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.

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.

Capitalism is under attack. Defenders say that capitalism has raised billions of people from poverty. But a central activity of capitalism today, Wall Street style, is speculation (gambling), using other people's money, and privatizing the profits while socializing the debts. Skeptics argue that capitalism has redistributed the wealth of the planet in favor of a very few, meanwhile leaving the planet in bad shape and leaving billions of people out in the cold. Wealth is now extremely mal-distributed, opportunity is far from equal, and upward social mobility has declined significantly in recent decades. This book reviews the evidence and arguments pro and con in considerable detail. The evidence is mixed. The main virtue of capitalism is its emphasis on competition as a driver of innovation and, thus, of economic growth. It is true that economic growth has accelerated in recent centuries, and it is true that billions of people have been lifted from poverty. But it is not necessarily true that intense "winner take all" competition in the marketplace is the explanation for growth. Neoclassical economic theory posits that self-interest is the primary motive for all economic decisions, leaving little room for cooperation and even less for altruism. The theory applies to an unrealistic "model" of human behavior, known as Homo economicus or "economic man", whose characteristic activity is buying or selling. The reason for using the adjective word "social" - as in socialism" or "social service" or "social democracy" -- is, essentially, to deny those postulates of standard economic theory. Real humans are not rational utility maximizers (whatever that is) and very often do things that are not in their own personal best interests. This can happen because other interests, such as family loyalty, professional, religious, or patriotic duty, may take precedence. Real people rarely behave like Homo economicus, who has rivals but no friends. He (or she) does not trust anyone, hence cannot cooperate with others, and can never create, or live in, a viable social system (or marriage). Yet social systems, ranging from families and tribes to firms, cities, and nations do (and must) exist or civilization cannot exist. A viable social system must not allow "winner takes all". It must reallocate some of the societal wealth being created by competitive activities to support the young, the old and the weak, because all of those people have equal rights, if not the same luck or the same skills. Both competition and cooperation have important roles to play. A hybrid capitalism involving both is the only viable solution. The book ends with a specific suggestion, namely Universal Basic Income, or UBI.

Rational extended thermodynamics (RET) is the theory that is applicable to nonequilibrium phenomena out of local equilibrium. It is expressed by the hyperbolic system of field equations with local constitutive equations and is strictly related to the kinetic theory with the closure method of the hierarchies of moment equations. The book intends to present, in a systematic way, new results obtained by RET of gases in both classical and relativistic cases, and it is a natural continuation of the book "Rational Extended Thermodynamics beyond the Monatomic Gas" by the same authors published in 2015. However, this book addresses much wider topics than those of the previous book. Its contents are as follows: RET of rarefied monatomic gases and of polyatomic gases; a simplified RET theory with 6 fields being valid far from equilibrium; RET where both molecular rotational and vibrational modes exist; mixture of gases with multi-temperature. The theory is applied to several typical topics (sound waves, shock waves, etc.) and is compared with experimental data. From a mathematical point of view, RET can be regarded as a theory of hyperbolic symmetric systems, of which it is possible to conduct a qualitative analysis. The book represents a valuable resource for applied mathematicians, physicists, and engineers, offering powerful models for many potential applications such as reentering satellites into the atmosphere, semiconductors, and nanoscale phenomena.

Statistical mechanics attempts to explain the behaviour of macroscopic physical systems in terms of the mechanical properties of their constituents. Although it is one of the fundamental theories of physics, it has received little attention from philosophers of science. Nevertheless, it raises philosophical questions of fundamental importance on the nature of time, chance and reduction. Most philosophical issues in this domain relate to the question of the reduction of thermodynamics to statistical mechanics. This book addresses issues inherent in this reduction: the time-asymmetry of thermodynamics and its absence in statistical mechanics; the role and essential nature of chance and probability in this reduction when thermodynamics is non-probabilistic; and how, if at all, the reduction is possible. Compiling contributions on current research by experts in the field, this is an invaluable survey of the philosophy of statistical mechanics for academic researchers and graduate students interested in the foundations of physics.

