Books in Interdisciplinary physics

Solar Cell Device Physics

2nd Edition
November 23, 2009
Stephen J. Fonash
English
eBook
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There has been an enormous infusion of new ideas in the field of solar cells over the last 15 years; discourse on energy transfer has gotten much richer, and nanostructures and nanomaterials have revolutionized the possibilities for new technological developments. However, solar energy cannot become ubiquitous in the world's power markets unless it can become economically competitive with legacy generation methods such as fossil fuels. The new edition of Dr. Stephen Fonash's definitive text points the way toward greater efficiency and cheaper production by adding coverage of cutting-edge topics in plasmonics, multi-exiton generation processes, nanostructures and nanomaterials such as quantum dots. The book's new structure improves readability by shifting many detailed equations to appendices, and balances the first edition's semiconductor coverage with an emphasis on thin-films. Further, it now demonstrates physical principles with simulations in the well-known AMPS computer code developed by the author.

Bioimpedance and Bioelectricity Basics

2nd Edition
March 3, 2008
Orjan G. Martinsen + 1 more
English
eBook
9 7 8 0 0 8 0 5 6 8 8 0 5

Bioelectricity (or bioelectromagnetism) relates to the study of biological electrical currents, and bioimpedance deals with the measurement of electrical conductivity. They are intimately linked to biomedical engineering, with major significance for development of novel medical devices, as well as the study of biological rhythms. This completely updated new edition remains the most comprehensive reference tool for this intricate, interdisciplinary field.The authors, both internationally recognized experts in the field, have thoroughly revised the entire text. It remains the only such work that discusses in detail dielectric and electrochemical aspects, as well as electrical engineering concepts of network theory. The highly effective, easy to follow organization has been retained, with new discussion of state-of-the-art advances in finite element analysis, endogenic sources, control theory, tissue electrical properties, and invasive measurements. There are two all new chapters on bioelectricity, along with an introduction to Geselowitz theory, the Maxwell basis of bioimpedance, and multivariate analysis as an alternative.

The Synchronized Dynamics of Complex Systems

1st Edition
Volume 6
February 5, 2008
Stefano Boccaletti
Albert C.J. Luo + 1 more
English
eBook
9 7 8 0 0 8 0 5 6 0 4 2 7

The origin of the word synchronization is a greek root, meaning "to share the common time". The original meaning of synchronization has been maintained up to now in the colloquial use of this word, as agreement or correlation in time of different processes. Historically, the analysis of synchronization phenomena in the evolution of dynamical systems has been a subject of active investigation since the earlier days of physics. Recently, the search for synchronization has moved to chaotic systems. In this latter framework, the appearance of collective (synchronized) dynamics is, in general, not trivial. Indeed, a dynamical system is called chaotic whenever its evolution sensitively depends on the initial conditions. The above said implies that two trajectories emerging from two different closeby initial conditions separate exponentially in the course of the time. As a result, chaotic systems intrinsically defy synchronization, because even two identical systems starting from slightly different initial conditions would evolve in time in a unsynchronized manner (the differences in the systems' states would grow exponentially). This is a relevant practical problem, insofar as experimental initial conditions are never known perfectly. The setting of some collective (synchronized) behavior in coupled chaotic systems has therefore a great importance and interest.The subject of the present book is to summarize the recent discoveries involving the study of synchronization in coupled chaotic systems.Not always the word synchronization is taken as having the same colloquial meaning, and one needs to specify what synchrony means in all particular contexts in which we will describe its emergence.The book describes the complete synchronization phenomenon, both for low and for high dimensional situations, and illustrates possible applications in the field of communicating with chaos.Furthermore, the book summarizes the concepts of phase synchronization, lag synchronization, imperfect phase synchronization, and generalized synchronization, describing a general transition scenario between a hierarchy of different types of synchronization for chaotic oscillators.These concepts are extended to the case of structurally different systems, of uncoupled systems subjected to a common external source, of space extended nonlinearly evolving fields, and of dynamical units networking via a complex wiring of connections, giving thus a summary of all possible situations that are encountered in real life and in technology.

Physics in the Arts

1st Edition
January 22, 2008
Pupa U.P.A. Gilbert + 1 more
English
eBook
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Physics in the Arts is a concise, 288-page four-color entry in the Complementary Science Series, designed for science enthusiasts and liberal arts students requiring or desiring a well-developed discussion of physical phenomena, particularly with regard to sound and light. Topics discussed include the nature of sound and sound perception, and the fundamentals of harmony, musical photography, color perception, and color mixing. The materials are covered at a level appropriate for self-study or as a complementary textbook. A companion website for Instructors is available in Spring 2008.

Principles of Environmental Physics

3rd Edition
October 25, 2007
John Monteith + 1 more
English
eBook
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Environmental Physics concerns the description and analysis of physical processes that establish the conditions in which all species of life survive and reproduce. The subject involves a synthesis of mathematical relations that describe the physical nature of the environment and the many biological responses that environments evoke. Environmental Physics provides a basis for understanding the complex responses of plants and animals to environmental change.International concern with climate change has made both politicans and the general public much more aware of the impact of local and global weather on all aspects of domestic life, industry and commerce. Environmental Physics has become more widely used by biologists, atmospheric scientists and climate modellers to specify interations between surfaces and the atmosphere. This new edition contains further material on causes of global warming, applications of remote sensing, and the carbon and water cycles of crops and forests.

