This book gives the definitive mathematical answer to what thermodynamics really is: a variational calculus applied to probability distributions. Extending Gibbs's notion of ensemble, the Author imagines the ensemble of all possible probability distributions and assigns probabilities to them by selection rules that are fairly general. The calculus of the most probable distribution in the ensemble produces the entire network of mathematical relationships we recognize as thermodynamics. The first part of the book develops the theory for discrete and continuous distributions while the second part applies this thermodynamic calculus to problems in population balance theory and shows how the emergence of a giant component in aggregation, and the shattering transition in fragmentation may be treated as formal phase transitions. While the book is intended as a research monograph, the material is self-contained and the style sufficiently tutorial to be accessible for self-paced study by an advanced graduate student in such fields as physics, chemistry, and engineering.

- It provides a rigorous mathematical and physical basis to techniques that are often introduced on empirical basis - While the book covers a broad range of techniques, it starts at a basic theoretical level. This gives the book a strong foundation and makes it accessible to students from various backgrounds. - Has a computational focus unlike many competing titles

A certain curious feature of random objects, introduced by the author as "super concentration," and two related topics, "chaos" and "multiple valleys," are highlighted in this book. Although super concentration has established itself as a recognized feature in a number of areas of probability theory in the last twenty years (under a variety of names), the author was the first to discover and explore its connections with chaos and multiple valleys. He achieves a substantial degree of simplification and clarity in the presentation of these findings by using the spectral approach.

Understanding the fluctuations of random objects is one of the major goals of probability theory and a whole subfield of probability and analysis, called concentration of measure, is devoted to understanding these fluctuations. This subfield offers a range of tools for computing upper bounds on the orders of fluctuations of very complicated random variables. Usually, concentration of measure is useful when more direct problem-specific approaches fail; as a result, it has massively gained acceptance over the last forty years. And yet, there is a large class of problems in which classical concentration of measure produces suboptimal bounds on the order of fluctuations. Here lies the substantial contribution of this book, which developed from a set of six lectures the author first held at the Cornell Probability Summer School in July 2012.

The book is interspersed with a sizable number of open problems for professional mathematicians as well as exercises for graduate students working in the fields of probability theory and mathematical physics. The material is accessible to anyone who has attended a graduate course in probability.

Authored by a well-known expert in the field of nonequilibrium statistical physics, this book is a coherent presentation of the subject suitable for masters and PhD students, as well as postdocs in physics and related disciplines.
Starting from a general discussion of irreversibility and entropy, the method of nonequilibrium statistical operator is presented as a general concept. Stochastic processes are introduced as a necessary prerequisite to describe the evolution of a nonequilibrium state. Different standard approaches such as master equations, kinetic equations and linear response theory, are derived after special assumptions. This allows for an insight into the problems of nonequilibrium physics, a discussion of the limits of the approaches, and suggestions for improvements. The method of thermodynamic Green's function is outlined that allows for the systematic quantum statistical treatment of many-body systems. Applications and typical examples are given, as well as fully worked problems.

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.

This book is devoted to the problems of oxidation chemical reactions and addresses bimodal reaction sequences. Chemical reactions of oxidation, occurring under certain conditions and in multicomponent systems are complex processes. The process of the oxidation essentially changes in the presence and contact of the solid substances with reactants. The role of solid substances and the appearance of this phenomenon in oxidation reaction are discussed. The reader will understand the "driving forces" of this phenomenon and apply it in practice. Written for chemists, physicists, biologists and engineers working in the domain of oxidation reactions. Key Selling Features: Covers the historical background, modern state of the art, and perspectives in investigations of the coupling between heterogeneous and homogeneous reactions Discusses the feasible pathways of the coupling of heterogeneous and homogeneous reactions in oxidation in man-made and natural chemical systems Addresses the abundance, peculiarities and mechanisms of the bimodal reaction sequences in oxidation with dioxygen in recent decades Discusses the existence of the bimodal reaction sequences in chemical systems investigations in atmospheric chemistry and heterogeneous photocatalysis Presented in a simple concise style, accessible for both specialists and non-specialists

The thesis deals with averaging dynamics in a multiagent networked system, which is a main mechanism for diffusing the information over such networks. It arises in a wide range of applications in engineered physical networks (such as mobile communication and sensor networks), as well as social and economic networks. The thesis provides in depth study of stability and other phenomena characterizing the limiting behavior of both deterministic and random averaging dynamics. By developing new concepts, and using the tools from dynamic system theory and non-negative matrix theory, several novel fundamental results are rigorously developed. These contribute significantly to our understanding of averaging dynamics as well as to non-negative random matrix theory. The exposition, although highly rigorous and technical, is elegant and insightful, and accompanied with numerous illustrative examples, which makes this thesis work easily accessible to those just entering this field and will also be much appreciated by experts in the field.

