The Study of Physics from Phase Transitions to Living Matter PDF Download

Author: Isabel M. Irurzun
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
ISBN: 1527504395
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 173

View

Book Description
This book is aimed at advanced university students of physics and related disciplines. It reflects the evolution of a research area that receives contributions from numerous disciplines, such as physics, mathematics, chemistry and biology, among others. It establishes a path from the study of phase transitions to the current understanding of the behaviour of living matter through exploring experimental and theoretical concepts surrounding crystallography, physicochemistry of surfaces, magnetic systems, liquid crystals, polymers, statistical mechanics, superconductivity and superfluidity, growth of interfaces, fractals, non-linear systems, chaos and self-organization.

Author: Lincoln Carr
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1439802610
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 754

View

Book Description
Quantum phase transitions (QPTs) offer wonderful examples of the radical macroscopic effects inherent in quantum physics: phase changes between different forms of matter driven by quantum rather than thermal fluctuations, typically at very low temperatures. QPTs provide new insight into outstanding problems such as high-temperature superconductivit

Author: Thomas Andrew Waigh
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1118449940
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 617

View

Book Description
This full-colour undergraduate textbook, based on a two semester course, presents the fundamentals of biological physics, introducing essential modern topics that include cells, polymers, polyelectrolytes, membranes, liquid crystals, phase transitions, self-assembly, photonics, fluid mechanics, motility, chemical kinetics, enzyme kinetics, systems biology, nerves, physiology, the senses, and the brain. The comprehensive coverage, featuring in-depth explanations of recent rapid developments, demonstrates this to be one of the most diverse of modern scientific disciplines. The Physics of Living Processes: A Mesoscopic Approach is comprised of five principal sections: • Building Blocks • Soft Condensed Matter Techniques in Biology • Experimental Techniques • Systems Biology • Spikes, Brains and the Senses The unique focus is predominantly on the mesoscale — structures on length scales between those of atoms and the macroscopic behaviour of whole organisms. The connections between molecules and their emergent biological phenomena provide a novel integrated perspective on biological physics, making this an important text across a variety of scientific disciplines including biophysics, physics, physical chemistry, chemical engineering and bioengineering. An extensive set of worked tutorial questions are included, which will equip the reader with a range of new physical tools to approach problems in the life sciences from medicine, pharmaceutical science and agriculture.

Author: Cyril Domb
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Critical point
Languages : en
Pages :

View

Book Description

Author: Pierre Papon
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3662049899
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 410

View

Book Description
The Physics of Phase Transitions occupies an important place at the crossroads of several fields central to materials sciences. This second edition incorporates new developments in the states of matter physics, in particular in the domain of nanomaterials and atomic Bose-Einstein condensates where progress is accelerating. New information and application examples are included. This work deals with all classes of phase transitions in fluids and solids, containing chapters on evaporation, melting, solidification, magnetic transitions, critical phenomena, superconductivity, and more. End-of-chapter problems and complete answers are included.

Author: Nigel Goldenfeld
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 0429962045
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 417

View

Book Description
Covering the elementary aspects of the physics of phases transitions and the renormalization group, this popular book is widely used both for core graduate statistical mechanics courses as well as for more specialized courses. Emphasizing understanding and clarity rather than technical manipulation, these lectures de-mystify the subject and show precisely "how things work." Goldenfeld keeps in mind a reader who wants to understand why things are done, what the results are, and what in principle can go wrong. The book reaches both experimentalists and theorists, students and even active researchers, and assumes only a prior knowledge of statistical mechanics at the introductory graduate level.Advanced, never-before-printed topics on the applications of renormalization group far from equilibrium and to partial differential equations add to the uniqueness of this book.

