In this essay collection, leading physicists, philosophers, and historians attempt to fill the empty theoretical ground in the foundations of information and address the related question of the limits to our knowledge of the world.

The current volume of the Parmenides Series “On Thinking” addresses our deepest and most personal experience of the world, the experience of “the present,” from a modern perspective combining physics and philosophy. Many prominent researchers have contributed articles to the volume, in which they present models and express their opinions on and, in some cases, also their skepticism about the subject and how it may be (or may not be) addressed, as well as which aspects they consider most relevant in this context.

Découvrez les secrets du monument emblématique de Rome et de l'empire qui l'a construit …

Special functions enable us to formulate a scientific problem by reduction such that a new, more concrete problem can be attacked within a well-structured framework, usually in the context of differential equations. A good understanding of special functions provides the capacity to recognize the causality between the abstractness of the mathematical concept and both the impact on and cross-sectional importance to the scientific reality. The special functions to be discussed in this monograph vary greatly, depending on the measurement parameters examined (gravitation, electric and magnetic fields, deformation, climate observables, fluid flow, etc.) and on the respective field characteristic (potential field, diffusion field, wave field). The differential equation under consideration determines the type of special functions that are needed in the desired reduction process. Each chapter closes with exercises that reflect significant topics, mostly in computational applications. As a result, readers are not only directly confronted with the specific contents of each chapter, but also with additional knowledge on mathematical fields of research, where special functions are essential to application. All in all, the book is an equally valuable resource for education in geomathematics and the study of applied and harmonic analysis. Students who wish to continue with further studies should consult the literature given as supplements for each topic covered in the exercises.

During the last ten years an unprecedented effort has been directed towards study of the dynamics of ion collision phenomena in the gas phase, usually with a view to applications in diverse areas, ranging from fusion reactors and lasers to ionospheric and interstellar chemistry and gaseous electronics. The principal aim of this volume is to present a succinct overview of contemporary interests and trends in the field of low energy ion-electron and ion-atom (molecule) collision physics, with emphasis on fundamental aspects. Researchers and students will become acquainted, in a general and fairly non-specialized fashion, with recent progress in this area of continuing intense activity. The material is divided into two parts, dealing with atomic ions and molecular ions. Each of the nine chapters has been prepared by authors who are amongst the most eminent practitioners of contemporary ion collision physics. The book is dedicated to Professor J.B. Hasted, one of the pioneering workers who, in the course of his forty year career, helped establish atomic collision physics as a field in its own right.

Physicalkineticsisthe?nalsectionofthecourseoftheoreticalphysics in its standard presentation. It stays at the boundary between g- eral theories and their applications (solid state theory, theory of gases, plasma, and so on), because the treatment of kinetic phenomena always depends on speci?c structural features of materials. On the other hand, the physical kinetics as a part of the quantum theory of macroscopic systems is far from being complete. A number of its fundamental - sues, such as the problem of irreversibility and mechanisms of chaotic responses, are now attracting considerable attention. Other important sections, for example, kinetic phenomena in disordered and/or strongly non-equilibrium systems and, in particular, phase transitions in these systems, are currently under investigation. The quantum theory of m- surements and quantum information processing actively developing in the last decade are based on the quantum kinetic theory. Because a deductive theoretical exposition of the subject is not c- venient, the authors restrict themselves to a lecture-style presentation. Now the physical kinetics seems to be at the stage of development when, according to Newton, studying examples is more instructive than lea- ing rules. In view of these circumstances, the methods of the kinetic theory are presented here not in a general form but as applications for description of speci?c systems and treatment of particular kinetic p- nomena. The quantum features of kinetic phenomena can arise for several r- sons.

This second edition represents an extensive revision of the ?rst edition, - though the motivation for the book and the intended audiences, as described inthepreviouspreface,remainthesame. Theoveralllengthhasbeenincreased substantially, with revised or expanded discussions of a number of topics, - cluding Yucca Mountain repository plans, new reactor designs, health e?ects of radiation, costs of electricity, and dangers from terrorism and weapons p- liferation. The overall status of nuclear power has changed rather little over the past eight years. Nuclear reactor construction remains at a very low ebb in much of the world, with the exception of Asia, while nuclear power’s share of the electricity supply continues to be about 75% in France and 20% in the United States. However,therearesignsofaheightenedinterestinconsideringpossible nuclear growth. In the late 1990s, the U. S. Department of Energy began new programs to stimulate research and planning for future reactors, and many candidate designs are now contending—at least on paper—to be the next generation leaders. Outside the United States, the commercial development ofthePebbleBedModularReactorisbeingpursuedinSouthAfrica,aFrench- German consortium has won an order from Finlandfor the long-plannedEPR (European Pressurized Water Reactor), and new reactors have been built or planned in Asia. In an unanticipated positive development for nuclear energy, the capacity factor of U. S. reactors has increased dramatically in recent years, and most operating reactors now appear headed for 20-year license renewals.

Au cœur d’un monde où l’apparence éclatante l’emporte souvent sur l’essence, et où les ego se précipitent vers la célébrité, Donald Trump se dresse comme une icône suscitant à la fois l’émerveillement et la polémique. Cet ouvrage ne se contente pas de retracer la biographie d’un homme qui, des rues de New York, s’est élevé jusqu’aux couloirs de la Maison-Blanche ; il s’agit d’une tentative de décrypter l’énigme d’une personnalité qui s’est façonnée à coups de narcissisme excessif, d’opportunisme habile et d’une passion dévorante pour les feux de la rampe. …

An introduction and comprehensive survey of the main issues in mesosocopic physics. Topics covered include quantum Hall effects, transport through quantum wires and dots, coherence in mesoscopic systems, spintronics, disordered systems, and solid state quantum computation. Some contributions are dedicated to the connections between nanoscience and biophysics and quantum optics.

Cet essai prend le contrepied de l'histoire officielle et veut démontrer que George Washington était loin d'être un grand altruiste, que Jules César n'a peut-être pas été assassiné, que les jeux Olympiques modernes ont été créés pour des raisons très différentes de celles habituellement fournies, et que Jeanne d'Arc était peut-être un homme. …

Voulez-vous apprendre comment profiter pleinement des bienfaits des herbes aromatiques dans votre cuisine, pour votre santé et votre bien-être ? …