The present book covers the transport properties of superconductor/two dimensional electron gas Josephson junctions. Starting with the basic el ement, a superconductor/two dimensional electron gas interface, phase co herent Andreev reflection in hybrid Josephson junctions is introduced and further on, multiterminal structures are discussed. Special care is taken on explaining the underlying theoretical concepts related to the transport mech anisms. Employing a two dimensional electron gas in a semiconductor as a normal conductor opens up the possibility to observe effects not found in purely metallic junctions. One example is the light sensitivity of the semi conductor, which has a direct impact on the supercurrent in the Josephson junction. Many of the effects reported here rely on the fast technological progress in the epitaxial growth of III V semiconductor heterostructures. By using these layer systems, fascinating quantum effects have been found. Two examples out of many are the quantized conductance in a point contact and electron optics using ballistic electron beams. By combining heterostructures with su perconductors, many of the effects found in purely semiconductor systems can in a sense, be transferred to the superconducting state. A prominent example is the quantization of the critical current in a superconducting quantum point contact.

The essence of this book can be found in a line written by the ancient Roman Stoic Philosopher Lucius Annaeus Seneca: "Fortune is of sluggish growth, but ruin is rapid". This sentence summarizes the features of the phenomenon that we call "collapse," which is typically sudden and often unexpected, like the proverbial "house of cards." But why are such collapses so common, and what generates them? Several books have been published on the subject, including the well known "Collapse" by Jared Diamond (2005), "The collapse of complex societies" by Joseph Tainter (1998) and "The Tipping Point," by Malcom Gladwell (2000). Why The Seneca Effect? This book is an ambitious attempt to pull these various strands together by describing collapse from a multi-disciplinary viewpoint. The reader will discover how collapse is a collective phenomenon that occurs in what we call today "complex systems," with a special emphasis on system dynamics and the concept of "feedback." From this foundation, Bardi applies the theory to real-world systems, from the mechanics of fracture and the collapse of large structures to financial collapses, famines and population collapses, the fall of entire civilzations, and the most dreadful collapse we can imagine: that of the planetary ecosystem generated by overexploitation and climate change. The final objective of the book is to describe a conclusion that the ancient stoic philosophers had already discovered long ago, but that modern system science has rediscovered today. If you want to avoid collapse you need to embrace change, not fight it. Neither a book about doom and gloom nor a cornucopianist's dream, The Seneca Effect goes to the heart of the challenges that we are facing today, helping us to manage our future rather than be managed by it.

Based on courses given at the Ecole Polytechnique in France, this book covers not only the fundamental physics of semiconductors, but also discusses the operation of electronic and optical devices based on semiconductors. It is aimed at students with a good background in mathematics and physics, and is equally suited for graduate-level courses in condensed-matter physics as for self-study by engineers interested in a basic understanding of semiconductor devices.

A text for teachers and students in experimental physics and research engineering, introducing the ideas of magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), showing the methods used in MHD, and preparing students for reading the original literature. Based on the mathematical study of simplified models. Annotation copyri

The primary objective of these lecture notes is to present the basic theories and analytical methods of plasma physics and to provide the recent status of fusion research for graduate and advanced undergraduate students. I also hope that this text will be a useful reference for scientists and engineers working in the relevant ?elds. Chapters 1-4 describe the fundamentals of plasma physics. The basic concept of the plasma and its characteristics are explained in Chaps.1 and 2. The orbits of ions and electrons are described in several magnetic ?eld con?gurations in Chap.3, while Chap.4 formulates the Boltzmann equation for the velocity space distribution function, which is the basic equation of plasma physics. Chapters 5-9 describe plasmas as magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) ?uids. The MHD equation of motion (Chap.5), equilibrium (Chap.6) and plasma transport (Chap.7) are described by the ?uid model. Chapter 8 discusses problems of MHD instabilities, i.e., whether a small perturbation will grow to disrupt the plasma or damp to a stable state. Chapter 9 describes resistive instabilities of plasmas with ?nite electrical resistivity. In Chaps.10-13, plasmas are treated by kinetic theory. The medium in which waves and perturbations propagate is generally inhomogeneous and anisotropic. It may absorb or even amplify the waves and perturbations. The cold plasma model described in Chap.10 is applicable when the thermal - locityofplasmaparticlesismuchsmallerthanthephasevelocityofthewave.

This book presents an analysis of the techniques used for the synthesis of innovative functional carbon nanostructures. The chapters describe the research and development of various layered carbon nanostructures. Emphasis is given to the impact of defects on carbon nanostructures. The application of carbon nanostructured materials in biomedical field and energy storage is described.

