This book provides a comprehensive review of the theory of phase transitions and its modern applications, based on the five pillars of the modern theory of phase transitions: the Ising model, mean field, scaling, renormalization group and universality. This expanded second edition includes, along with a description of vortices and high temperature superconductivity, a discussion of phase transitions in chemical reactions and moving systems. The book covers the close connection between phase transitions and small world phenomena as well as scale-free systems such as the stock market and the Internet.

Illustrating the development of Brownian ratchets, from their foundations, to their role in the description of life at the molecular scale and in the design of artificial nano-machinery, this text will appeal to both advanced graduates and researchers entering the field. Providing a self-contained introduction to Brownian ratchets, devices which rectify microscopic fluctuations, Part I avoids technicalities and sets out the broad range of physical systems where the concept of ratchets is relevant. Part II supplies a single source for a complete and modern theoretical analysis of ratchets in regimes such as classical vs quantum and stochastic vs deterministic, and in Part III readers are guided through experimental developments in different physical systems, each highlighting a specific unique feature of ratchets. The thorough and systematic approach to the topic ensures that this book provides a complete guide to Brownian ratchets for newcomers and established researchers in physics, biology and biochemistry.

This book presents both the fundamentals and the major research topics in statistical physics of systems out of equilibrium. It summarizes different approaches to describe such systems on the thermodynamic and stochastic levels, and discusses a variety of areas including reactions, anomalous kinetics, and the behavior of self-propelling particles.

Path following in combination with boundary value problem solvers has emerged as a continuing and strong influence in the development of dynamical systems theory and its application. It is widely acknowledged that the software package AUTO - developed by Eusebius J. Doedel about thirty years ago and further expanded and developed ever since - plays a central role in the brief history of numerical continuation. This book has been compiled on the occasion of Sebius Doedel's 60th birthday. Bringing together for the first time a large amount of material in a single, accessible source, it is hoped that the book will become the natural entry point for researchers in diverse disciplines who wish to learn what numerical continuation techniques can achieve. The book opens with a foreword by Herbert B. Keller and lecture notes by Sebius Doedel himself that introduce the basic concepts of numerical bifurcation analysis. The other chapters by leading experts discuss continuation for various types of systems and objects and showcase examples of how numerical bifurcation analysis can be used in concrete applications. Topics that are treated include: interactive continuation tools, higher-dimensional continuation, the computation of invariant manifolds, and continuation techniques for slow-fast systems, for symmetric Hamiltonian systems, for spatially extended systems and for systems with delay. Three chapters review physical applications: the dynamics of a SQUID, global bifurcations in laser systems, and dynamics and bifurcations in electronic circuits.

This open access book describes the theory of transformation thermotics and its extended theories for the active control of macroscopic thermal phenomena of artificial systems, which is in sharp contrast to classical thermodynamics comprising the four thermodynamic laws for the passive description of macroscopic thermal phenomena of natural systems. This monograph consists of two parts, i.e., inside and outside metamaterials, and covers the basic concepts and mathematical methods, which are necessary to understand the thermal problems extensively investigated in physics, but also in other disciplines of engineering and materials. The analyses rely on models solved by analytical techniques accompanied by computer simulations and laboratory experiments. This monograph can not only be a bridge linking three first-class disciplines, i.e., physics, thermophysics, and materials science, but also contribute to interdisciplinary development.

Flocks of birds, schools of fish and swarms of locusts display amazing forms of collective motion, while huge numbers of glow worms can emit light signals with almost unbelievable synchronization. These and many other collective phenomena in animal societies take place according to laws very similar to those governing the collective behavior in the inanimate nature, such as the magnetization of iron and the light radiation of lasers. During recent years, this has led to the study of swarm behavior as a challenging new field of science, in which ideas from the physical world are applied in order to understand the formation and structure of animal swarms. From these studies, it has become clear that such collective behavior of animals emerges in a self-organized way, without any need of overall coordination. In this book, we present different swarm phenomena of the animal world and compare them to their counterparts in physics, in a conceptual and non-technical way, addressed to a general readership.

This latest edition enhances the material of the first edition with a derivation of the value of the action for each of the Harrington-Shepard calorons/anticalorons that are relevant for the emergence of the thermal ground state. Also included are discussions of the caloron center versus its periphery, the role of the thermal ground state in U(1) wave propagation, photonic particle-wave duality, and calculational intricacies and book-keeping related to one-loop scattering of massless modes in the deconfining phase of an SU(2) Yang-Mills theory. Moreover, a derivation of the temperature-redshift relation of the CMB in deconfining SU(2) Yang-Mills thermodynamics and its application to explaining an apparent early re-ionization of the Universe are given. Finally, a mechanism of mass generation for cosmic neutrinos is proposed.

This book focuses on Creep in Ceramics. The book consists of two parts. In part A general knowledge of creep in ceramics is considered, while part B specifies creep in technologically important ceramics, namely creep in oxide ceramics, carnides and nitrides. While covering all relevant information regarding raw materials and characterization of creep in ceramics, the book also summarizes most recent innovations and developments in this field as a result of extensive literature search.

