This book presents recent advances in the physics of magnetic reconnection, investigated via both in situ spacecraft observations and fully kinetic numerical simulations. Magnetic reconnection is a fundamental process in plasma physics during which the topological reconfiguration of the magnetic field leads to energy conversion and particle energization. The book focuses on the physics of the electron diffusion region (EDR), a crucial region where the electrons are decoupled from the magnetic field and efficiently accelerated by the electric field. By using recent, high-resolution measurements provided by NASA's Magnetospheric MultiScale Mission (MMS), the book investigates the structure of the EDR at the Earth's magnetopause. The presented analysis provides evidence for an inhomogeneous and patchy EDR structure. The structure of the EDR appears to be more complex than the in laminar picture suggested by previous observations and simulations. Then, electrons dynamics in the EDR is studied using a novel, fully kinetic Eulerian Vlasov-Darwin model that has been implemented in the Vlasov-DArwin numerical code (ViDA), explained in detail in the book. Lastly, the book covers the testing of this new code, and investigates the contributions of the different terms in the generalized Ohm's law within the EDR, highlighting the role of the electron inertia term.

This book discusses many of the common scaling properties observed in some nonlinear dynamical systems mostly described by mappings. The unpredictability of the time evolution of two nearby initial conditions in the phase space together with the exponential divergence from each other as time goes by lead to the concept of chaos. Some of the observables in nonlinear systems exhibit characteristics of scaling invariance being then described via scaling laws. From the variation of control parameters, physical observables in the phase space may be characterized by using power laws that many times yield into universal behavior. The application of such a formalism has been well accepted in the scientific community of nonlinear dynamics. Therefore I had in mind when writing this book was to bring together few of the research results in nonlinear systems using scaling formalism that could treated either in under-graduation as well as in the post graduation in the several exact programs but no earlier requirements were needed from the students unless the basic physics and mathematics. At the same time, the book must be original enough to contribute to the existing literature but with no excessive superposition of the topics already dealt with in other text books. The majority of the Chapters present a list of exercises. Some of them are analytic and others are numeric with few presenting some degree of computational complexity.

This volume comprises the expert contributions from the invited speakers at the 17th International Conference on Thin Films (ICTF 2017), held at CSIR-NPL, New Delhi, India. Thin film research has become increasingly important over the last few decades owing to the applications in latest technologies and devices. The book focuses on current advances in thin film deposition processes and characterization including thin film measurements. The chapters cover different types of thin films like metal, dielectric, organic and inorganic, and their diverse applications across transistors, resistors, capacitors, memory elements for computers, optical filters and mirrors, sensors, solar cells, LED's, transparent conducting coatings for liquid crystal display, printed circuit board, and automobile headlamp covers. This book can be a useful reference for students, researchers as well as industry professionals by providing an up-to-date knowledge on thin films and coatings.

The relaxation of isolated quantum many-body systems is a major unsolved problem of modern physics, which is connected to many fundamental questions. However, realizations of quantum many-body systems which are both well isolated from their environment and accessible to experimental study are scarce. In recent years, the field has experienced rapid progress, partly attributed to ultra-cold atoms. This book presents the experimental study of a relaxation phenomenon occurring in a one-dimensional bosonic Josephson junction. The system consists of two 1D quasi Bose-Einstein condensates of 87Rb, magnetically trapped on an atom chip. Using radio-frequency dressing, the author deforms a single harmonic trap, in which the atoms are initially condensed, into a double-well potential and realizes a splitting of the wave function. A large spatial separation and a tilt of the double-well enable the preparation of a broad variety of initial states by precisely adjusting the initial population and relative phase of the two wave packets, while preserving the phase coherence. By re-coupling the two wave packets, the author investigates tunneling regimes such as Josephson (plasma) oscillations and macroscopic quantum self-trapping. In both regimes, the tunneling dynamics exhibits a relaxation to a phase-locked equilibrium state contradicting theoretical predictions. The experimental results are supported with an empirical model that allows quantitative discussions according to various experimental parameters. These results illustrate how strongly the non-equilibrium dynamics differ from the equilibrium one, which is well described by thermodynamics and statistical physics.

