Since its launch in 1991, the Yohkoh satellite has been returning unprecedented observations of solar flares and the dynamic solar corona. This book is a collection of papers presented at a meeting held in: Yoyogi, Tokyo, on the occasion of Yohkoh's fifth anniversary of operation. The papers constitute a summary of observations and results over the five years, including contributions based on data from Yohkoh's hard and soft X-ray telescopes and its spectrometer experiments. The five years of data, covering approximately one-half of a solar cycle, reveal a fresh perspective on solar science, with a new picture of solar flares and the active Sun emerging. Also, for the first time there are extensive results from Yohkoh observations of the Sun during the solar minimum period. This wide-ranging volume will be of interest to workers in solar physics and X-ray astronomy. It also contains material appropriate for supplemental reading for graduate students in solar physics.

Objects that differ from their mirror images, such as the left and right hands, play an important role in physics at all lengths scales, from elementary particles to macroscopic systems. The handedness, or chirality, of molecules in liquid crystals has a remarkable influence on the macroscopic physical properties of these systems, including the appearance of new phases. Indeed, the majority of optical applications of liquid crystals is due to chiral structures, namely the thermochromic effect of cholesteric liquid crystals, the optical activity in twisted nematic liquid crystal displays, and the ferroelectric and antiferroelectric switching of smectic liquid crystals.This book describes the main aspects of chirality in liquid crystals, and points out some of the open questions of current research. The chapters, each by an expert in the field, review the highlights of the important topics and representative questions in the field of chiral liquid crystals.

A comprehensive collection of papers on theoretical aspects of electronic processes in simple and synthetic metals, superconductors, bulk and low-dimensional semiconductors under extreme conditions, such as high magnetic and electric fields, low and ultra-low temperatures. The main emphasis is on low-dimensional conductors and superconductors, where correlated electrons, interacting with magnetic or nonmagnetic impurities, phonons, photons, or nuclear spins, result in a variety of new physical phenomena, such as quantum oscillations in the superconducting state, Condon instability, Skyrmions and composite fermions in quantum Hall effect systems, and hyperfine field-induced mesoscopic and nanoscopic phenomena. Several new experimental achievements are reported that promise to delineate future trends in low temperature and high magnetic field physics, including the experimental observation of the interplay between superconductivity and nuclear spin ordering at ultra-low temperatures, new observations of Condon domains in normal metals, and an experimental proposal for the realisation of isotopically engineered, semiconductor-based spin-qubit elements for future quantum computation and communication technology.

Precision Nanometrology describes the new field of precision nanometrology, which plays an important part in nanoscale manufacturing of semiconductors, optical elements, precision parts and similar items. It pays particular attention to the measurement of surface forms of precision workpieces and to stage motions of precision machines. The first half of the book is dedicated to the description of optical sensors for the measurement of angle and displacement, which are fundamental quantities for precision nanometrology. The second half presents a number of scanning-type measuring systems for surface forms and stage motions. The systems discussed include: * error separation algorithms and systems for measurement of straightness and roundness, * the measurement of micro-aspherics, * systems based on scanning probe microscopy, and * scanning image-sensor systems. Precision Nanometrology presents the fundamental and practical technologies of precision nanometrology with a helpful selection of algorithms, instruments and experimental data. It will be beneficial for researchers, engineers and postgraduate students involved in precision engineering, nanotechnology and manufacturing.

Success in the fabrication of structures at the nanometer length scale has opened up a new horizon to condensed matter physics: the study of quantum phenomena in confined boxes, wires, rings, etc. A new class of electronic devices based on this physics has been proposed, with the promise of a new functionality for ultrafast and/or ultradense electronic circuits. Such applications demand highly sophisticated fabrication techniques, the crucial one being lithography. Nanolithography contains updated reviews by major experts on the well established techniques -- electron beam lithography (EBL), X-ray lithography (XRL), ion beam lithography (IBL) -- as well as on emergent techniques, such as scanning tunnelling lithography (STL).

