This book provides an emerging computational intelligence tool in the framework of collective intelligence for modeling and controlling distributed multi-agent systems referred to as Probability Collectives. In the modified Probability Collectives methodology a number of constraint handling techniques are incorporated, which also reduces the computational complexity and improved the convergence and efficiency. Numerous examples and real world problems are used for illustration, which may also allow the reader to gain further insight into the associated concepts.

The study of network theory is a highly interdisciplinary field, which has emerged as a major topic of interest in various disciplines ranging from physics and mathematics, to biology and sociology. This book promotes the diverse nature of the study of complex networks by balancing the needs of students from very different backgrounds. It references the most commonly used concepts in network theory, provides examples of their applications in solving practical problems, and clear indications on how to analyse their results. In the first part of the book, students and researchers will discover the quantitative and analytical tools necessary to work with complex networks, including the most basic concepts in network and graph theory, linear and matrix algebra, as well as the physical concepts most frequently used for studying networks. They will also find instruction on some key skills such as how to proof analytic results and how to manipulate empirical network data. The bulk of the text is focused on instructing readers on the most useful tools for modern practitioners of network theory. These include degree distributions, random networks, network fragments, centrality measures, clusters and communities, communicability, and local and global properties of networks. The combination of theory, example and method that are presented in this text, should ready the student to conduct their own analysis of networks with confidence and allow teachers to select appropriate examples and problems to teach this subject in the classroom.

In this study Arun Bala examines the implications that Niels Bohr's principle of complementarity holds for fields beyond physics. Bohr, one of the founding figures of modern quantum physics, argued that the principle of complementarity he proposed for understanding atomic processes has parallels in psychology, biology, and social science, as well as in Buddhist and Taoist thought. But Bohr failed to offer any explanation for why complementarity might extend beyond physics, and his claims have been widely rejected by scientists as empty speculation. Scientific scepticism has only been reinforced by the naive enthusiasm of postmodern relativists and New Age intuitionists, who seize upon Bohr's ideas to justify anti-realist and mystical positions. Arun Bala offers a detailed defence of Bohr's claim that complementarity has far-reaching implications for the biological and social sciences, as well as for comparative philosophies of science, by explaining Bohr's parallels as responses to the omnipresence of grown properties in nature.

This monograph investigates violations of statistical stability of physical events, variables, and processes and develops a new physical-mathematical theory taking into consideration such violations - the theory of hyper-random phenomena. There are five parts. The first describes the phenomenon of statistical stability and its features, and develops methods for detecting violations of statistical stability, in particular when data is limited. The second part presents several examples of real processes of different physical nature and demonstrates the violation of statistical stability over broad observation intervals. The third part outlines the mathematical foundations of the theory of hyper-random phenomena, while the fourth develops the foundations of the mathematical analysis of divergent and many-valued functions. The fifth part contains theoretical and experimental studies of statistical laws where there is violation of statistical stability. The monograph should be of particular interest to engineers and scientists in general who study the phenomenon of statistical stability and use statistical methods for high-precision measurements, prediction, and signal processing over long observation intervals.

This thesis covers several important topics relevant to our understanding of quark-gluon plasma. It describes measurement of the third-order harmonic flow using two-particle correlations and isolation of flow and non-flow contributions to particle correlations in gold-gold collisions. The work also investigates long-range longitudinal correlations in small systems of deuteron-gold collisions. The former is related to the hydrodynamic transport properties of the quark-gluon plasma created in gold-gold collisions. The latter pertains to the question whether hydrodynamics is applicable to small systems, such as deuteron-gold collisions, and whether the quark-gluon plasma can be formed in those small-system collisions. The work presented in this thesis was conducted with the STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory, where the center-of-mass energy of both collision systems was a factor of 100 larger than the rest mass of the colliding nuclei. The results contained in this thesis are highly relevant to our quest for deeper understanding of quantum chromodynamics. The results obtained challenge the interpretation of previous works from several other experiments on small systems, and provoke a fresh look at the physics of hydrodynamics and particle correlations pertinent to high energy nuclear collisions.

