The first book ever to graphically demonstrate the hundreds of beautiful colors to be found on insulators from telegraph, telephone, and electrical lines throughout the world. Over seven hundred color photographs, each with a descriptive caption, guide the collector through a huge assortment of designs and manufacturers. Each photograph carries a current value for the item shown. No other book captures the beauty found within this colorful and historical hobby.

This graduate-level textbook is the first pedagogical synthesis of the field of topological insulators and superconductors, one of the most exciting areas of research in condensed matter physics. Presenting the latest developments, while providing all the calculations necessary for a self-contained and complete description of the discipline, it is ideal for graduate students and researchers preparing to work in this area, and it will be an essential reference both within and outside the classroom. The book begins with simple concepts such as Berry phases, Dirac fermions, Hall conductance and its link to topology, and the Hofstadter problem of lattice electrons in a magnetic field. It moves on to explain topological phases of matter such as Chern insulators, two- and three-dimensional topological insulators, and Majorana p-wave wires. Additionally, the book covers zero modes on vortices in topological superconductors, time-reversal topological superconductors, and topological responses/field theory and topological indices. The book also analyzes recent topics in condensed matter theory and concludes by surveying active subfields of research such as insulators with point-group symmetries and the stability of topological semimetals. Problems at the end of each chapter offer opportunities to test knowledge and engage with frontier research issues. Topological Insulators and Topological Superconductors will provide graduate students and researchers with the physical understanding and mathematical tools needed to embark on research in this rapidly evolving field.

This study of insulating materials examines such topics as the manufacture of tempered glass, the glass-fibre core, the polymeric housing, the physics of pollution flashover and contamination, remedies for flashover and the testing of insulators.

An insulator, also called a dielectric, is a material that resists the flow of electric current. An insulating material has atoms with tightly bonded valence electrons. These materials are used in parts of electrical equipment, also called insulators or insulation, intended to support or separate electrical conductors without passing current through themselves. Some materials such as glass, paper or Teflon are very good electrical insulators. This book presents topical research data in the study of insulators, including design and development of a new type of ferromagnetic insulator; insulator inspection technologies; high-k dielectric insulators used in low-voltage organic field-effect transistors; the electrodynamics of Mott insulators and insulator-to-metal transitions; and, the leakage current on high voltage contaminated insulators.

Composite insulators have been in service in electric power networks successfully for more than 40 years, and now up to the highest operating voltages. The present book extensively covers such insulators with a special focus on today’s prevalent material, which is silicone rubber. It includes a detailed description of the electrical and mechanical characteristics of composite insulators, their material properties, their design as well as typical applications and service experience. Particular attention is given to the mechanical behavior of long rod and post insulators, insulated cross-arms, interphase spacers and hollow core apparatus insulators. The state of the art on manufacturing procedures and the selection and dimensioning of the necessary power arc and corona fittings is presented as well as evaluation tests of “old” insulators, i.e. insulators after many years in service. The closing chapter deals with an up to date overview of test procedures and IEC standards. The selection and the contents of the various subjects covered in this book are based on the authors’ more than thirty years of experience with a renowned European manufacturer of composite insulators and string hardware. Their long and active participation in the relevant CIGRE and IEC working bodies adding to this experience. This book is therefore addressed to practicing engineers from electric utilities and the industry, as well as to academic professionals.

This book briefly describes the functions of conductors and insulators in electricity.

Learn to correct icing and pollution problems in electrical line insulation Written by prominent experts in the field, this book takes an in-depth look at the issues of electrical insulators for icing and polluted environments. It shows: Engineers and environmental specialists how to carry out appropriate insulator contamination measurements, understand how these readings change with time and weather, and work out how the readings compare with the upper limits set by insulator dimensions in their existing stations Design engineers how to assess the likely maximum pollution and icing limits at a substation or along an overhead line, and then select insulators that have appropriate withstand margins Regulators why modest ice accretion at a moderate 0oC temperature on one occasion can qualify as a major reliability event day, while many similar days pass each winter without power system problems Educators why the ice surface flashover is well behaved compared to the conventional pollution flashover, making it much more suitable for demonstrations, modeling, and analysis The book is complemented with case studies and design equations to help readers identify the most appropriate insulators, bushings, and maintenance plans for their local conditions. Additionally, readers may download supplemental materials supporting evaluation of local climate and contamination. Insulators for Icing and Polluted Environments is indispensable reading for any professional who needs reliable electrical supply from networks exposed to sources of wetting and pollution. It also serves as an excellent introduction to the subjects of high-voltage surface flashover, environmental electrochemistry, and insulation coordination for researchers, professors, and students.

There are only few discoveries and new technologies in physical sciences that have the potential to dramatically alter and revolutionize our electronic world. Topological insulators are one of them. The present book for the first time provides a full overview and in-depth knowledge about this hot topic in materials science and condensed matter physics. Techniques such as angle-resolved photoemission spectrometry (ARPES), advanced solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) or scanning-tunnel microscopy (STM) together with key principles of topological insulators such as spin-locked electronic states, the Dirac point, quantum Hall effects and Majorana fermions are illuminated in individual chapters and are described in a clear and logical form. Written by an international team of experts, many of them directly involved in the very first discovery of topological insulators, the book provides the readers with the knowledge they need to understand the electronic behavior of these unique materials. Being more than a reference work, this book is essential for newcomers and advanced researchers working in the field of topological insulators.

Middle-graders often wonder how electricity is transmitted and how we are protected from being shocked. Pegis takes these readers along on an exploration of the roles conductors and insulators play in the transmission.