Author: Jeremy England
Publisher: Basic Books
ISBN: 1541699009
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 185

View

Book Description
A preeminent physicist unveils a field-defining theory of the origins and purpose of life. Why are we alive? Most things in the universe aren't. And everything that is alive traces back to things that, puzzlingly, weren't. For centuries, the scientific question of life's origins has confounded us. But in Every Life Is on Fire, physicist Jeremy England argues that the answer has been under our noses the whole time, deep within the laws of thermodynamics. England explains how, counterintuitively, the very same forces that tend to tear things apart assembled the first living systems. But how life began isn't just a scientific question. We ask it because we want to know what it really means to be alive. So England, an ordained rabbi, uses his theory to examine how, if at all, science helps us find purpose in a vast and mysterious universe. In the tradition of Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning, Every Life Is on Fire is a profound testament to how something can come from nothing.

Author: Ricard V. Solé
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691150753
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 238

View

Book Description
Phase transitions--changes between different states of organization in a complex system--have long helped to explain physics concepts, such as why water freezes into a solid or boils to become a gas. How might phase transitions shed light on important problems in biological and ecological complex systems? Exploring the origins and implications of sudden changes in nature and society, Phase Transitions examines different dynamical behaviors in a broad range of complex systems. Using a compelling set of examples, from gene networks and ant colonies to human language and the degradation of diverse ecosystems, the book illustrates the power of simple models to reveal how phase transitions occur. Introductory chapters provide the critical concepts and the simplest mathematical techniques required to study phase transitions. In a series of example-driven chapters, Ricard Solé shows how such concepts and techniques can be applied to the analysis and prediction of complex system behavior, including the origins of life, viral replication, epidemics, language evolution, and the emergence and breakdown of societies. Written at an undergraduate mathematical level, this book provides the essential theoretical tools and foundations required to develop basic models to explain collective phase transitions for a wide variety of ecosystems.

Author: David J Gross
Publisher: World Scientific
ISBN: 9813239263
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 348

View

Book Description
This book is indexed in Chemical Abstracts ServiceEver since 1911, the Solvay Conferences have shaped modern physics. The format is quite different from other conferences as the emphasis is placed on discussion. The 27th edition held in October 2017 in Brussels and chaired by Boris Shraiman continued this tradition and addressed some of the most pressing open questions in the fields of biophysics, gathering many of the leading figures working on a wide variety of profound problems.The proceedings contain the 'rapporteur talks' giving a broad overview with unique insights by distinguished renowned scientists. These lectures cover the five sessions: 'Intra-cellular Structure and Dynamics', 'Cell Behavior and Control', 'Inter-cellular Interactions and Patterns', 'Morphogenesis', 'Evolutionary dynamics'.In the Solvay tradition, the proceedings also include the prepared comments to the rapporteur talks. The discussions among the participants — expert, yet lively and sometimes contentious — have been edited to retain their flavor and are reproduced in full. The reader is taken on a breathtaking ride through a fascinating field which is expanding rapidly and which was for the first time the subject of a Solvay Conference on Physics.

Author: Arthur T. Johnson
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1351165623
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 907

View

Book Description
Biology is a critical application area for engineering analysis and design, and students in engineering programs as well as ecologists and environmentalists must be well-versed in the fundamentals of biology as they relate to their field. Biology for Engineers, Second Edition is an introductory text that minimizes unnecessary memorization of connections and classifications and instead emphasizes concepts, technology, and the utilization of living things. Whether students are headed toward a bio-related engineering degree or one of the more traditional majors, biology is so important that all engineering students should know how living things work and act. Emphasizing the ever-present interactions between a biological unit and its physical, chemical, and biological environments, the book provides ample instruction on the basics of physics, chemistry, mathematics, and engineering through a systems approach. It brings together all the concepts one needs to understand the role of biology in modern technology. Classroom-tested at the University of Maryland, this comprehensive text introduces concepts and terminology needed to understand more advanced biology literature. Filled with practical detailed examples, the book presents: Presents scientific principles relevant to biology that all engineers, ecologists and environmentalists must know A discussion of biological responses from the perspective of a broad range of fields such as psychology, human factors, genetics, plant and animal physiology, imaging, control systems, actuary, and medicine Includes end of chapter questions to test comprehension Provides updated material to reflect the latest research developments such as CRISPR. Introduces over 150 interesting application examples, incorporating a number of different engineering disciplines. Ties biological systems properties and behaviors to foundational sciences such as engineering sciences, chemistry, etc.