Optical Properties of Metal Clusters deals with the electronic structure of metal clusters determined optically. Clusters - as state intermediate between molecules and the extended solid - are important in many areas, e.g. in air pollution, interstellar matter, clay minerals, photography, heterogeneous catalysis, quantum dots, and virus crystals. This book extends the approaches of optical molecular and solid-state methods to clusters, revealing how their optical properties evolve as a function of size. Cluster matter, i.e. extended systems of many clusters - the most frequently occuring form - is also treated. The combination of reviews of experimental techniques, lists of results and detailed descriptions of selected experiments will appeal to experts, newcomers and graduate students in this expanding field.

The NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Coherent Optical Processes in Semiconductors was held in Cambridge, England on August 11-14,1993. The idea of holding this Workshop grew from the recent upsurge in activity on coherent transient effects in semiconductors. The development of this field reflects advances in both light sources and the quality of semiconductor structures, such that tunable optical pulses are now routinely available whose duration is shorter than the dephasing time for excitonic states in quantum wells. It was therefore no surprise to the organisers that as the programme developed, there emerged a heavy emphasis on time-resolved four-wave mixing, particularly in quantum wells. Nevertheless, other issues concerned with coherent effects ensured that several papers on related problems contributed some variety. The topics discussed at the workshop centred on what is a rather new field of study, and benefited enormously by having participants representing many of the principal groups working in this area. Several themes emerged through the invited contributions at the Workshop. One important development has been the careful examination of the two-level model of excitonic effects; a model which has been remarkably successful despite the expected complexities arising from the semiconductor band structure. Indeed, modest extensions to the two level model have been able to offer a useful account for some of the complicated polarisation dependence of four-wave mixing signals from GaAs quantum wells. This work clearly is leading to an improved understanding of excitons in confined systems.

The 1952 Nobel physics laureate Felix Bloch (1905-83) was one of the titans of twentieth-century physics. He laid the fundamentals for the theory of solids and has been called the "father of solid-state physics." His numerous, valuable contributions include the theory of magnetism, measurement of the magnetic moment of the neutron, nuclear magnetic resonance, and the infrared problem in quantum electrodynamics.Statistical mechanics is a crucial subject which explores the understanding of the physical behaviour of many-body systems that create the world around us. Bloch's first-year graduate course at Stanford University was the highlight for several generations of students. Upon his retirement, he worked on a book based on the course. Unfortunately, at the time of his death, the writing was incomplete.This book has been prepared by Professor John Dirk Walecka from Bloch's unfinished masterpiece. It also includes three sets of Bloch's handwritten lecture notes (dating from 1949, 1969 and 1976), and details of lecture notes taken in 1976 by Brian Serot, who gave an invaluable opinion of the course from a student's perspective. All of Bloch's problem sets, some dating back to 1933, have been included.The book is accessible to anyone in the physical sciences at the advanced undergraduate level or the first-year graduate level.

This impressive thesis offers a comprehensive scientific study of the alkaline earth niobates and describes their nonlinear optical properties for the first time. It explores the crystal structure, electrical properties, optical absorption properties, hot carrier dynamics, nonlinear optical property and strain-induced metal to insulator transition of alkaline earth niobates using advanced experimental techniques. These alkaline earth niobates can have a strong plasmon resonance in the visible range due to their large carrier density, and this unique property gives rise to the emergent phenomenon of photocatalysis and nonlinear optical properties. This series of intrinsic plasmonic materials based on niobates, can be used as a photocatalyst to split water under sunlight, a novel saturable absorber in the high-power ultrashort pulsed laser system, and as a sensor in microelectromechanical systems.

This book addresses to the materials scientists, physicists, chemists, biologists, and electrical engineers engaged in fundamental and applied research or technical investigations on such materials. The goal of the International Symposium on Dielectric Materials and Applications conference series is to provide an innovative platform for key researchers, scientists from all over the world to exchange ideas and to hold wide ranging discussions on recent developments in dielectric materials and their new and emerging applications. The aim of ISyDMA meeting is to provide an international forum for the discussion of current research on high k-dielectric, electrical insulation, dielectric phenomena, and topics related to emerging applications.

Since the major discovery of 'giant magnetoresistance' (GMR) in 1988, spin-dependent transport phenomena in magnetic nanostructures have received much attention from an academic and a technological point of view. This cutting-edge book, edited by two of the world's leading authorities, introduces and explains the basics physics and applications of a variety of spin-dependent transport phenomena in magnetic nanostructures with particular emphasis on magnetic multilayers and magnetic tunnel junctions.

