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Books in Physics

Physics titles offer comprehensive research and advancements across the fundamental and applied areas of physical science. From quantum mechanics and particle physics to astrophysics and materials science, these titles drive innovation and deepen understanding of the principles governing the universe. Essential for researchers, educators, and students, this collection supports scientific progress and practical applications across a diverse range of physics disciplines.

  • Physical Fluid Dynamics

    • 1st Edition
    • December 2, 2012
    • P McCormack
    • English
    Physical Fluid Dynamics is a textbook for students of physics that reflects the origins and the future development of fluid dynamics. This book forms a concise and logically developed course in contemporary Newtonian fluid dynamics, suitable for physics and engineering science students. The text is composed of chapters devoted to the discussion of the physical properties of fluids, vortex dynamics, slow viscous flow, and particulate fluid dynamics. An adequate course in the dynamics of real (viscous) fluids, kinematics, equations of motion, boundary-layer theory, and compressible flow is also given. The textbook is intended for junior or senior undergraduate level students of physics and engineering.
  • An Introduction To Solar Radiation

    • 1st Edition
    • December 2, 2012
    • Muhammad Iqbal
    • English
    An Introduction to Solar Radiation is an introductory text on solar radiation, with emphasis on the methods of calculation for determining the amount of solar radiation incident on a surface on the earth. Topics covered include the astronomical relationship between the sun and the earth; thermal radiation; the solar constant and its spectral distribution; and extraterrestrial solar irradiation. This book is comprised of 12 chapters and begins with an overview of the trigonometric relationships between the sun-earth line and the position of an inclined surface, followed by a discussion on the characteristics of blackbody radiation. The next chapter focuses on the solar constant and its spectral distribution, paying particular attention to extraterrestrial solar spectral irradiance and the sun's blackbody temperature. Subsequent chapters explore extraterrestrial and radiation incident on inclined planes; the optics of a cloudless-sky atmosphere; solar spectral radiation and total (broadband) radiation under cloudless skies; and solar radiation arriving at horizontal surfaces on the earth through cloudy skies. The ground albedo and its spectral and angular variation are also described, along with insolation on inclined surfaces. The last chapter is devoted to instruments for measuring solar radiation, including pyrheliometers and pyranometers. This monograph will serve as a useful guide for energy analysts, designers of thermal devices, architects and engineers, agronomists, and hydrologists as well as senior graduate students.
  • An Introduction to the Liquid State

    • 1st Edition
    • December 2, 2012
    • P Egelstaff
    • English
    An Introduction to the Liquid State focuses on the atomic motions and positions of liquids. Particularly given importance in this book are internal motion of molecules as a whole and the motion of atoms in a monatomic liquid. Divided into 16 chapters, the book opens by outlining the general properties of liquids, including a comparison of liquid argon and liquid sodium, discussions on theories and methods of studying the liquid state, and thermodynamic relationships. The book proceeds by defining the molecular distribution functions and equation of state, the potential function for non-conducting liquids and metals, and measurement of pair distribution function. Numerical analyses and representations are provided to simplify the functions of equations. The book discusses equilibrium properties wherein calculations on the state of gases and fluids are presented. The text also underlines space and time dependent correlation functions. Given emphasis in this part are neutron scattering, electromagnetic radiation, and various radiation scattering techniques. Other concerns discussed are diffusion and single particle motion, velocity of correlation function, diffusion and viscosity coefficients, liquid-gas critical point, and a comparison of classical and quantum liquids. The selection is a valuable source of information for readers wanting to study the composition and reactions of liquids.
  • Dynamical Systems and Microphysics

