This book describes the recent evolution of solid-state physics, which is primarily dedicated to examining the behavior of solids at the atomic scale. It also presents various state-of-the-art reviews and original contributions related to solid-state sciences. The book consists of four sections, namely, solid-state behavior, metastable materials, spintronics materials, and mechanics of deformable bodies. The authors’ contributions relating to solid-state behavior deal with the performance of solid matters pertaining to quantum mechanics, physical metallurgy, and crystallography. The authors’ contributions relating to metastable materials demonstrate the behavior of amorphous/bulk metallic glasses and some nonequilibrium materials. The authors’ contributions relating to spintronic materials explain the principles and equations underlying the physics, transport, and dynamics of spin in solid-state systems. The authors’ contributions relating to the mechanics of deformable bodies deal with applications of numeric and analytic solutions/models for solid-state structures under deformation. Key Features:Issues in solid-state physics, Lagrangian quantum mechanics,Quantum and thermal behavior of HCP crystals,Thermoelectric properties of semiconductors,Bulk metallic glasses and metastable atomic density determination,Applications of spintronics and Heusler alloys, 2D elastostatic, mathematical modeling and dynamic stiffness methods on deformable bodies.

This book describes the recent evolution of solid-state physics, which is primarily dedicated to examining the behavior of solids at the atomic scale. It also presents various state-of-the-art reviews and original contributions related to solid-state sciences. The book consists of four sections, namely, solid-state behavior, metastable materials, spintronics materials, and mechanics of deformable bodies. The authors' contributions relating to solid-state behavior deal with the performance of solid matters pertaining to quantum mechanics, physical metallurgy, and crystallography. The authors' contributions relating to metastable materials demonstrate the behavior of amorphous/bulk metallic glasses and some nonequilibrium materials. The authors' contributions relating to spintronic materials explain the principles and equations underlying the physics, transport, and dynamics of spin in solid-state systems. The authors' contributions relating to the mechanics of deformable bodies deal with applications of numeric and analytic solutions/models for solid-state structures under deformation. Key Features:Issues in solid-state physics, Lagrangian quantum mechanics,Quantum and thermal behavior of HCP crystals,Thermoelectric properties of semiconductors,Bulk metallic glasses and metastable atomic density determination,Applications of spintronics and Heusler alloys, 2D elastostatic, mathematical modeling and dynamic stiffness methods on deformable bodies.

As the editor, I feel extremely happy to present to the readers such a rich collection of chapters authored/co-authored by a large number of experts from around the world covering the broad field of guided wave optics and optoelectronics. Most of the chapters are state-of-the-art on respective topics or areas that are emerging. Several authors narrated technological challenges in a lucid manner, which was possible because of individual expertise of the authors in their own subject specialties. I have no doubt that this book will be useful to graduate students, teachers, researchers, and practicing engineers and technologists and that they would love to have it on their book shelves for ready reference at any time.

Approach your problems from the right end It isn't that they can't see the solution. It is and begin with the answers. Then one day, that they can't see the problem. perbaps you will find the final question. G. K. Chesterton. The Scandal of Father 'The Hermit Clad in Crane Feathers' in R. Brown 'The point of a Pin'. van GuIik's The Chinese Maze Murders. Growing specialization and diversification have brought a host of monographs and textbooks on increasingly specialized topics. However, the "tree" of knowledge of mathematics and related fields does not grow only by putting forth new branches. It also happens, quite often in fact, that branches which were thought to be completely disparate are suddenly seen to be related. Further, the kind and level of sophistication of mathematics applied in various sciences has changed drastically in recent years: measure theory is used (non-trivially) in regional and theoretical economics; algebraic geometry interacts with physics; the Minkowsky lemma, coding theory and the structure of water meet one another in packing and covering theory; quantum fields, crystal defects and mathematical programming profit from homotopy theory; Lie algebras are relevant to filtering; and prediction and electrical engineering can use Stein spaces. And in addition to this there are such new emerging subdisciplines as "experimental mathematics", "CFD", "completely integrable systems", "chaos, synergetics and large-scale order", which are almost impossible to fit into the existing classification schemes. They draw upon widely different sections of mathematics.

World population is growing at an alarming rate and is anticipated to reach about six billion by the end of year 2050. On the other hand, agricultural productivity is not increasing at a required rate to keep up with the food demand. The reasons for this are water shortages, depleting soil fertility and mainly various abiotic stresses. The fast pace at which developments and novel findings that are recently taking place in the cutting edge areas of molecular biology and basic genetics, have reinforced and augmented the efficiency of science outputs in dealing with plant abiotic stresses. In depth understanding of the stresses and their effects on plants is of paramount importance to evolve effective strategies to counter them. This book is broadly dived into sections on the stresses, their mechanisms and tolerance, genetics and adaptation, and focuses on the mechanic aspects in addition to touching some adaptation features. The chief objective of the book hence is to deliver state of the art information for comprehending the nature of abiotic stress in plants. We attempted here to present a judicious mixture of outlooks in order to interest workers in all areas of plant sciences.