Quantum systems with many degrees of freedom are inherently difficult to describe and simulate quantitatively. The space of possible states is, in general, exponentially large in the number of degrees of freedom such as the number of particles it contains. Standard digital high-performance computing is generally too weak to capture all the necessary details, such that alternative quantum simulation devices have been proposed as a solution. Artificial neural networks, with their high non-local connectivity between the neuron degrees of freedom, may soon gain importance in simulating static and dynamical behavior of quantum systems. Particularly promising candidates are neuromorphic realizations based on analog electronic circuits which are being developed to capture, e.g., the functioning of biologically relevant networks. In turn, such neuromorphic systems may be used to measure and control real quantum many-body systems online. This thesis lays an important foundation for the realization of quantum simulations by means of neuromorphic hardware, for using quantum physics as an input to classical neural nets and, in turn, for using network results to be fed back to quantum systems. The necessary foundations on both sides, quantum physics and artificial neural networks, are described, providing a valuable reference for researchers from these different communities who need to understand the foundations of both.

This book gives an in-depth analysis of the physical phenomena of thrust production by laser radiation, as well as laser propulsion engines, and laser-propelled vehicles. It brings together into a unified context accumulated up-to-date information on laser propulsion research, considering propulsion phenomena, laser propulsion techniques, design of vehicles with laser propulsion engines, and high-power laser systems to provide movement for space vehicles. In particular, the reader will find detailed coverage of: designs of laser propulsion engines, operating as both air-breathing and ramjet engines to launch vehicles into LEOs; Assembly of vehicles whereby laser power from a remote laser is collected and directed into a propulsion engine; and, the laser-adaptive systems that control a laser beam to propel vehicles into orbits by delivering laser power through the Earth's atmosphere. This book is essential reading for researchers and professionals involved in laser propulsion.

This book, written by key researchers in the field, provides a comprehensive analysis and overview of the state of the art of plasma-based cancer therapy. Recent progress in atmospheric plasmas has led to non-thermal or cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) devices with ion temperatures close to room temperature. In contrast to many existing anti-cancer approaches, CAP is a selective anti-cancer modality which has demonstrated significant potential in cancer therapy.Written by a global, cross-disciplinary group of leading researchers, this book covers basic theory, generation, diagnostics, and simulation of cold atmospheric plasma, as well as their clinical application in cancer therapy, immunotherapy, and future outlook, giving a complete picture of the field. It is meant for a broad audience, from students to engineers and scientists, who are interested in the emerging world of plasma medical applications. It presents recent advances, primary challenges, and future directions of this exciting, cutting-edge field.

This book provides a graduate-level introduction to three powerful and closely related techniques in condensed matter physics: memory functions, projection operators, and the defect technique. Memory functions appear in the formalism of the generalized master equations that express the time evolution of probabilities via equations non-local in time, projection operators allow the extraction of parts of quantities, such as the diagonal parts of density matrices in statistical mechanics, and the defect technique allows solution of transport equations in which the translational invariance is broken in small regions, such as when crystals are doped with impurities. These three methods combined form an immensely useful toolkit for investigations in such disparate areas of physics as excitation in molecular crystals, sensitized luminescence, charge transport, non-equilibrium statistical physics, vibrational relaxation, granular materials, NMR, and even theoretical ecology. This book explains the three techniques and their interrelated nature, along with plenty of illustrative examples. Graduate students beginning to embark on a research project in condensed matter physics will find this book to be a most fruitful source of theoretical training.

This book highlights the latest advances in bioMEMS for biosensing applications. It comprehensively reviews different detection methods, including colorimetric, fluorescence, luminescence, bioluminescence, chemiluminescence, biochemiluminescence, and electrochemiluminescence, and presents various bioMEMS for each, together with recent examples. The book also offers an overview of the history of BioMEMS and the design and manufacture of the first bioMEMS-based devices.

This book introduces readers to experimental techniques of general utility that can be used to practically and reliably determine nucleation rates. It also covers the basics of gas hydrates, phase equilibria, nucleation theory, crystal growth, and interfacial gaseous states. Given its scope, the book will be of interest to graduate students and researchers in the field of hydrate nucleation. The formation of gas hydrates is a first-order phase transition that begins with nucleation. Understanding nucleation is of interest to many working in the chemical and petroleum industry, since nucleation, while beneficial in many chemical processes, is also a concern in terms of flow assurance for oil and natural gas pipelines. A primary difficulty in the investigation of gas hydrate nucleation has been researchers' inability to determine and compare the nucleation rates of gas hydrates across systems with different scales and levels of complexity, which in turn has limited their ability to study the nucleation process itself. This book introduces readers to experimental techniques that can be used to practically and reliably determine the nucleation rates of gas hydrate systems. It also covers the basics of gas hydrates, phase equilibria, nucleation theory, crystal growth, and interfacial gaseous states. Given its scope, the book will be of interest to graduate students and researchers in the field of hydrate nucleation.

