This volume is an exciting collection of short review articles written by leading international experts on the superconducting state in magnetic fields, a rapidly developing area. The philosophy of the book is to emphasize the importance of having experimental and theoretical works side by side. Every effort has been made to match each experimental article with a corresponding theoretical article. The selection of materials includes special topics, new effects and new trends concerning superconductors in low and high magnetic fields. The special topics and new trends include quantum and classical melting of the vortex lattice, new vortex lattice symmetries, vortex core states, nonlinear Meissner effect, symmetry of the order parameter in high-temperature superconductors, and superconductors in high magnetic fields. The book is targeted at a broad audience, including graduate students, postdocs and other researchers active or interested in this field.

This book collects recent results in systems whose evolutions are dominated by fluctuations, driven systems in which the way to dissipate driving forces is relevant, and systems in which disorder induces highly non-trivial dynamics leading naturally to questions of computational complexity. Topics of the 14 papers include multiplicative noise in non-equilibrium phase transitions, the stochastic population dynamics of spiking neurons, anomalous velocity distributions in elastic Maxwell gases, universality issues in surface kinetic roughening of thin solid films, and multi-state neural networks based upon spin glasses. Some of the chapters have appeared in the arXiv.org database. No information is given about the authors. Annotation : 2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).

From molecular motors to bacteria, from crawling cells to large animals, active entities are found at all scales in the biological world. Active matter encompasses systems whose individual constituents irreversibly dissipate energy to exert self-propelling forces on their environment. Over the past twenty years, scientists have managed to engineer synthetic active particles in the lab, paving the way towards smart active materials. This book gathers a pedagogical set of lecture notes that cover topics in nonequilibrium statistical mechanics and active matter. These lecture notes stem from the first summer school on Active Matter delivered at the Les Houches school of Physics. The lectures covered four main research directions: collective behaviours in active-matter systems, passive and active colloidal systems, biophysics and active matter, and nonequilibrium statistical physics--from passive to active.

Pt. A. Statistical mechanics, magnetism, quantum and nonlinear dynamics. The groundstates and phases of the two-dimensional fully frustrated XY model / P. Minnhagen, S. Bernhardsson and B.J. Kim. 2D Ising model with competing interactions and its application to clusters and arrays of [symbol]-rings, graphene and adiabatic quantum computing / A. O'Hare, F.V. Kusmartsev and K.I. Kugel. Concerning the equation of state for a partially ionized system / G.A. Baker Jr. Quasiclassical Fourier path integral quantum correction terms to the kinetic energy of interacting quantum many-body systems / K.A. Gernoth. Ergodicity and chaos in a system of harmonic oscillators / M.H. Lee. Chaotic modes in scale free opinion networks / F.V. Kusmartsev and K.E. Kürten. Astroid curves for a synthetic antiferromagnetic stack in an applied magnetic field / D.M. Forrester [und weitere]. Entanglement properties of quantum many-body wave functions / J.W. Clark [und weitere] -- pt. B. Fermi and Bose fluids. Topological phase transitions in strongly correlated Fermi systems / J.W. Clark, V.A. Khodel and M.V. Zverev. Deconfinement and quantum liquid crystalline states of dipolar fermions in optical lattices / S.T. Carr, J. Quintanilla and J.J. Betouras. On the "generalized Slater" approximation / J. Messud [und weitere]. Fluid helium-4 in thermal equilibrium / K.A. Gernoth and M.L. Ristig. Microscopic approach in the description of slowing of electromagnetic pulses in BEC of alkalis / Y. Slyusarenko and A. Sotnikov. Anomalous behavior of ideal Fermi gas below 2D : The "ideal quantum dot" and the Paul exclusion principle / M. Grether, M. de Llano and M.H. Lee -- pt. C. Transport theory. On the quantum Hall effect in graphene / S. Fujita [und weitere]. Modelling charge transport in DNA using transfer matrices with diagonal terms / S.A. Wells, C.-T. Shih and R.A. Römer. Similarities between embolic stroke and percolation problems / J.P. Hague. Extraordinary magnetoresistance in hybrid semiconductor-metal systems / T.H. Hewett and F.V. Kusmartsev. Topological aspects of the specific heat / C.M. Sarris and A.N. Proto. Effects of electron-electron interactions in two dimensions / S.V. Kravchenko