This book presents the observation and the control of spin-polarized electrons in Rashba thin films and topological insulators, including the first observations of a weak topological insulator (WTI) and a higher-order topological insulator (HOTI) in bismuth halides. It begins with a general review of electronic structures at the solid surface and mentions that an electron spin at a surface is polarized due to the Rashba effect or topological insulator states with strong spin-orbit coupling. Subsequently it describes the experimental techniques used to study these effects, that is, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). Further it moves its focus onto the experimental investigations, in which mainly two different systems-noble metal thin films with the Rashba effects and bismuth halides topological insulators-are used. The study of the first system discusses the role of wavefunctions in spin-splitting and demonstrates a scaling law for the Rashba effect in quantum well films for the first time. High-resolution spin-resolved ARPES plays a vital role in systematically trace the thickness-evolution of the effect. The study of the latter material is the first experimental demonstration of both a WTI and HOTI state in bismuth iodide and bismuth bromide, respectively. Importantly, nano-ARPES with high spatial resolution is used to confirm the topological surface states on the side surface of the crystal, which is the hallmark of WTIs. The description of the basic and recently-developed ARPES technique with spin-resolution or spatial-resolution, essential in investigating spin-polarized electrons at a crystal surface, makes the book a valuable source for researchers not only in surface physics or topological materials but also in spintronics and other condensed-matter physics.

This book describes most recent progress in the properties, synthesis, characterization, modelling, and applications of nanomaterials and nanodevices. It begins with the review of the modelling of the structural, electronic and optical properties of low dimensional and nanoscale semiconductors, methodology of synthesis, and characterization of quantum dots and nanowires, with special attention towards Dirac materials, whose electrical conduction and sensing properties far exceed those of silicon-based materials, making them strong competitors. The contributed reviews presented in this book touch on broader issues associated with the environment, as well as energy production and storage, while highlighting important achievements in materials pertinent to the fields of biology and medicine, exhibiting an outstanding confluence of basic physical science with vital human endeavor. The subjects treated in this book are attractive to the broader readership of graduate and advanced undergraduate students in physics, chemistry, biology, and medicine, as well as in electrical, chemical, biological, and mechanical engineering. Seasoned researchers and experts from the semiconductor/device industry also greatly benefit from the book's treatment of cutting-edge application studies.

This book provides an introduction to conformal field theory and a review of its applications to critical phenomena in condensed-matter systems. After reviewing simple phase transitions and explaining the foundations of conformal invariance and the algebraic methods required, it proceeds to the explicit calculation of four-point correlators. Numerical methods for matrix diagonalization are described as well as finite-size scaling techniques and their conformal extensions. Many exercises are included. Applications treat the Ising, Potts, chiral Potts, Yang-Lee, percolation and XY models, the XXZ chain, linear polymers, tricritical points, conformal turbulence, surface criticality and profiles, defect lines and aperiodically modulated systems, persistent currents and dynamical scaling. The vicinity of the critical point is studied culminating in the exact solution of the two-dimensional Ising model at the critical temperature in a magnetic field. Relevant experimental results are reviewed.

This thesis presents an in-depth study on the effect of colloidal particle shape and formation mechanism on self-organization and the final crystal symmetries that can be achieved. It demonstrates how state-of-the-art X-ray diffraction techniques can be used to produce detailed characterizations of colloidal crystal structures prepared using different self-assembly techniques, and how smart systems can be used to investigate defect formation and diffusion in-situ. One of the most remarkable phenomena exhibited by concentrated suspensions of colloidal particles is the spontaneous self-organization into structures with long-range spatial and/or orientational orders. The study also reveals the subtle structural variations that arise by changing the particle shape from spherical to that of a rounded cube. In particular, the roundness of the cube corners, when combined with the self-organization pathway, convective assembly or sedimentation, was shown to influence the final crystal symmetries.

Modern techniques from quantum field theory are applied in this work to the description of ultracold quantum gases. This leads to a unified description of many phenomena including superfluidity for bosons and fermions, classical and quantum phase transitions, different dimensions, thermodynamic properties and few-body phenomena as bound state formation or the Efimov effect. The non-perturbative treatment with renormalization group flow equations can account for all known limiting cases by solving one single equation. It improves previous results quantitatively and brings qualitatively new insights. As an example, new quantum phase transitions are found for fermions with three spin states. Ultracold atomic gases can be seen as an interesting model for features of high energy physics and for condensed matter theory. The research reported in this thesis helps to solve the difficult complexity problem in modern theoretical physics.

