From Varying Couplings to Fundamental Physics

From Varying Couplings to Fundamental Physics
Author: Carlos Martins
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 177
Release: 2011-05-27
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3642193978

Nature is characterized by a number of physical laws and fundamental dimensionless couplings. These determine the properties of our physical universe, from the size of atoms, cells and mountains to the ultimate fate of the universe as a whole. Yet it is rather remarkable how little we know about them. The constancy of physical laws is one of the cornerstones of the scientific research method, but for fundamental couplings this is an assumption with no other justification than a historical assumption. There is no 'theory of constants' describing their role in the underlying theories and how they relate to one another or how many of them are truly fundamental. Studying the behaviour of these quantities throughout the history of the universe is an effective way to probe fundamental physics. This explains why the ESA and ESO include varying fundamental constants among their key science drivers for the next generation of facilities. This symposium discussed the state-of-the-art in the field, as well as the key developments anticipated for the coming years.

Advances in Multi-Physics and Multi-Scale Couplings in Geo-Environmental Mechanics

Advances in Multi-Physics and Multi-Scale Couplings in Geo-Environmental Mechanics
Author: Francois Nicot
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 388
Release: 2017-11-20
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0081025963

Advances in Multi-Physics and Multi-Scale Couplings in Geo-Environmental Mechanics reunites some of the most recent work from the French research group MeGe GDR (National Research Group on Multiscale and Multiphysics Couplings in Geo-Environmental Mechanics) on the theme of multi-scale and multi-physics modeling of geomaterials, with a special focus on micromechanical aspects. Its offers readers a glimpse into the current state of scientific knowledge in the field, together with the most up-to-date tools and methods of analysis available. Each chapter represents a study with a different viewpoint, alternating between phenomenological/micro-mechanically enriched and purely micromechanical approaches. Throughout the book, contributing authors will highlight advances in geomaterials modeling, while also pointing out practical implications for engineers. Topics discussed include multi-scale modeling of cohesive-less geomaterials, including multi-physical processes, but also the effects of particle breakage, large deformations on the response of the material at the specimen scale and concrete materials, together with clays as cohesive geomaterials. The book concludes by looking at some engineering problems involving larger scales. - Identifies contributions in the field of geomechanics - Focuses on multi-scale linkages at small scales - Presents numerical simulations by discrete elements and tools of homogenization or change of scale

Issues in General Physics Research: 2011 Edition

Issues in General Physics Research: 2011 Edition
Author:
Publisher: ScholarlyEditions
Total Pages: 8864
Release: 2012-01-09
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1464963282

Issues in General Physics Research / 2011 Edition is a ScholarlyEditions™ eBook that delivers timely, authoritative, and comprehensive information about General Physics Research. The editors have built Issues in General Physics Research: 2011 Edition on the vast information databases of ScholarlyNews.™ You can expect the information about General Physics Research in this eBook to be deeper than what you can access anywhere else, as well as consistently reliable, authoritative, informed, and relevant. The content of Issues in General Physics Research: 2011 Edition has been produced by the world’s leading scientists, engineers, analysts, research institutions, and companies. All of the content is from peer-reviewed sources, and all of it is written, assembled, and edited by the editors at ScholarlyEditions™ and available exclusively from us. You now have a source you can cite with authority, confidence, and credibility. More information is available at http://www.ScholarlyEditions.com/.

Relativistic Astrophysics and Cosmology – Einstein’s Legacy

Relativistic Astrophysics and Cosmology – Einstein’s Legacy
Author: Bernd Aschenbach
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 527
Release: 2007-10-20
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3540747133

The year 2005, which marked the 100th anniversary of the 'annus mirabilis', the year in which Albert Einstein published three of his most important scientific papers, was the perfect opportunity to review and to present the current scientific understanding of relativistic topics. This book provides an up-to-date reference on the theory of gravity, relativistic astrophysics and cosmology. It is a useful reference tool for both the expert and the new-comer in these fields.

The Cosmology of Extra Dimensions and Varying Fundamental Constants

The Cosmology of Extra Dimensions and Varying Fundamental Constants
Author: Carlos Martins
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 257
Release: 2013-04-17
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9401732728

The workshop on The Cosmology of Extra Dimensions and Varying Fundamental Constants, which was part of JENAM 2002, was held at the Physics Department of the University of Porto (FCUP) from the 3rd to the 5th of September 2002. It was regularly attended by about 110 participants, of which 65 were officially registered in the VFC workshop, while the others came from the rest of the JENAM workshops. There were also a few science correspondents from the national and international press. During the 3 days of the scientific programme, 8 Invited Reviews and 30 Oral Communications were presented. The speakers came from 11 different European countries, and also from Argentina, Australia, Canada, Japan and the U.S.A. There were also speakers from six Portuguese research institutions, and nine of the speak ers were Ph.D. students. The contributions are presented in these proceedings in chronological order. The workshop brought together string theorists, particle physicists, theoretical and observational cosmologists, relativists and observational astrophysicists. It was generally agreed that this inter-disciplinarity was the greatest strength of the work shop, since it provided people coming into this very recent topic from the various different backgrounds with an opportunity to understand each other's language and thereby gain a more solid understanding of the overall picture.

