Mesoscopic physics is a fast growing discipline with countless potential applications. Understanding the science of mesoscopic materials with unique physical and chemical properties is important for the design of nanodevices and materials with unique properties. Clusters as mesoscopic particles represent an intermediate state of matter between single atoms and solid material. This book deals with the properties of clusters in matrixes, on surfaces, and in vacuum. The formation and application of cluster-based materials is discussed. This book will appeal to physicists, chemists, materials researchers, and advanced students.

Microcluster Physics provides a lucid account of the fundamental physics of all types of microclusters, outlining the dynamics and static properties of this new phase of matter intermediate between a solid and a molecule. Since originally published in 1991, the field of microclusters has experienced surprising developments, which are reviewed in this new edition: The determination of atomic structure, spontaneous alloying, super-shell, fission, fragmentation, evaporation, magnetism, fullerenes, nanotubes, atomic structure of large silicon clusters, superfluidity of a He cluster, water clusters in liquid, electron correlation and optimizsation of the geometry, and scattering.

This book aims at providing graduate students and researchers with funda mental knowledge indispensable for entering the new field of "microclus 3 ters." Microclusters consisting of 10 to 10 atoms exhibit neither the pro perties of the corresponding bulk nor those of the corresponding molecule of a few atoms. The microclusters may be considered to form a new phase of materials lying between macroscopic solids and microscopic particles such as atoms and molecules, showing both macroscopic and microscopic features. However, research into such"a riew phase has been left untouched until recent years by the development of the quantum theory of matter. The microscopic features of microclusters were first revealed by ob serving anomalies of the mass spectrum of a Na cluster beam at specific sizes, called magic numbers. Then it was experimentally confirmed that the magic numbers come from the shell structure of valence electrons. Being stimulated by these epoch-making findings in metal microclusters and aided by progress of the experimental techniques producing relatively dense, non interacting micro clusters of various sizes in the form of micro cluster beams, the research field of microclusters has developed rapidly in these 5 to 7 years. The progress is also due to the improvement of computers and com putational techniques, which have made it possible to perform ab initio cal culations of the atomic and electronic structure of smaller microclusters, as well as to carry out computer simulations of their dynamics."

This volume contains the proceedings of the first in a series of biennial NEC Symposia on Fundamental Approaches to New Material Phases sponsored by the NEC Corporation, Tokyo, Japan. The symposium was held Octo ber 20-22, 1986, at Hakone Kanko Hotel in Hakone near Mt. Fuji, and on October 23 at NEC Laboratories in Kawasaki, Japan. About 40 partic ipants stayed together at the symposium sites during this period. They enjoyed intense and wide-ranging discussions in a conference room facing Mt. Fuji and the beautiful lake Ashinoko extending from the foot of the slope in the old crater. The title of the volume, Microclusters, means microscopic aggregates consisting of a few tens through a few hundreds of atoms. Microclusters, which are too big to be described as inorganic molecules but too small to have translational symmetry, are expected to show exotic properties which can be found in neither molecules nor solids. In the past few years the research field of microclusters has shown rapid and epoch-making de velopment. This is partly due to rapid development of the experimental techniques which have enabled the production of relatively dense, non interacting microclusters of various sizes in the form of cluster beams, thus allowing measurement of the properties of a free microcluster of a given size."

Edited by two pioneers of magneto-optics, this book is designed to provide graduate students and researchers with an introductory state-of-the-art review of recent developments in this subject. The field encompasses important areas in solid-state physics, chemical physics and electrical engineering. The book deals with optical spectroscopy of paramagnetic, antiferromagnetic, and ferromagnetic materials, photo-induced magnetism and their applications to opto-electronics.

The book is designed to provide graduate students and research novices with an introductory review of recent developments in the field of magneto-optics. The field encompasses many of the most important subjects in solid state physics, chemical physics and electronic engineering. The book deals with (1) optical spectroscopy of paramagnetic, antiferromagnetic, and ferromagnetic materials, (2) studies of photo-induced magnetism, and (3) their applications to opto-electronics. Many of these studies originate from those of ligand-field spectra of solids, which are considered to have contributed to advances in materials research for solid-state lasers.

Microcluster Physics provides a lucid account of the fundamental physics of all types of microclusters, outlining the dynamics and static properties of this new phase of matter intermediate between a solid and a molecule. Since originally published in 1991, the field of microclusters has experienced surprising developments, which are reviewed in this new edition: The determination of atomic structure, spontaneous alloying, super-shell, fission, fragmentation, evaporation, magnetism, fullerenes, nanotubes, atomic structure of large silicon clusters, superfluidity of a He cluster, water clusters in liquid, electron correlation and optimizsation of the geometry, and scattering.