Topological surgery is a mathematical technique used for creating new manifolds out of known ones. In this book the authors observe that it also occurs in natural phenomena of all scales: 1-dimensional surgery happens during DNA recombination and when cosmic magnetic lines reconnect; 2-dimensional surgery happens during tornado formation and cell mitosis; and they conjecture that 3-dimensional surgery happens during the formation of black holes from cosmic strings, offering an explanation for the existence of a black hole's singularity. Inspired by such phenomena, the authors present a new topological model that extends the formal definition to a continuous process caused by local forces. Lastly, they describe an intrinsic connection between topological surgery and a chaotic dynamical system exhibiting a "hole drilling" behavior. The authors' model indicates where to look for the forces causing surgery and what deformations should be observed in the local submanifolds involved. These predictions are significant for the study of phenomena exhibiting surgery and they also open new research directions. This novel study enables readers to gain a better understanding of the topology and dynamics of various natural phenomena, as well as topological surgery itself and serves as a basis for many more insightful observations and new physical implications.

This book is part of a two volume set which presents the analysis of nonlinear phenomena as a long-standing challenge for research in basic and applied science as well as engineering. It discusses nonlinear differential and differential equations, bifurcation theory for periodic orbits and global connections. The integrability and reversibility of planar vector fields and theoretical analysis of classic physical models are sketched. This first volume concentrates on the mathematical theory and computational techniques that are essential for the study of nonlinear science, a second volume deals with real-world nonlinear phenomena in condensed matter, biology and optics.

This book presents the first experiment revealing several unexplored non-equilibrium properties of quantum many-body states, and addresses the interplay between the Kondo effect and superconductivity by probing shot noise. In addition, it describes in detail nano-fabrication techniques for carbon nanotube quantum dots, and a measurement protocol and principle that probes both equilibrium and non-equilibrium quantum states of electrons. The book offers various reviews of topics in mesoscopic systems: shot noise measurement, carbon nanotube quantum dots, the Kondo effect in quantum dots, and quantum dots with superconducting leads, which are relevant to probing non-equilibrium physics. These reviews offer particularly valuable resources for readers interested in non-equilibrium physics in mesoscopic systems. Further, the cutting-edge experimental results presented will allow reader to catch up on a vital new trend in the field.

This thesis both broadens and deepens our understanding of the Brownian world. It addresses new problems in diffusion theory that have recently attracted considerable attention, both from the side of nanotechnology and from the viewpoint of pure academic research. The author focusses on the difussion of interacting particles in restricted geometries and under externally controlled forces. These geometries serve, for example, to model ion transport through narrow channels in cell membranes or a Brownian particle diffusing in an optical trap, now a paradigm for both theory and experiment. The work is exceptional in obtaining explicit analytically formulated answers to such realistic, experimentally relevant questions. At the same time, with its detailed exposition of the problems and a complete set of references, it presents a clear and broadly accessible introduction to the domain. Many of the problem settings and the corresponding exact asymptotic laws are completely new in diffusion theory.

This book describes fundamental physical principles, together with their mathematical formulations, for modelling the propagation of signals in nerve fibres. Above all, it focuses on the complex electro-mechano-thermal process that produces an ensemble of waves composed of several components, besides the action potential. These components include mechanical waves in the biomembrane and axoplasm, together with the temperature change. Pursuing a step-by-step approach, the content moves from physics and mathematics, to describing the physiological effects, and finally to modelling the coupling effects. The assumptions and hypotheses used for modelling, as well as selected helpful concepts from continuum mechanics, are systematically explained, and the modelling is illustrated using the outcomes of numerical simulation. The book is chiefly intended for researchers and graduate students, providing them with a detailed description of how to model the complex physiological processes in nerve fibres.

