reduced equation of motions. The methodological part concludes with a discussion of linear response theory in Chapter 11, and of the spin-boson model in chapter 12. The third part of the book applies the methodologies introducedearlier to several fundamental processes that underlie much of the dynamical behaviour of condensed phase molecular systems. Vibrational relaxation and vibrational energy transfer (Chapter 13), Barrier crossing and diffusion controlled reactions (Chapter 14), solvation dynamics (Chapter 15), electron transfer in bulk solvents (Chapter 16) and at electrodes/electrolyte and metal/molecule/metal junctions (Chapter 17), and several processes pertaining to molecular spectroscopy in condensed phases (Chapter 18) are the main subjects discussed in this part.

"This volume deals with the interaction of acoustic fields with bubbles in liquids, with emphasis on the principles of cavitation--the generation of bubbles in liquids by rapid changes, such as those introduced by ultrasound. When cavity bubbles implode they produce shock waves in the liquid. If cavitation is induced by turbulent flow, components can be damaged. These phenomena have important implications, particularly in underwater acoustics, one of the fastest growing fields in acoustics research. The Acoustic Bubble skillfully explains the physical processes involved in cavitation both by analogy and formulation, making the concepts accessible to those with a minimal background in mathematics. This book willbe of great interest to those engaged in research in a wide range of areas, from sonochemistry to the sensitization of explosives.

Physics of Thin Films is one of the longest running continuing series in thin film science, consisting of twenty volumes since 1963. The series contains quality studies of the properties of various thinfilms materials and systems.
In order to be able to reflect the development of today's science and to cover all modern aspects of thin films, the series, starting with Volume 20, has moved beyond the basic physics of thin films. It now addresses the most important aspects of both inorganic and organic thin films, in both their theoretical as well as technological aspects. Therefore, in order to reflect the modern technology-oriented problems, the title has been slightly modified from Physics of Thin Films to Thin Films.
Key Features
* Discusses the latest research about structure, physics, and infrared photoemissive behavior of heavily doped silicon homojunctions and Ge and GaAs-based alloy junctions
* Reviews the current status of SiGe/Si quantum wells for infrared detection
* Discusses key developments in the growing research on quantum-well infrared photodetectors (QWIPs)
* Reviews Chois development of a family of novel three-terminal, multi-quantum well devices designed to improve high-temperature IR detectivity at long wavelengths
* Describes recent studies aimed at using multi-quantum well structures to achieve higher performance in solar cell devices based on materials systems

This book presents the SPH method (Smoothed-Particle Hydrodynamics) for fluid modelling from a theoretical and applied viewpoint. It comprises two parts that refer to each other. The first one, dealing with the fundamentals of Hydraulics, is based on the elementary principles of Lagrangian and Hamiltonian Mechanics. The specific laws governing a system of macroscopic particles are built, before large systems involving dissipative processes are explained. The continua are discussed, and a fairly exhaustive account of turbulence is given. The second part discloses the bases of the SPH Lagrangian numerical method from the continuous equations, as well as from discrete variational principles, setting out the method's specific properties of conservativity and invariance. Various numerical schemes are compared, permanently referring to the physics as dealt with in the first part. Applications to schematic instances are discussed, and, ultimately, practical applications to the dimensioning of coastal and fluvial structures are considered.
Despite the rapid growth in the SPH field, this book is the first to present the method in a comprehensive way for fluids. It should serve as a rigorous introduction to SPH and a reference for fundamental mathematical fluid dynamics. This book is intended for scientists, doctoral students, teachers, and engineers, who want to enjoy a rather unified approach to the theoretical bases of Hydraulics or who want to improve their skills using the SPH method. It will inspire the reader with a feeling of unity, answering many questions without any detrimental formalism.