Bücher der Reihe Advanced Texts in Physics

This self-contained treatment covers all aspects of nonlinear dynamics, from fundamentals to recent developments, in a unified and comprehensive way. Numerous examples and exercises will help the student to assimilate and apply the techniques presented.

Space is a large natural plasma laboratory offering a wealth of phenomena which range from the simple to the highly complex and non-linear. This book begins with an introduction to basic principles such as single-particle motion, magnetohydrodynamics and plasma waves. It incorporates these concepts into an analysis of complex phenomena including the sun and solar activity, shocks, interplanetary space and magnetospheres, and finally the interaction between these entities in solar-terrestrial relationships. In all these subfields of space research, special attention is paid to energetic particles. The book concludes with a brief chapter on instrumentation. In this third edition, numerous examples have been added to illustrate the basic concepts and aid the reader in applying such concepts to real world physics. In addition, recent observations (ACE, TRACE, Wind) have been included. The chapter on solar-terrestrial relationships has been expanded to introduce the current research topic of Space Weather.

Nonlinearity is a fascinating element of nature whose importance has been appreciated for many years when considering large-amplitude wave motions observed in various fields ranging from fluids and plasmas to solid-state, chemical, biological, and geological systems. Localized large-amplitude waves called solitons, which propagate without spreading and have particle-like properties, represent one of the most striking aspects of nonlinear phenomena. Although a wealth of literature on the subject, including theoretical and numerical studies, is available in good recent books and research journals, very little material has found its way into introductory texbooks and curricula. This is perhaps due to a belief that nonlinear physics is difficult and cannot be taught at an introductory level to undergraduate students and practitioners. Consequently, there is considerable interest in developing practical material suitable for students, at the lowest introductory level. This book is intended to be an elementary introduction to the physics of solitons, for students, physicists, engineers and practitioners. We present the modeling of nonlinear phenomena where soliton-like waves are involved, together with applications to a wide variety of concrete systems and experiments. This book is designed as a book of physical ideas and basic methods and not as an up-to-the- minute book concerned with the latest research results. The background in physics and the amount of mathematical knowledge assumed of the reader is within that usually accumulated by junior or senior students in physics.

Since the publication of the first edition of this book, there have been many im- portant new developments in the field of molecular physics. The new methods and results which are most significant for students are treated extensively in this second edition. Among these are in particular single-molecule spectroscopy and the field of molecular electronics, which is in a stage of rapid development, including the areas of electroluminescence and organic light-emitting diodes. In addition, we have ex- tended and corrected the earlier material in a number of places. We have also included exercises in this new edition; they will allow students to deepen their understanding and offer a basis for further individual study. The complete solutions to the exercises can be found on the Internet under www. springeronline. com/3-540-40792-S. We are grateful to Mr. C. -D. Bachem and Dr. Th. Schneider of the Springer- Verlag for their continuous and very agreeable cooperation during the preparation of the book. We thank our colleague Prof. W. D. Brewer for his competent translation. Stuttgart, February 2004 H. Haken . H. C. Wolf Preface to the First Edition This textbook is intended for use by students of physics, physical chemistry, and theoretical chemistry. The reader is presumed to have a basic knowledge of atomic and quantum physics at the level provided, for example, by the first few chapters in our book The Physics of Atoms and Quanta.

In addition to a deductive approach to equilibrium statistics and thermodynamics based on a single hypothesis - the form of the microcanonical density matrix - this book treats the most important elements of non-equilibrium phenomena. Intermediate calculations are presented in complete detail. Problems at the end of each chapter help students to consolidate their understanding of the material. Beyond the fundamentals, this text demonstrates the breadth of the field and its great variety of applications. Modern areas such as renormalization group theory, percolation, stochastic equations of motion and their applications to critical dynamics, as well as fundamental considerations of irreversibility, are discussed. The text will be useful for advanced students of physics and other natural sciences; a basic knowledge of quantum mechanics is presumed.

Choice Outstanding Title! (January 2006)Since the discovery of the lasers in 1960 and optical fibers in 1970, optics underwent deep changes which accentuated its multi-field character. This work covers essential concepts of comprehension and reports the great progress of current knowledge in optics. The method of presentation is inspired by Richard Feynman, with an emphasis on "e;telling"e; optics, rather than deducing it from fundamental laws. For its excellent teaching style, the book received the Arnulf-Francon Award by the French Optical Society. The concepts are formulated in a way such that the necessary mathematical tools do not hinder comprehension of the phenomena. Global in vision, the book can also be used as a reference. In addition to the traditional aspects of optics, it includes the tools and methods currently used by researchers and engineers as well as explanation and implications of the most recent developments.