Generally, spontaneous pattern formation phenomena are random and repetitive, whereas elaborate devices are the deterministic product of human design.
Yet, biological organisms and collective insect constructions are exceptional examples of complex systems that are both self-organized and architectural.
This book is the first initiative of its kind toward establishing a new field of research, Morphogenetic Engineering, to explore the modeling and implementation of self-architecturing systems. Particular emphasis is placed on the programmability and computational abilities of self-organization, properties that are often underappreciated in complex systems science while, conversely, the benefits of self-organization are often underappreciated in engineering methodologies.
Altogether, the aim of this work is to provide a framework for and examples of a larger class of self-architecturing systems, while addressing fundamental questions such as
> How do biological organisms carry out morphogenetic tasks so reliably?
> Can we extrapolate their self-formation capabilities to engineered systems?
> Can physical systems be endowed with information (or informational systems be embedded in physics) so as to create autonomous morphologies and functions?
> What are the core principles and best practices for the design and engineering of such morphogenetic systems?
The intended audience consists of researchers and graduate students who are working on, starting to work on, or interested in programmable self-organizing systems in a wide range of scientific fields, including computer science, robotics, bioengineering, control engineering, physics, theoretical biology, mathematics, and many others.

We know very little about the time-evolution of many-particle dynamical systems, the subject of our book. Even the 3-body problem has no explicit solution (we cannot solve the corresponding system of differential equations, and computer simulation indicates hopelessly chaotic behaviour). For example, what can we say about the typical time evolution of a large system starting from a stage far from equilibrium? What happens in a realistic time scale? The reader's first reaction is probably: What about the famous Second Law (of thermodynamics)?Unfortunately, there are plenty of notorious mathematical problems surrounding the Second Law. (1) How to rigorously define entropy? How to convert the well known intuitions (like 'disorder' and 'energy spreading') into precise mathematical definitions? (2) How to express the Second Law in forms of a rigorous mathematical theorem? (3) The Second Law is a 'soft' qualitative statement about entropy increase, but does not say anything about the necessary time to reach equilibrium.The object of this book is to answer questions (1)-(2)-(3). We rigorously prove a Time-Quantitative Second Law that works on a realistic time scale. As a by product, we clarify the Loschmidt-paradox and the related reversibility/irreversibility paradox.

This book presents four survey articles on various aspects of open quantum systems, specifically addressing quantum Markovian processes, Feller semigroups and nonequilibrium dynamics. The contributions are based on lectures given by distinguished experts at a summer school in Goettingen, Germany. Starting from basic notions, the authors of these lecture notes accompany the reader on a journey up to the latest research, highlighting new challenges and addressing unsolved problems at the interface between mathematics and physics. Though the book is primarily addressed to graduate students, it will also be of interest to researchers.

These lecture notes cover Statistical Mechanics at the level of advanced undergraduates or postgraduates. After a review of thermodynamics, statistical ensembles are introduced, then applied to ideal gases, including degenerate gases of bosons and fermions, followed by a treatment of systems with interaction, of real gases, and of stochastic processes.The book offers a comprehensive and detailed, as well as self-contained, account of material that can and has been covered in a one-semester course for students with a basic understanding of thermodynamics and a solid background in classical mechanics.

Mathematical Physics for Nuclear Experiments presents an accessible introduction to the mathematical derivations of key equations used in describing and analysing results of typical nuclear physics experiments. Instead of merely showing results and citing texts, crucial equations in nuclear physics such as the Bohr's classical formula, Bethe's quantum mechanical formula for energy loss, Poisson, Gaussian and Maxwellian distributions for radioactive decay, and the Fermi function for beta spectrum analysis, among many more, are presented with the mathematical bases of their derivation and with their physical utility. This approach provides readers with a greater connection between the theoretical and experimental sides of nuclear physics. The book also presents connections between well-established results and ongoing research. It also contains figures and tables showing results from the author's experiments and those of his students to demonstrate experimental outcomes. This is a valuable guide for advanced undergraduates and early graduates studying nuclear instruments and methods, medical and health physics courses as well as experimental particle physics courses. Key features Contains over 500 equations connecting theory with experiments. Presents over 80 examples showing physical intuition and illustrating concepts. Includes 80 exercises, with solutions, showing applications in nuclear and medical physics.