This book is dedicated to recent advancements in theoretical and computational studies on the interactions of hydrogen and hydrogenated molecules with metal surfaces. These studies are driven by the development of high-performance computers, new experimental findings, and the extensive work of technological applications towards the realization of a sustainable hydrogen economy. Understanding of the elementary processes of physical and chemical reactions on the atomic scale is important in the discovery of new materials with high chemical reactivity and catalytic activity, as well as high stability and durability. From this point of view, the book focuses on the behavior of hydrogen and hydrogenated molecules on flat, stepped, and reconstructed metal surfaces. It also tackles the quantum mechanical properties of hydrogen and related adsorbates; namely, molecular orbital angular momentum (spin) and diffusion along the minimum potential energy landscape on metal surfaces. All of these profoundly influence the outcomes of (1) catalytic reactions that involve hydrogen; (2) hydrogen storage in metals; and (3) hydrogen purification membranes. Lastly, it surveys the current status of the technology, outlook, and challenges for the long-desired sustainable hydrogen economy in relation to the topics covered in the book.

Considerable progress has been made in the field of boiling and condensation in the last ten years. The fundamental understanding of the phenomena involved has improved significantly as a result of the focus on mechanistic models and detailed experimentation. This book provides up-to-date, comprehensive coverage of the basic phenomena followed by specific recommendations for design equations and correlations. The authors have focused on the mechanistic models, rather than empirical treatment in making their recommendations.
A unique feature of the book is its coverage of advanced topics of current interest by a team of distinguished contributors from Canada, England, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, and the United States. The handbook is presented in a uniform, logical, and sequential format, and will be an indispensable sourcebook for researchers, application engineers, and equipment designers, as well as a textbook suitable for advanced courses in boiling and condensation fundamentals. The handbook is also suitable for conducting short courses in the field.

In this thesis chemical and epitaxial degrees of freedom are used to manipulate charge and spin ordering phenomena in two families of transition metal oxides, while taking advantage of state-of-the-art resonant x-ray scattering (RXS) methods to characterize their microscopic origin in a comprehensive manner. First, the relationship of charge density wave order to both magnetism and the "pseudogap" phenomenon is systematically examined as a function of charge-carrier doping and isovalent chemical substitution in single crystals of a copper oxide high-temperature superconductor. Then, in copper oxide thin films, an unusual three-dimensionally long-range-ordered charge density wave state is discovered, which persists to much higher temperatures than charge-ordered states in other high-temperature superconductors. By combining crystallographic and spectroscopic measurements, the origin of this phenomenon is traced to the epitaxial relationship with the underlying substrate. This discovery opens new perspectives for the investigation of charge order and its influence on the electronic properties of the cuprates. In a separate set of RXS experiments on superlattices with alternating nickel and dysprosium oxides, several temperature- and magnetic-field-induced magnetic phase transitions are discovered. These observations are explained in a model based on transfer of magnetic order and magneto-crystalline anisotropy between the Ni and Dy subsystems, thus establishing a novel model system for the interplay between transition-metal and rare-earth magnetism.

Processing Technology for Bio-Based Polymers: Advanced Strategies and Practical Aspects brings together the latest advances and novel technologies surrounding the synthesis and manufacture of biopolymers, ranging from bio-based polymers to synthetic polymers from bio-derived monomers. Sections examine bio-based polymer chemistry, discuss polymerization process and emerging design technologies, cover manufacturing and processing approaches, explain cutting-edge approaches and innovative applications, and focus on biomedicals and other key application areas. Final chapters provide detailed discussion and an analysis of economic and environmental concerns, practical considerations, challenges, opportunities and future trends. This is a valuable resource for researchers, scientists and advanced students in polymer science, bio-based materials, nanomaterials, plastics engineering, biomaterials, chemistry, biotechnology, and materials science and engineering, as well as R&D professionals, engineers and industrialists interested in the development of biopolymers for advanced products and applications.

