الصفحة 12
الصفحة 12
From microphysics to macrophysics : Methods and applications of statistical physics ; Vol.2
Volume 2 applies statistical methods to systems governed by quantum effects, in particular to solid state physics, explaining properties due to the crystal structure or to the lattice excitations or to the electrons. Liquid helium is discussed and radiative equilibrium and transport are studied. The last chapters are devoted to non-equilibrium processes and to kinetic equations, with many applications included.
From Fossils to Astrobiology : Records of Life on Earth and Search for Extraterrestrial Biosignatures
From Fossils to Astrobiology reviews developments in paleontology and geobiology that relate to the rapidly-developing field of Astrobiology, the study of life in the Universe. Many traditional areas of scientific study, including astronomy, chemistry and planetary science, contribute to Astrobiology, but the study of the record of life on planet Earth is critical in guiding investigations in the rest of the cosmos. In this varied book, expert scientists from 15 countries present peer-reviewed, stimulating reviews of paleontological and astrobiological studies. The overviews of established and emerging techniques for studying modern and ancient microorganisms on Earth and beyond, will be valuable guides to evaluating biosignatures which could be found in the extraterrestrial surface or subsurface within the Solar System and beyond.
From Dust To Stars : Studies of the Formation and Early Evolution of Stars
Studies of stellar formation in galaxies have a profound impact on our understanding of the present and the early universe. The book describes complex physical processes involved in the creation of stars and during their young lives. It illustrates how these processes reveal themselves from radio wavelengths to high energy X-rays and gamma -rays, with special reference towards high energy signatures. Several sections devoted to key analysis techniques demonstrate how modern research in this field is pursued.
From Bulk to Nano : The Many Sides of Magnetism
The field of magnetism is rapidly advancing in this new millennium, revealing an ever-wider diversity of magnetic phenomena on more than one scale. With the emergence of countless applications particularly on a nanoscale, and their unpredictable implications mostly on a macroscale, it may seem that different aspects of magnetism are unrelated. Quite often, the overwhelming amount of topics discussed in the professional literature views only parts of a field, ignoring a broader context. Therefore, the present book aims at addressing the relationship between apparently unconnected topics in magnetism. Less obvious relationships are revealed among individual fields on various scales, making them better understandable.
Free Surface Flows under Compensated Gravity Conditions
Considers the behavior of fluids in a low-gravity environment with special emphasis on application in PMD (propellant management device) systems . This book treats three different flow problems with analytical, numerical and experimental means: the transient contour change between two static surface configurations (free surface oscillations), the capillary rise in tubes (capillary rise), and the flow through open capillary channels (choking).
Fourier Transformation for Pedestrians
Meant to serve an "entertaining textbook," this book belongs to a rare genre. It is written for all students and practitioners who deal with Fourier transformation. Fourier series as well as continuous and discrete Fourier transformation are covered, and particular emphasis is placed on window functions. Many illustrations and easy-to-solve exercises make the book especially accessible, and its humorous style will add to the pleasure of learning from it.
Foundations of Quantum Theory : From Classical Concepts to Operator Algebras
This book studies the foundations of quantum theory through its relationship to classical physics. This idea goes back to the Copenhagen Interpretation (in the original version due to Bohr and Heisenberg), which the author relates to the mathematical formalism of operator algebras originally created by von Neumann. The book therefore includes comprehensive appendices on functional analysis and C*-algebras, as well as a briefer one on logic, category theory, and topos theory. Matters of foundational as well as mathematical interest that are covered in detail include symmetry (and its "spontaneous" breaking), the measurement problem, the Kochen-Specker, Free Will, and Bell Theorems, the Kadison-Singer conjecture, quantization, indistinguishable particles, the quantum theory of large systems, and quantum logic, the latter in connection with the topos approach to quantum theory.
Foundations of Quantum Physics
Intended to be used as a textbook for an introductory course in quantum mechanics at the undergraduate level, Foundations of Quantum Physics is also meant to be retained by the student for later use as a reference. The presentation begins with the solution of some basic quantum mechanical problems. The emphasis is on those features of the solutions that are unique to quantum physics. It is only after these aspects of quantum physics are thoroughly discussed that the mathematical formalism of quantum mechanics is presented and related to the previous chapters. Throughout the book, the emphasis is on understanding the concepts and relating them to known phenomena.