High temperature superconductivity (HTSC) hast he potential todramatically impact many commercial markets, including the electric power industry. Since 1987, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) has supported aprogram to develop HTSC applications fort he power industry. The purpose ofEPRI is to manage technical research and development programs to improve power production, distribution, and use. The institute is supported by the voluntary contributions ofs ome7 00 electric utilities and has over 600 utility technical experts as advisors. One objectiveo f EPRI's HTSC program is to ed ucate utility engineers andexecutives on the technical issues related to HTSC materials and the supporting technologies needed for their application. To accomplish this, Argonne National Laboratory was commissioned to preparea series of monthly re ports that would explain th e significanceo f recent advances in HTSC. Acomponent o f each report was a tutorial on some aspect of the HTSC field. Topics ranged from the various ways that thin films are deposited tot he mechanisms used to operatem ajor cryogenic systems. The tutorials became very popularw ithin the utility industry. Surprisingly, the reports also became popular with scientists at universities, corporate labo ratories, and thenational laboratories. A lthough these researchers are quite experienced in one aspect of the technology, they are nots ostron g inothers. Itw ast he diversity and thoroughness ofthe tutorials that made them so valuable.

The workshop entitled Magnetic Susceptibility of Superconductors and other Spin Systems (S4) was held at Coolfont Resort and Health Spa. located near Berkley Springs West Virginia on May 20-23. 1991. There were over sixty attendees. approximately half from the United States. the remainder representing over twelve different countries. The international character of the workshop may be gleaned form the attendee list, included in this volume. The intent of the workshop was to bring together those experimentalists and theoreticians whose efforts have resulted in significant recent contributions to the development and use of the ac susceptibility technique as well as to the interpretation of data obtained from these measurements. Many spirited discussions occurred during and after the presentations. These are reflected in the manuscripts contained in these proceedings. Although camera ready manuscripts were required from all participants at registration, all manuscripts were revised and reflect the lively exchanges that followed each presentation. The small size of the workshop allowed the participants a high degree of flexibility. Consequently when a controversial topic such as "the irreversibility line" emerged, a special session was organized on the spot. At the suggestion of Ron Goldfarb, participants were invited to contribute a one page summary containing their thoughts on the topic. These stand alone contributions were retyped and included as submitted, with only minor editorial changes. These proceedings are intended for those experienced scientists new to the field and graduate students just beginning their research.

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.

The series Advances in Polymer Science presents critical reviews of the present and future trends in polymer and biopolymer science. It covers all areas of research in polymer and biopolymer science including chemistry, physical chemistry, physics, material science.The thematic volumes are addressed to scientists, whether at universities or in industry, who wish to keep abreast of the important advances in the covered topics.Advances in Polymer Science enjoys a longstanding tradition and good reputation in its community. Each volume is dedicated to a current topic, and each review critically surveys one aspect of that topic, to place it within the context of the volume. The volumes typically summarize the significant developments of the last 5 to 10 years and discuss them critically, presenting selected examples, explaining and illustrating the important principles, and bringing together many important references of primary literature. On that basis, future research directions in the area can be discussed. Advances in Polymer Science volumes thus are important references for every polymer scientist, as well as for other scientists interested in polymer science - as an introduction to a neighboring field, or as a compilation of detailed information for the specialist.Review articles for the individual volumes are invited by the volume editors. Single contributions can be specially commissioned.Readership: Polymer scientists, or scientists in related fields interested in polymer and biopolymer science, at universities or in industry, graduate students

A Corotating Interaction Region (CIR) is the result of the interaction of fast solar wind with slower solar wind ahead. CIRs have a very large three-dimensional ex tent and are the dominant large-scale structure in the heliosphere on the declining and minimum phase of the solar activity cycle. Until recently, however, CIRs could only be observed close to the ecliptic plane, and their three-dimensional structure was therefore not obvious to observers and theoreticians alike. Ulysses was the first spacecraft allowing direct exploration of the third dimen sion of the heliosphere. Since 1992, when it has entered a polar orbit that takes it 0 up to 80 latitude, the spacecraft's performance has been flawless and the mission has provided excellent data from a superbly matched set of instruments. Perhaps the most exciting observation during Ulysses' first passage towards the south pole of the Sun was a strong and long lasting CIR whose energetic particle effects were observed up to unexpectedly high latitudes. These observations, documented in a number of publications, stimulated considerable new theoretical work.