The interplay between synchronization and spatio-temporal pattern formation is central for a broad variety of phenomena in nature, such as the coordinated contraction of heart tissue, associative memory and learning in neural networks, and pathological synchronization during Parkinson disease or epilepsy. In this thesis, three open puzzles of fundametal research in Nonlinear Dynamics are tackled: How does spatial confinement affect the dynamics of three-dimensional vortex rings? What role do permutation symmetries play in the spreading of excitation waves on networks? Does the spiral wave chimera state really exist? All investigations combine a theoretical approach and experimental verification, which exploit an oscillatory chemical reaction. A novel experimental setup is developed that allows for studying networks with N > 1000 neuromorphic relaxation oscillators. It facilitates the free choice of network topology, coupling function as well as its strength, range and time delay, which can even be chosen as time-dependent. These experimental capabilities open the door to a broad range of future experimental inquiries into pattern formation and synchronization on large networks, which were previously out of reach.

The sixth edition of this highly successful textbook provides a detailed introduction to Monte Carlo simulation in statistical physics, which deals with the computer simulation of many-body systems in condensed matter physics and related fields of physics and beyond (traffic flows, stock market fluctuations, etc.). Using random numbers generated by a computer, these powerful simulation methods calculate probability distributions, making it possible to estimate the thermodynamic properties of various systems. The book describes the theoretical background of these methods, enabling newcomers to perform such simulations and to analyse their results. It features a modular structure, with two chapters providing a basic pedagogic introduction plus exercises suitable for university courses; the remaining chapters cover major recent developments in the field. This edition has been updated with two new chapters dealing with recently developed powerful special algorithms and with finite size scaling tools for the study of interfacial phenomena, which are important for nanoscience. Previous editions have been highly praised and widely used by both students and advanced researchers.

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.

The subject of compressible flow or gas dynamics deals with the thermo-fluid dynamic problems of gases and vapours, hence it is now an important part of both undergraduate and postgraduate curricula. Compressible Flow covers this subject in fourteen well organised chapters in a lucid style. A large mass of theoretical material and equations has been supported by a number of figures and graphical depictions. Moreover, the revised edition has an additional chapter on miscellaneous problems in compressible flow (gas dynamics)which has been designed to support the turorials, practice exercises and examinations. Problems have been specially chosen for students and engineers in the areas of aerospace, chemical, gas and mechanical engineering. Also the author's broad teaching experience is reflected in the clarity, and systematic and logical presentation of the book.

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.

This book is the seventh volume of review chapters on advanced problems of phase transitions and critical phenomena, the former six volumes appeared in 2004, 2007, 2012, 2015, 2018, and 2020. The aim of the book is to provide reviews in those aspects of criticality and related subjects that are currently attracting much attention due to essential new contributions.The book consists of five chapters. They discuss criticality of complex systems, where the new, emergent properties appear via collective behaviour of simple elements as well as historical aspects of studies in the field of critical phenomena. Since all complex systems involve cooperative behaviour between many interconnected components, the field of phase transitions and critical phenomena provides a very natural conceptual and methodological framework for their study.As the first six volumes, this book is based on the review lectures that were given in Lviv (Ukraine) at the 'Ising lectures' - a traditional annual workshop on complex systems, phase transitions and critical phenomena which aims to bring together experts in these fields with university students and those who are interested in the subject.

This book presents select, recent developments in nonlinear and complex systems reported at the 1st Online Conference on Nonlinear Dynamics and Complexity, held on November 23-25, 2020. It provides an exchange recent developments, discoveries, and progresses in Nonlinear Dynamics and Complexity. The collection presents fundamental and frontier theories and techniques for modern science and technology, stimulates more research interest for exploration of nonlinear science and complexity; and passes along new knowledge and insight to the next generation of engineers and technologists in a range of fields.

