Kondenserede fasers fysik (væskeform og faststoffysik)

The behavior of polymer solutions in simple shear flows has been the subject of considerable research in the past. On the other hand, reports on polymers in elongational flow have appeared comparatively recently in the literature. Elongational flow with an inherent low vorticity is known to be more effective in extending polymer chains than simple shear flow and thus is more interesting from the point of view of basic (molecular chain dynamics at high deformation) and applied polymer science (rheology, fiber extrusion, drag reduction, flow through porous media). Undoubtly, one landmark in the field of polymer dynamics in elongational flow was the notion of critical strain-rate for chain extension, initially put forward by A. Peterlin (1966) and later refined into the "e;coil-stretching"e; transition by P. G. de Gennes and H. Hinch (1974). In the two decades which followed, significant progress in the understanding of chain conformation in "e;strong"e; flow has been accomplished through a combination of advances in instrumentation, computation techniques and theoretical studies. As a result of the multidisciplinary nature of the field, information on polymer chains in "e;strong"e; flow is accessible only from reviews and research papers scattered in disparate scientific journals. An important objective of this book is to remedy that situation by providing the reader with up-to-date knowledge in a single volume. The editors therefore invited leading specialists to provide both fundamental and applied information on the multiple facets of chain deformation in elongational flow.

The ?eld of ferroelectricity is a very active one. Many hundreds of papers in this ?eld are published each year and a large number of local and international conferences are held. We felt that it wouldbeappropriate at this time to publish a set of papers in a single journal describing some of the most active areas in the ?eld. The Journal of Materials Science agreed to publish a special issue on ferroelectricity. Accordingly, we sent requests for papers to a number of research groups around the world. It was diff?culttoselect a small number of groups from among the many excellent ones in the ?eld and we apologize to those not included. We received 24 manuscripts from groups in North America, Asia and Europe, each one of which was reviewed by two referees. The papers include reviews and current research, both experimental and theoretical. It was especially satisfying that the authors included not only established researchers but also manyyounger people who are destined to continue in the ?eld in the future. The special issue entitled "e;Frontiers of Ferroelectricity"e;appeared as Volume 41, Issue 1 of the Journal of Materials Science in January 2006. Because webelieved that many researchers and students would ?nd great value in having the complete set of papers on their bookshelf, we suggested to the editors of Springer that Frontiers of Ferroelectricity shouldbe published in book form.

In the ten years since the scientific rationale for the design, synthesis and application of inorganic and organometallic polymers (IOPs) was first conceptualised, we have witnessed the first tentative exploration of IOPs as precursors to new materials, with efforts focusing on the design and synthesis of novel ceramic precursors. Developing expertise led to precursor studies combined with the characterisation of the transformation processes that occur when IOPs are converted to ceramic materials. Now at maturity, the science presented in this volume reveals the polymer precursor approach to materials synthesis together with examples of processing ceramic shapes for a range of mechanical properties, the development of sophisticated, noninvasive analytical techniques, and IOP design rationales relying on well-defined processing-property relationships. The production of multifunctional IOPs is described, providing ion conductivity, gas sensing, bioactivity, magnetic properties, etc., combined with processability. The existence of well-defined IOPs and the exquisite control that can be exerted on sol-gel systems now provide access to such a variety of mixed organic-organometallic and/or inorganic hybrid systems that their exploitation is likely to develop into an entirely new field of materials chemistry. Future exciting avenues of research are also being opened up with the advent of buckyballs, Met-Cars, dopable preceramics, rigid-rod organometallics, and molecular tinkertoys.

The author of this book, Prof. Vadim Vasilievich Schmidt, was known in the West as 'Russian Schmidt'. Being a talented theoretician and at the same time heading an experimentallaboratory in Chernogolovka, Vadim Schmidt had a unique talent for explaining complicated physical models and ideas in a simple way. One of his favorite sayings was 'physics is a verbal science'. The book is based on his introductory course on superconductivity. It was published in Russian in 1982 and very soon became undoubtedly the most popular Russian textbook on the physics of superconductors. Without losing its generality and depth, the book presents key aspects of superconductivity in a very clear and logically structured form. As the author said in his pref­ ace to the Russian edition, he tried to 'avoid situations when the words "it is easy to show" conceal tedious and bulky computations'. In spite of its rel­ atively small volume, the book gives a broad overview and covers the major topics of superconductivity. Well-selected examples are clearly described and help the re ader to understand the ideas presented. The book even allows an inexperienced reader to quickly get a grasp of a topic. Vadim Schmidt was born in 1927 in Moscow. His father was a well-known politician and the family did not escape the purges of Stalin's time.

In this book the process of decoherence is reviewed from both the theoretical and the experimental physicist's point of view. Implications of this important concept for fundamental problems of quantum theory and for chemistry and biology are also given. This broad review of decoherence addresses researchers and graduate students. It could also be used in seminar work.

This book, entitled Analysis of the Composition and Structure of Glass and Glass Ceramies, is one of aseries reporting on research and development activities on products and processes conducted by the Schott Group. The scientifically founded development of new products and technical pro- cesses has traditionally been of vital importance to Schott and has always been performed on a scale determined by the prospects for application of our special glasses. Since the reconstruction of the Schott Glaswerke in Mainz, the scale has increased enormously. The range of expert knowledge required could never have been supplied by Schott alone. It is also a tradition in our company to cultivate collaboration with customers, universities, and research institutes. Publications in numerous technical journals, which since 1969 we have edited to a regular schedule as Forschungsberichte - 'research reports' - describe the results of these cooperations. They contain up-to-date infor- mation on various topics for the expert but are not suited as survey material for those whose standpoint is more remote. This is the point where we would like to place our series, to stimulate the exchange of thoughts, so that we can consider from different points of view the possibilities offered by those incredibly versatile materials, glass and glass ceramies. We would like to share the knowledge won through our research and development at Schott in cooperation with the users of our materials with scientists and engineers, interested customers and friends, and with the employees of our firm.

Neutron spin echo (NSE) spectroscopy is the highest energy resolution neutron scattering technique available for examining a large area (in time and space) in condensed matter physics. This broad dynamic and spatial range is extensively exploited in the study of a wide range of scientific problems ranging from the dynamics of glasses, polymer melts, complex fluids and microemulsions to the elementary excitations in superfluid 4He and to ferromagnets and spin glasses. This book reviews the current status and future prospects in NSE spectroscopy describing the method, latest instrumentation and also the use of NSE in fundamental, hard- and soft-matter science. It provides first-hand information for researchers working in the fields touched by NSE. In addition, young researchers, PhD students and graduates interested in the method will obtain a comprehensive overview and guidelines to implementing the NSE technique.