As physical science advances, theoretical simulations become increasingly reflective of realistic systems, and experimental observations become more precise and refined. Thus, going beyond the Born–Oppenheimer approximation is inevitable. This book bases its discussion of condensed matter physics on the Schrödinger equation, considering both nuclear and electronic degrees of freedom. Particular attention is given to two types of phenomena: those, such as nuclear quantum effects, for which ...

This book highlights the fundamentals for understanding the essential problems and latest progresses in basic water science. Water is the most abundant, fundamental and important matter in nature. Arguably it is also the material that human beings study the most but misunderstand the most. Compared with the environmental science and engineering research activities on water resources, water pollution and water usage closely related to social problems at the macro level, basic scientific res...

This book provides a relatively complete introduction to the methods used in computational condensed matter. A wide range of electronic structure theories are introduced, including traditional quantum chemistry methods, density functional theory, many-body perturbation theory, and more. Molecular dynamics simulations are also discussed, with extensions to enhanced sampling and free-energy calculation techniques including umbrella sampling, meta-dynamics, integrated tempering sampling, etc....

Where were the amino acids, the molecules of life, created: perhaps in a lightning storm in the early Earth, or perhaps elsewhere in the cosmos? This book argues that at least some of them must have been produced in the cosmos, and that the fact that the Earthly amino acids have a specific handedness provides an important clue for that explanation. The book discusses several models that purport to explain the handedness, ultimately proposing a new explanation that involves cosmic processin...

Serving as the only systematic and comprehensive treatment on the topic of nanoparticle-based materials, this book covers synthesis, characterization, assembly, shaping and sintering of all types of nanoparticles including metals, ceramics, and semiconductors. A single-authored work, it is suitable as a graduate-level text in nanomaterials courses.

Second volume of a 40-volume series on nanoscience and nanotechnology, edited by the renowned scientist Challa S.S.R. Kumar. This handbook gives a comprehensive overview about UV-visible and photoluminescence spectroscopy for the characterization of nanomaterials. Modern applications and state-of-the-art techniques are covered and make this volume essential reading for research scientists in academia and industry in the related fields.

Photoelectron spectroscopy is now becoming more and more required to investigate electronic structures of various solid materials in the bulk, on surfaces as well as at buried interfaces. The energy resolution was much improved in the last decade down to 1 meV in the low photon energy region. Now this technique is available from a few eV up to 10 keV by use of lasers, electron cyclotron resonance lamps in addition to synchrotron radiation and X-ray tubes. High resolution angle resolved pho...

This book covers both basic physics of ferromagnetism, such as magnetic moment, exchange coupling, magnetic anisotropy, and recent progress in advanced ferromagnetic materials. Special focus is placed on NdFeB permanent magnets and the materials studied in the field of spintronics (explaining the development of tunnel magnetoresistance effect through the so-called giant magnetoresistance effect).

The third generation of solar cells includes those based on semiconductor quantum dots. This sophisticated technology applies nanotechnology and quantum mechanics theory to enhance the performance of ordinary solar cells. Although a practical application of quantum dot solar cells has yet to be achieved, a large number of theoretical calculations and experimental studies have confirmed the potential for meeting the requirement for ultra-high conversion efficiency. In this book, high-profil...

This book covers various aspects of lasers in materials science, including a comprehensive overview on basic principles of laser-materials interactions and applications enabled by pulsed laser systems. The material is organized in a coherent way, providing the reader with a harmonic architecture.While systematically covering the major current and emerging areas of lasers processing applications, the Volume provides examples of targeted modification of material properties achieved th...

Colloids are submicron particles that are ubiquitous in nature (milk, clay, blood) and industrial products (paints, drilling fluids, food). In recent decades it has become clear that adding depletants such as polymers or small colloids to colloidal dispersions allows one to tune the interactions between the colloids and in this way control the stability, structure and rheological properties of colloidal dispersions. This book offers a concise introduction to the fundamentals of depletion e...

Nowadays, with the improved abilities of computers, molecular modeling has become a powerful technique in computational chemistry with ever-increasing practical interests. At the moment, using effective algorithms along with powerful processors enables us to simulate systems, including thousands of atoms up to several microseconds. However, finding a balance between the computational costs and reliable results still remains a challenge. Two general approaches help us to reveal the behavior...