This invaluable book provides a broad introduction to a rapidly growing area of nonequilibrium statistical physics. The first part of the book complements the classical book on the Langevin and Fokker-Planck equations (H. Risken, The Fokker-Planck Equation: Methods of Solution and Applications (Springer, 1996)). Some topics and methods of solutions are presented and discussed in details which are not described in Risken's book, such as the method of similarity solution, the method of characteristics, transformation of diffusion processes into the Wiener process in different prescriptions, harmonic noise and relativistic Brownian motion. Connection between the Langevin equation and Tsallis distribution is also discussed.Due to the growing interest in the research on the generalized Langevin equations, several of them are presented. They are described with some details.Recent research on the integro-differential Fokker-Planck equation derived from the continuous time random walk model shows that the topic has several aspects to be explored. This equation is worked analytically for the linear force and the generic waiting time probability distribution function. Moreover, generalized Klein-Kramers equations are also presented and discussed. They have the potential to be applied to natural systems, such as biological systems.

With a foreword by Freeman Dyson, the handbook brings together leading mathematicians and physicists to offer a comprehensive overview of random matrix theory, including a guide to new developments and the diverse range of applications of this approach.
In part one, all modern and classical techniques of solving random matrix models are explored, including orthogonal polynomials, exact replicas or supersymmetry. Further, all main extensions of the classical Gaussian ensembles of Wigner and Dyson are introduced including sparse, heavy tailed, non-Hermitian or multi-matrix models. In the second and larger part, all major applications are covered, in disciplines ranging from physics and mathematics to biology and engineering. This includes standard fields such as number theory, quantum chaos or quantum chromodynamics, as well as recent developments such as partitions, growth models, knot theory, wireless communication or bio-polymer folding.
The handbook is suitable both for introducing novices to this area of research and as a main source of reference for active researchers in mathematics, physics and engineering.

The book summarizes the state-of-the-art of research on control of self-organizing nonlinear systems with contributions from leading international experts in the field. The first focus concerns recent methodological developments including control of networks and of noisy and time-delayed systems. As a second focus, the book features emerging concepts of application including control of quantum systems, soft condensed matter, and biological systems. Special topics reflecting the active research in the field are the analysis and control of chimera states in classical networks and in quantum systems, the mathematical treatment of multiscale systems, the control of colloidal and quantum transport, the control of epidemics and of neural network dynamics.

In this book we have solved the complicated problem of constructing upper bounds for many-time averages for the case of a fairly broad class of model systems with four-fermion interaction. The methods proposed in this book for solving this problem will undoubtedly find application not only for the model systems associated with the theory of superconductivity considered here. The theoretical methods developed in Chapters 1 and 2 are already applicable to a much broader class of model systems from statistical physics and the theory of elementary particles.

Statistics links microscopic and macroscopic phenomena, and requires for this reason a large number of microscopic elements like atoms. The results are values of maximum probability or of averaging. This introduction to statistical physics concentrates on the basic principles, and attempts to explain these in simple terms supplemented by numerous examples. These basic principles include the difference between classical and quantum statistics, a priori probabilities as related to degeneracies, the vital aspect of indistinguishability as compared with distinguishability in classical physics, the differences between conserved and non-conserved elements, the different ways of counting arrangements in the three statistics (Maxwell-Boltzmann, Fermi-Dirac, Bose-Einstein), the difference between maximization of the number of arrangements of elements, and averaging in the Darwin-Fowler method. Significant applications to solids, radiation and electrons in metals are treated in separate chapters, as well as Bose-Einstein condensation. This revised second edition contains an additional chapter on the Boltzmann transport equation along with appropriate applications. Also, more examples have been added throughout, as well as further references to literature.

This is one of the few books on the subject of mathematical materials science. It discusses the dynamics of two-phase systems within the framework of modern continuum thermodynamics, stressing fundamentals. Two general theories are discussed: a mechanical theory that leads to a generalization of the classical curve-shortening equation and a theory of heat conduction that broadly generalizes the classical Stefan theory. This original survey includes simple solutions that demonstrate the instabilities inherent in two-phase problems. The free-boundary problems that form the basis of the subject should be of great interest to mathematicians and physical scientists.

The aim of this book is to give a physical treatment of the kinetic theory of gases and magnetoplasmas, covering the standard material in as simple a way as possible, using mean-free-path arguments when possible and identifying problem areas where received theory has either failed or has fallen short of expectations. Examples are provided by strong shock waves, ultrasonic waves (high Knudsen numbers), and transport across strong magnetic fields. Examples of problem areas provided by strong shock waves, ultrasonic waves (high Knudsen numbers), and transport across strong magnetic fields. One of the paradoxes arising in kinetic theory concerns the fluid pressure. Collisions are necessary for a fluid force to result, yet standard kinetic theory does not entail this, being satisfied to bypass Newton's equations by defining pressure as a momentum flux. This omission usually has no adverse consequences, but with increasing Knudsen number, it leads to errors. This text pays particular attention to pressure, explaining the importance of allowing for its collisional nature from the outset in developing kinetic theory.

