A dynamical system is called isochronous if it features in its phase space an open, fully-dimensional region where all its solutions are periodic in all its degrees of freedom with the same, fixed period. Recently a simple transformation has been introduced, applicable to quite a large class of dynamical systems, that yields autonomous systems which are isochronous. This justifies the notion that isochronous systems are not rare.
In this book the procedure to manufacture isochronous systems is reviewed, and many examples of such systems are provided. Examples include many-body problems characterized by Newtonian equations of motion in spaces of one or more dimensions, Hamiltonian systems, and also nonlinear evolution equations (PDEs).
The book shall be of interest to students and researchers working on dynamical systems, including integrable and nonintegrable models, with a finite or infinite number of degrees of freedom. It might be used as a basic textbook, or as backup material for an undergraduate or graduate course.

Based on the recent NATO Advanced Study Institute "Chaotic Worlds: From Order to Disorder in Gravitational N-Body Dynamical Systems", this state of the art textbook, written by internationally renowned experts, provides an invaluable reference volume for all students and researchers in gravitational n-body systems. The contributions are especially designed to give a systematic development from the fundamental mathematics which underpin modern studies of ordered and chaotic behaviour in n-body dynamics to their application to real motion in planetary systems. This volume presents an up-to-date synoptic view of the subject.

Electrons and ions have been used for over 40 years as probes to investigate the fascinating properties of helium liquids. The study of the transport properties of microscopic charge carriers sheds light on superfluidity, on quantum hydrodynamics, and on the interactions with collective excitations in quantum liquids. The structure of the probes themselves depends on their coupling with the liquid environment in a way that gives further insight into the microscopic behavior of the liquid in different thermodynamic conditions, such as in the superfluid phase, in the normal phase, or near the liquid-vapor critical point. This book provides a comprehensive review of the experiments and theories of transport properties of charge carriers in liquid helium. It is a subject about which no other monograph exists to date. The book is intended for graduate and postgraduate students and for condensed matter physicists who will benefit from its completeness and accuracy.

In this revised and enlarged second edition, Tony Guenault provides a clear and refreshingly readable introduction to statistical physics. The treatment itself is self-contained and concentrates on an understanding of the physical ideas, without requiring a high level of mathematical sophistication. The book adopts a straightforward quantum approach to statistical averaging from the outset. The initial part of the book is geared towards explaining the equilibrium properties of a simple isolated assembly of particles. The treatment of gases gives full coverage to Maxwell-Boltzmann, Fermi-Dirac and Bose-Einstein statistics.

This book is a rewritten and annotated version of Leo P. Kadanoff and Gordon Baym's lectures that were presented in the book Quantum Statistical Mechanics: Green's Function Methods in Equilibrium and Nonequilibrium Problems. The lectures were devoted to a discussion on the use of thermodynamic Green's functions in describing the properties of many-particle systems. The functions provided a method for discussing finite-temperature problems with no more conceptual difficulty than ground-state problems, and the method was equally applicable to boson and fermion systems and equilibrium and nonequilibrium problems. The lectures also explained nonequilibrium statistical physics in a systematic way and contained essential concepts on statistical physics in terms of Green's functions with sufficient and rigorous details. In-Gee Kim thoroughly studied the lectures during one of his research projects but found that the unspecialized method used to present them in the form of a book reduced their readability. He started the tedious work of rewriting and annotating them to fully understand the formalism of nonequilibrium quantum statistical mechanics. While doing so, he realized they can be a useful resource for students of modern physics but will have to be upgraded to match pace with the evolved curricula. Being aware that besides completing the course work and passing the relevant examinations, it is necessary for graduate students of modern physics to make the knowledge of a topic concrete in their minds. This book is a systematically prepared summary of those lectures and will be extremely useful for graduate students as well as senior researchers to settle down the key knowledge of the subject.

In recent years, scientists have applied the principles of complex systems science to increasingly diverse fields. The results have been nothing short of remarkable: their novel approaches have provided answers to long-standing questions in biology, ecology, physics, engineering, computer science, economics, psychology and sociology.

The Third International Conference on Complex Systems attracted over 400 researchers from around the world. The conference aimed to encourage cross-fertilization between the many disciplines represented and to deepen our understanding of the properties common to all complex systems.

This monograph is a comprehensive and cohesive exposition of power-law statistics. Following a bottom-up construction from a foundational bedrock - the power Poisson process - this monograph presents a unified study of an assortment of power-law statistics including: Pareto laws, Zipf laws, Weibull and Frechet laws, power Lorenz curves, Levy laws, power Newcomb-Benford laws, sub-diffusion and super-diffusion, and 1/f and flicker noises. The bedrock power Poisson process, as well as the assortment of power-law statistics, are investigated via diverse perspectives: structural, stochastic, fractal, dynamical, and socioeconomic. This monograph is poised to serve researchers and practitioners - from various fields of science and engineering - that are engaged in analyses of power-law statistics.