This unique volume presents the scientific achievements of outstanding scientists from different countries working in diverse areas of Condensed Matter Physics. Drawn from the 32nd International Workshop on Condensed Matter Theories held in Loughborough in August 2008, these 46 papers, while centered on the concepts and techniques of theoretical condensed matter physics, also address broad issues of common concern for all physicists. It is particularly relevant to theorists who apply advanced many-particle methods in other areas of physics.The primary topics covered in the paper contributions include: statistical mechanics, nonlinear dynamics, quantum Fermi and Bose liquids, boson condensates, strongly correlated electron systems, superconductivity and phase transitions. Among the specific questions addressed and discussed are modern theories of graphene, Quantum Hall Effect, models of social dynamics, which are based on the example of Obama-McCain election, extraordinary magnetoresistance, supercooled atomic gases, transitions between various magnetic states in different systems made from magnetic nanoparticles, order-disorder-order phase transitions in spin frustrated systems, embolic stroke and semifluxon dynamics in extended Josephson junctions. The book provides the latest updated information on modern Condensed Matter Theories and the methods used. The many recent developments in the field such as the discovery of graphene or of new phenomena in supercooled gases or of an extraordinary magnetoresistance augur well for this timely publication. The main value of the book lies in the diversity of topics being covered comprehensively, which puts the book in a primary position in the modern market.

Common methods of local magnetic imaging display either a high spatial resolution and relatively poor field sensitivity (MFM, Lorentz microscopy), or a relatively high field sensitivity but limited spatial resolution (scanning SQUID microscopy). Since the magnetic field of a nanoparticle or nanostructure decays rapidly with distance from the structure, the achievable spatial resolution is ultimately limited by the probe-sample separation. This thesis presents a novel method for fabricating the smallest superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) that resides on the apex of a very sharp tip. The nanoSQUID-on-tip displays a characteristic size down to 100 nm and a field sensitivity of 10^-3 Gauss/Hz^(1/2). A scanning SQUID microsope was constructed by gluing the nanoSQUID-on-tip to a quartz tuning-fork. This enabled the nanoSQUID to be scanned within nanometers of the sample surface, providing simultaneous images of sample topography and the magnetic field distribution. This microscope represents a significant improvement over the existing scanning SQUID techniques and is expected to be able to image the spin of a single electron.

The four-week period fran May 20 to June 16, 1984 was an intensive period of advanced study on the foundations and frontiers of nonequili brium statistical physics (NSP). During the first two weeks of this period, an advanced-study course on the "Foundations of NSP" was con ducted in Albuquerque under the sponsorship of the University of New Mexico Center for High-Technology Materials. This was followed by a two-week NATO Advanced Study Insti tute on the "Frontiers of NSP" in Santa Fe under the same directorship. Many Students attended both meetings. This book comprises proceedings based on those lectures and covering a broad spectrum of topics in NSP ranging fran basic problems in quantum measurement theory to analogies between lasers and Darwinian evolution. The various types of quantum distribution functions and their uses are treated by several authors. other tools of NSP, such as Langevin equations, Fokker-Planck equations, and master equations, are developed and applied to areas such as laser physics, plasma physics, Brownian motion, and hydrodynamic instabilities. The properties and experimental detection of squeezed states and antibunching are described, as well as experimental tests of the violation of Bell's inequality. Information theory, mean-field theory, reservoir theory, entropy maximization, and even a novel nonlinear generalization of quantum mechanics are used to discuss nonequilibrium phenanena and the approach toward thermodynamic equilibrium.