This book presents an up-to-date formalism of non-equilibrium Green's functions covering different applications ranging from solid state physics, plasma physics, cold atoms in optical lattices up to relativistic transport and heavy ion collisions. Within the Green's function formalism, the basic sets of equations for these diverse systems are similar, and approximations developed in one field can be adapted to another field. The central object is the self-energy which includes all non-trivial aspects of the system dynamics. The focus is therefore on microscopic processes starting from elementary principles for classical gases and the complementary picture of a single quantum particle in a random potential. This provides an intuitive picture of the interaction of a particle with the medium formed by other particles, on which the Green's function is built on.

This series of books, which is published at the rate of about one per year, addresses fundamental problems in materials science. The contents cover a broad range of topics from small clusters of atoms to engineering materials and involves chemistry, physics, materials science and engineering, with length scales ranging from Angstroms up to millimeters. The emphasis is on basic science rather than on applications. Each book focuses on a single area of current interest and brings together leading experts to give an up to date discussion of their work and the work of others. Each article contains enough references that the interested reader can access the relevant literature. Thanks are given to the Center for Fundamental Materials Research at Michigan State University for supporting this series. M. F. Thorpe, Series Editor E mail: thorpe@pa. msu. edu V PREFACE This book records invited lectures given at the workshop on Physics of Manganites, held at Michigan State University, July 26 29, 1998. Doped manganites are an interesting class of compounds that show both metal insulator and ferromagnetic to paramagnetic transitions at the same temperature. This was discovered in the early 1950s by Jonker and van Santen and basic theoretical ideas were developed by Zener (1951), Anderson and Hasegawa (1955), and deGennes (1960) to explain these transitions and related interesting observations."

This book collects several contributions presented at the 2019 meeting of the Italian Synchrotron Radiation Society (SILS), held in Camerino, Italy, from 9 to 11 September 2019. Topics included are recent developments in synchrotron radiation facilities and instrumentation, novel methods for data analysis, applications in the fields of materials physics and chemistry, Earth and environmental science, coherence in x-ray experiments. The book is intended for advanced students and researchers interested in synchrotron-based techniques and their application in diverse fields.

Models for the mechanical behavior of porous media introduced more than 50 years ago are still relied upon today, but more recent work shows that, in some cases, they may violate the laws of thermodynamics. In The Thermophysics of Porous Media, the author shows that physical consistency requires a unique description of dynamic processes that involve porous media, and that new dynamic variables-porosity, saturation, and megascale concentration-naturally enter into the large-scale description of porous media. The new degrees of freedom revealed in this study predict new dynamic processes that are not associated with compressional motions.

The book details the construction of a Lorentz invariant thermodynamic lattice gas model and shows how the associated nonrelativistic, Galilean invariant model can be used to describe flow in porous media. The author develops the equations of seismic wave propagation in porous media, the associated boundary conditions, and surface waves. He also constructs the equations for both immiscible and miscible flows in porous media and their related instability problems.

The implications of the physical theory presented in this book are significant, particularly in applications in geophysics and the petroleum industry. The Thermophysics of Porous Media offers a unique opportunity to examine the dynamic role that porosity plays in porous materials.

This edited book, based on material presented at the EU Spec Training School on Multiple Scattering Codes and the following MSNano Conference, is divided into two distinct parts. The first part, subtitled "basic knowledge", provides the basics of the multiple scattering description in spectroscopies, enabling readers to understand the physics behind the various multiple scattering codes available for modelling spectroscopies. The second part, "extended knowledge", presents "state- of-the-art" short chapters on specific subjects associated with improving of the actual description of spectroscopies within the multiple scattering formalism, such as inelastic processes, or precise examples of modelling.

Recent books have raised the public consciousness about the dangers of global warming and climate change. This book is intended to convey the message that there is a solution. The solution is the rapid development of hydrogen fusion energy. This energy source is inexhaustible and, although achieving fusion energy is difficult, the progress made in the past two decades has been remarkable. The physics issues are now understood well enough that serious engineering can begin.The book starts with a summary of climate change and energy sources, trying to give a concise, clear, impartial picture of the facts, separate from conjecture and sensationalism. Controlled fusion -- the difficult problems and ingenious solutions -- is then explained using many new concepts.The bottom line -- what has yet to be done, how long it will take, and how much it will cost -- may surprise you.
Francis F. Chen's career in plasma has extended over five decades. His textbook "Introduction to Plasma Physics" has been used worldwide continuously since 1974. He is the only physicist who has published significantly in both experiment and theory and on both magnetic fusion and laser fusion. As an outdoorsman and runner, he is deeply concerned about the environment. Currently he enjoys bird photography and is a member of the Audubon Society.