Dynamics of an open system interacting with theenvironment considered as a thermostate may be formulatedin terms of a master equation with an integral operator allowing for the relaxation process, [Zwanzig 1960]. In some part- ular cases this operator hasashort-lastingkernel that enables one to consider therelaxation as a Markovian process and to obtainthe master equation inthe Lindblad form, [Lindblad 1976 (a)]. In some situations the memory effects become, however, important and the dynamics of thesystem gets much more involved, [Barnett 2001]. A similar situation arises inthe case where a set of consecutive or continuous measurements is performed. The purpose of this article is to consider a situation where some simplification of the generalform of the master equation with memory isstill possibleand the result isasimpler master equation. In particular, we consider the case of a dynamic system c- pled to a measured ancilla via a nondemolition interaction, [Caves 1980]. This simplifies the consideration essentiallywhereas providing an important special case inwhich the energy of the dynamic part is conserved. We consider a composite quantum system consisting of a dynamic part - teracting with an ancillary part, the latter being subject to repeated projective measurements. The entire quantum system is assumed to evolve unitarily d- ing time ? t between the measurements. As a specific example, we analyze a harmonic oscillator coupledtoatwo-level ancillathat issubject to measu- ments.

Computer science and physics have been closely linked since the birth of modern computing. In recent years, an interdisciplinary area has blossomed at the junction of these fields, connecting insights from statistical physics with basic computational challenges. Researchers have successfully applied techniques from the study of phase transitions to analyze NP-complete problems such as satisfiability and graph coloring. This is leading to a new understanding of the structure of these problems, and of how algorithms perform on them.
Computational Complexity and Statistical Physics will serve as a standard reference and pedagogical aid to statistical physics methods in computer science, with a particular focus on phase transitions in combinatorial problems. Addressed to a broad range of readers, the book includes substantial background material along with current research by leading computer scientists, mathematicians, and physicists. It will prepare students and researchers from all of these fields to contribute to this exciting area.

This book provides an introduction to nonequilibrium statistical mechanics applied to ideas in chaotic dynamics. The author illustrates how techniques in statistical mechanics can be used to calculate quantities that are essential to understanding the chaotic behavior of fluid systems. Beginning with important background information, the volume goes on to introduce basic concepts of dynamical systems theory through simple examples before explaining advanced topics such as SRB and Gibbs measures. It will be of great interest to graduate students and researchers in condensed matter physics, nonlinear science, theoretical physics, mathematics, and theoretical chemistry.

From the reviews: ..". Each chapter of the book is followed by a notes section and by a problems section. There are over 100 problems, many of which have hints. The book may be recommended as a text, it provides a completly self-contained reading ..." --S. Pogosian in Zentralblatt f r Mathematik

This is a comprehensive discussion of complexity as it arises in physical, chemical and biological systems, as well as in mathematical models of nature. The aim of this book is to illustrate the ways in which complexity manifests itself and to introduce a sequence of increasingly sharp mathematical methods for the classification of complex behavior. This book will be of interest to graduate students and researchers in physics (nonlinear dynamics, fluid dynamics, solid-state, cellular automata, stochastic processes, statistical mechanics and thermodynamics), mathematics (dynamical systems, ergodic and probability theory), information and computer science (coding, information theory and algorithmic complexity), electrical engineering and theoretical biology.

This book shows how the concept of geometrical frustration can be used to elucidate the structure and properties of non-periodic materials such as metallic glasses, quasicrystals, amorphous semiconductors and complex liquid crystals. Geometric frustration is introduced through examples and idealized models, leading to a consideration of how the concept can be used to identify ordered and defective regions in real materials. Then it is shown how these principles can also be used to model physical properties of materials, in particular specific volume, melting, the structure factor and the glass transition. Final chapters consider geometric frustration in periodic structures with large cells and quasiperiodic order. Appendices give all necessary background on geometry, symmetry and tilings. The text considers geometrical frustration at different scales in many types of materials and structures, including metals, amorphous solids, liquid crystals, amphiphiles, cholisteric systems, polymers, phospholipid membranes, atomic clusters, and quasicrystals. Of interest to researchers in condensed matter physics, materials science and structural chemistry, as well as mathematics and structural biology.

Mesoscopic physics deals with effects at submicron and nanoscales where the conventional wisdom of macroscopic averaging is no longer applicable. A wide variety of new devices have recently evolved, all extremely promising for major novel directions in technology, including carbon nanotubes, ballistic quantum dots, hybrid mesoscopic junctions made of different type of normal, superconducting and ferromagnetic materials. This, in turn, demands a profound understanding of fundamental physical phenomena on mesoscopic scales. As a result, the forefront of fundamental research in condensed matter has been moved to the areas where the interplay between electron-electron interactions and quantum interference of phase-coherent electrons scattered by impurities and/or boundaries is the key to such understanding. An understanding of decoherence as well as other effects of the interactions is crucial for developing future electronic, photonic and spintronic devices, including the element base for quantum computation.

