Complementary to scattering techniques, scanning tunnelling microscopy provides atomic-scale real space information about a material's electronic state of matter. State-of-the-art designs of a scanning tunnelling microscope (STM) allow measurements at millikelvin temperatures with unprecedented energy resolution. Therefore, this instrument excels in probing the superconducting state at low temperatures and especially its local quasiparticle excitations as well as bosonic degrees of freedom.

In the last decades, superconducting devices have emerged as a promising platform for quantum technologies, including quantum sensing and quantum computing. Their key elements are Josephson junctions, which allow for coherent supercurrent tunneling between two weakly linked superconductors. If such a junction is extended in one direction to a long junction, the superconducting phase difference can vary in space and time and may allow for quantized phase windings that drive supercurrent vortices.

Unconventional superconductivity (or superconductivity with a nontrivial Cooper pairing) is believed to exist in many heavy-fermion materials as well as in high temperature superconductors, and is a subject of great theoretical and experimental interest. The remarkable progress achieved in this field has not been reflected in published monographs and textbooks, and there is a gap between current research and the standard education of solid state physicists in the theory of superconductivity. This book is intended to meet this information need and includes the authors' original results.

Combining physics, mathematics and computer science, topological quantum computation is a rapidly expanding research area focused on the exploration of quantum evolutions that are immune to errors. In this book, the author presents a variety of different topics developed together for the first time, forming an excellent introduction to topological quantum computation. The makings of anyonic systems, their properties and their computational power are presented in a pedagogical way. Relevant calculations are fully explained, and numerous worked examples and exercises support and aid understanding. Special emphasis is given to the motivation and physical intuition behind every mathematical concept. Demystifying difficult topics by using accessible language, this book has broad appeal and is ideal for graduate students and researchers from various disciplines who want to get into this new and exciting research field.

This primer is aimed at elevating graduate students of condensed matter theory to a level where they can engage in independent research. Topics covered include second quantisation, path and functional field integration, mean-field theory and collective phenomena.

Since 2004 and with the 2nd edition in 2006, the Springer Handbook of Nanotechnology has established itself as the definitive reference in the nanoscience and nanotechnology area. It integrates the knowledge from nanofabrication, nanodevices, nanomechanics, Nanotribology, materials science, and reliability engineering in just one volume. Beside the presentation of nanostructures, micro/nanofabrication, and micro/nanodevices, special emphasis is on scanning probe microscopy, nanotribology and nanomechanics, molecularly thick films, industrial applications and microdevice reliability, and on social aspects. In its 3rd edition, the book grew from 8 to 9 parts now including a part with chapters on biomimetics. More information is added to such fields as bionanotechnology, nanorobotics, and (bio)MEMS/NEMS, bio/nanotribology and bio/nanomechanics. The book is organized by an experienced editor with a universal knowledge and written by an international team of over 150 distinguished experts. It addresses mechanical and electrical engineers, materials scientists, physicists and chemists who work either in the nano area or in a field that is or will be influenced by this new key technology.

A quantum dot molecule (QDM) is composed of two or more closely spaced quantum dots or “artificial atoms.” In recent years, QDMs have received much attention as an emerging new artificial quantum system. The interesting and unique coupling and energy transfer processes between the “artificial atoms” could substantially extend the range of possible applications of quantum nanostructures. This book reviews recent advances in the exciting and rapidly growing field of QDMs via contributions from some of the most prominent researchers in this scientific community. The book explores many interesting topics such as the epitaxial growth of QDMs, spectroscopic characterization, and QDM transistors, and bridges between the fundamental physics of novel materials and device applications for future information technology. Both theoretical and experimental approaches are considered. Quantum Dot Molecules can be recommended for electrical engineering and materials science department courses on the science and design of advanced and future electronic and optoelectronic devices.

Even a hundred years after its discovery, superconductivity continues to bring us new surprises, from superconducting magnets used in MRI to quantum detectors in electronics. 100 Years of Superconductivity presents a comprehensive collection of topics on nearly all the subdisciplines of superconductivity. Tracing the historical developments in supe