Flow Control Methods and Devices in Micrometer Scale Channels, by Shuichi Shoji and Kentaro Kawai. Micromixing Within Microfluidic Devices, by Lorenzo Capretto, Wei Cheng, Martyn Hill and Xunli Zhang. Basic Technologies for Droplet Microfluidics, by Shaojiang Zeng, Xin Liu, Hua Xie and Bingcheng Lin. Electrorheological Fluid and Its Applications in Microfluidics, by Limu Wang, Xiuqing Gong and Weijia Wen. Biosensors in Microfluidic Chips, by Jongmin Noh, Hee Chan Kim and Taek Dong Chung. A Nanomembrane-Based Nucleic Acid Sensing Platform for Portable Diagnostics, by Satyajyoti Senapati, Sagnik Basuray, Zdenek Slouka, Li-Jing Cheng and Hsueh-Chia Chang. Optical Detection Systems on Microfluidic Chips, by Hongwei Gai, Yongjun Li and Edward S. Yeung. Integrated Microfluidic Systems for DNA Analysis, by Samuel K. Njoroge, Hui-Wen Chen, Ma gorzata A. Witek and Steven A. Soper. Integrated Multifunctional Microfluidics for Automated Proteome Analyses, by John K. Osiri, Hamed Shadpour, Ma gorzata A. Witek and Steven A. Soper. Cells in Microfluidics, by Chi Zhang and Danny van Noort. Microfluidic Platform for the Study of Caenorhabditis elegans, by Weiwei Shi, Hui Wen, Bingcheng Lin and Jianhua Qin."

The physics of highly charged ions continues to be one of the most active and interesting fields of atomic physics. A large fraction of the characteristic radiation of such ions lies in the x-ray region and its spectroscopy represents an important experimental tool. The field of x-ray spectroscopy grew directly from the discovery of x radiation by Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen in 1895. The early contributions to atomic physics that arose out of x-ray spectroscopy are well documented and are the subject of many centennial events. In the past, the gross features of most x-ray spectra in the hard x-ray region have been accounted for on a hydrogenic model. In many instances the gross spectral features recorded in the early days of x-ray physics match those observed with state-of-the-art techniques today and many of the early qualitative - terpretations have remained unchanged. It is in the details of the spectra that today's results are superior to those obtained many years ago, and it is in the quantitative and accurate - scriptions that today's predictions are better. A rejuvenation of the field has occurred after the great achievements in the development of new ion sources for production of heavy ions with only one or few electrons. The new tools available to the experimenter allow the exploration of new states of m- ter and allow us to challenge new frontiers in our theoretical understanding of atoms and their interactions with other particles.

This volume contains the papers presented at the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Localization and Propagation o Classical Waves in Random and Periodic Media held in Aghia Pelaghia, Heraklion, Crete, May 26- 30, 1992. The workshop's goal was to bring together theorists and experimentalists from two related areas, localization and photonic band gaps, to highlight their common interests. The objectives of the workshop were (i) to assess the state of-the-art in experimental and theoretical studies of structures exhibiting classical wave band gaps and/or localization, (ii) to discuss how such structures can be fabricated to improve technologies in different areas of physics and engineering, and (iii) to identify problems and set goals for further research. Studies of the propagation of electromagnetic (EM) waves in periodic and/or disordered dielectric structures (photonic band gap structures) have been and continue to be a dynamic area of research. Anderson localization of EM waves in disordered dielectric structures is of fundamental interest where the strong ei-ei interaction efFects entering the eIectron-localization are absent."

This book deals with the mutual interaction and energy transfer between electronic defect states of F centers and defect ions (e.g. rare earth elements) and neighbouring molecular defects (OH-, CN-) in alkali halides. These model defect systems exhibit a very intriguing and ambiguous character because they behave like isolated defects in one instance but like supermolecules in others. The text gives an overview of the topic and discusses possible applications. It covers a wide range of spectroscopic methods applied to the systems and reviews several approaches for their theoretical interpretation. It includes more than 100 illustrations, figures and tables as well as many previously unpublished results. This book provides a valuable resource for further studies into this and related fields.

This thesis covers the few-cycle laser-driven acceleration of electrons in a laser-generated plasma. This process, known as laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA), relies on strongly driven plasma waves for the generation of accelerating gradients in the vicinity of several 100 GV/m, a value four orders of magnitude larger than that attainable by conventional accelerators. This thesis demonstrates that laser pulses with an ultrashort duration of 8 fs and a peak power of 6 TW allow the production of electron energies up to 50 MeV via LWFA. The special properties of laser accelerated electron pulses, namely the ultrashort pulse duration, the high brilliance, and the high charge density, open up new possibilities in many applications of these electron beams.

