Book Description
Neutrons, which are a penetrating yet non destructive probe, are ideally suited to studying the structure, organisation and motion of molecules responsible for the physical properties of materials under a variety of conditions. Applications are in fields as diverse as colloid and polymer science, earth sciences, pharmaceutics, biology and engineering. This book will be of interest to both present and potential future users of neutron sources working in these areas, as both a useful reference and a comprehensive overview. ... Read more

Book Description
Core level spectroscopy has become a powerful tool in the study of electronic states in solids. From fundamental aspects to the most recent developments, Core Level Spectroscopy of Solids presents the theoretical calculations, experimental data, and underlying physics of x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS), x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD), and resonant x-ray emission spectroscopy (RXES).Starting with the basic aspects of core level spectroscopy, the book explains the many-body effects in XPS and XAS as well as several theories. After forming this foundation, the authors explore more advanced features of XPS, XAS, XMCD, and RXES. Topics discussed include hard XPS, resonant photoemission, spin polarization, electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), and resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS). The authors also use the charge transfer multiplet theory to interpret core level spectroscopy for transition metal and rare earth metal systems.Pioneers in the theoretical and experimental developments of this field, Frank de Groot and Akio Kotani provide an invaluable treatise on the numerous aspects of core level spectroscopy that involve solids. ... Read more

Book Description

This status report features the most recent developments in the field, spanning a wide range of topical areas in the computer simulation of condensed matter/materials physics. Both established and new topics are included, ranging from the statistical mechanics of classical magnetic spin models to electronic structure calculations, quantum simulations, and simulations of soft condensed matter. The book presents new physical results as well as novel methods of simulation and data analysis. Highlights of this volume include various aspects of non-equilibrium statistical mechanics, studies of properties of real materials using both classical model simulations and electronic structure calculations, and the use of computer simulation in teaching.

Book Description

The first part of this book contains E. Lieb's fundamental contributions to the mathematical theory of Condensed Matter Physics. Often considered the founding father of the field, E. Lieb demonstrates his ability to select the most important issues and to formulate them as well-defined mathematical problems and, finally, to solve them. The second part presents Lieb's work on integrable models. His groundbreaking articles helped to establish Exactly Soluble Models as a flourishing research field in its own right. The papers collected in this volume have also been carefully annotated by the editors.

Book Description
Since the 1950s shock compression research contributed greatly to scientific knowledge and industrial technology. As a result, for example, our understanding of meteorite impacts has substantially improved, and shock processes have become standard industrial methods in materials synthesis and processing. Investigations of shock-compressed matter involve physics,electrical engineering, solid mechanics, metallurgy, geophysics and materials science. The description of shock-compressed matter presented here, which is derived from physical and chemical observations, differs significantly from the classical descriptions derived from strictly mechanical characteristics. This volume, with over 900 references, provides an introduction for scientists and engineers interested in the present state of shock compression science. ... Read more

Book Description
The application of field theoretic techniques to problems in condensed matter physics has generated an array of concepts and mathematical techniques to attack a range of problems such as the theory of quantum phase transitions, the quantum Hall effect, and quantum wires. While concepts such as the renormalization group, topology, and bosonization have become necessary tools for the condensed matter physicist, enough open problems and interesting applications remain to drive much activity in this area in the coming years.Field Theories in Condensed Matter Physics presents a comprehensive survey of the concepts, techniques, and applications of the field. Written by experts and carefully edited, the book provides the necessary background for graduate students entering the area of modern condensed matter physics. It also supplies field theorists with a valuable introduction to the areas in condensed matter physics where field theoretic concepts can be fruitfully applied. ... Read more

Book Description
Provides an introduction to this exciting subject with chapters covering natural and synthetic polymers, colloids, surfactants, and liquid crystals, highlighting the many and varied applications of these materials.

• The only introductory book on this subject
• Cutting-edge introduction to a new and emerging subject area
• An interdisciplinary approach suitable of chemistry, materials science, physics, and biochemistry courses
• Copious end-of-chapter problems

Customer Reviews (1)

A concised and unified overview on soft matter
This book contains a concised overview on soft matter physics or what chemists use to call colloid chemistry. As stated by the author in the Preface, it has been written primarily for undergraduate students. However, it should be also useful to researchers that are looking for a unified view of the subject. The book is organized in five chapters: 1) Introduction, 2) Polymers, 3) Colloids, 4) Amphiphiles, and 5) Liquid crystals. Each chapter includes both FURTHER READING andQUESTIONS sections (numerical solutions to the questions are provided at the end of the book). All in all this quasi-pocket book appear to have reached its scope, I think, and hence I rated it with five stars. Readers that want to dig deeper into this subject may consult the book Soft Matter Physics: an Introduction, by Kleman and Lavrentovich (648 pp). Those wishing to take an intermediate step, may consult the recently published book Soft Condensed Matter by Jones (230 pp). ... Read more

Book Description
This is a completely revised edition of a book originally published 25 years ago.While the general content, layout, and style of this edition follows that of the original, the second edition reflects the enormous expansion of theoretical and experimental research that has taken place over the past quarter of a century.The book, now available in paperback, is an introductory rather than a specialist work aimed at first year-graduate students of physics and is accessible to those who have taken undergraduate courses in mathematics and statistical thermodynamics.Each chapter ends with a short set of references for further reading, and exercises are provided for the reader.This volume covers the more basic parts of this vast topic, while preserving a balance between different areas.The author breaks the subject down by liquid state topic rather than by class of liquid, so that all classes of liquids fall under each topic.The author takes an atomic or molecular view of liquids, concentrating on the pair distribution and pair potential functions, illustrating how properties can be calculated from first principles and compared with experimental results.The experimental techniques used involve scattering both for equilibrium and dynamic measurements. ... Read more