Foundations of plasma physics for physicists and mathematicians
Foundations of Plasma Physics for Physicists and Mathematicians covers the basic physics underlying plasmas and describes the methodology and techniques used in both plasma research and other disciplines such as optics and fluid mechanics.
Forces, Growth and Form in Soft Condensed Matter : At the Interface between Physics and Biology
This volume comprises the proceedings of a NATO Advanced Study Institute held at Geilo, Norway, 24 March - 3 April 2003, the seventeenth ASI in a series held every two years since 1971. The objective of this ASI was to identify and discuss areas where synergism between modern physics, soft condensed matter and biology might be most fruitful. The main pedagogical approach was to have lecturers focussing on basic understanding of important aspects of the relative role of the various interaction- electrostatic, hydrophobic, steric, conformational, van der Waals etc. Soft condensed matter and the connection between physics and biology have been the themes of several earlier Geilo Schools. A return to these subjects thus allowed a fresh look and a possibility for defining new directions for research. Examples of soft materials, which were discussed at this ASI, included colloidal dispersions, gels, biopolymers and charged polymer solutions, polyelectrolytes, protein/membrane complexes, nucleic acids and their complexes. Indeed, most forms of condensed matter are soft and these substances are composed of aggregates and macromolecules, with interactions that are too weak and complex to form crystals spontaneously. A characteristic feature is that small external forces, slight perturbations in temperature, pressure or concentration, can all be enough to induce significant structural changes. Thermal fluctuations are almost by definition strong in soft materials and entropy is a predominant determinant of structure, so that disorder, slow dynamics and plastic deformation are the rule. Hence the phrase ‘soft condensed matter’ has been coined.
Focusing telescopes in nuclear astrophysics
This volume is the first of its kind on focusing gamma-ray telescopes. Forty-eight refereed papers provide a comprehensive overview of the scientific potential and technical challenges of this nascent tool for nuclear astrophysics. The book features articles dealing with pivotal technologies such as grazing incident mirrors, multilayer coatings, Laue- and Fresnel-lenses - and even an optic using the curvature of space-time. The volume also presents an overview of detectors matching the ambitious objectives of gamma ray optics, and facilities for operating such systems on the ground and in space. The extraordinary scientific potential of focusing gamma-ray telescopes for the study of the most powerful sources and the most violent events in the Universe is emphasized in a series of introductory articles.
Flux-corrected transport : Principles, algorithms, and applications
Addressing students and researchers as well as CFD practitioners, this book describes the state of the art in the development of high-resolution schemes based on the Flux-Corrected Transport (FCT) paradigm. Intended for readers who have a solid background in Computational Fluid Dynamics, the book begins with historical notes by J.P. Boris and D.L. Book. Review articles that follow describe recent advances in the design of FCT algorithms as well as various algorithmic aspects. The topics addressed in the book and its main highlights include: the derivation and analysis of classical FCT schemes with special emphasis on the underlying physical and mathematical constraints; flux limiting for hyperbolic systems; generalization of FCT to implicit time-stepping and finite element discretizations on unstructured meshes and its role as a subgrid scale model for Monotonically Integrated Large Eddy Simulation (MILES) of turbulent flows. The proposed enhancements of the FCT methodology also comprise the prelimiting and 'failsafe' adjustment of antidiffusive fluxes, the use of characteristic variables, and iterative flux correction. The cause and cure of detrimental clipping/terracing effects are discussed. Many numerical examples are presented for academic test problems and large-scale applications alike.
Flux Pinning in Superconductors
Covers the flux pinning mechanisms and properties and the electromagnetic phenomena caused by the flux pinning common for metallic, high-Tc and MgB2 superconductors. The condensation energy interaction known for normal precipitates or grain boundaries and the kinetic energy interaction proposed for artificial Nb pins in Nb-Ti, etc., are introduced for the pinning mechanism.
Fluid Mechanics : An Introduction to the Theory of Fluid Flows
Advancements of fluid flow measuring techniques and of computational methods have led to new ways to treat laminar and turbulent flows. These methods are extensively used these days in research and engineering practise. This also requires new ways to teach the subject to students at higher educational institutions in an introductory manner. The book provides the knowledge to students in engineering and natural science needed to enter fluid mechanics applications in various fields. Analytical treatments are provided, based on the Navier-Stokes equations. Introductions are also given into numerical and experimental methods applied to flows. The main benefit the reader will derive from the book is a sound introduction into all aspects of fluid mechanics covering all relevant subfields.