The International Conference on Strongly Coupled Coulomb Systems was held on the campus of Boston College in Newton, Massachusetts, August 3-10, 1997. Although this conference was the first under a new name, it was the continuation of a series of international meetings on strongly coupled plasmas and other Coulomb systems that started with the NATO Summer Institute on Strongly Coupled Plasmas, almost exactly twenty years prior to this conference, in July of 1977 in Orleans la Source, France. Over the intervening period the field of strongly coupled plasmas has developed vigorously. In the 1977 meeting the emphasis was on computer (Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics) simulations which provided, for the first time, insight into the rich and new physics of strongly coupled fully ionizedplasmas. While theorists scrambled to provide a theoretical underpinning for these results, there was also a dearth of real experimental input to reinforce the computer simulations. Over the past few years this situation has changed drastically and a variety of direct experiments on classical, pure, strongly correlated plasma systems (charged particle traps, dusty plasmas, electrons on the surface of liquid helium, etc. ) have become available. Even more importantly, entire new area of experimental interest in condensed matter physics have opened up through developments in nano-technology and the fabrication of low-dimensional systems, where the physical behavior, in many ways, is similar to that in classical plasmas. Strongly coupled plasma physics has always been an interdisciplinaryactivity.

One of the most important issues in the construction of future magnetic confinement fusion machines is that of the materials of which they are constructed, and one of the key points of proper material choice is the recycle of hydrogen isotopes with materials at the plasma face. Tritium machines demand high safety and economy, which in turn requires the lowest possible T inventory and smallest possible permeation through the plasma facing materials. The recycle behaviour of the in-vessel components must also be known if the plasma reaction is to predictable and controllable, and finally, the fuel cycle and plasma operating regimes may be actively controlled by special materials and methods. The book discusses both laboratory experiments exploring the basic properties of non-equilibrium hydrogen-solid systems (diffusion, absorption, boundary processes) and experimental results obtained from existing fusion machines under conditions simulating future situations to some extent. Contributions are from experts in the fields of nuclear fusion, materials science, surface science, vacuum science and technology, and solid state physics.

This book presents an account of the course "Advances in Nonradiative Processes in Solids" held in Erice, Italy, from June 15 to 29, 1989. This meeting was organized by the International School of Atomic and Molecular Spectroscopy of the "Ettore Majorana" Centre for Scientific Culture. An area of solid state research that continues to attract the attention of experimental and theoretical physicists is that of nonradiative relaxation processes of excited solids. The interest in these processes stems from their technological relevance, and from the difficulty in the quantitative characterization and differentiation of their various pathways. The decay channels leading to the ground state include the conversion of electronic excitation energy into phonon energy, nonradiative transfer of excitation energy, upconversion processes, etc. Considerable advances have been achieved in understanding and modeling the radiative process that follow the electronic excitations of solids; the progress in this field has been instrumental in the development of new solid-state devices and laser materials. On the other hand, these advances have underscored the inadequacy in the understanding of the nonradiative relaxation processes. This course dealt with the advances in physical modeling, mathematical formalisms and experimental techniques relevant to the quantitative characterization of the various pathways of nonradiative relaxation of solids in excited electronic states.

In the last two decades low-dimensional (low-d) physics has matured into a major branch of science. Quite generally we may define a system with restricted dimensionality d as an object that is infinite only in one or two spatial directions (d = 1 and 2). Such a definition comprises isolated single chains or layers, but also fibres and thin layers (films) of varying but finite thickness. Clearly, a multitude of physical phenomena, notably in solid state physics, fall into these categories. As examples, we may mention: * Magnetic chains or layers (thin-film technology). * Metallic films (homogeneous or heterogeneous, crystalline, amorphous or microcristalline, etc.). * I-d or 2-d conductors and superconductors. * Intercalated systems. * 2-d electron gases (electrons on helium, semiconductor interfaces). * Surface layer problems (2-d melting of monolayers of noble gases on a substrate, surface problems in general). * Superfluid films of ~He or 'He. * Polymer physics. * Organic and inorganic chain conductors, superionic conductors. * I-d or 2-d molecular crystals and liquid crystals. * I-d or 2-d ferro- and antiferro electrics.