Book Description
Covering colloids, polymers, surfactant phases, emulsions, and granular media, Soft and Fragile Matter: Nonequilibrium Dynamics, Metastability and Flow (PBK) provides self-contained and pedagogical coverage of the rapidly advancing field of systems driven out of equilibrium, with a strong emphasis on unifying conceptual principles rather than material-specific details.Written by internationally recognized experts, the book contains introductions at the level of a graduate course in soft condensed matter and statistical physics to the following areas: experimental techniques, polymers, rheology, colloids, computer simulation, surfactants, phase separation kinetics, driven systems, structural glasses, slow dynamics, and granular materials. These topics lead to a range of exciting applications at the forefront of current research, including microplasticity of emulsions, sequence design of copolymers, branched polymer dynamics, nucleation kinetics in colloids, multiscale modeling, flow-induced surfactant textures, fluid demixing under shear, two-time correlation functions, chaotic sedimentation dynamics, and sound propagation in powders.Balancing theory, simulation, and experiment, this broadly-based, pedagogical account of a rapidly developing field is an excellent compendium for graduate students and researchers in condensed matter physics, materials science, and physical chemistry. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Comprehensive, upto date essays on soft matter by experts
Soft and Fragile Matter is a great compilation of essays, put together by editors Cates and Evans, into a book that is useful for every serious student of soft matter physics. The bibliography at the end of each chapter outlines essential reading for the corresponding branch of soft matter, and the text on each chapter provides a basic and yet erudite discussion on some of the essential features of colloids, polymers, surfactants, granular matter and glasses. Surprisingly the book does not include a chapter on liquid crystals.

A summary of what these essays contain:

Poon opens the book with "A day in the life of a hard-sphere suspension" outlining concepts of statistical mechanics and "dynamics, metastability and flow" required to appreciate their behavior.

David Pine introduces static and dynamic light scattering as well as basic rheology in context of behavior of glass forming gels and worm like miscelles as examples.

Alexei Khokhlov's chapter on polymer physics starts by discussing models for describing chain dimensions, follows up with swelling and collapse of polymer chains in solvents, and then discusses statics of polyelectrolytes and block polymers. Khokhlov is author of Statistical Physics of Macromolecules and Gaint Molecules: both of which are highly recommended texts for polymer physicists.

McLeish starts by explaining what rheology is, and how fluids and solids respond to stress. Then he talks about the theoretical aspects of Rouse model and reptation, and discusses experimental rheology of both linear and branched polymers.

Daan Frenkel's chapter on introduction to colloidal systems is a thirty piece masterpiece that presents most of the important concepts of colloidal phenomenon. The chapter starts by discussing why particles are brownian, talks about forces between particles and then talks about computer simulations of colloids. Phase behavior, metastability and crystallization as well as hydrodynamics of colloids are introduced to the reader.

Kurt Kremer summarizes the simulation strategies relevant to soft matter, presenting a brief on Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics. His book on the topic is must have, must read for simulators in the field.

Roux delves into the intricate phases and patterns formed by surfactants , both under static and dynamic conditions. Bray continues the discussion by providing insight into the coarsening dynamics, giving us a glimpse of mechanism and kinetics of transformation of one phase into another (disorder to order, and spinodal decomposition). Mukamel then tackles the phase behavior in nonequilibrium systems, an area which will see a lot of theoretical and experimental investigation in future.Symmetry breaking and collective phenomenon are becoming most investigated fields of study, and the mathematics involved is basis for understanding pattern formation and behavior across disciplines as diverse as population ecology, astronomy and oscillatory chemical reactions.

Kob takes us into the metastable, amorphous realm of supercooled liquids and glasses. He discusses strong and fragile glasses, Mode Coupling Theoryas well as relaxation in supercooled systems. Bouchaud takes this discussion further by talking about aging in glassy systems.

Lekkerkerker takes off from where Frenkel left and talks about colloids in another very insightful chapter, where both hard sphere crystallization and impact of mixing on phase behavior of colloids blended with each other or polymers is discussed. Paul Chaikin discusses hydrodynamics and thermodynamics of hard spheres presenting important concepts regarding sedimentation and packing problem in solid spheres. His book with Lubensky is an erudite and mathematically intensive treatise on soft condensed matter.

Lastly, Nagel and Cates discuss the physics of granular materials, one of the least understood realm of soft matter. While Nagel describes experiments with little perturbation aimed at looking at statics of these materials, Cates summarizes the understanding of jamming and stress transmission in granular media.

With such richness and complexity of topics, this book deserves to be on the bookshelf of every soft matter enthusiast. ... Read more

Book Description

This extensive and comprehensive collection of lectures by world-leading experts in the field introduces and reviews all relevant computer simulation methods and their applications in condensed matter systems. Volume 1, published as LNP 703 (ISBN 3-540-35270-8) is an in-depth introduction to a vast spectrum of computational techniques for statistical mechanical systems of condensed matter. It will enable the graduate student and both the specialist and nonspecialist researcher to get acquainted with the tools necessary to carry out numerical simulations at an advanced level. The present volume is a state-of-the-art survey on numerical experiments carried out for a great number of systems, ranging from materials sciences to chemical biology, such as supercooled liquids, spin glasses, colloids, polymers, liquid crystals, biological membranes and folding proteins.