Model integration - the process by which different modelling efforts can be brought together to simulate the target system - is a core technology in the field of Systems Biology. In the work presented here model integration was addressed directly taking cancer systems as an example. An in-depth literature review was carried out to survey the model forms and types currently being utilised. This was used to formalise the main challenges that model integration poses, namely that of paradigm (the formalism on which a model is based), focus (the real-world system the model represents) and scale.

A two-tier model integration strategy, including a knowledge-driven approach to address model semantics, was developed to tackle these challenges. In the first step a novel description of models at the level of behaviour, rather than the precise mathematical or computational basis of the model, is developed by distilling a set of abstract classes and properties. These can accurately describe model behaviour and hence describe focus in a way that can be integrated with behavioural descriptions of other models. In the second step this behaviour is decomposed into an agent-based system by translating the models into local interaction rules.

The book provides a detailed and highly integrated presentation of the method, encompassing both its novel theoretical and practical aspects, which will enable the reader to practically apply it to their model integration needs in academic research and professional settings. The text is self-supporting. It also includes an in-depth current bibliography to relevant research papers and literature. The review of the current state of the art in tumour modelling provides added value.

- Focuses on a very physical and specific understanding of how humans measure and interpret the measurements of the quantity of time, unlike existing books which explore qualitative, speculative theories currently entertained in physics and philosophy.

- Focuses on a very physical and specific understanding of how humans measure and interpret the measurements of the quantity of time, unlike existing books which explore qualitative, speculative theories currently entertained in physics and philosophy.

This monograph focuses on the science of combustion, exploring its technological, social, and philosophical aspects. Presented here is a systematic overview of the field, with up-to-date treatments of topics of central importance: diffusion flames, deflagrations, detonations, flammability, and explosions. Special emphasis is given to turbulent combustion so that the many different approaches to this multifaceted subject can be exposed and categorized in a systematic manner. The author offers his projections for future developments, including identification of outstanding research areas. This book is a concise and penetrating overview of the field of combustion history and research, and will be of interest to motivated non-specialists interested in more than a facile exploration of the subject.

Deeply rooted in fundamental research in Mathematics and Computer Science, Cellular Automata (CA) are recognized as an intuitive modeling paradigm for Complex Systems. Already very basic CA, with extremely simple micro dynamics such as the Game of Life, show an almost endless display of complex emergent behavior. Conversely, CA can also be designed to produce a desired emergent behavior, using either theoretical methodologies or evolutionary techniques. Meanwhile, beyond the original realm of applications - Physics, Computer Science, and Mathematics - CA have also become work horses in very different disciplines such as epidemiology, immunology, sociology, and finance. In this context of fast and impressive progress, spurred further by the enormous attraction these topics have on students, this book emerges as a welcome overview of the field for its practitioners, as well as a good starting point for detailed study on the graduate and post-graduate level. The book contains three parts, two major parts on theory and applications, and a smaller part on software. The theory part contains fundamental chapters on how to design and/or apply CA for many different areas. In the applications part a number of representative examples of really using CA in a broad range of disciplines is provided - this part will give the reader a good idea of the real strength of this kind of modeling as well as the incentive to apply CA in their own field of study. Finally, we included a smaller section on software, to highlight the important work that has been done to create high quality problem solving environments that allow to quickly and relatively easily implement a CA model and run simulations, both on the desktop and if needed, on High Performance Computing infrastructures.

While statistical mechanics describe the equilibrium state of systems with many degrees of freedom, and dynamical systems explain the irregular evolution of systems with few degrees of freedom, new tools are needed to study the evolution of systems with many degrees of freedom. This book presents the basic aspects of chaotic systems, with emphasis on systems composed by huge numbers of particles. Firstly, the basic concepts of chaotic dynamics are introduced, moving on to explore the role of ergodicity and chaos for the validity of statistical laws, and ending with problems characterized by the presence of more than one significant scale. Also discussed is the relevance of many degrees of freedom, coarse graining procedure, and instability mechanisms in justifying a statistical description of macroscopic bodies. Introducing the tools to characterize the non asymptotic behaviors of chaotic systems, this text will interest researchers and graduate students in statistical mechanics and chaos.

