This thesis makes two important contributions to plasma physics. The first is the extension of the seminal theoretical works of Spitzer and Braginskii, which describe the basics of particle interactions in plasma, to relativistic systems. Relativistic plasmas have long been studied in high-energy astrophysics and are becoming increasingly attainable in the laboratory. The second is the design of a new class of photon-photon collider, which is the first capable of detecting the Breit-Wheeler process. Though it offers the simplest way for light to be converted into matter, the process has never been detected in the 80 years since its theoretical prediction. The experimental scheme proposed here exploits the radiation used in inertial confinement fusion experiments and could in principle be implemented in one of several current-generation facilities.

This book covers polarization, alignment, and orientation effects in atomic collisions induced by electron, heavy particle, or photon impact. The first part of the book presents introductory chapters on light and particle polarization, experimental and computational methods, and the density matrix and state multipole formalism. Examples and exercises are included. The second part of the book deals with case studies of electron impact and heavy particle excitation, electron transfer, impact ionization, and autoionization. A separate chapter on photo-induced processes by new-generation light sources has been added. The last chapter discusses related topics and applications. Part III includes examples of charge clouds and introductory summaries of selected seminal papers of tutorial value from the early history of the field (1925 - 1975). The book is a significant update to the previous (first) edition, particularly in experimental and computational methods, the inclusion of key results obtained during the past 15 years, and the extended coverage of photo-induced processes. It is intended as an introductory text for both experimental and theoretical students and researchers. It can be used as a textbook for graduate courses, as a primary source for special topics and seminar courses, and as a standard reference. The book is accompanied by electronically available copies of the full text of the key papers in Part III, as well as animations of theoretically predicted electron charge clouds and currents for some of the cases discussed in Part II.

This book presents an introduction to viscoelasticity, in particular, to the theories of dilute polymer solutions and dilute suspensions of rigid particles in viscous and incompressible fluids. These theories are important, not just because they apply to practical problems of industrial interest, but because they form a solid theoretical base upon which mathematical techniques can be built, from which more complex theories can be constructed, to better mimic material behaviour. The emphasis of this book is not on the voluminous current topical research, but on the necessary tools to understand viscoelasticity. This is a compact book for a first year graduate course in viscoelasticity and modelling of viscoelastic multiphase fluids. The Dissipative Particle Dynamics (DPD) is introduced as a particle-based method, relevant in modelling of complex-structured fluids. All the basic ideas in DPD are reviewed. The third edition has been updated and expanded with new results in the meso-scale modelling, links between the fluid modelling to its physical parameters and new matlab programs illustrating the modelling. Particle-based modelling techniques for complex-structure fluids are added together with some sample programs. A solution manual to the problems is included.

Motivated by a plethora of phenomena from nature, this textbook introduces into the physics of wetting of surfaces. After a brief discussion of the foundations of surface tension, its implementation for floating objects, capillary waves, bouncing droplets, walking of water striders, etc. is discussed. Furthermore, Marangoni flows, surface tension inspired instabilities, condensation and evaporation of droplets, liquid marbles, superhydrophobicity and superoleophobicity (lotus effect) are introduced. All relevant concepts are illustrated by the numerous qualitative and quantitative exercises. Contents What is surface tension? Wetting of surfaces: the contact angle Surface tension-assisted floating of heavy and light objects and walking of water striders Capillary interactions between particles. Particles placed on liquid surfaces. Elasticity of liquid surfaces, covered by colloidal particles Capillary waves Oscillation of droplets Marangoni flow and surface instabilities Evaporation of droplets. The Kelvin and the coffee-stain effects Condensation, growth and coalescence of droplets and the breath-figure self-assembly Dynamics of wetting: bouncing, spreading and rolling of droplets (water hammer effect - water entry and drag-out problems)Superhydrophobicity and superoleophobicity: the Wenzel and Cassie wetting regimes The Leidenfrost effect. Liquid marbles: self-propulsion Physics, geometry, life and death of soap films and bubbles

This book deals with the adhesion, friction and contact mechanics of living organisms. Further, it presents the remarkable adhesive abilities of the living organisms which inspired the design of novel micro- and nanostructured adhesives that can be used in various applications, such as climbing robots, reusable tapes, and biomedical bandages. The technologies for both the synthesis and construction of bio-inspired adhesive micro- and nanostructures, as well as their performance, are discussed in detail. Representatives of several animal groups, such as insects, spiders, tree frogs, and lizards, are able to walk on (and therefore attach to) tilted, vertical surfaces, and even ceilings in different environments. Studies have demonstrated that their highly specialized micro- and nanostructures, in combination with particular surface chemistries, are responsible for this impressive and reversible adhesion. These structures can maximize the formation of large effective contact areas on surfaces of varying roughness and chemical composition under different environmental conditions.