    Control theory and Mechanics
    • 1st Edition
    • December 2, 2012
    • Austin Blaquiere
    • English
    Dynamical Systems and Microphysics: Control Theory and Mechanics contains the proceedings of the Third International Seminar on Mathematical Theory of Dynamical Systems and Microphysics held in Udine, Italy, on September 4-9, 1983. The papers explore the mechanics and optimal control of dynamical systems and cover topics ranging from complete controllability and stability to feedback control in general relativity; adaptive control for uncertain dynamical systems; geometry of canonical transformations; and homogeneity in mechanics. This book is comprised of 14 chapters and begins by discussing the relationship between complete controllability and Poisson stabilizability in relation to to Liapounov stabilizability. The next chapter looks at the conditions that must be met in order to control a dynamical system in an optimal fashion. The theory of optimal feedback control is used as an approach to the dynamics of a mass point in general relativity. The theory of reachability with feedback control is also used as an approach to geometrical optics in the frame of general relativity. The final chapter describes a system theoretic framework for the study of Hamiltonian systems with external forces. This monograph is intended primarily for researchers and graduate students in theoretical physics, mechanics, control and system theory, and mathematics. It may also be read profitably by philosophers of science and, to some extent, by those who have a keen interest in basic questions of contemporary mechanics and physics and who possess some background in the physical and mathematical sciences.
  • Handbook on Plasma Instabilities

    • 1st Edition
    • December 2, 2012
    • Ferdinand Cap
    • English
    Handbook on Plasma Instabilities, Volume 1 serves as an introduction to the field of plasma physics and plasma instabilities. Topics covered include basic plasma physics, statistical plasma theory, and magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), as well as the many-species theory and plasma containment. The motion of individual particles, oscillations and waves, and MHD instabilities of a real and an ideal plasma are also discussed. This volume is comprised of 13 chapters and begins with a survey of the various applications of plasma sciences and an overview of the fundamental concepts of plasma physics. Basic plasma physics, the physics of instabilities, orbit theory, kinetic theory, MHD, and the many-fluid theory are then presented. The following chapters focus on the principles of plasma containment and waves in plasmas, together with the basic features of plasma instabilities and their classification. The classical MHD stability theory of an ideal and of a real plasma is also described. The final chapter is devoted to drift waves and drift instabilities in inhomogeneous plasmas, paying particular attention to the theory of gradient instabilities and the microscopic theory of waves in non-homogeneous collisionless plasmas. This handbook is intended for beginners in plasma physics and plasma instabilities and for physicists and engineers working actively in the field.
  • Theory of Dielectric Optical Waveguides 2e

    • 2nd Edition
    • December 2, 2012
    • Paul Liao
    • English
    Theory of Dialectric Optical Waveguides, Second Edition focuses on the practical usage of optical waveguides. This book explores the rapid growth of integrated optics, which is devoted to the development of microscopic optical circuits based on thin film technology. Organized into nine chapters, this edition starts with an overview of the properties of dielectric slab waveguides. This book then examines the theory of directional couplers with and without diffraction gratings. Other chapters describe the numerical methods for solving guided mode as well as wave propagation problems. This text discusses as well the beam propagation method and the popular effective refractive index method. The final chapter deals with the significance of nonlinear phenomena. This book is a valuable resource for undergraduate and graduate students of physics and electrical engineering. Practicing engineers and scientists in the fields of integrated optics, optical communications, and fiber sensors will find this book extremely useful.
  • Seismology: Surface Waves and Earth Oscillations

    • 1st Edition
    • December 2, 2012
    • Bruce Bolt
    • English
    Methods in Computational Physics, Volume 11: Seismology: Surface Waves and Earth Oscillations is a five-chapter text that deals with the computational analysis of surface waves and the eigenvibrations of the Earth. Chapter 1 describes the advances in the numerical modeling of geological structures where the appropriate partial differential equations with boundary conditions for heterogeneous materials are solved using an intricate finite difference scheme. Chapter 2 presents the computer techniques of processing seismograms to obtain information on the dispersion of seismic surface waves, while Chapter 3 explains the fast algorithms for computation of eigenvalues in surface wave and terrestrial eigenvibration problems. Chapter 4 presents a competing method, much used in structural engineering and soil mechanics. Chapter 5 is devoted to the propagation of surface waves in layered media, which indicate that density and elasticity vary only in the vertical direction. This chapter also provides the fundamentals and numerical aspects of the theory of seismic surface waves. This book is an invaluable source for seismologists, earthquake engineers, and graduate students.
  • Chemical Compounds in The Atmosphere