The NATO sponsored Advanced Research Workshop on "Concepts in Electron Correlation" took place on the Croatian island of Hvar during the period from the 29th of September to the 3rd of October, 2002. The topic of electron correlation is a fundamental one in the field of condensed matter, and one that is being very actively studied both experimentally and theoretically at the present time. The manifestations of electron cor relation are diverse, and play an important role in systems ranging from high temperature superconductors, heavy fermions, manganite compounds with colossal magnetoresistance, transition metal compounds with metal insulator transitions, to mesoscopic systems and quantum dots. The aim of the workshop was to provide an opportunity for a dialogue between exper imentalists and theoreticians to assess the current state of understanding, and to set an agenda for future work. There was also a follow-up workshop on the same topic where the presentations included more background and introductory material for younger researchers in the field. The papers presented in these proceedings clearly demonstrate the di versity of current research on electron correlation. They show that real progress is being made in characterising systems experimentally and in developing theoretical approaches for a quantitative comparison with ex periment. The more one learns, however, the more there is to understand, and many of the contributions help to map out the territory which has yet to be explored. We hope that the articles in this volume will be a stimulus for such future work."

This short but revealing biography tells the story of Kurt Mendelssohn FRS, one of the founding figures in the field of cryogenics, from his beginnings in Berlin through his move to Oxford in the 1930s, and his groundbreaking work in low temperature and solid state physics. He set up the first helium liquefier in the United Kingdom, and did fundamental research that increased our understanding of superconductivity and superfluid helium. Dr. Mendelssohn's vision extended beyond his scientific and technical achievements; he saw the potential for growth of cryogenics in industry, visiting China, Japan and India to forge global collaborations, founded the leading scientific journal in the field and established a conference series which still runs to this day. He published two monographs which remain as classics in the field. This book explores the story behind the science, in particular his relationships with other key figures in the cryogenics field, most notably Nicholas Kurti at Oxford, and his work outside cryogenics, including his novel ideas on the engineering of the pyramids.

This volume considers experimental and theoretical dielectric studies of the structure and dynamics of complex systems. Complex systems constitute an almost universal class of materials including associated liquids, polymers, biomolecules, colloids, porous materials, doped ferroelectric crystals, nanomaterials, etc. These systems are characterized by a new "mesoscopic" length scale, intermediate between molecular and macroscopic. The mesoscopic structures of complex systems typically arise from fluctuations or competing interactions and exhibit a rich variety of static and dynamic behaviour. This growing field is interdisciplinary; it complements solid state and statistical physics, and overlaps considerably with chemistry, chemical engineering, materials science, and biology. A common theme in complex systems is that while such materials are disordered on the molecular scale and homogeneous on the macroscopic scale, they usually possess a certain degree of order on an intermediate, or mesoscopic, scale due to the delicate balance of interaction and thermal effects. In the present Volume it is shown how the dielectric spectroscopy studies of complex systems can be applied to determine both their structures and dynamics.

With global capacity in excess of 5 million tons annually, phenolic resins are one of the leading thermosetting resins that are used in many diverse industries such as wood adhesives, fiberglass/mineral wool binder, molded materials for autos/electronic/electrical industries, brakes, abrasives, foam, coatings/adhesives, laminates, composites, metal castings/refractories, and rubber industry. These phenolic resin business areas are critical to the national economy and general welfare of emerging and developed nations. Although phenolic resins are barely noticed in these applications, it is difficult to imagine their absence since they are vital and not easily replaced by other polymeric materials due to favorable cost/performance characteristics of phenolic resins.

In this new book these application areas are summarized and updated by global phenolic experts that are engaged daily in these activities. Further new technology and application areas of global technical activity are presented and include nanotechnology, updated phenolic resin chemistry, carbon fiber and long glass fiber reinforced molding materials, new analyses/testing, carbon foam, carbon/carbon brakes for autos, photo resists, new fiber reinforced systems, renewable raw materials, and recycling.

It is anticipated that the new book will feature a global perspective of phenolic resins through the participation of international (North America, Europe and Asia) phenolic experts that was lacking in all previous books related to phenolic resins.

Many materials or media in nature and technology possess a microstructure which determines their macroscopic behaviour. The knowledge of the relevant mechanisms is often more comprehensive on the micro than on the macro scale. On the other hand, not all information on the micro level is relevant for the understanding of this macro behaviour. Therefore, averaging and homogenization methods are needed to select only the specific information from the micro scale, which influences the macro scale. These methods also open the possibility to design or to influence microstructures with the objective to optimize their macro behaviour.

This book presents the development of new methods in this interdisciplinary field of macro- micro-interactions of different engineering branches like mechanical and process engineering, applied mathematics, theoretical, and computational physics. In particular, solids with microstructures and particle systems are considered.

of progress has been made in the development of In the last twenty years a great amount new magnetic materials. Permanent magnets have progressed from the AlNiCo's (with (BH)m-8 MGOe) to the strong rare-earth magnets of SmCo BH)m-20 MGOe), Sm2(Co, Fe, Cu, Zrh7 s BH)m-30 MGOe) and the recently discovered Nd-Fe-B super-magnets with (BH)m-50 MGOe. For years the magnetic storage industry has employed Fe0 and CrO for storage media and 2 3 z permalloys and ferrites for recording heads. The recent development of thin film heads, the demand of higher density of information storage and the emergence of completely new technologies, like magneto-optics, call for entirely new types of magnetic materials. Another area in which new techniques of materials preparation have made a dramatic impact is the epitaxial growth of magnetic films. Recent work has shown that this process can be controlled on the scale of atomic monolayers permitting the growth of totally artificial structures, such as artificial superlattices with a resolution on this scale. Epitaxial growth has also permitted the stabilization of metastable phases in thin film form. These new phases often possess striking properties, such as strong perpendicular anisotropies, which may prove useful for technological applications such as recording. Research on magnetic multilayers and superlattices is increasing at an accelerating pace. Complex couplings between different magnetic layers lead to new properties not seen in bulk materials.