This book is a thoroughly modern and highly pedagogical graduate-level introduction to quantum optics, a subject which has witnessed stunning developments in recent years and has come to occupy a central role in the 'second quantum revolution'. The reader is invited to explore the fundamental role that quantum optics plays in the control and manipulation of quantum systems, leading to ultracold atoms, circuit QED, quantum information science, quantum optomechanics, and quantum metrology. The building blocks of the subject are presented in a sequential fashion, starting from the simplest physical situations before moving to increasingly complicated ones. This pedagogically appealing approach leads to quantum entanglement and measurement theory being introduced early on and before more specialized topics such as cavity QED or laser cooling. The final chapter illustrates the power of scientific cross-fertilization by surveying cutting-edge applications of quantum optics and optomechanics in gravitational wave detection, tests of fundamental physics, searches for dark matter, geophysical monitoring, and ultraprecise clocks. Complete with worked examples and exercises, this book provides the reader with enough background knowledge and understanding to follow the current journal literature and begin producing their own original research.

The use of single crystals for scientific and technological applications is now widespread in solid-state physics, optics, electronics, materials science, and geophysics. An understanding of the variation of physical properties with crystalline direction is essential to maximize the performance of solid-state devices.
Written from a physical viewpoint and avoiding advanced mathematics, Tensor Properties of Crystals provides a concise introduction to the tensor properties of crystals at a level suitable for advanced undergraduate and graduate students. While retaining the successful basic format of the well-known first edition, this second edition brings the material up to date with the latest developments in nonlinear optics and modulated structures. Because of the increasing importance of nonlinear optics, a new chapter on optoelectronics has been added. This edition also includes a short discussion on incommensurate modulated structures in the final chapter because they are relevant to high temperature superconductors and to ferroelectric and ferromagnetic materials. The book extensively contains diagrams, worked examples, and problems with answers throughout.

The work focuses on recent developments of the rapidly evolving field of Non-conventional Liquid Crystals. After a concise introduction it discusses the most promising research such as biosensing, elastomers, polymer films , photoresponsive properties and energy harvesting. Besides future applications it discusses as well potential frontiers in LC science and technology.

This thesis focuses on a cutting-edge area of research, which is aligned with CERN's mainstream research, the "AWAKE" project, dedicated to proving the capability of accelerating particles to the energy frontier by the high energy proton beam. The author participated in this project and has advanced the plasma wakefield theory and modelling significantly, especially concerning future plasma acceleration based collider design. The thesis addresses electron beam acceleration to high energy whilst preserving its high quality driven by a single short proton bunch in hollow plasma. It also demonstrates stable deceleration of multiple proton bunches in a nonlinear regime with strong resonant wakefield excitation in hollow plasma, and generation of high energy and high quality electron or positron bunches. Further work includes the assessment of transverse instabilities induced by misaligned beams in hollow plasma and enhancement of the wakefield amplitude driven by a self-modulated long proton bunch with a tapered plasma. This work has major potential to impact the next generation of linear colliders and also in the long-term may help develop compact accelerators for use in industrial and medical facilities.

This thesis demonstrates that an ultralow temperature refrigeration technique called "demagnetisation refrigeration" can be miniaturised and incorporated onto millimeter-sized chips to cool nanoelectronic circuits, devices and materials. Until recently, the lowest temperature ever reached in such systems was around 4 millikelvin. Here, a temperature of 1.2mK is reported in a nanoelectronic device. The thesis introduces the idea that on-chip demagnetization refrigeration can be used to cool a wide variety of nanostructures and devices to microkelvin temperatures. This brings the exciting possibility of discovering new physics, such as exotic electronic phases, in an unexplored regime and the potential to improve the performance of existing applications, including solid-state quantum technologies. Since the first demonstration of on-chip demagnetization refrigeration, described here, the technique has been taken up by other research groups around the world. The lowest on-chip temperature is currently 0.4mK. Work is now underway to adapt the technique to cool other materials and devices, ultimately leading to a platform to study nanoscale materials, devices and circuits at microkelvin temperatures.