This book offers an informal, easy-to-understand account of topics in modern physics and mathematics. The focus is, in particular, on statistical mechanics, soft matter, probability, chaos, complexity, and models, as well as their interplay. The book features 28 key entries and it is carefully structured so as to allow readers to pursue different paths that reflect their interests and priorities, thereby avoiding an excessively systematic presentation that might stifle interest. While the majority of the entries concern specific topics and arguments, some relate to important protagonists of science, highlighting and explaining their contributions. Advanced mathematics is avoided, and formulas are introduced in only a few cases. The book is a user-friendly tool that nevertheless avoids scientific compromise. It is of interest to all who seek a better grasp of the world that surrounds us and of the ideas that have changed our perceptions.

The book systematically presents the theories of pseudo-differential operators with symbols singular in dual variables, fractional order derivatives, distributed and variable order fractional derivatives, random walk approximants, and applications of these theories to various initial and multi-point boundary value problems for pseudo-differential equations. Fractional Fokker-Planck-Kolmogorov equations associated with a large class of stochastic processes are presented. A complex version of the theory of pseudo-differential operators with meromorphic symbols based on the recently introduced complex Fourier transform is developed and applied for initial and boundary value problems for systems of complex differential and pseudo-differential equations.

Mathematical Physics for Nuclear Experiments presents an accessible introduction to the mathematical derivations of key equations used in describing and analysing results of typical nuclear physics experiments. Instead of merely showing results and citing texts, crucial equations in nuclear physics such as the Bohr's classical formula, Bethe's quantum mechanical formula for energy loss, Poisson, Gaussian and Maxwellian distributions for radioactive decay, and the Fermi function for beta spectrum analysis, among many more, are presented with the mathematical bases of their derivation and with their physical utility. This approach provides readers with a greater connection between the theoretical and experimental sides of nuclear physics. The book also presents connections between well-established results and ongoing research. It also contains figures and tables showing results from the author's experiments and those of his students to demonstrate experimental outcomes. This is a valuable guide for advanced undergraduates and early graduates studying nuclear instruments and methods, medical and health physics courses as well as experimental particle physics courses. Key features Contains over 500 equations connecting theory with experiments. Presents over 80 examples showing physical intuition and illustrating concepts. Includes 80 exercises, with solutions, showing applications in nuclear and medical physics.

- A brief and accessible introduction to a complex topic - Contains a thorough treatment of the motions of heavenly bodies than conventional elementary mechanics texts. - Provides a wealth of end-of-chapter exercises to test understanding

This textbook provides an accessible introduction to various energy transformation technologies and their influences on the environment. Here the energy transformation is understood as any physical process induced by humans, in which energy is intentionally transformed from one form to another. This book provides an accessible introduction to the subject: covering the theory, principles of design, operation, and efficiency of the systems in addition to discerning concepts such as energy, entropy, exergy, efficiency, and sustainability. It is not assumed that readers have any previous exposure to such concepts as laws of thermodynamics, entropy, exergy, fluid mechanics or heat transfer, and is therefore an ideal textbook for advanced undergraduate students. Key features: Represents a complete source of information on sustainable energy transformation systems and their externalities. Includes all existing and major emerging technologies in the field. Chapters include numerous examples and problems for further learning opportunities.

This textbook provides an accessible introduction to various energy transformation technologies and their influences on the environment. Here the energy transformation is understood as any physical process induced by humans, in which energy is intentionally transformed from one form to another. This book provides an accessible introduction to the subject: covering the theory, principles of design, operation, and efficiency of the systems in addition to discerning concepts such as energy, entropy, exergy, efficiency, and sustainability. It is not assumed that readers have any previous exposure to such concepts as laws of thermodynamics, entropy, exergy, fluid mechanics or heat transfer, and is therefore an ideal textbook for advanced undergraduate students. Key features: Represents a complete source of information on sustainable energy transformation systems and their externalities. Includes all existing and major emerging technologies in the field. Chapters include numerous examples and problems for further learning opportunities.