This book elaborates on the asymptotic behaviour, when N is large, of certain N-dimensional integrals which typically occur in random matrices, or in 1+1 dimensional quantum integrable models solvable by the quantum separation of variables. The introduction presents the underpinning motivations for this problem, a historical overview, and a summary of the strategy, which is applicable in greater generality. The core aims at proving an expansion up to o(1) for the logarithm of the partition function of the sinh-model. This is achieved by a combination of potential theory and large deviation theory so as to grasp the leading asymptotics described by an equilibrium measure, the Riemann-Hilbert approach to truncated Wiener-Hopf in order to analyse the equilibrium measure, the Schwinger-Dyson equations and the boostrap method to finally obtain an expansion of correlation functions and the one of the partition function. This book is addressed to researchers working in random matrices, statistical physics or integrable systems, or interested in recent developments of asymptotic analysis in those fields.

This thesis describes the stand-alone discovery and measurement of the Higgs boson in its decays to two W bosons using the Run-I ATLAS dataset. This is the most precise measurement of gluon-fusion Higgs boson production and is among the most significant results attained at the LHC. The thesis provides an exceptionally clear exposition on a complicated analysis performed by a large team of researchers. Aspects of the analysis performed by the author are explained in detail; these include new methods for evaluating uncertainties on the jet binning used in the analysis and for estimating the background due to associated production of a W boson and an off-shell photon. The thesis also describes a measurement of the WW cross section, an essential background to Higgs boson production. The primary motivation of the LHC was to prove or disprove the existence of the Higgs boson. In 2012, CERN announced this discovery and the resultant ATLAS publication contained three decay channels: gg, ZZ, and WW.

This thesis develops a nested sampling algorithm into a black box tool for directly calculating the partition function, and thus the complete phase diagram of a material, from the interatomic potential energy function. It represents a significant step forward in our ability to accurately describe the finite temperature properties of materials. In principle, the macroscopic phases of matter are related to the microscopic interactions of atoms by statistical mechanics and the partition function. In practice, direct calculation of the partition function has proved infeasible for realistic models of atomic interactions, even with modern atomistic simulation methods. The thesis also shows how the output of nested sampling calculations can be processed to calculate the complete PVT (pressure-volume-temperature) equation of state for a material, and applies the nested sampling algorithm to calculate the pressure-temperature phase diagrams of aluminium and a model binary alloy.

Describing non-equilibrium "cold" plasmas through a chemical physics approach, this book uses the state-to-state plasma kinetics, which considers each internal state as a new species with its own cross sections. Extended atomic and molecular master equations are coupled with Boltzmann and Monte Carlo methods to solve the electron energy distribution function. Selected examples in different applied fields, such as microelectronics, fusion, and aerospace, are presented and discussed including the self-consistent kinetics in RF parallel plate reactors, the optimization of negative ion sources and the expansion of high enthalpy flows through nozzles of different geometries.

The book will cover the main aspects of the state-to-state kinetic approach for the description of nonequilibrium cold plasmas, illustrating the more recent achievements in the development of kinetic models including the self-consistent coupling of master equations and Boltzmann equation for electron dynamics. To give a complete portrayal, the book will assess fundamental concepts and theoretical formulations, based on a unified methodological approach, and explore the insight in related scientific problems still opened for the research community.

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.

Thermal processes are ubiquitous and an understanding of thermal phenomena is essential for a complete description of the physics of nanoparticles, both for the purpose of modeling the dynamics of the particles and for the correct interpretation of experimental data. The second edition of this book follows the logic of first edition, with an emphasis on presentation of literature results and to guide the reader through derivations. Several topics have been added to the repertoire, notably magnetism, a fuller exposition of aggregation and the related area of nucleation theory. Also a new chapter has been added on the transient hot electron phenomenon. The book remains focused on the fundamental properties of nanosystems in the gas phase. Each chapter is enriched with additional new exercises and three Appendices provide additional useful material.