Leading scientists discuss the most recent physical and experimental results in the physics of Bose-Einstein condensate theory, the theory of nonlinear lattices (including quantum and nonlinear lattices), and nonlinear optics and photonics. Classical and quantum aspects of the dynamics of nonlinear waves are considered. The contributions focus on the Gross-Pitaevskii equation and on the quantum nonlinear Schr dinger equation. Recent experimental results on atomic condensates and hydrogen bonded systems are reviewed. Particular attention is given to nonlinear matter waves in periodic potential.

This book provides an introduction to nonequilibrium statistical physics via lattice models. Beginning with an introduction to the basic driven lattice gas, the early chapters discuss the relevance of this lattice model to certain natural phenomena, examining simulation results in detail. Later chapters discuss absorbing-state transitions, and examine a variety of systems subject to dynamic disorder. The book discusses the effects of multiparticle rules, nonunique absorbing-states and conservation laws, as well as the use of methods such as mean-field theory, Monte Carlo simulation and the concept of universality. It also includes detailed references and examples using simple respresentations of nature to describe real systems.

This monograph, suitable for use as an advanced text, presents the statistical mechanics of solids from the perspective of the material properties of the solid state. The statistical mechanics are developed as a tool for understanding properties and each chapter includes useful exercises to illustrate the topics covered. Topics discussed include the theory of the harmonic crystal, the theory of free electrons in metal and semiconductors, electron transport, alloy ordering, surfaces and polymers.

The well known transport laws of Navier-Stokes and Fourier fail for the simulation of processes on lengthscales in the order of the mean free path of a particle that is when the Knudsen number is not small enough. Thus, the proper simulation of flows in rarefied gases requires a more detailed description.

This book discusses classical and modern methods to derive macroscopic transport equations for rarefied gases from the Boltzmann equation, for small and moderate Knudsen numbers, i.e. at and above the Navier-Stokes-Fourier level. The main methods discussed are the classical Chapman-Enskog and Grad approaches, as well as the new order of magnitude method, which avoids the short-comings of the classical methods, but retains their benefits. The relations between the various methods are carefully examined, and the resulting equations are compared and tested for a variety of standard problems.

The book develops the topic starting from the basic description of an ideal gas, over the derivation of the Boltzmann equation, towards the various methods for deriving macroscopic transport equations, and the test problems which include stability of the equations, shock waves, and Couette flow.

The Tenth International Symposium on Continuum Models and Discrete Systems (CMDSIO) took place at the Shoresh Holiday Complex in Shoresh, Israel, near the Capital City Jerusalem, from 30 June until 4 July 2003. The previous symposia in this series were: CMDS 1 (Kielce, Poland, 1975) CMDS2 (Mont Gabriel, Canada, 1977) CMDS3 (Freudenstadt, German Federal Republic, 1979) CMDS4 (Stockholm, Sweden, 1981) CMDS5 (Nottingham, England, 1985) CMDS6 (Dijon, France, 1989) CMDS7 (Paderborn, Germany, 1992) CMDS8 (Varna, Bulgaria, 1995) CMDS9 (Istanbul, Turkey, 1998) As in the previous symposia, participation was by invitation from the Inter- national Scientific Committee. Participants were chosen from a list of recom- mendations of the committee members, as well as from applications following advertisement of the symposium on the internet and in email messages to po- tential participants. The members of the International Scientific Committee were: Karl-Heinz Anthony CMDS7 Chairman (University ofPaderborn, Germany) David J. Bergman, Conference Chairman (Tel Aviv University, Israel) Bikas K. Chakrabatii (Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics Calcutta, West Bengal, India) Hans Jurgen Herrmann (University of Stuttgart, Germany; and ESPCI, Paris, France) Esin Inan, CMDS9 Chairwoman (Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey) Dominique Jeulin (ENSMP, Fontainebleau, France) Mark Kachanov (Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA) David Kinderlehrer (Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA) Arnold M. Kosevich (B. Verkin Institute for Low Temperature Physics, Khat"kov, Ukraine) Valery M. Levin (Petrozavodsk State University, Petrozavodsk, Russia) Konstantin Z.

The 17 chapters of this book grew out of the tutorial lectures given by leading world-class experts at the NATO Advanced Research Workshop "Effects of Space Weather on Technology Infrastructure" - ESPRIT, which was held in Rhodes on March 25-29, 2004. All manuscripts were refereed and subsequently meticulously edited by the editor to ensure the highest quality for this monograph. I owe particular thanks to the lecturers of the ESPRIT Advanced Research Workshop for producing these excellent tutorial reviews, which convey the essential knowledge and the latest advances in our field. Due to the breadth, extensive literature citations and quality of the reviews we expect this publication to serve extremely well as a reference book. Multimedia material referring to individual chapters of the book is accessible on the accompanying CD. The aim of ESPRIT was to assess existing knowledge and identify future actions regarding monitoring, forecasting and mitigation of space weather induced malfunction and damage of vital technological systems operating in space and on the ground.