This book introduces comprehensive fundamentals, numerical simulations and experimental methods of electrification of particulates entrained multiphase flows. The electrifications of two particulate forms, liquid droplets and solid particles, are firstly described together. Liquid droplets can be charged under preset or associated electric fields, while solid particles can be charged through contact. Different charging ways in gas (liquid)-liquid or gas-solid multiphase flows are summarized, including ones that are beneficial to industrial processes, such as electrostatic precipitation, electrostatic spraying, and electrostatic separation, etc., ones harmful for shipping and powder industry, and ones occurring in natural phenomenon, such as wind-blown sand and thunderstorm. This book offers theoretical references to the control and utilization of the charging or charged particulates in multiphase flows as well.

This thesis reports the remarkable discovery that, by arranging the dipoles in an ordered array with particular spacings, it is possible to greatly enhance the cross-section and achieve a strong light-matter coupling (>98% of the incident light). It also discusses the broad background to cooperative behaviour in atomic ensembles, and analyses in detail effects in one- and two-dimensional atomic arrays. In general, when light interacts with matter it excites electric dipoles and since the nineteenth century it has been known that if the amplitude of these induced dipoles is sufficiently large, and their distance apart is on the scale of the wavelength of the light, then their mutual interaction significantly modifies the light-matter interaction. However, it was not known how to exploit this effect to modify the light-matter interaction in a desirable way, for example in order to enhance the optical cross-section.

This highly interdisciplinary thesis reports on two innovative photonic biosensors that combine multiple simultaneous measurements to provide unique insights into the activity and structure of surface immobilized biological molecules. In addition, it presents a new silicon photonic biosensor that exploits two cascaded resonant sensors to provide two independent measurements of a biological layer immobilized on the surface. By combining these two measurements, it is possible to unambiguously quantify the density and thickness of the molecular layer; here, the approach's ability to study molecular conformation and conformational changes in real time is demonstrated. The electrophotonic biosensor integrates silicon photonics with electrochemistry into a single technology. This multi-modal biosensor provides a number of unique capabilities that extend the functionality of conventional silicon photonics. For example, by combining the complementary information revealed by simultaneous electrochemical and photonic measurements, it is possible to provide unique insights into on-surface electrochemical processes. Furthermore, the ability to create electrochemical reactions directly on the silicon surface provides a novel approach for engineering the chemical functionality of the photonic sensors. The electrophotonic biosensor thus represents a critical advance towards the development of very high-density photonic sensor arrays for multiplexed diagnostics.

This thesis addresses two very different but equally important topics in the very broad fields of astrophysics and cosmology: (I) the generation of cosmological magnetic fields and (II) gravitational fragmentation of the Cosmic Web. All mathematical developments are completed by illuminating physical interpretations, and the thesis, which is guided by existing observations, is purely theoretical. In part I, the author further develops a magnetogenesis model proposed in the literature, providing an unprecedented level of physical understanding. He demonstrates that the physics of photoionisation is very likely to have premagnetised, at a relevant level, the entire Universe at the early epoch of the formation of the first luminous sources. In part II, the author adapts the tools of plasma spectral theory to the context of gravitational instability of the baryonic gas within the stratified structures of the Cosmic Web. He skillfully derives the wave equation governing the growth of perturbations and explores various equilibrium configurations, in planar and cylindrical geometries characteristic of cosmic walls and filaments, for isothermal and polytropic conditions, with or without an external gravitational background. Clearly structured and written in pedagogical style, this outstanding thesis puts the results into perspective and highlights the merits and limitations of the various approaches explored.

This thesis presents an experimental study of ordering phenomena in rare-earth nickelate-based heterostructures by means of inelastic Raman light scattering and elastic resonant x-ray scattering (RXS). Further, it demonstrates that the amplitude ratio of magnetic moments at neighboring nickel sites can be accurately determined by RXS in combination with a correlated double cluster model, and controlled experimentally through structural pinning of the oxygen positions in the crystal lattice. The two key outcomes of the thesis are: (a) demonstrating full control over the charge/bond and spin order parameters in specifically designed praseodymium nickelate heterostructures and observation of a novel spin density wave phase in absence of the charge/bond order parameter, which confirms theoretical predictions of a spin density wave phase driven by spatial confinement of the conduction electrons; and (b) assessing the thickness-induced crossover between collinear and non-collinear spin structures in neodymium nickelate slabs, which is correctly predicted by drawing on density functional theory.