This thesis describes the fabrication of metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) structures using very high permittivity dielectrics (based on rare earths) grown by high-pressure sputtering from metallic targets. It demonstrates the possibility of depositing high permittivity materials (GdScO3) by means of high pressure sputtering from metallic targets using in situ plasma oxidation on Si and indium phosphate (InP) substrates. The advantage of this system is the high working pressure, which causes the particles to undergo multiple collisions and become thermalized before reaching the substrate in a pure diffusion process, thus protecting the semiconductor surface from damage. This work presents a unique fabrication using metallic targets and involving a two-step deposition process: a thin metallic film is sputtered in an Ar atmosphere and this film is then plasma oxidized in situ. It also demonstrates the fabrication of GdScO3 on Si with a permittivity value above 30 from metallic Gd and Sc targets. Since co-sputtering was not possible, a nanolaminate of these materials was deposited and annealed. The electrical properties of these devices show that the material is highly interesting from a microelectronic integration standpoint.

Why does a piano sound like a piano? A similar question can be asked of virtually all musical instruments. A particular note-such as middle C-can be produced by a piano, a violin, a clarinet, and many other instruments, yet it is easy for even a musically untrained listener to distinguish between these different instruments. A central quest in the study of musical instruments is to understand why the sound of the "same" note depends greatly on the instrument, and to elucidate which aspects of an instrument are most critical in producing the musical tones characteristic of the instrument. The primary goal of this book is to investigate these questions for the piano. The explanations in this book use a minimum of mathematics, and are intended for anyone who is interested in music and musical instruments. At the same time, there are many insights relating physics and the piano that will likely be interesting and perhaps surprising for many physicists.

The Handbook Series on Semiconductor Parameters will consist of 5 volumes and will include data on the most popular semiconductor materials. These volumes aim to be a basic reference for scientists, engineers, students and technicians working in semiconductor materials and devices. The books have been kept compact but comprehensive and contain the values of frequently needed parameters selected and commented by leading experts on these materials. The first volume will include data on Si, Ge, diamond, GaAs, GaP, GaSb, InAs, InP, and InSb.

Except for digressions in Chapters 8 and 17, this book is a highly unified treatment of simple oscillations and waves. The phenomena treated are "simple" in that they are de scribable by linear equations, almost all occur in one dimension, and the dependent variables are scalars instead of vectors or something else (such as electromagnetic waves) with geometric complications. The book omits such complicated cases in order to deal thoroughly with properties shared by all linear os cillations and waves. The first seven chapters are a sequential treatment of electrical and mechanical oscillating systems, starting with the simplest and proceeding to systems of coupled oscillators subjected to ar bitrary driving forces. Then, after a brief discussion of nonlinear oscillations in Chapter 8, the concept of normal modes of motion is introduced and used to show the relationship between os cillations and waves. After Chapter 12, properties of waves are explored by whatever mathematical techniques are applicable. The book ends with a short discussion of three-dimensional vii viii Preface problems (in Chapter 16), and a study of a few aspects of non linear waves (in Chapter 17)."

191 Apart from numerous difficulties arising from the high pressure technique as such, there is a natural limitation to the possibility of applying a hydrostatic pressure, since liquids under pressure will solidify above a certain pressure limit. 8 2 Up to pressures of 3 X 10 kg.jm. at room temperature, a liquid like isopentane can be used. For higher pressures helium gas may be used, perhaps to about 9 2 10 kg.jm. , but BRIDGMAN already encountered enormous leakage difficulties 7 when using this gas at 7.10 kg.jm.2 at 90 Degrees K. A solution has been found by applying mechanical pressure for the range 8 9 2 between 3 X 10 and 10 kg.jm. , by using silver chloride as transmittant. In this case, however, one has to apply unknown corrections for shearing stress and deformation of the sample, a problem which BRIDGMAN solved experimentally by a determination of the resistivity in the pressure region between 2 and 8 2 5 X 10 kg.jm. , by the hydrostatic and by the mechanical pressure method as well, and applying the correction factor thus determined to the results obtained at higher pressures. Though this method seems to be right in good approximation, the data for the highest pressures are to be considered as less accurate.