Physics of Life

1st Edition
October 1, 2007
Clas Blomberg
English
eBook
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The purpose of the book is to give a survey of the physics that is relevant for biological applications, and also to discuss what kind of biology needs physics. The book gives a broad account of basic physics, relevant for the applications and various applications from properties of proteins to processes in the cell to wider themes such as the brain, the origin of life and evolution. It also considers general questions of common interest such as reductionism, determinism and randomness, where the physics view often is misunderstood. The subtle balance between order and disorder is a repeated theme appearing in many contexts. There are descriptive parts which shall be sufficient for the comprehension of general ideas, and more detailed, formalistic parts for those who want to go deeper, and see the ideas expressed in terms of mathematical formulas.

Magnetic Cell Separation

1st Edition
Volume 32
September 28, 2007
Maciej Zborowski + 1 more
English
Hardback
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eBook
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Cell separation is at the core of current methods in experimental biology and medicine. Its importance is illustrated by the large number of physical and biochemical principles that have been evaluated for application to cell separation. The development of cell separation methods is driven by the needs of biological and medical research, and the ever-increasing demands for sensitivity, selectivity, yield, timeliness and economy of the process. The interdisciplinary nature of research in this area and the volume of information available in research publications and conferences necessitates a basic description of the fundamental processes involved in magnetic cell separation that may help the user in navigating this wealth of information available online and in scientific publications. This book will appeal to researchers in many areas utilizing this technique, including those working in cell biology, clinical research, inorganic chemistry, biochemistry, chemical engineering, materials science, physics and electrical engineering.

Complex Systems

1st Edition
Volume 85
August 1, 2007
Jean-Philippe Bouchaud + 2 more
English
Hardback
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eBook
9 7 8 0 0 8 0 5 5 0 5 9 6

There has been recently some interdisciplinary convergence on a number of precise topics which can be considered as prototypes of complex systems. This convergence is best appreciated at the level of the techniques needed to deal with these systems, which include: 1) A domain of research around a multiple point where statistical physics, information theory, algorithmic computer science, and more theoretical (probabilistic) computer science meet: this covers some aspects of error correcting codes, stochastic optimization algorithms, typical case complexity and phase transitions, constraint satisfaction problems. 2) The study of collective behavior of interacting agents, its impact on understanding some types of economical and financial problems, their link to population and epidemics dynamics, game theory, social, biological and computer networks and evolution.The present book is the written version of the lectures given during the Les Houches summer school session on "Complex Systems", devoted to these emerging interdisciplinary fields. The lectures consist both in a number of long methodological courses (probability theory, statistical physics of disordered systems, information theory, network structure and evolution, agent-based economics and numerical methods) and more specific, 'problem oriented' courses. Lecturers are all leading experts in their field; they have summarized recent results in a clear and authoritative manner. The "Les Houches lecture notes" have a long tradition of excellence and are often found to be useful for a number of years after they were written. The book is of interest to students and researchers with various backgrounds: probability theory, computer science, information theory, physics, finance, biology, etc.

Thermodynamics

3rd Edition
March 28, 2007
Jurgen M. Honig
English
eBook
9 7 8 0 0 8 0 5 2 5 3 4 1

Thermodynamics is a self-contained analysis of physical and chemical processes, based on classical thermodynamic principles. Emphasis is placed on the fundamental principles, with a conbination of theory and practice, and demonstrating their application to a variety of disciplines. Included in this work are new approaches to irreversible processes, electromagnetic effects, adsorption phenomena, self-assembly, the origin of phase diagrams, critical phenomena, and Carathéodory's treatment of the second law. This book will appeal to graduate students and professional chemists and physicists who wish to acquire a more sophisticated overview of thermodynamics and related subject matter.

Nano Biophotonics

1st Edition
Volume 3
February 16, 2007
Hiroshi Masuhara + 2 more
English
Hardback
9 7 8 0 4 4 4 5 2 8 7 8 0
eBook
9 7 8 0 0 8 0 4 7 1 3 5 8

This third volume in the series represents the Proceedings of the 3rd International Nanophotonics Symposium, July 6-8, 2006, Icho-Kaikan, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan. Over a two-day symposium, distinguished scientists from around the world convened to discuss the latest progress in this field and the conclusions have been summarised in Nano Biophotonics: Science and Technology. The contents of this book have been compiled by invited lecturers, research members of the relevant projects/program, and some of general participants. The book has 27 chapters which are classified into 4 parts; nano bio-spectroscopy, nano bio-dynamics, nano bio-processing, and nano bio-devices.

Related subjects

Biological and medical physics

Chemical physics

Computational physics

Interdisciplinary physics general

Materials physics

Physics of the earth and the atmosphere

Life Sciences

Physical Sciences & Engineering

Social Sciences & Humanities

Health