This thesis presents a theoretical analysis of the behavior of glasses under external perturbations, i.e. compression and shear straining. Written in a pedagogical style, it explains every facet of the problem in detail, including many crucial steps that cannot be found in the existing literature-making it particularly useful for students and as an introduction to the subject of glassy physics. In glassy systems the behavior under external compression and shear-strain is quite peculiar. Many complex phenomena are observed and grasping them fully would be a major step toward a complete theory of the glass transition. This thesis makes important advances in this direction, analyzing the behavior of glassy states in painstaking detail and reproducing it in the framework of a recently developed mean field theory for glasses that has proven extremely successful for jamming, demonstrating its predictive power in the context of metastable glassy states obtained through nonequilibrium protocols.

This book draws on the main themes covered during the International Workshop on Molecular Architectonics which took place in Shiretoko, Japan from August 3 to 6, 2015. The concepts and results explored in this book relate to the term "molecular architectonics" which stands for electronic, optical and information-processing functions being orchestrated by molecular assemblies. This area is defined as the third stage of single-molecule electronics and builds on stage one, where measurements were performed on single-molecule layered films, and stage two, the resulting quantitative analyses. In this work, experts come together to write about the most important aspects of molecular architectonics. This interdisciplinary, visionary and unique book is of interest to scientists working on electronic materials, surface science and information processing sciences using noise and fluctuation.

In this thesis, the author outlines the construction of active structure and modulation of catalytic reactivity of Pt-based bi-component catalysts, from the model systems to real supported catalysts. The thesis investigates the promotion effect of the second components on catalytic performance of Pt catalysts, and presents the reversible generation of the "sandwich-like" structure of Pt-Ni catalysts, containing both surface NiO1-X and subsurface Ni by alternating redox treatments at medium temperature. With the aid of single layer graphene, the dynamic process of chemical reactions occurring on the Pt(111) surface can be visualized using in-situ LEEM and DUV-PEEM techniques, the results of which are included here. The author reveals that the graphene layer exhibits a strong confinement effect on the chemistry of molecules underneath and the intercalated CO can desorb from the Pt surface around room temperature and in UHV, which may promote the CO oxidation confined under graphene.

"This book contains overviews on technologically important classes of glasses, their treatment to achieve desired properties, theoretical approaches for the description of structure-property relationships, and new concepts in the theoretical treatment of crystallization in glass-forming systems. It contains overviews about the state of the art and about specific features for the analysis and application of important classes of glass-forming systems, and describes new developments in theoretical interpretation by well-known glass scientists. Thus, the book offers comprehensive and abundant information that is difficult to come by or has not yet been made public." Edgar Dutra Zanotto (Center for Research, Technology and Education in Vitreous Materials, Brazil) Glass, written by a team of renowned researchers and experienced book authors in the field, presents general features of glasses and glass transitions. Different classes of glassforming systems, such as silicate glasses, metallic glasses, and polymers, are exemplified. In addition, the wide field of phase formation processes and their effect on glasses and their properties is studied both from a theoretical and experimental point of view.

This book provides microscopic insights into chemical properties of NO on metal surfaces. NO/metal systems have been studied intensively to understand heterogeneous catalysis to detox exhaust NOx gas. The identification and componential analysis of various and mixed chemical species of NO adsorbed onto the surfaces have been significant challenges faced by conventional experimental techniques, such as vibrational spectroscopies. The author investigated "individual" NO molecules on Cu surfaces using low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). STM not only provides information on the geometric, electronic, and vibrational properties at the single-molecule level; it is also able to manipulate molecules on surfaces to induce chemical reaction. Exploiting those techniques, the author chemically identified individual NO-related species on the surfaces and discovered new reaction processes for NO reduction, which provides microscopic insights into the catalytic mechanisms. The author also visualized wave functions of electrons in a valence orbital of NO and demonstrated that the wave functions are modified by the formation of covalent bonding or hydrogen bonding. This is, namely, "the visualization of quantum mechanics in real space," which is certainly worth reading. Furthermore, the book demonstrates that direct observation of valence orbitals helps to elucidate the reactivity of molecules adsorbed onto surfaces. This innovative approach to studying molecular properties will contribute to further development of STM and its related methods.

