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The Traveler's Guide to Space: For One-Way Settlers and Round-Trip Tourists
By Neil Comins. 2017
If you have ever wondered about space travel, now you have the opportunity to understand it more fully than ever…
before. Traveling into space and even emigrating to nearby worlds may soon become part of the human experience. Scientists, engineers, and investors are working hard to make space tourism and colonization a reality. As astronauts can attest, extraterrestrial travel is incomparably thrilling. To make the most of the experience requires serious physical and mental adaptations in virtually every aspect of life, from eating to intimacy. Everyone who goes into space sees Earth and life on it from a profoundly different perspective than they had before liftoff.Astronomer and former NASA/ASEE scientist Neil F. Comins has written the go-to book for anyone interested in space exploration. He describes the wonders that travelers will encounter—weightlessness, unparalleled views of Earth and the cosmos, and the opportunity to walk on another world—as well as the dangers: radiation, projectiles, unbreathable atmospheres, and potential equipment failures. He also provides insights into specific trips to destinations including suborbital flights, space stations, the Moon, asteroids, comets, and Mars—the top candidate for colonization. Although many challenges are technical, Comins outlines them in clear language for all readers. He synthesizes key issues and cutting-edge research in astronomy, physics, biology, psychology, and sociology to create a complete manual for the ultimate voyage.A Beginner's Guide to Constructing the Universe: The Mathematical Archetypes of Nature, Art, and Science
By Michael S. Schneider. 1994
Discover how mathematical sequences abound in our natural world in this definitive exploration of the geography of the cosmosYou need…
not be a philosopher or a botanist, and certainly not a mathematician, to enjoy the bounty of the world around us. But is there some sort of order, a pattern, to the things that we see in the sky, on the ground, at the beach? In A Beginner's Guide to Constructing the Universe, Michael Schneider, an education writer and computer consultant, combines science, philosophy, art, and common sense to reaffirm what the ancients observed: that a consistent language of geometric design underpins every level of the universe, from atoms to galaxies, cucumbers to cathedrals. Schneider also discusses numerical and geometric symbolism through the ages, and concepts such as periodic renewal and resonance. This book is an education in the world and everything we can't see within it.Contains numerous b&w photos and illustrations.BRST Symmetry and de Rham Cohomology
By Soon-Tae Hong. 2024
This book provides an advanced introduction to extended theories of quantum field theory and algebraic topology, including Hamiltonian quantization associated…
with some geometrical constraints, symplectic embedding and Hamilton-Jacobi quantization and Becchi-Rouet-Stora-Tyutin (BRST) symmetry, as well as de Rham cohomology. This extended new edition offers a multifaced insight into phenomenology of particles such as baryons and photons, in terms of extended objects. In particular, in the second edition, the baryons are described in hypersphere soliton model, and the photon properties are additionally included in stringy photon model and in Dirac type relativistic quantum mechanics for a photon.It offers a critical overview of the research in this area and unifies the existing literatures, employing a consistent notation. Although the results presented apply in principle to all alternative quantization schemes, special emphasis is placed on the BRST quantization and its de Rham cohomology group which contribute to a deep understanding of constrained physical theories. The book describes how solitons and other models subject to constraints include rigorous treatments of the geometrical constraints which affect the predictions themselves. The book is intended for use by any graduate-level student with quantum field and relativity theories, and it also serves as a useful reference for those working in the field. An extensive bibliography guides the reader toward the source literature on particular topics.This book offers a comprehensive collection of introductory experiments in nuclear and cosmic ray physics utilizing Geiger counters. It features…
over 50 experiments with brief explanations of the physics involved, guidance on setting up educational and amateur experiments, and showcases actual results. The experiments cover the fundamentals of Geiger counters for detecting alpha, beta, gamma, and cosmic radiation, assessing detector performance, monitoring radiation in various environments and sources, conducting coincidence experiments, and applying counting statistics and analysis algorithms. Additionally, introductory chapters delve into radiation principles, interactions with matter, and the history of particle detectors, particularly Geiger counters. With the widespread availability of modern, affordable Geiger detectors and DIY devices, many experiments are suitable for high school and university students, aligning with modern physics curricula. The author has conducted some of these experiments himself over the past 20 years with third-year physics students. The book is also addressed to amateur scientists and a broad audience interested in exploring radiation phenomena. It features around 250 original illustrations and references to historical experiments and contemporary findings.Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs: The Astounding Interconnectedness of the Universe
By Lisa Randall. 2015
In this brilliant exploration of our cosmic environment, the renowned particle physicist and New York Times bestselling author of Warped…