I had great pleasure in reading Philippe Refregier's book on the theory of noise and its applications in physics. The main aim of the book is to present the basic ideas used to characterize these unwanted random signals that obscure information content. To this end, the author devotes a sigificant part of his book to a detailed study of the probabilistic foundations of fluctuation theory. Following a concise and accurate account of the basics of probability the- ory, the author includes a detailed study of stochastic processes, emphasizing the idea of the correlation function, which plays a key role in many areas of physics. Physicists often assume that the noise perturbing a signal is Gaussian. This hypothesis is justified if one can consider that the noise results from the superposition of a great many independent random perturbations. It is this fact that brings the author to discuss the theory underlying the addition of random variables, accompanied by a wide range of illustrative examples. Since noise affects information, the author is naturally led to consider Shannon's information theory, which in turn brings him to the altogether fundamental idea of entropy. This chapter is completed with a study of com- plexity according to Kolmogorov. This idea is not commonly discussed in physics and the reader will certainly appreciate the clear presentation within these pages.

A translation of the highly acclaimed text by Roberto Tenenbaum (originally published in Portuguese). Requiring no more than a basic course in calculus, the text employs an intuitive approach, from the point of view of Newtonian mechanics, that avoids the complications of Hamiltonian and Lagrangian formalism.

This text provides an introduction, at the level of an advanced student in engineering or physics, to the field of nanomechanics and nanomechanical devices. It provides a unified discussion of solid mechanics, transducer applications, and sources of noise and nonlinearity in such devices.

In this book, the necessary background for understanding viscoelasticity is covered; both the continuum and microstructure approaches to modelling viscoelastic materials are discussed, since neither approach alone is sufficient.

The book is divided into two parts. The first part looks at the modeling of statistical systems before moving on to an analysis of these systems. This second edition contains new material on: estimators based on a probability distribution for the parameters; identification of stochastic models from observations;

Compared to conventional plasma physics textbooks this book focuses on the concepts relevant in the large-scale space plasmas. text restructured to provide a closer coupling between basic physical concepts and observed complex phenomena.

Following the birth of the laser in 1960, the field of "nonlinear optics" rapidly emerged. Today, laser intensities and pulse durations are readily available, for which the concepts and approximations of traditional nonlinear optics no longer apply.

Koechner's well-known 'bible' on solid-state laser engineering is now available in an accessible format at the graduate level. Numerous exercises with hints for solution, new text and updated material where needed make this text very accessible.

The new edition includes additional analytical methods in the classical theory of viscoelasticity. This leads to a new theory of finite linear viscoelasticity of incompressible isotropic materials.

At the same time, the coverage is comprehensive and at a high technical level, with emphasis on the fundamental physical principles. Numerous examples, references, practice exercises, and problems complement this remarkably complete treatment, which will also serve as an excellent reference for researchers and practitioners.

In this book the characteristics of synchrotron radiation, including insertion device radiation, are described and derived from first principles.

This fresh and original text on quantum mechanics focuses on: the development of numerical methods for obtaining specific results; Numerous exercises with hints and solutions, examples and applications, and a guide to key references help the student to work with the text.

An innovative, unified, and comprehensive treatment of the geometric and electronic structure of surfaces. Principles of Surface Physics develops general physical arguments and methods that enable readers to analyse novel surfaces and interfaces of new materials.

After introducing the basic notions about general kinematics, balance equations, material objectivity and constitutive functions, the book turns to the presentation of rational thermodynamics by stressing the role of Lagrange multipliers in deriving constitutive funcitions from the underlying entropy principle.

Since the 1997 publication of "Silicon Carbide - A Review of Fundamental Questions and Applications to Current Device Technology" edited by Choyke, et al., there has been impressive progress in both the fundamental and developmental aspects of the SiC field.

Generalizes Gaussian error intervals to situations in which the data follow distributions other than Gaussian. This book - based on Bayes' theorem, symmetries and differential geometry - states that this usually occurs because the observed parameter is barely above the background or the histogram of multiparametric data contains many empty bins.

Since the 1997 publication of "Silicon Carbide - A Review of Fundamental Questions and Applications to Current Device Technology" edited by Choyke, et al., there has been impressive progress in both the fundamental and developmental aspects of the SiC field.

Drawing on the author's wide experience, this book gives a comprehensive review of the state of the art in gyrotron technology, covering the theory, design and applications. The book includes an extensive references list which provides an excellent guide to the related literature.

During the last 20 years interest in high-resolution x-ray diffractometry and reflectivity has grown as a result of the development of the semiconductor industry and the increasing interest in material research of thin layers of magnetic, organic, and other materials.

The study of the elec tronic and of the collective behaviour (plasmons and phonons) of FMBS and of their interweaving, making use of well established first principle quantum (field theoretical) techniques, is the main subject of the present monograph.

We have also included a new chapter on the behaviour of the hydrogen atom in strong magnetic fields. The results are of profound interest for two very different fields of physics: on the one hand, according to classical physics, one expects chaotic behaviour from Rydberg atoms in magnetic fields that can be created in the laborato ry;

An introduction to engineering and applied optics that includes elementary ray and wave optics and also lasers, holography, coherence, fibers and optical waveguides. It stresses physical principles, applications, and instrumentation. It is suitable for undergraduates.

In the third edition a number of minor misprints that appeared in the second edition have have been corrected. JMK EURO9 PGH Copenhagen May 2000 Preface to the Second Edition In the second edition, a number of misprints that appeared in the first edition have been corrected.