The focus of this thesis is the interplay of synchrony and adaptivity in complex networks. Synchronization is a ubiquitous phenomenon observed in different contexts in physics, chemistry, biology, neuroscience, medicine, socioeconomic systems, and engineering. Most prominently, synchronization takes place in the brain, where it is associated with cognitive capacities like learning and memory, but is also a characteristic of neurological diseases like Parkinson and epilepsy. Adaptivity is common in many networks in nature and technology, where the connectivity changes in time, i.e., the strength of the coupling is continuously adjusted depending upon the dynamic state of the system, for instance synaptic neuronal plasticity in the brain. This research contributes to a fundamental understanding of various synchronization patterns, including hierarchical multifrequency clusters, chimeras and other partial synchronization states. After a concise survey of the fundamentals of adaptive and complex dynamical networks and synaptic plasticity, in the first part of the thesis the existence and stability of cluster synchronization in globally coupled adaptive networks is discussed for simple paradigmatic phase oscillators as well as for a more realistic neuronal oscillator model with spike-timing dependent plasticity. In the second part of the thesis the interplay of adaptivity and connectivity is investigated for more complex network structures like nonlocally coupled rings, random networks, and multilayer systems. Besides presenting a plethora of novel, sometimes intriguing patterns of synchrony, the thesis makes a number of pioneering methodological advances, where rigorous mathematical proofs are given in the Appendices. These results are of interest not only from a fundamental point of view, but also with respect to challenging applications in neuroscience and technological systems.

The description of emerging collective phenomena and self-organization in systems composed of large numbers of individuals has gained increasing interest from various research communities in biology, ecology, robotics and control theory, as well as sociology and economics. Applied mathematics is concerned with the construction, analysis and interpretation of mathematical models that can shed light on significant problems of the natural sciences as well as our daily lives. To this set of problems belongs the description of the collective behaviours of complex systems composed by a large enough number of individuals. Examples of such systems are interacting agents in a financial market, potential voters during political elections, or groups of animals with a tendency to flock or herd. Among other possible approaches, this book provides a step-by-step introduction to the mathematical modelling based on a mesoscopic description and the construction of efficient simulation algorithms by Monte Carlo methods. The arguments of the book cover various applications, from the analysis of wealth distributions, the formation of opinions and choices, the price dynamics in a financial market, to the description of cell mutations and the swarming of birds and fishes. By means of methods inspired by the kinetic theory of rarefied gases, a robust approach to mathematical modelling and numerical simulation of multi-agent systems is presented in detail. The content is a useful reference text for applied mathematicians, physicists, biologists and economists who want to learn about modelling and approximation of such challenging phenomena.

This thesis discusses the random Euclidean bipartite matching problem, i.e., the matching problem between two different sets of points randomly generated on the Euclidean domain. The presence of both randomness and Euclidean constraints makes the study of the average properties of the solution highly relevant. The thesis reviews a number of known results about both matching problems and Euclidean matching problems. It then goes on to provide a complete and general solution for the one dimensional problem in the case of convex cost functionals and, moreover, discusses a potential approach to the average optimal matching cost and its finite size corrections in the quadratic case. The correlation functions of the optimal matching map in the thermodynamical limit are also analyzed. Lastly, using a functional approach, the thesis puts forward a general recipe for the computation of the correlation function of the optimal matching in any dimension and in a generic domain.

This book collects lecture courses and seminars given at the Les Houches Summer School 2010 on "Quantum Theory: From Small to Large Scales." Fundamental quantum phenomena appear on all scales, from microscopic to macroscopic. Some of the pertinent questions include the onset of decoherence, the dynamics of collective modes, the influence of external randomness and the emergence of dissipative behaviour. Our understanding of such phenomena has been advanced by the study of model systems and by the derivation and analysis of effective dynamics for large systems and over long times. In this field, research in mathematical physics has regularly contributed results that were recognized as essential in the physics community. During the last few years, the key questions have been sharpened and progress on answering them has been particularly strong. This book reviews the state-of-the-art developments in this field and provides the necessary background for future studies. All chapters are written from a pedagogical perspective, making the book accessible to master and PhD students and researchers willing to enter this field.