Nanoscience is not physics, chemistry, engineering or biology. It is all of them, and it is time for a text that integrates the disciplines. This is such a text, aimed at advanced undergraduates and beginning graduate students in the sciences. The consequences of smallness and quantum behaviour are well known and described Richard Feynman's visionary essay 'There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom' (which is reproduced in this book). Another, critical, but thus far neglected, aspect of nanoscience is the complexity of nanostructures. Hundreds, thousands or hundreds of thousands of atoms make up systems that are complex enough to show what is fashionably called 'emergent behaviour'. Quite new phenomena arise from rare configurations of the system. Examples are the Kramer's theory of reactions (Chapter 3), the Marcus theory of electron transfer (Chapter 8), and enzyme catalysis, molecular motors, and fluctuations in gene expression and splicing, all covered in the final Chapter on Nanobiology. The book is divided into three parts. Part I (The Basics) is a self-contained introduction to quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics and chemical kinetics, calling on no more than basic college calculus. A conceptual approach and an array of examples and conceptual problems will allow even those without the mathematical tools to grasp much of what is important. Part II (The Tools) covers microscopy, single molecule manipulation and measurement, nanofabrication and self-assembly. Part III (Applications) covers electrons in nanostructures, molecular electronics, nano-materials and nanobiology. Each chapter starts with a survey of the required basics, but ends by making contact with current research literature.

Strain Effect in Semiconductors: Theory and Device Applications presents the fundamentals and applications of strain in semiconductors and semiconductor devices that is relevant for strain-enhanced advanced CMOS technology and strain-based piezoresistive MEMS transducers. Discusses relevant applications of strain while also focusing on the fundamental physics pertaining to bulk, planar, and scaled nano-devices. Hence, this book is relevant for current strained Si logic technology as well as for understanding the physics and scaling for future strained nano-scale devices.

To have unimaginably outstanding useful properties (physical, mechanical, electrical, optical, chemical, and magnetic) in a single material design is a highly challenging task in the material science community, which can be achieved through nanocomposites. These nanocomposites can be produced from all conventional materials, which include polymers, metals/alloys, and ceramics, by modifying their internal structures. Due to modification of the structures of all kinds of conventional materials, at either the nano or ultra-fine level, the materials exhibit superior performance, which is a boon for all fields of science. In general, nanocomposite materials can be manufactured by solid-state processing techniques, liquid metallurgy, ex-situ and in-situ powder metallurgy, and other basic science synthesis routes. Furthermore, the possibility of making environmentally friendly materials is also possible with nanotechnology. Therefore, to investigate and demonstrate developments in the field of nanocomposites, this book is targeted at all the scientific personnel working in this field.

This book outlines, with the help of several specific examples, the important role played by absorption spectroscopy in the investigation of deep-level centers introduced in semiconductors and insulators like diamond, silicon, germanium and gallium arsenide by high-energy irradiation, residual impurities, and defects produced during crystal growth. It also describes the crucial role played by vibrational spectroscopy to determine the atomic structure and symmetry of complexes associated with light impurities like hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen and oxygen, and as a tool for quantitative analysis of these elements in the materials.

Nanotechnology is a vital new area of research and development addressing the control, modification and fabrication of materials, structures and devices with nanometre precision and the synthesis of such structures into systems of micro- and macroscopic dimensions. Future applications of nanoscale science and technology include motors smaller than the diameter of a human hair and single-celled organisms programmed to fabricate materials with nanometer precision. Miniaturisation has revolutionised the semiconductor industry by making possible inexpensive integrated electronic circuits comprised of devices and wires with sub-micrometer dimensions. These integrated circuits are now ubiquitous, controlling everything from cars to toasters. The next level of miniaturisation, beyond sub-micrometer dimensions into nanoscale dimensions (invisible to the unaided human eye) is a booming area of research and development. This is a very hot area of research with large amounts of venture capital and government funding being invested worldwide, as such Nanoscale Science and Technology has a broad appeal based upon an interdisciplinary approach, covering aspects of physics, chemistry, biology, materials science and electronic engineering. Kelsall et al present a coherent approach to nanoscale sciences, which will be invaluable to graduate level students and researchers and practising engineers and product designers.