ThisvolumerepresentstheproceedingsofaNATOAdvancedResearchWorkShop(ARW) on the topic of "Sensorimotor Impairment in the Elderly" held at the Residenz Hotel, Bad Windsheim, Germany, September 11-13, 1992. The Residenz Hotel provided a pleasarit setting for the ARW in a historic environment. ' The motivation of this ARW was to provide some coherence to the widely scattered literature on motorimpairmentsin the elderly by bringing together, for atwo day workshop, many of the prominent individuals who are doing much of the contemporary research on sensorimotor aging. Our hope was to advance knowledge by having tutorial lectures and provocative discussions. As directors, we wanted the ARW to appraise the main theoretical ideas that currently characterize sensorimotor research on older adults. Our hope is that this volume will provide a review of some of the diverse literature on sensorimotor integration problems in the elderly. What was abundantly clear [TOm the presentations and discussions was how much more remains to be discovered about how motor and sensory systems change with age. The stimulus provided by this volume should be an invaluable reference in the years to come. Thevolume isorganized around five topicthemes: SensorimotorIntegration, AgeChanges in Muscle, Posture and Locomotion, Neurological Diseases, and Effects ofTraining. While they are not comprehensive, the topic themes reflect the structure of the ARW. The chapters within each topic discuss many ofthe currently debated questions on sensorimotormechanisms and how they are altered by age.

This thesis presents a method for reliably and robustly producing samples of amyloid- (A ) by capturing them at various stages of aggregation, as well as the results of subsequent imaging with various atomic force microscopy (AFM) methods, all of which add value to the data gathered by collecting information on the peptide's nanomechanical, elastic, thermal or spectroscopical properties. Amyloid- (A ) undergoes a hierarchy of aggregation following a structural transition, making it an ideal subject of study using scanning probe microscopy (SPM), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and other physical techniques. By imaging samples of A with Ultrasonic Force Microscopy, a detailed substructure to the morphology is revealed, which correlates well with the most advanced cryo-EM work. Early stage work in the area of thermal and spectroscopical AFM is also presented, and indicates the promise these techniques may hold for imaging sensitive and complex biological materials. This thesis demonstrates that physical techniques can be highly complementary when studying the aggregation of amyloid peptides, and allow the detection of subtle differences in their aggregation processes.

Over ?fteen years ago, because of the tremendous increase in the power and utility of computer simulations, The University of Georgia formed the ?rst institutional unit devoted to the use of simulations in research and teaching: The Center for Simulational Physics. As the international simulations c- munityexpandedfurther, wesensedaneedforameetingplaceforbothex- riencedsimulatorsandneophytestodiscussnewtechniquesandrecentresults in an environment which promoted lively discussion. As a consequence, the Center for Simulational Physics established an annual workshop on Recent DevelopmentsinComputerSimulationStudiesinCondensedMatterPhysics. This year's workshop was the seventeenth in this series, and the continued interest shown by the scienti?c community demonstrates quite clearly the useful purpose that these meetings have served. The latest workshop was held at The University of Georgia, February 16-20, 2004, and these proce- ings provide a "status report" on a number of important topics. This volume is published with the goal of timely dissemination of the material to a wider audience. We wish to o?er a special thanks to IBM and to SGI for partial support of this year's workshop. This volume contains both invited papers and contributed presentations on problems in both classical and quantum condensed matter physics. We hope that each reader will bene't from specialized results as well as pro't from exposure to new algorithms, methods of analysis, and conceptual dev- opments.

The author applies methods of nonlinear elasticity to investigate the defects in the crystal structure of solids such as dislocations and disclinations that characterize the plastic and strength properties of many materials. Contrary to the geometrically motivated nonlinear theory of dislocations continuously distributed over the body, nonlinear analysis of isolated dislocations and disclinations is less developed; it is given for the first time in this book, and in a form accessible to both students and researchers. The general theory of Volterra's dislocations in elastic media under large deformations is developed. A number of exact solutions are found. The nonlinear approach to investigating the isolated defects produces results that often differ qualitatively from those of the linear theory.