* Explores concepts common in textbooks on semiconductors, in addition to topics not included in similar books currently available on the market, such as the topology of Hilbert space in crystals * Contains the latest research and developments in the field * Written in an accessible yet rigorous manner

Presents a clear path to developing quantitative multi-phase and multi-component phase field models for solidification and other phase transformation kinetics based on practical grand potential functional Derives explicitly and discusses the quantitative nature of the model formulations through matched interface asymptotic analysis Explores a framework for quantitative treatment of rapid solidification to control solute trapping and solute drag dynamics

Discusses advances in the computation of phase diagrams Offers expanded treatment of eutectic solidification with practical examples and new coverage of ternary phase diagrams, covering the concepts of orthoequilibrium and paraequilibrium Updates discussion of bainite transformation to reflect current opinions Includes new case studies covering grain refiners in aluminium alloys, additive manufacturing, thin film growth, important aerospace Al-Li alloys, and quenched and partitioned steels, and metastable austenitic stainless steels. Each chapter now begins with a list of key concepts, includes simpler illustrative exercises with relevance to real practical applications, and references to scientific publications updated to reflect experimental and computational advances in metallurgy

These lecture notes cover Statistical Mechanics at the level of advanced undergraduates or postgraduates. After a review of thermodynamics, statistical ensembles are introduced, then applied to ideal gases, including degenerate gases of bosons and fermions, followed by a treatment of systems with interaction, of real gases, and of stochastic processes.The book offers a comprehensive and detailed, as well as self-contained, account of material that can and has been covered in a one-semester course for students with a basic understanding of thermodynamics and a solid background in classical mechanics.

This book provides an introductory albeit solid presentation of path integration techniques as applied to the field of stochastic processes. The subject began with the work of Wiener during the 1920's, corresponding to a sum over random trajectories, anticipating by two decades Feynman's famous work on the path integral representation of quantum mechanics. However, the true trigger for the application of these techniques within nonequilibrium statistical mechanics and stochastic processes was the work of Onsager and Machlup in the early 1950's. The last quarter of the 20th century has witnessed a growing interest in this technique and its application in several branches of research, even outside physics (for instance, in economy).The aim of this book is to offer a brief but complete presentation of the path integral approach to stochastic processes. It could be used as an advanced textbook for graduate students and even ambitious undergraduates in physics. It describes how to apply these techniques for both Markov and non-Markov processes. The path expansion (or semiclassical approximation) is discussed and adapted to the stochastic context. Also, some examples of nonlinear transformations and some applications are discussed, as well as examples of rather unusual applications. An extensive bibliography is included. The book is detailed enough to capture the interest of the curious reader, and complete enough to provide a solid background to explore the research literature and start exploiting the learned material in real situations. remove

This book provides an inter-disciplinary introduction to the theory of random fields and its applications. Spatial models and spatial data analysis are integral parts of many scientific and engineering disciplines. Random fields provide a general theoretical framework for the development of spatial models and their applications in data analysis. The contents of the book include topics from classical statistics and random field theory (regression models, Gaussian random fields, stationarity, correlation functions) spatial statistics (variogram estimation, model inference, kriging-based prediction) and statistical physics (fractals, Ising model, simulated annealing, maximum entropy, functional integral representations, perturbation and variational methods). The book also explores links between random fields, Gaussian processes and neural networks used in machine learning. Connections with applied mathematics are highlighted by means of models based on stochastic partial differential equations. An interlude on autoregressive time series provides useful lower-dimensional analogies and a connection with the classical linear harmonic oscillator. Other chapters focus on non-Gaussian random fields and stochastic simulation methods. The book also presents results based on the author's research on Spartan random fields that were inspired by statistical field theories originating in physics. The equivalence of the one-dimensional Spartan random field model with the classical, linear, damped harmonic oscillator driven by white noise is highlighted. Ideas with potentially significant computational gains for the processing of big spatial data are presented and discussed. The final chapter concludes with a description of the Karhunen-Loeve expansion of the Spartan model. The book will appeal to engineers, physicists, and geoscientists whose research involves spatial models or spatial data analysis. Anyone with background in probability and statistics can read at least parts of the book. Some chapters will be easier to understand by readers familiar with differential equations and Fourier transforms.