    • 1st Edition
    • December 2, 2012
    • T Graedel
    • English
    Chemical Compounds in the Atmosphere deals with the chemistry of organic and inorganic compounds found in the atmosphere, including rare gases and compounds of oxygen and hydrogen, halogenated aromatic compounds, and organometallic compounds. The sources and concentrations of atmospheric trace gases are discussed, along with their chemical reactions and ultimate fates. The compounds are divided into groups on the basis of chemical constituent or chemical structure. Comprised of 10 chapters, this book opens with an overview of atmospheric composition and atmospheric chemistry, followed by a discussion on inorganic compounds present in the troposphere such as rare gases and compounds containing nitrogen, sulfur, and halogens. The next chapters focus on hydrocarbons such as alkanes, alkenes, and alkynes; carbonyl compounds such as ketones and aldehydes; oxygenated and nitrogen- and sulfur-containing organic compounds; organic halogenated compounds such as mercaptans and thiocyanates; and organometallic compounds such as organophosphorus pesticides. The final chapter is a synthesis of data on atmospheric compounds mentioned in this text, with emphasis on their occurrence, sources, oxidation, and lifetimes. The chemistry of acid rain is also considered. This monograph will be of value to those engaged in atmospheric measurements, theoretical and laboratory studies of chemical parameters relevant to the atmosphere, and air quality assessments.
  • Physical Acoustics V6

    Principles and Methods
    • 1st Edition
    • December 2, 2012
    • Warren P. Mason
    • English
    Physical Acoustics: Principles and Methods, Volume VI provides five chapters covering the whole of physical acoustics. The first chapter extends the methods for studying high frequency sound waves in the hypersonic range by the technique of Brillouin scattering. The next chapter discusses the acoustic properties of materials of the perovskite structure. These materials have ""soft"" modes, which are transverse optic modes of the phonon spectrum that have unusually low and strongly temperature dependent frequencies. This chapter expounds the influence of the soft modes, with particular attention to potassium tantalate and strontium titanate. The third chapter gives a theoretical treatment of the properties and possibilities of surface waves in crystals that are becoming of increasing interest for delay lines, amplifiers of sound waves, and other practical applications. The fourth chapter discusses the experimental methods and results of the dynamic shear properties of solvents and polystyrene solutions from 20 to 300 MHz, including a description of its materials and steady-flow properties. The final chapter deals with condensed helium, which requires quantum reactions to account for its properties. While the experimental data on solid helium are still insufficient, this chapter gives both a theoretical and an experimental account of sound propagation in solid helium, including various liquid forms. This book is recommended to both students and physicists conducting research on physical acoustics.
  • Optical Bistability: Controlling Light With Light

    • 1st Edition
    • December 2, 2012
    • Hyatt Gibbs
    • English
    Optical Bistability: Controlling Light with Light focuses on optical bistability in nonlinear optical systems. Emphasis is on passive (non-laser) systems that exhibit reversible bistability with input intensity as the hysteresis variable, along with the physics and the potential applications of such systems for nonlinear optical signal processing. This book consists of seven chapters and begins with a historical overview of optical bistability in lasers and passive systems. The next chapter describes steady-state theories of optical bistability, including the Bonifacio-Lugiato model, as well as the boundary conditions of an optical cavity and the coupled Maxwell-Bloch equations. Both intrinsic and hybrid experiments are then described, along with light-by-light control, pulse reshaping, and external switching. The transient phenomena that arise either from instabilities in the bistable systems themselves or from fluctuations in the number of nonlinear atoms or in the number of intracavity photons are also considered. The final chapter examines the characteristics and fundamental limitations of an ideal device, the prospect of improving devices by identifying giant nonlinearities, and the utilization of the full power of optics by parallel processing. This monograph is intended for new entrants and active workers in the field of optical bistability.