In recent years, with the advent of ?ne line lithographical methods, molecular beam epitaxy, organometallic vapour phase epitaxy and other experimental techniques, low dimensional structures having quantum con?nement in one, two and three dimensions (such as inversion layers, ultrathin ?lms, nipi's, quantum well superlattices, quantum wires, quantum wire superlattices, and quantum dots together with quantum con?ned structures aided by various other ?elds) have attracted much attention, not only for their potential in uncovering new phenomena in nanoscience, but also for their interesting applications in the realm of quantum e?ect devices. In ultrathin ?lms, due to the reduction of symmetry in the wave-vector space, the motion of the carriers in the direction normal to the ?lm becomes quantized leading to the quantum size e?ect. Such systems ?nd extensive applications in quantum well lasers, ?eld e?ect transistors, high speed digital networks and also in other low dimensional systems. In quantum wires, the carriers are quantized in two transverse directions and only one-dimensional motion of the carriers is allowed. The transport properties of charge carriers in quantum wires, which may be studied by utilizing the similarities with optical and microwave waveguides, are currently being investigated. Knowledge regarding these quantized structures may be gained from original research contributions in scienti?c journals, proceedings of international conferences and various - view articles.

The contributions in this book give a high-level coverage of many of the subjects and techniques needed to understand the physics of low-dimensional condensed matter systems. The topics presented include the use of conformal field theories, the Luttinger liquid approach to one-dimensional electron systems, and the use of random matrices in problems connected with quantum chaos. The contributions are authored by some of the most prominent physicists active in the field, among them the 1998 Nobel Prize laureate R. B. Laughlin. The book should become an extremely useful instrument for all those interested in theoretical condensed matter physics.

The past forty years of space research have seen a substantial improvement in our understanding of the Earth's magnetosphere and its coupling with the solar wind and interplanetary magnetic ?eld (IMF). The magnetospheric str- ture has been mapped and major processes determining this structure have been de?ned. However, the picture obtained is too often static. We know how the magnetosphere forms via the interaction of the solar wind and IMF with the Earth's magnetic ?eld. We can describe the steady state for various upstream conditions but do not really understand the dynamic processes leading from one state to another. The main dif?culty is that the magnetosphere is a comp- cated system with many time constants ranging from fractions of a second to days and the system rarely attains a steady state. Two decades ago, it became clear that further progress would require multi-point measurements. Since then, two multi-spacecraft missions have been launched - INTERBALL in 1995/96 and CLUSTER II in 2000. The objectives of these missions d- fered but were complementary: While CLUSTER is adapted to meso-scale processes, INTERBALL observed larger spatial and temporal scales. However, the number of papers taking advantage of both missions simul- neously is rather small.

The authors describe the electric, magnetic and other relaxational processes in a wide spectrum of materials: liquid crystals, molecular magnets, polymers, high-Tc superconductors and glasses. The book summarizes the phenomenological fundamentals and the experimental methods used. A detailed description of molecular and collective dynamics in the broad range of liquid crystals is presented. Magnetic systems, high-Tc superconductors, polymers and glasses are an important subject of matter. It is shown that the researchers working on relaxation processes in different fields of materials sciences are dealing with the same physical fundamentals, but are sometimes using slightly different terms. The book is addressed to scientists, engineers, graduate and undergraduate students, experimentalists and theorists in physics, chemistry, materials sciences and electronic engineering. Many internationally well known experts contribute to it.

The two volumes "New Developments in Polymer Analytics" deal with recent progress in the characterization of polymers, mostly in solution but also at s- faces. Despite the fact that almost all of the described techniques are getting on in years, the contributions are expected to meet the readers interest because either the methods are newly applied to polymers or the instrumentation has achieved a major breakthrough leading to an enhanced utilizaton by polymer scientists. The first volume concentrates on separation techniques. H. Pasch summarizes the recent successes of multi-dimensional chromatography in the characteri- tion of copolymers. Both, chain length distribution and the compositional h- erogeneity of copolymers are accessible. Capillary electrophoresis is widely and successfully utilized for the characterization of biopolymers, particular of DNA. It is only recently that the technique has been applied to the characterization of water soluble synthetic macromolecules. This contributrion of Grosche and Engelhardt focuses on the analysis of polyelectrolytes by capillary electopho- sis. The last contribution of the first volume by Coelfen and Antonietti sum- rizes the achievements and pitfalls of field flow fractionation techniques. The major drawbacks in the instrumentation have been overcome in recent years and the"triple F techniques" are currently advancing to a powerful competitor to size exclusion chromatography.

The purpose of this book is to review the current state of this quickly developing field. Up until now, there has been no concise review available of the rather diverse aspects of this field. This book gives a basic introduction to the concepts behind Bloch oscillations. It describes how the physics of high field transport has been investigated through a broad range of experimental techniques such as interband and intraband optical spectroscopy and transport experiments. Possible applications and further trends are also discussed.