Fundamental Physics — Heisenberg and Beyond

Fundamental Physics — Heisenberg and Beyond
Author: Gerd W. Buschhorn
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 192
Release: 2012-12-06
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3642186238

Presents two essays commemorating Werner Heisenberg's 100th birthday, which are complemented by a short and nicely illustrated biographical note in the appendix. In the second part, the reader will find a spectrum of articles devoted to important developments in central areas of research by authors are outstanding scientists. Contributions on modern developments by eminent physicists such as Anton Zeilinger, Julius Weiss, Elliott Lieb, Michael Peskin, Jürg Frölich, Alan Watson, and others.

Fundamentals of the Physics of Solids

Fundamentals of the Physics of Solids
Author: Jenö Sólyom
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 764
Release: 2010-12-09
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3642045189

This book is the third of a three-volume series written by the same author. It aims to deliver a comprehensive and self-contained account of the fundamentals of the physics of solids. In the presentation of the properties and experimentally observed phenomena together with the basic concepts and theoretical methods, it goes far beyond most classic texts. The essential features of various experimental techniques are also explained. This volume is devoted mostly to the discussion of the effects of electron—electron interaction beyond the one-electron approximation. The density-functional theory is introduced to account for correlation effects. The response to external perturbations is discussed in the framework of linear response theory. Landau’s Fermi-liquid theory is followed by the theory of Luttinger liquids. The subsequent chapters are devoted to electronic phases with broken symmetry: to itinerant magnetism, to spin- and charge-density waves and their realizations in quasi-one-dimensional materials, as well as to the microscopic theory of superconductivity. An overview is given of the physics of strongly correlated systems. The last chapter covers selected problems in the physics of disordered systems.

100 Years of Fundamental Theoretical Physics in the Palm of Your Hand

100 Years of Fundamental Theoretical Physics in the Palm of Your Hand
Author: E. B. Manoukian
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 520
Release: 2020-10-20
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3030510816

This book aims to integrate, in a pedagogical and technical manner, with detailed derivations, all essential principles of fundamental theoretical physics as developed over the past 100 years. It covers: Quantum physics and Stability Problems in the Quantum World, Minkowski Spacetime Physics Particle Classifications and Underlying Symmetries, Symmetry Violations, Quantum Field Theory of Particle Interactions, Higgs Field Physics, Supersymmetry: A Theory with Mathematical Beauty Superstrings, Gravity and Supergravity, General Relativity Predictions, including Frame Dragging, Intricacies of Black Hole Physics, Perturbative and Non-perturbative Quantum Gravity Intricacies of Modern Cosmology, including Inflation and Power Spectrum If you are in the process of learning, or are lecturing on, any of the subjects above, then this is your book - irrespective of your specialty. With over-specialization and no time to master all the fields given above, students, and perhaps many physicists, may find it difficult to keep up with all the exciting developments going on, and are even less familiar with their underlying technicalities: e.g. they might have heard that the Universe is 13.8 billion years old, but have no idea on how this number is actually computed. This unique book will be of great value to graduate students, instructors and researchers interested in the intricacies and derivations of the many aspects of modern fundamental theoretical physics. And, although a graduate level book, some chapters may also be suitable for advanced undergraduates in their final year.

Precision Spectroscopy in Astrophysics

Precision Spectroscopy in Astrophysics
Author: Nuno C. Santos
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 664
Release: 2008-01-28
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3540754849

High-accuracy Doppler shift measurements and high-precision spectroscopy are primary techniques in the search for exo-planets. Further extremely interesting applications include the analysis of QSO absorption lines to determine the variability of physical constants and the analysis of the isotopic ratios of absorption lines both in stars and in QSOs, and the determination of stellar oscillations through radial velocity measurements. Since the use of high-precision/resolution spectroscopy is closely connected to the ability to collect a large number of photons, the scientific domains using this technique benefit tremendously from the use of 8-meter class telescopes and will fully exploit the tremendous gain provided by future Extremely Large Telescopes (ELTs). IR high-resolution spectroscopy should soon approach the same accuracy regime achieved in the optical range. This volume comprehensively covers the astrophysical and technical aspects of high-precision spectroscopy with an outlook to future developments, and represents a useful reference work for researchers in those fields.