This book describes various forms of solar energy conversion techniques in a unified way. The physical framework used to describe the various conversions is endoreversible thermodynamics, a recently developed subset of irreversible thermodynamics . It thus studies situations which are not in equilibrium and in which therefore entropy is continuously created. Nevertheless the mathematics is simple, because the authors consider only stationary situations. Most undergraduate textbooks on thermodynamics emphasize equilibrium thermodynamics and reversible processes. No entropy is created and conversion efficiencies are maximal, equal to the Carnot efficiency. For irreversible conversion processes, the reader learns only that entropy production is positive and that conversion efficiency is lower than the Carnot efficiency. But how great the entropy creation is, and how low the efficiency, is usually not expressed. Endoreversible thermodynamics gives the opportunity to calculate explicit values for a broad class of these processes, including solar energy conversion, which is particularly suited to being described in this way. The book is intended for physicists and engineers interested in renewable energy and irreversible thermodynamics.

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.

This book presents the state of the art on thermophysical and thermochemical properties, fabrication methodologies, irradiation behaviours, fuel reprocessing procedures, and aspects of waste management for oxide fuels in general and for thoria-based fuels in particular.The book covers all the essential features involved in the development of and working with nuclear technology. With the help of key databases, many of which were created by the authors, information is presented in the form of tables, figures, schematic diagrams and flow sheets, and photographs. This information will be useful for scientists and engineers working in the nuclear field, particularly for design and simulation, and for establishing the technology. One special feature is the inclusion of the latest information on thoria-based fuels, especially on the use of thorium in power generation, as it has less proliferation potential for nuclear weapons. Given its natural abundance, thorium offers a future alternative to uranium fuels in nuclear technology. In closing, the latest information on conventional uranium and plutonium fuels is also provided."

In recent years, the study of neutron stars and black holes has become increasingly important, and rigorous mathematical analysis needs to be applied in order to understand their basic physics. This book treats the classical problem of gravitational physics within Einstein's theory of general relativity. It presents basic principles and equations needed to describe rotating fluid bodies, as well as black holes in equilibrium. It then goes on to deal with a number of analytically tractable limiting cases, placing particular emphasis on the rigidly rotating disc of dust. The book concludes by considering the general case using powerful numerical methods that are applied to various models, including the classical example of equilibrium figures of constant density. Researchers in general relativity, mathematical physics, and astrophysics will find this a valuable reference book on the topic. A related website containing codes for calculating various figures of equilibrium is available at www.cambridge.org/9780521863834.

The book focuses on the study of the temporal behavior of complex many-particle systems. The phenomenon of time and its role in the temporal evolution of complex systems is a remaining mystery. The book presents the necessity of the interdisciplinary point of view regarding on the phenomenon of time.The aim of the present study is to summarize and formulate in a concise but clear form the trends and approaches to the concept of time from a broad interdisciplinary perspective exposing tersely the complementary approaches and theories of time in the context of thermodynamics, statistical physics, cosmology, theory of information, biology and biophysics, including the problem of time and aging. Various approaches to the problem show that time is an extraordinarily interdisciplinary and multifaceted underlying notion which plays an extremely important role in various natural complex processes.

Handbook for Transversely Finned Tubes Heat Exchangers Design contains detailed experimental data, correlations, and design methods for designing and improving the performance of finned tube heat exchangers. It covers the three main types, circular finned, square finned, and helical finned tube bundles. Based on extensive experimental studies and tested at leading design and research institutions, this handbook provides an extensive set of materials for calculating and designing convective surfaces from transversely finned tubes, with a particular emphasis on power plant applications.