This book describes advances in the application of chaos theory to classical scattering and nonequilibrium statistical mechanics generally, and to transport by deterministic diffusion in particular. The author presents the basic tools of dynamical systems theory, such as dynamical instability, topological analysis, periodic-orbit methods, Liouvillian dynamics, dynamical randomness and large-deviation formalism. These tools are applied to chaotic scattering and to transport in systems near equilibrium and maintained out of equilibrium. Chaotic Scattering is illustrated with disk scatterers and with examples of unimolecular chemical reactions and then generalized to transport in spatially extended systems. This book will be bought by researchers interested in chaos, dynamical systems, chaotic scattering, and statistical mechanics in theoretical, computational and mathematical physics and also in theoretical chemistry.

This book presents a complete encyclopedia of superconducting fluctuations, summarizing the last thirty-five years of work in the field. The first part of the book is devoted to an extended discussion of the Ginzburg-Landau phenomenology of fluctuations in its thermodynamical and time-dependent versions and its various applications. The second part deals with microscopic justification of the Ginzburg-Landau approach and presents the diagrammatic theory of fluctuations. The third part is devoted to a less-detailed review of the manifestation of fluctuations in observables: diamagnetism, magnetoconductivity, various tunneling characteristics, thermoelectricity, and NMR relaxation. The final chapters turn to the manifestation of fluctuations in unconventional superconducting systems: nanodrops, nanorings, Berezinsky-Kosterlitz-Thouless state, quantum phase transition between superconductor and insulator, and thermal and quantum fluctuations in weak superconducting systems. The book ends with a brief discussion on theories of high temperature superconductivity, where fluctuations appear as the possible protagonist of this exciting phenomenon.

This book provides an introduction to lattice models of polymers. This is an important topic both in the theory of critical phenomena and the modelling of polymers. The first two chapters introduce the basic theory of random, directed and self-avoiding walks. The next two chapters develop and expand this theory to explore the self-avoiding walk in both two and three dimensions. Following chapters describe polymers near a surface, dense polymers, self-interacting polymers and branched polymers. The book closes with discussions of some geometrical and topological properties of polymers, and of self-avoiding surfaces on a lattice. The volume combines results from rigorous analytical and numerical work to give a coherent picture of the properties of lattice models of polymers. This book will be valuable for graduate students and researchers working in statistical mechanics, theoretical physics and polymer physics. It will also be of interest to those working in applied mathematics and theoretical chemistry.

This textbook provides an exposition of equilibrium thermodynamics and its applications to several areas of physics with particular attention to phase transitions and critical phenomena. The applications include several areas of condensed matter physics and include also a chapter on thermochemistry. Phase transitions and critical phenomena are treated according to the modern development of the field, based on the ideas of universality and on the Widom scaling theory. For each topic, a mean-field or Landau theory is presented to describe qualitatively the phase transitions. These theories include the van der Waals theory of the liquid-vapor transition, the Hildebrand-Heitler theory of regular mixtures, the Griffiths-Landau theory for multicritical points in multicomponent systems, the Bragg-Williams theory of order-disorder in alloys, the Weiss theory of ferromagnetism, the Neel theory of antiferromagnetism, the Devonshire theory for ferroelectrics and Landau-de Gennes theory of liquid crystals. This new edition presents expanded sections on phase transitions, liquid crystals and magnetic systems, for all problems detailed solutions are provided. It is intended for students in physics and chemistry and provides a unique combination of thorough theoretical explanation and presentation of applications in both areas. Chapter summaries, highlighted essentials and problems with solutions enable a self sustained approach and deepen the knowledge. It is intended for students in physics and chemistry and provides a unique combination of thorough theoretical explanation and presentation of applications in both areas. Chapter summaries, highlighted essentials and problems with solutions enable a self sustained approach and deepen the knowledge.

The quantum inverse scattering method is a means of finding exact solutions of two-dimensional models in quantum field theory and statistical physics (such as the sine-Gordon equation or the quantum nonlinear Schrödinger equation). This introduction to this important and exciting area first deals with the Bethe ansatz and calculation of physical quantities. The authors then tackle the theory of the quantum inverse scattering method before applying it in the second half of the book to the calculation of correlation functions. This is one of the most important applications of the method and the authors have made significant contributions to the area. Here they describe some of the most recent and general approaches and include some new results. The book will be essential reading for all mathematical physicists working in field theory and statistical physics.