This book presents a modern and systematic approach to Linear Response Theory (LRT) by combining analytic and algebraic ideas. LRT is a tool to study systems that are driven out of equilibrium by external perturbations. In particular the reader is provided with a new and robust tool to implement LRT for a wide array of systems. The proposed formalism in fact applies to periodic and random systems in the discrete and the continuum. After a short introduction describing the structure of the book, its aim and motivation, the basic elements of the theory are presented in chapter 2. The mathematical framework of the theory is outlined in chapters 3-5: the relevant von Neumann algebras, noncommutative $L^p$- and Sobolev spaces are introduced; their construction is then made explicit for common physical systems; the notion of isopectral perturbations and the associated dynamics are studied. Chapter 6 is dedicated to the main results, proofs of the Kubo and Kubo-Streda formulas. The book closes with a chapter about possible future developments and applications of the theory to periodic light conductors. The book addresses a wide audience of mathematical physicists, focusing on the conceptual aspects rather than technical details and making algebraic methods accessible to analysts.

Helping readers understand the complicated laws of nature, Advanced Particle Physics Volume II: The Standard Model and Beyond explains the calculations, experimental procedures, and measuring methods of particle physics, particularly quantum chromodynamics (QCD). It also discusses extensions to the Standard Model and the physics of massive neutrinos. Divided into three parts, this volume begins with QCD. It explains the quantization scheme using functional integrals and investigates renormalization problems. The book also calculates cross sections of basic hard processes and covers nonperturbative methods, such as the lattice approach and QCD vacuum. The next part focuses on electroweak interactions, in which the author describes the Glashow-Weinberg-Salam theory and presents composite models and a left-right symmetric model as extensions to the Standard Model. The book concludes with chapters on massive neutrino physics that cover neutrino properties, neutrino oscillation in vacuum and matter, and solar and atmospheric neutrinos.

This comprehensive work explores interfacial instability and pattern formation in dynamic systems away from the equilibrium state in solidification and crystal growth. Further, this significantly expanded 2nd edition introduces and reviews the progress made during the last two decades. In particular, it describes the most prominent pattern formation phenomena commonly observed in material processing and crystal growth in the framework of the previously established interfacial wave theory, including free dendritic growth from undercooled melt, cellular growth and eutectic growth in directional solidification, as well as viscous fingering in Hele-Shaw flow. It elucidates the key problems, systematically derives their mathematical solutions by pursuing a unified, asymptotic approach, and finally carefully examines these results by comparing them with the available experimental results. The asymptotic approach described here will be useful for the investigation of pattern formation phenomena occurring in a much broader class of inhomogeneous dynamical systems. In addition, the results on global stability and selection mechanisms of pattern formation will be of particular interest to researchers working on material processing and crystal growth. The stability mechanisms of a curved front and the pattern formation have been fundamental subjects in the areas of condensed-matter physics, materials science, crystal growth, and fluid mechanics for some time now. This book offers a stimulating and insightful introduction for all physicists, engineers and applied mathematicians working in the fields of soft condensed-matter physics, materials science, mechanical and chemical engineering, fluid dynamics, and nonlinear sciences.

This monograph contains expert knowledge on complex fluid-flows in microfluidic devices. The topical spectrum includes, but is not limited to, aspects such as the analysis, experimental characterization, numerical simulations and numerical optimization. The target audience primarily comprises researchers who intend to embark on activities in microfluidics. The book can also be beneficial as supplementary reading in graduate courses.

This book discusses recent progress in endohedral fullerenes - their production and separation techniques, as well as their characterization and properties. Furthermore, the book delves into the all-important issue of stability by investigating electron transfer between the encapsulated metal species and the carbon cage. It also reviews spin-based phenomena caused by the shielding of endohedral spin by the fullerene, and analyzes formation of the spin states by charge transfer as studied by electron spin resonance. Tuning of charge states of endohedral species and of spin states of both the cage and the cluster are explained. Finally, the book considers the recent discovery of magnetism in some endohedral fullerenes, and the potential for quantum computing.