Examining important results and analytical techniques, this graduate-level textbook is a step-by-step presentation of the structure and function of complex networks. Using a range of examples, from the stability of the internet to efficient methods of immunizing populations, and from epidemic spreading to how one might efficiently search for individuals, this textbook explains the theoretical methods that can be used, and the experimental and analytical results obtained in the study and research of complex networks. Giving detailed derivations of many results in complex networks theory, this is an ideal text to be used by graduate students entering the field. End-of-chapter review questions help students monitor their own understanding of the materials presented.

This book comprises select proceedings of the International Conference on Future Learning Aspects of Mechanical Engineering (FLAME 2018). The book gives an overview of recent developments in the field of thermal and fluid engineering, and covers theoretical and experimental fluid dynamics, numerical methods in heat transfer and fluid mechanics, different modes of heat transfer, multiphase transport and phase change, fluid machinery, turbo machinery, and fluid power. The book is primarily intended for researchers and professionals working in the field of fluid dynamics and thermal engineering.

Gets right to the point with step-by-step guidance on solving physics problems. Covers all topics in standard general physics courses in the same sequence. Keeps learning about physics fun and engaging through the story of dinosaurs being tested on their knowledge for a final challenge (deflecting an asteroid headed to Earth!). Enables the reader to quickly flip through and locate steps needed for a particular problem. Includes tons of easy to follow diagrams and worked solutions.

In this invaluable book, macroscopic irreversible thermodynamics is presented in its realm and its splendor by appealing to the notion of internal variables of state. This applies to both fluids and solids with or without microstructures of mechanical or electromagnetic origin. This unmatched richness of essentially nonlinear behaviors is the result of the use of modern mathematical techniques such as convex analysis in a clear-cut framework which allows one to put under the umbrella of "irreversible thermodynamics" behaviors which until now have been commonly considered either not easily covered, or even impossible to incorporate into such a framework.The book is intended for all students and researchers whose main concern is the rational modeling of complex and/or new materials with physical and engineering applications, such as those accounting for coupled-field, hysteresis, fracture, nonlinear-diffusion, and phase-transformation phenomena.

Cosmology has undergone a revolution in recent years. The exciting interplay between astronomy and fundamental physics has led to dramatic revelations, including the existence of the dark matter and the dark energy that appear to dominate our cosmos. But these discoveries only reveal themselves through small effects in noisy experimental data. Dealing with such observations requires the careful application of probability and statistics.
But it is not only in the arcane world of fundamental physics that probability theory plays such an important role. It has an impact in many aspects of our everyday life, from the law courts to the lottery.
Why then do so few people understand probability? And why do so few people understand why it is so important for science? Why do so many people think that science is about absolute certainty when, at its core, it is actually dominated by uncertainty?
This book attempts to explain the basics of probability theory, and illustrate their application across the entire spectrum of science.

The properties of the harmonic oscillator with random frequency or/and random damping formed the content of the first edition. The second edition includes hundreds of publications on this subject since 2005. The noisy oscillator continues to be the subject of intensive studies in physics, chemistry, biology, and social sciences.The new and the latest type of a stochastic oscillator has also been considered, namely, an oscillator with random mass. Such model describes, among other phenomena, Brownian motion with adhesion, where the molecules of the surrounding medium not only randomly collide, but also stick to the Brownian particle for some (random) time, thereby changing its mass. This edition contains two new chapters, eight new sections and an expanded bibliography. A wide group of researchers, students and teachers will benefit from this book.

New processing methods govern the progress in physical-chemical technology. The potential of supercritical fluid methods is presented in a comprehensive way in this book. On the basis of a careful discussion of physical and chemical principles, the application of this method in process technology is demonstrated.

This modern and self-contained book offers a clear and accessible introduction to the important topic of machine learning with neural networks. In addition to describing the mathematical principles of the topic, and its historical evolution, strong connections are drawn with underlying methods from statistical physics and current applications within science and engineering. Closely based around a well-established undergraduate course, this pedagogical text provides a solid understanding of the key aspects of modern machine learning with artificial neural networks, for students in physics, mathematics, and engineering. Numerous exercises expand and reinforce key concepts within the book and allow students to hone their programming skills. Frequent references to current research develop a detailed perspective on the state-of-the-art in machine learning research.

Designed for the course in thermodynamics or for use as a reference for practicing engineers, this book includes the theoretical underpinnings and derivations necessary for advanced study. The book focuses on the mechanical and power engineering applications of thermodynamics. Mathematics is utilized as required, serving as a tool to formulate the concepts, solve problems and applications. Furthermore, numerous examples are provided to demonstrate the applications of thermodynamics for engineering problems and to enhance the use of concepts. It also includes statistical thermodynamic examples when relevant and pertinent. These examples are shown either conceptually or numerically. Features: Numerous examples are provided to demonstrate the applications of thermodynamics for engineering problems; Includes a comprehensive and generalist view of thermodynamics, along with historical developments in the field; Presents mathematical tools such as the Legendre transformation, the Euler chain rule, the Jacobian methodology and applications for thermodynamic derivatives.