Unifying Themes in Complex Systems is a well-established series of carefully edited conference proceedings that serve to document and archive the progress made regarding cross-fertilization in this field. The International Conference on Complex Systems (ICCS) creates a unique atmosphere for scientists from all fields, engineers, physicians, executives, and a host of other professionals, allowing them to explore common themes and applications of complex systems science. With this new volume, Unifying Themes in Complex Systems continues to establish common ground between the wide-ranging domains of complex systems science.

In this book the dynamics of the non-ideal oscillatory system, in which the excitation is influenced by the response of the oscillator, is presented. Linear and nonlinear oscillators with one or more degrees of freedom interacting with one or more energy sources are treated. This concerns for example oscillating systems excited by a deformed elastic connection, systems excited by an unbalanced rotating mass, systems of parametrically excited oscillator and an energy source, frictionally self-excited oscillator and an energy source, energy harvesting system, portal frame - non-ideal source system, non-ideal rotor system, planar mechanism - non-ideal source interaction. For the systems the regular and irregular motions are tested. The effect of self-synchronization, chaos and methods for suppressing chaos in non-ideal systems are considered. In the book various types of motion control are suggested. The most important property of the non-ideal system connected with the jump-like transition from a resonant state to a non-resonant one is discussed. The so called 'Sommerfeld effect', resonant unstable state and jumping of the system into a new stable state of motion above the resonant region is explained. A mathematical model of the system is solved analytically and numerically. Approximate analytical solving procedures are developed. Besides, simulation of the motion of the non-ideal system is presented. The obtained results are compared with those for the ideal case. A significant difference is evident. The book aims to present the established results and to expand the literature in non-ideal vibrating systems. A further intention of the book is to give predictions of the effects for a system where the interaction between an oscillator and the energy source exist. The book is targeted at engineers and technicians dealing with the problem of source-machine system, but is also written for PhD students and researchers interested in non-linear and non-ideal problems.

Various experimental techniques have been advanced in recent years to measure non-equilibrium energy transformations on themicroscopic scale of single molecules. In general, the systems studied inthe correspondingexperiments are exposed to strong thermal fluctuations and thus the relevant energetic variables such as work and heat become stochastic.

This thesis addresses challenging theoretical problems in this active field of current research: 1) Exact analytical solutions of work and heat distributions for isothermal non-equilibrium processes in suitable models are obtained; 2) Corresponding solutions for cyclic processes involving two different heat reservoirs are found; 3) Optimization of periodic driving protocols for such cyclic processes with respect to maximal output power, efficiency and minimal power fluctuations is studied.

The exact solutions for work and heat distributionsprovide areference for theoretical investigations of more complicated models, giving insight into the structure of the tail of work distributions andserving asvaluable test cases for simulations of the underlying stochastic processes."

This textbook offers an advanced undergraduate or initial graduate level introduction to topics such as kinetic theory, equilibrium statistical mechanics and the theory of fluctuations from a modern perspective. The aim is to provide the reader with the necessary tools of probability theory and thermodynamics (especially the thermodynamic potentials) to enable subsequent study at advanced graduate level. At the same time, the book offers a bird's eye view on arguments that are often disregarded in the main curriculum courses. Further features include a focus on the interdisciplinary nature of the subject and in-depth discussion of alternative interpretations of the concept of entropy. While some familiarity with basic concepts of thermodynamics and probability theory is assumed, this does not extend beyond what is commonly obtained in basic undergraduate curriculum courses.

Focused on recent advances, this book covers theoretical foundations as well as various applications. It presents modern mathematical modeling approaches to the qualitative and numerical analysis of solutions for complex engineering problems in physics, mechanics, biochemistry, geophysics, biology and climatology. Contributions by an international team of respected authors bridge the gap between abstract mathematical approaches, such as applied methods of modern analysis, algebra, fundamental and computational mechanics, nonautonomous and stochastic dynamical systems on the one hand, and practical applications in nonlinear mechanics, optimization, decision making theory and control theory on the other. As such, the book will be of interest to mathematicians and engineers working at the interface of these fields.