Quantum Analogues: From Phase Transitions to Black Holes and Cosmology

Quantum Analogues: From Phase Transitions to Black Holes and Cosmology
Author: William Unruh
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 306
Release: 2007-04-14
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3540708596

Download Quantum Analogues: From Phase Transitions to Black Holes and Cosmology Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Recently, analogies between laboratory physics (e.g. quantum optics and condensed matter) and gravitational/cosmological phenomena such as black holes have attracted an increasing interest. This book contains a series of selected lectures devoted to this new and rapidly developing field. Various analogies connecting (apparently) different areas in physics are presented in order to bridge the gap between them and to provide an alternative point of view.

Semiclassical and Stochastic Gravity

Semiclassical and Stochastic Gravity
Author: Bei-Lok B. Hu
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 615
Release: 2020-03-05
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0521193575

Download Semiclassical and Stochastic Gravity Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

An overview of semi-classical gravity theory and stochastic gravity as theories of quantum gravity in curved space-time.

Nonequilibrium Quantum Field Theory

Nonequilibrium Quantum Field Theory
Author: Esteban A. Calzetta
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 553
Release: 2023-01-31
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1009289985

Download Nonequilibrium Quantum Field Theory Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

This 2008 book, reissued as OA, captures the essence of nonequilibrium quantum field theory, graduate students and researchers.

Geometry and Phase Transitions in Colloids and Polymers

Geometry and Phase Transitions in Colloids and Polymers
Author: William Kung
Publisher: World Scientific
Total Pages: 214
Release: 2009
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9812834974

Download Geometry and Phase Transitions in Colloids and Polymers Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

This monograph represents an extension of the author''s original PhD thesis and includes a more thorough discussion on the concepts and mathematics behind his research works on the foam model, as applied to studying issues of phase stability and elasticity for various non-closed packed structures found in fuzzy and colloidal crystals, as well as on a renormalization-group analysis regarding the critical behavior of loop polymers upon which topological constraints are imposed. The common thread behind these two research works is their demonstration of the importance and effectiveness of utilizing geometrical and topological concepts for modeling and understanding soft systems undergoing phase transitions.

Analogue Gravity Phenomenology

Analogue Gravity Phenomenology
Author: Daniele Faccio
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 452
Release: 2013-08-13
Genre: Science
ISBN: 331900266X

Download Analogue Gravity Phenomenology Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Analogue Gravity Phenomenology is a collection of contributions that cover a vast range of areas in physics, ranging from surface wave propagation in fluids to nonlinear optics. The underlying common aspect of all these topics, and hence the main focus and perspective from which they are explained here, is the attempt to develop analogue models for gravitational systems. The original and main motivation of the field is the verification and study of Hawking radiation from a horizon: the enabling feature is the possibility to generate horizons in the laboratory with a wide range of physical systems that involve a flow of one kind or another. The years around 2010 and onwards witnessed a sudden surge of experimental activity in this expanding field of research. However, building an expertise in analogue gravity requires the researcher to be equipped with a rather broad range of knowledge and interests. The aim of this book is to bring the reader up to date with the latest developments and provide the basic background required in order to appreciate the goals, difficulties, and success stories in the field of analogue gravity. Each chapter of the book treats a different topic explained in detail by the major experts for each specific discipline. The first chapters give an overview of black hole spacetimes and Hawking radiation before moving on to describe the large variety of analogue spacetimes that have been proposed and are currently under investigation. This introductory part is then followed by an in-depth description of what are currently the three most promising analogue spacetime settings, namely surface waves in flowing fluids, acoustic oscillations in Bose-Einstein condensates and electromagnetic waves in nonlinear optics. Both theory and experimental endeavours are explained in detail. The final chapters refer to other aspects of analogue gravity beyond the study of Hawking radiation, such as Lorentz invariance violations and Brownian motion in curved spacetimes, before concluding with a return to the origins of the field and a description of the available observational evidence for horizons in astrophysical black holes.

State Of The Quantum Vacuum, The: Casimir Physics In The 2020's

State Of The Quantum Vacuum, The: Casimir Physics In The 2020's
Author: Kimball A Milton
Publisher: World Scientific
Total Pages: 393
Release: 2022-11-22
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9811266093

Download State Of The Quantum Vacuum, The: Casimir Physics In The 2020's Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

This review volume is intended to survey the field of quantum fluctuational phenomena induced by material bodies, which is commonly encompassed under the name of Casimir physics. H B G Casimir first discovered that zero-point fluctuations in the electromagnetic field caused an attractive force between closely separated metallic plates. Now — 75 years later — the field is burgeoning, with numerous experimental verifications and applications to practical devices starting to emerge.In this book, new ideas about Casimir physics are brought to bear on such diverse subjects as cosmology, where the Casimir energy may explain the dark energy that causes the cosmic repulsion, and nonstatic regimes, such as Casimir or quantum friction. Unsolved problems, including divergences in Casimir self-energies, the meaning of local energy densities in inhomogeneous backgrounds, and discrepancies between theory and experiment, are treated in some detail. It is hoped that this collection of papers will serve as an introduction to the field for newcomers to the subject, and that it will inspire a new burst of research into the nature of the quantum vacuum.