The study of plasmas is crucial in improving our understanding of the universe, and they are being increasingly utilised in key technologies such as spacecraft thrusters, plasma medicine, and fusion energy. Providing readers with an easy to follow set of examples that clearly illustrate how simulation codes are written, this book guides readers through how to develop C++ computer codes for simulating plasmas primarily with the kinetic Particle in Cell (PIC) method. This text will be invaluable to advanced undergraduates and graduate students in physics and engineering looking to learn how to put the theory to the test. Features: Provides a step-by-step introduction to plasma simulations with easy to follow examples Discusses the electrostatic and electromagnetic Particle in Cell (PIC) method on structured and unstructured meshes, magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), and Vlasov solvers Covered topics include Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) collisions, surface interactions, axisymmetry, and parallelization strategies. Lubos Brieda has over 15 years of experience developing plasma and gas simulation codes for electric propulsion, contamination transport, and plasma-surface interactions. As part of his master's research work, he developed a 3D ES-PIC electric propulsion plume code, Draco, which is to this date utilized by government labs and private aerospace firms to study plasma thruster plumes. His Ph.D, obtained in 2012 from George Washington University, USA, focused on a multi-scale model for Hall thrusters utilizing fluid-kinetic hybrid PIC codes. He has since then been involved in numerous projects involving development and the use of plasma simulation tools. Since 2014 he has been teaching online courses on plasma simulations through his website: particleincell.com.

This book provides a compact yet comprehensive overview of recent developments in collisional-radiative (CR) modeling of laboratory and astrophysical plasmas. It describes advances across the entire field, from basic considerations of model completeness to validation and verification of CR models to calculation of plasma kinetic characteristics and spectra in diverse plasmas. Various approaches to CR modeling are presented, together with numerous examples of applications. A number of important topics, such as atomic models for CR modeling, atomic data and its availability and quality, radiation transport, non-Maxwellian effects on plasma emission, ionization potential lowering, and verification and validation of CR models, are thoroughly addressed. Strong emphasis is placed on the most recent developments in the field, such as XFEL spectroscopy. Written by leading international research scientists from a number of key laboratories, the book offers a timely summary of the most recent progress in this area. It will be a useful and practical guide for students and experienced researchers working in plasma spectroscopy, spectra simulations, and related fields.

Contents:
Part I Introduction to Computational Fluid Dynamics 1. Introduction 2. Governing Equations 3. Classification of Partial Differential Equations 4. Well Posed Problems 5. Numerical Methods 6. The Finite Difference Method
Part II The Finite Analytic Method 7. Basic Principles 8. The One-Dimensional Case 9. The Two-Dimensional Case 10. The Tree-Dimensional Case 11. Stability of Convergence 12. Hyperbolic PDEs 13. Explicit Finite Analytic Method
Part III 14. Introduction to Grid Generation 15. Elliptic Grid Generation 16. Equations in E and n Coordinates 17. Diagonal Cartesian Method 18. FA Method on Diagonal Cartesian Coordinates
Part IV Computational Considerations 19. Velocity , Pressure and Staggered Grids 20. Non-staggered Grid Methods 21. Boundary Conditions
Applications of the FA Method 22. Turbulent Flows 23. Turbulent Heat Transfer 24. Complex Domain Flows 25. Conjugate Heat Transfer
A The One-Dimensional Case
B The Two-Dimensional Case

Jonathan Scragg documents his work on a very promising material suitable for use in solar cells. Copper Zinc Tin Sulfide (CZTS) is a low cost, earth-abundant material suitable for large scale deployment in photovoltaics. Jonathan pioneered and optimized a low cost route to this material involving electroplating of the three metals concerned, followed by rapid thermal processing (RTP) in sulfur vapour. His beautifully detailed RTP studies - combined with techniques such as XRD, EDX and Raman - reveal the complex relationships between composition, processing and photovoltaic performance. This exceptional thesis contributes to the development of clean, sustainable and alternative sources of energy