This book introduces the reader to basic notions of integrable techniques for one-dimensional quantum systems. In a pedagogical way, a few examples of exactly solvable models are worked out to go from the coordinate approach to the Algebraic Bethe Ansatz, with some discussion on the finite temperature thermodynamics. The aim is to provide the instruments to approach more advanced books or to allow for a critical reading of research articles and the extraction of useful information from them. We describe the solution of the anisotropic XY spin chain; of the Lieb-Liniger model of bosons with contact interaction at zero and finite temperature; and of the XXZ spin chain, first in the coordinate and then in the algebraic approach. To establish the connection between the latter and the solution of two dimensional classical models, we also introduce and solve the 6-vertex model. Finally, the low energy physics of these integrable models is mapped into the corresponding conformal field theory. Through its style and the choice of topics, this book tries to touch all fundamental ideas behind integrability and is meant for students and researchers interested either in an introduction to later delve in the advance aspects of Bethe Ansatz or in an overview of the topic for broadening their culture.

This book brings together the many concepts and discoveries in liquid crystal colloids contributed over the last twenty years and scattered across numerous articles and book chapters. It provides both a historical overview of the development of the field and a clear perspective on the future applications in photonics. The book covers all phenomena observed in liquid crystal colloids with an emphasis on experimental tools and applications of topology in condensed matter, as well as practical micro-photonics applications. It includes a number of spectacular manifestations of new topological phenomena not found or difficult to observe in other systems. Starting from the early works on nematic colloids, it explains the basics of topological defects in ordered media, charge and winding, and the elastic forces between colloidal particles in nematics. Following a detailed description of experimental methods, such as optical tweezing and particle tracking, the book eases the reader into the theoretical part, which deals with elastic deformation of nematic liquid crystals due to inclusions and surface alignment. This is discussed in the context of basic mean field Landau-de Gennes Q-tensor theory, with a brief explanation of the free-energy minimization numerical methods. There then follows an excursion into the topology of complex nematic colloidal structures, colloidal entanglement, knotting and linking. Nematic droplets, shells, handlebodies and chiral topological structures are addressed in separate chapters. The book concludes with an extensive chapter on the photonic properties of nematic dispersions, presenting the concept of integrated soft matter photonics and discussing the concepts of nematic and chiral nematic microlasers, surface-sensitive photonic devices and smectic microfibers. The text is complemented by a large bibliography, explanatory sketches and beautiful micrographs.

This book describes the fascinating recent advances made concerning the chaos, stability and instability of semiconductor lasers, and discusses their applications and future prospects in detail. It emphasizes the dynamics in semiconductor lasers by optical and electronic feedback, optical injection, and injection current modulation. Applications of semiconductor laser chaos, control and noise, and semiconductor lasers are also demonstrated. Semiconductor lasers with new structures, such as vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers and broad-area semiconductor lasers, are intriguing and promising devices. Current topics include fast physical number generation using chaotic semiconductor lasers for secure communication, development of chaos, quantum-dot semiconductor lasers and quantum-cascade semiconductor lasers, and vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers. This fourth edition has been significantly expanded to reflect the latest developments. The fundamental theory of laser chaos and the chaotic dynamics in semiconductor lasers are discussed, but also for example the method of self-mixing interferometry in quantum-cascade lasers, which is indispensable in practical applications. Further, this edition covers chaos synchronization between two lasers and the application to secure optical communications. Another new topic is the consistency and synchronization property of many coupled semiconductor lasers in connection with the analogy of the dynamics between synaptic neurons and chaotic semiconductor lasers, which are compatible nonlinear dynamic elements. In particular, zero-lag synchronization between distant neurons plays a crucial role for information processing in the brain. Lastly, the book presents an application of the consistency and synchronization property in chaotic semiconductor lasers, namely a type of neuro-inspired information processing referred to as reservoir computing.

This book introduces a novel Ti-Sb-Te alloy for high-speed and low-power phase-change memory applications, which demonstrates a phase-change mechanism that differs significantly from that of conventional Ge2Sb2Te5 and yields favorable overall performance. Systematic methods, combined with better material characteristics, are used to optimize the material components and device performance. Subsequently, a phase-change memory chip based on the optimized component is successfully fabricated using 40-nm complementary metal-oxide semiconductor technology, which offers a number of advantages in many embedded applications.

Magnetic Fusion Technology describes the technologies that are required for successful development of nuclear fusion power plants using strong magnetic fields. These technologies include: * magnet systems, * plasma heating systems, * control systems, * energy conversion systems, * advanced materials development, * vacuum systems, * cryogenic systems, * plasma diagnostics, * safety systems, and * power plant design studies. Magnetic Fusion Technology will be useful to students and to specialists working in energy research.