Fluctuations, Information, Gravity and the Quantum Potential
A main theme of the book outlines the role of the quantum potential in quantum mechanics and general relativity and one of its origins via fluctuations formulated in terms of Fisher information. Another theme is the description of various approaches to Bohmian mechanics and their role in quantum mechanics and general relativity. Along the way various approaches to, for instance, the Dirac equation, the Einstein equations, the Klein-Gordon equation, the Maxwell equations and the Schr?dinger equations are described. Statistics and geometry are intertwined in various ways and, among other matters, the aether, cosmology, entropy, fractals, quantum Kaehler geometry, the vacuum and the zero point field are discussed. There is also some speculative material and some original work along with material extracted from over 1000 references and the work is current up to April 2005.
Flowing Matter
This book presents an introduction to selected research topics in the broad field of flowing matter, including the dynamics of fluids with a complex internal structure -from nematic fluids to soft glasses- as well as active matter and turbulent phenomena. Flowing matter is a subject at the crossroads between physics, mathematics, chemistry, engineering, biology and earth sciences, and relies on a multidisciplinary approach to describe the emergence of the macroscopic behaviours in a system from the coordinated dynamics of its microscopic constituents. Depending on the microscopic interactions, an assembly of molecules or of mesoscopic particles can flow like a simple Newtonian fluid, deform elastically like a solid or behave in a complex manner. When the internal constituents are active, as for biological entities, one generally observes complex large-scale collective motions. Phenomenology is further complicated by the invariable tendency of fluids to display chaos at the large scales or when stirred strongly enough. This volume presents several research topics that address these phenomena encompassing the traditional micro-, meso-, and macro-scales descriptions, and contributes to our understanding of the fundamentals of flowing matter.
Fisica solare = Solar physics
An introduction to Solar Physics, intended to illustrate to those who intend to approach this discipline (students, PhDs, researchers) the physical mechanisms underlying the complex phenomena observed on our closest star. It does not claim to be exhaustive (suffice it to say that solar physics spans a wide range of disciplines, such as nuclear physics, thermodynamics, electrodynamics, atomic and molecular physics, spectroscopy across all bands of the electromagnetic spectrum, magnetohydrodynamics, plasma physics, the development of new instrumentation, optics, etc.). Rather, a number of topics of fundamental relevance to the current study of the Sun have been selected (especially with regard to ground-based observations with large telescopes), and an attempt has been made to provide a general overview of these topics, including their historical evolution, without going into excessive detail. Since Solar Physics can rightfully be considered the "Rosetta Stone" of all Astrophysics, the volume can also be considered a valid introduction to this subject.
First Light in the Universe : Saas-Fee Advanced Course 36. Swiss Society for Astrophysics and Astronomy
The exploration of the first billion years of the history of the Universe, from the so-called Dark Ages to cosmic reionisation, represents one of the great challenges of contemporary astrophysics and one of the main drivers for future observational facilities. The book contains the elaborated notes of lectures given at the 36th Saas-Fee Advanced Course "First Light in the Universe" by three eminent scientists in the field: Abraham Loeb, Andrea Ferrara, and Richard Ellis. The formation of the first stars and black holes, the initial mass function, feedback effects, early dust formation, the history of cosmic star formation, distant galaxies, cosmic reionisation and the cosmic infrared background are the main topics treated. This book provides an accessible and up-to-date review of the field and will be useful to graduate students of astronomy, cosmologists, physicists and researchers.
Finite element methods and their applications
This book serves as a text for one- or two-semester courses for upper-level undergraduates and beginning graduate students and as a professional reference for people who want to solve partial differential equations (PDEs) using finite element methods. The author has attempted to introduce every concept in the simplest possible setting and maintain a level of treatment that is as rigorous as possible without being unnecessarily abstract. Quite a lot of attention is given to discontinuous finite elements, characteristic finite elements, and to the applications in fluid and solid mechanics including applications to porous media flow, and applications to semiconductor modeling. An extensive set of exercises and references in each chapter are provided.
Field Models in Electricity and Magnetism
Covering the development of field computation in the past forty years, Field Models in Electricity and Magnetism intends to be a concise, comprehensive and up-to-date introduction to field models in electricity and magnetism, ranging from basic theory to numerical applications. The approach assumed throughout the whole book is to solve field problems directly from partial differential equations in terms of vector quantities. Theoretical issues are illustrated by practical examples. In particular, a single example is solved by different methods so that, by comparison of results, limitations and advantages of the various methods are made clear.
