Nanophase Materials

Sample

Hans Christian Öttinger

This book consists of two strongly interweaved parts: the mathematical theory of stochastic processes and its applications to molecular theories of polymeric fluids. The comprehensive mathematical background provided in the first part should be equally useful in many other branches of engineering and the natural sciences. As a benefit from the second part one gains a more direct understanding of polymer dynamics, one can more easily identify exactly solvable models, and one can develop efficient computer simulation algorithms in a straightforward manner. In view of the many examples and exercises, on the one hand, and the numerous applications to problems from the front line of science, on the other hand, this volume may be used equally well as a basic textbook or as an up-to-date reference book.

Sample

Martial Ducloy, Daniel Bloch

The last few years have seen the emergence of a variety of new quantum phenomena specifically related to electronic or optical confinement at a sub-wavelength scale. Rapid developments occurred simultaneously in atomic physics (especially in cavity quantum electrodynamics) and in solid state physics (advances in quantum well technology and nano-optoelectronics). Breakthroughs in near-field optics provided new tools that could be applied to these domains. But the key concepts used to describe these effects are often very different, being specific to the community involved in a particular development. Readers of Quantum Optics of Confined Systems are given the opportunity to deepen their understanding of advances related more or less to their own field, while the basic concepts of the different fields are presented by means of tutorial introductions. Exciting new results are presented in a language accessible to all: advanced students, post-Ph.D. researchers, and senior scientists.

Sample

T. P. Martin

Very recently it has become possible to produce and characterize large clusters containing an exact, predetermined number of atoms. Through these efforts it has become clear that clusters containing even as many as 20,000 atoms cannot yet be considered as being tiny crystals. Their structure is often icosahedral. Their electrons are organized into shells rather than bands. In many respects the clusters behave more like giant atoms than solids. The interest in clusters has grown explosively in the last few years and there has been no lack of conferences devoted to clusters in general. However, only a few groups have begun to develop the experimental and theoretical techniques needed for the study of clusters containing 100 or more atoms. In this book, representatives from these groups have contributed tutorial chapters explaining the methods they have developed. Audience: Scientists with little experience in clusters as well as cluster experts who wish to initiate experiments on large clusters.

Sample

J.F. McGilp, D. Weaire, C.H. Patterson, eds

This book describes recent developments in optical techniques for extracting surface and interface information with a resolution of less than a single atomic layer. These new "epioptic" techniques have now been quite widely applied to semiconductor surfaces and interfaces, and include polarised reflection techniques such as reflection anisotropy spectroscopy and spectroscopic ellipsometry, Raman scattering, and optical second harmonic and sum frequency generation. Epioptics has great potential in the area of growth monitoring, and in situ monitoring of semiconductor growth with submonolayer sensitivity has now been demonstrated in growth reactors under normal operating conditions. The book emphasizes recent studies of submonolayer growth on semiconductor surfaces.