Just over 25 years ago the first laser-excited Raman spectrum of any crystal was obtained. In November 1964, Hobden and Russell reported the Raman spectrum of GaP and later, in June 1965, Russell published the Si spectrum. Then, in July 1965, the forerunner of a series of meetings on light scattering in solids was held in Paris. Laser Raman spectroscopy of semiconductors was at the forefront in new developments at this meeting. Similar meetings were held in 1968 (New York), 1971 (Paris) and 1975 (Campinas). Since then, and apart from the multidisciplinary biennial International Conference on Raman Spectroscopy there has been no special forum for experts in light scattering spectroscopy of semiconductors to meet and discuss latest developments. Meanwhile, technological advances in semiconductor growth have given rise to a veritable renaissance in the field of semiconductor physics. Light scattering spectroscopy has played a crucial role in the advancement of this field, providing valuable information about the electronic, vibrational and structural properties both of the host materials, and of heterogeneous composite structures. On entering a new decade, one in which technological advances in lithography promise to open even broader horirons for semiconductor physics, it seemed to us to be an ideal time to reflect on the achievements of the past decade, to be brought up to date on the current state-of-the-art, and to catch some glimpses of where the field might be headed in the 1990s.

Most recent publications on spin-related phenomena focus on technological aspects of spin-dependent transport, with emphasis on the specific needs of spintronics. The present publication targets rather fundamental problems related to the physics of spin in solids, such as: (1) manifestation of spin and orbital polarization in spectroscopy, including valence and X-ray photoemission, magneto-optics, low-energy electron scattering on the surface; (2) application of new methods for interpretation and determination of magnetic low-lying excitations in the bulk and on the surface; (3) recent progress in evaluation of different type of magnetic forces including spin-orbit and exchange interaction, with subsequent determination of anisotropy and spin-ordering structure; (4) general problems of spin-dependent transport in semiconductors and metals, such as current-caused torque effect on spins at interfaces and spin injection in quantum dot systems; (5) problems in understanding the spin-dependent trends in unconventional superconductors; (6) many-body problems in solid state physics and recent progress in evaluation of self-energy effects; (7) fabrication of new magnetic materials with pre-programmed properties based on assembly from nano-particles, etc.

The raw numbers of high-energy-density physics are amazing: shock waves at hundreds of km/s (approaching a million km per hour), temperatures of millions of degrees, and pressures that exceed 100 million atmospheres. This title surveys the production of high-energy-density conditions, the fundamental plasma and hydrodynamic models that can describe them and the problem of scaling from the laboratory to the cosmos. Connections to astrophysics are discussed throughout. The book is intended to support coursework in high-energy-density physics, to meet the needs of new researchers in this field, and also to serve as a useful reference on the fundamentals. Specifically the book has been designed to enable academics in physics, astrophysics, applied physics and engineering departments to provide in a single-course, an introduction to fluid mechanics and radiative transfer, with dramatic applications in the field of high-energy-density systems. This second edition includes pedagogic improvements to the presentation throughout and additional material on equations of state, heat waves, and ionization fronts, as well as problem sets accompanied by solutions.

This book presents selected contributions to the Symposium of Aeronautical and Aerospace Processes, Materials and Industrial Applications of the XXV International Materials Research Congress (IMRC). Each chapter addresses scientific principles behind processing and production of materials for aerospace/aeronautical applications. The chapter deals with microstructural characterization including composites materials and metals. The second chapter deals with corrosion in aerospace components is a large and expensive problema for aerospace industry. Finally, the last chapter covers modeling and simulation of different processes to evaluate and optimize the forming process. This book is meant to be useful to academics and professionals.

Covering colloids, polymers, surfactant phases, emulsions, and granular media, Soft and Fragile Matter: Nonequilibrium Dynamics, Metastability and Flow (PBK) provides self-contained and pedagogical coverage of the rapidly advancing field of systems driven out of equilibrium, with a strong emphasis on unifying conceptual principles rather than material-specific details. Written by internationally recognized experts, the book contains introductions at the level of a graduate course in soft condensed matter and statistical physics to the following areas: experimental techniques, polymers, rheology, colloids, computer simulation, surfactants, phase separation kinetics, driven systems, structural glasses, slow dynamics, and granular materials. These topics lead to a range of exciting applications at the forefront of current research, including microplasticity of emulsions, sequence design of copolymers, branched polymer dynamics, nucleation kinetics in colloids, multiscale modeling, flow-induced surfactant textures, fluid demixing under shear, two-time correlation functions, chaotic sedimentation dynamics, and sound propagation in powders. Balancing theory, simulation, and experiment, this broadly-based, pedagogical account of a rapidly developing field is an excellent compendium for graduate students and researchers in condensed matter physics, materials science, and physical chemistry.