Superfluid helium is a quantum liquid that exhibits a range of counter-intuitive phenomena such as frictionless flow. Quantized vortices are a particularly important feature of superfluid helium, and all superfluids, characterized by a circulation that can only take prescribed integer values. However, the strong interactions between atoms in superfluid helium prohibit quantitative theory of vortex behaviour. Experiments have similarly not been able to observe coherent vortex dynamics. This thesis resolves this challenge, bringing microphotonic techniques to bear on two-dimensional superfluid helium, observing coherent vortex dynamics for the first time, and achieving this on a silicon chip. This represents a major scientific contribution, as it opens the door not only to providing a better understanding of this esoteric quantum state of matter, but also to building new quantum technologies based upon it, and to understanding the dynamics of astrophysical superfluids such as those thought to exist in the core of neutron stars.

How did electrons in the high atmosphere and space around the Earth come to acquire their speeds and energies?
This intriguing question lies at the heart of understanding how high-energy electrons create the spectacular displays of the DEGREESIAurora Borealis and DEGREESIAurora Australis. Electron Acceleration in the Aurora and Beyond explores the mysteries of these phenomena and others involving the acceleration of electrons in the magnetosphere, in the solar wind, at the Sun and in the Cosmos.
This book presents a new approach to understanding this fascinating subject by treating the acceleration medium as a plasma. Using this new insight we can see that electron acceleration may well be caused by waves rather than steady potential differences. This unique approach is clearly explained in a lively and engaging style.
Quantitative formulae, experiments, practical demonstrations and computer programs enable us to investigate for ourselves how the model works. The theory is further illustrated by comparing acceleration in space with particle accelerators in the nuclear physics laboratory (and even on the sports field )
Questions and exercises with answers are supplied to stimulate further thinking.
DEGREESIElectron Acceleration in the Aurora and Beyond is a thought-provoking book for graduate and post-doctoral space scientists.

This book summarizes and records the recent notable advances in diverse topics in organic crystal chemistry, which has made substantial progress along with the rapid development of a variety of analysis and measurement techniques for solid organic materials. This review book is one of the volumes that are published periodically on this theme. The previous volume, published in 2015, systematically summarized the remarkable progress in assorted topics of organic crystal chemistry using organic solids and organic-inorganic hybrid materials during the previous 5 years, and it has been widely read. The present volume also shows the progress of organic solid chemistry in the last 5 years, with contributions mainly by invited members of the Division of Organic Crystal Chemistry of the Chemical Society of Japan (CSJ), together with prominent invited authors from countries other than Japan.

This book offers a didactic and a self-contained treatment of the physics of liquid and flowing matter with a statistical mechanics approach. Experimental and theoretical methods that were developed to study fluids are now frequently applied to a number of more complex systems generically referred to as soft matter. As for simple liquids, also for complex fluids it is important to understand how their macroscopic behavior is determined by the interactions between the component units. Moreover, in recent years new and relevant insights have emerged from the study of anomalous phases and metastable states of matter. In addition to the traditional topics concerning fluids in normal conditions, the authors of this book discuss recent developments in the field of disordered systems in condensed and soft matter. In particular they emphasize computer simulation techniques that are used in the study of soft matter and the theories and study of slow glassy dynamics. For these reasons the book includes a specific chapter about metastability, supercooled liquids and glass transition. The book is written for graduate students and active researchers in the field.

Providing a systematic introduction to the techniques which are fundamental to quantum field theory, this book pays special attention to the use of these techniques in a wide variety of areas, including ordinary quantum mechanics, quantum mechanics in the second-quantized formulation, relativistic quantum field theory, Euclidean field theory, quantum statistics at finite temperature, and the classical statistics of nonideal gas and spin systems. The extended chapter on variational methods and functional Legendre transformations contains completely original material.

This book presents photoelectron spectroscopy as a valuable method for studying the electronic structures of various solid materials in the bulk state, on surfaces, and at buried interfaces. This second edition introduces the advanced technique of high-resolution and high-efficiency spin- and momentum-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy using a novel momentum microscope, enabling high-precision measurements down to a length scale of some tens of nanometers. The book also deals with fundamental concepts and approaches to applying this and other complementary techniques, such as inverse photoemission, photoelectron diffraction, scanning tunneling spectroscopy, as well as photon spectroscopy based on (soft) x-ray absorption and resonance inelastic (soft) x-ray scattering. This book is the ideal tool to expand readers' understanding of this marvelously versatile experimental method, as well as the electronic structures of metals and insulators.