Fourteenth Marcel Grossmann Meeting, The: On Recent Developments In Theoretical And Experimental General Relativity, Astrophysics, And Relativistic Field Theories - Proceedings Of The Mg14 Meeting On General Relativity (In 4 Parts)

Fourteenth Marcel Grossmann Meeting, The: On Recent Developments In Theoretical And Experimental General Relativity, Astrophysics, And Relativistic Field Theories - Proceedings Of The Mg14 Meeting On General Relativity (In 4 Parts)
Author: Massimo Bianchi
Publisher: World Scientific
Total Pages: 4784
Release: 2017-10-13
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9813226617

Download Fourteenth Marcel Grossmann Meeting, The: On Recent Developments In Theoretical And Experimental General Relativity, Astrophysics, And Relativistic Field Theories - Proceedings Of The Mg14 Meeting On General Relativity (In 4 Parts) Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

The four volumes of the proceedings of MG14 give a broad view of all aspects of gravitational physics and astrophysics, from mathematical issues to recent observations and experiments. The scientific program of the meeting included 35 morning plenary talks over 6 days, 6 evening popular talks and 100 parallel sessions on 84 topics over 4 afternoons.Volume A contains plenary and review talks ranging from the mathematical foundations of classical and quantum gravitational theories including recent developments in string theory, to precision tests of general relativity including progress towards the detection of gravitational waves, and from supernova cosmology to relativistic astrophysics, including topics such as gamma ray bursts, black hole physics both in our galaxy and in active galactic nuclei in other galaxies, and neutron star, pulsar and white dwarf astrophysics.The remaining volumes include parallel sessions which touch on dark matter, neutrinos, X-ray sources, astrophysical black holes, neutron stars, white dwarfs, binary systems, radiative transfer, accretion disks, quasars, gamma ray bursts, supernovas, alternative gravitational theories, perturbations of collapsed objects, analog models, black hole thermodynamics, numerical relativity, gravitational lensing, large scale structure, observational cosmology, early universe models and cosmic microwave background anisotropies, inhomogeneous cosmology, inflation, global structure, singularities, chaos, Einstein-Maxwell systems, wormholes, exact solutions of Einstein's equations, gravitational waves, gravitational wave detectors and data analysis, precision gravitational measurements, quantum gravity and loop quantum gravity, quantum cosmology, strings and branes, self-gravitating systems, gamma ray astronomy, cosmic rays and the history of general relativity.

The Universe in a Helium Droplet

The Universe in a Helium Droplet
Author: G. E. Volovik
Publisher: Oxford University Press on Demand
Total Pages: 534
Release: 2003-03-06
Genre: Foreign Language Study
ISBN: 0198507828

Download The Universe in a Helium Droplet Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

This text presents a general overview of analogies between phenomena in condensed matter physics and quantum field theory and elementary particle physics.

Quantum Field Theory And Its Macroscopic Manifestations: Boson Condensation, Ordered Patterns And Topological Defects

Quantum Field Theory And Its Macroscopic Manifestations: Boson Condensation, Ordered Patterns And Topological Defects
Author: Massimo Blasone
Publisher: World Scientific
Total Pages: 545
Release: 2011-02-21
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1908978686

Download Quantum Field Theory And Its Macroscopic Manifestations: Boson Condensation, Ordered Patterns And Topological Defects Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Quantum dynamics underlies macroscopic systems exhibiting some kind of ordering, such as superconductors, ferromagnets and crystals. Even large scale structures in the Universe and ordering in biological systems appear to be the manifestation of microscopic dynamics ruling their elementary components. The scope of this book is to answer questions such as: how it happens that the mesoscopic/macroscopic scale and stability characterizing those systems are dynamically generated out of the microscopic scale of fluctuating quantum components; how quantum particles coexist and interact with classically behaving macroscopic objects, e.g. vortices, magnetic domains and other topological defects. The quantum origin of topological defects and their interaction with quanta is a crucial issue for the understanding of symmetry breaking phase transitions and structure formation in a wide range of systems from condensed matter to cosmology. Deliberately not discussing other important problems, primarily renormalization problems, this book provides answers to such questions in a unitary, self-consistent physical and mathematical framework, which makes it unique in the panorama of existing texts on a similar subject. Crystals, ferromagnets and superconductors appear to be macroscopic quantum systems, i.e. their macroscopic properties cannot be explained without recourse to the underlying quantum dynamics. Recognizing that quantum field dynamics is not confined to the microscopic world is one of the achievements of this book, also marking its difference from other texts. The combined use of algebraic methods, and operator and functional formalism constitutes another distinctive, valuable feature./a

Modelwork

Modelwork
Author: Martin Brückner
Publisher: U of Minnesota Press
Total Pages: 372
Release: 2021-10-12
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 1452965420

Download Modelwork Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

How making models allows us to recall what was and to discover what still might be Whether looking inward to the intricacies of human anatomy or outward to the furthest recesses of the universe, expanding the boundaries of human inquiry depends to a surprisingly large degree on the making of models. In this wide-ranging volume, scholars from diverse fields examine the interrelationships between a model’s material foundations and the otherwise invisible things it gestures toward, underscoring the pivotal role of models in understanding and shaping the world around us. Whether in the form of reproductions, interpretive processes, or constitutive tools, models may bridge the gap between the tangible and the abstract. By focusing on the material aspects of models, including the digital ones that would seem to displace their analogue forebears, these insightful essays ground modeling as a tactile and emphatically humanistic endeavor. With contributions from scholars in the history of science and technology, visual studies, musicology, literary studies, and material culture, this book demonstrates that models serve as invaluable tools across every field of cultural development, both historically and in the present day. Modelwork is unique in calling attention to modeling’s duality, a dynamic exchange between imagination and matter. This singular publication shows us how models shape our ability to ascertain the surrounding world and to find new ways to transform it. Contributors: Hilary Bryon, Virginia Tech; Johanna Drucker, UCLA; Seher Erdoğan Ford, Temple U; Peter Galison, Harvard U; Lisa Gitelman, New York U; Reed Gochberg, Harvard U; Catherine Newman Howe, Williams College; Christopher J. Lukasik, Purdue U; Martin Scherzinger, New York U; Juliet S. Sperling, U of Washington; Annabel Jane Wharton, Duke U.