Passages and Knocking on Heaven’s Door uses her research into dark matter to illuminate the startling connections between the furthest reaches of space and life here on Earth.Sixty-six million years ago, an object the size of a city descended from space to crash into Earth, creating a devastating cataclysm that killed off the dinosaurs, along with three-quarters of the other species on the planet. What was its origin? In Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs, Lisa Randall proposes it was a comet that was dislodged from its orbit as the Solar System passed through a disk of dark matter embedded in the Milky Way. In a sense, it might have been dark matter that killed the dinosaurs.Working through the background and consequences of this proposal, Randall shares with us the latest findings—established and speculative—regarding the nature and role of dark matter and the origin of the Universe, our galaxy, our Solar System, and life, along with the process by which scientists explore new concepts. In Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs, Randall tells a breathtaking story that weaves together the cosmos’ history and our own, illuminating the deep relationships that are critical to our world and the astonishing beauty inherent in the most familiar things.“Science has a battle for hearts and minds on its hands….How good it feels to have Lisa Randall’s unusual blend…
of top flight science, clarity, and charm on our side.”—Richard Dawkins“Dazzling ideas….Read this book today to understand the science of tomorrow.”—Steven PinkerThe bestselling author of Warped Passages, one of Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World,” and one of Esquire’s “75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century,” Lisa Randall gives us an exhilarating overview of the latest ideas in physics and offers a rousing defense of the role of science in our lives. Featuring fascinating insights into our scientific future born from the author’s provocative conversations with Nate Silver, David Chang, and Scott Derrickson, Knocking on Heaven’s Door is eminently readable, one of the most important popular science books of this or any year. It is a necessary volume for all who admire the work of Stephen Hawking, Michio Kaku, Brian Greene, Simon Singh, and Carl Sagan; for anyone curious about the workings and aims of the Large Hadron Collider, the biggest and most expensive machine ever built by mankind; for those who firmly believe in the importance of science and rational thought; and for anyone interested in how the Universe began…and how it might ultimately end.Higgs Discovery: The Power of Empty Space
By Lisa Randall. 2013
On July 4, 2012, physicists at the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva madehistory when they discovered an entirely new type…
of subatomic particle that many scientists believe is the Higgs boson. For forty years, physicists searched for this capstone to the Standard Model of particle physics—the theory that describes both the most elementary components that are known in matter and the forces through which they interact. This particle points to the Higgs field, which provides the key to understanding why elementary particles have mass. In Higgs Discovery, Lisa Randall explains the science behind this monumental discovery, its exhilarating implications, and the power of empty space.Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Attosecond Science and Technology (Springer Proceedings in Physics #300)
By Luca Argenti, Michael Chini, Li Fang. 2024
This open access volume brings together selected papers from the 8th International Conference on Attosecond Science and Technology. The contributions…
within represent the latest advances in attosecond science, covering recent progress in ultrafast electron dynamics in atoms, molecules, clusters, surfaces, solids, nanostructures and plasmas, as well as the generation of sub-femtosecond XUV and X-ray pulses, either through table-top laser setups or with X-ray free-electron lasers. In addition to highlighting key advances and outlining the state of the field, the conference and its proceedings serve to introduce junior researchers to the community, promote collaborations, and represent the global and topical diversity of the field.International Trade Finance and Forex Operations: Theory and Application
By Gargi Sanati. 2024
This book bridges the existing gap between the theory and practices related to international finance. It discusses banking theories and…
operational procedures relating to the methods of payment with special reference to Letters of credit (LCs), like revolving LCs, back-to-back LCs, transferable LCs, and standby LCs, with specific applications of documentary discrepancies. Moreover, this book discusses merchanting trade, buyers’ credit and supplier’s credit, and bank guarantees with many practical caselets, linked to the applications of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and other regulatory rules. It also examines the various roles of banks in financing international trade which are extensively discussed through several cases.This volume: Explains in-depth the intricacies and discrepancies relating to the documentation involved in international trade Presents in detail the various steps of executing an export or import deal, right from signing of the contract, managing pre-shipment credit, and booking a forward contract to hedge the exchange rate risk till the closing of the deal Gives a comprehensive account of all trade finance products with processes and procedures, rules, and regulations, and risks and mitigates Discusses the application of ICC rules through detailed case-lets, which helps an exporter take necessary actions when the payment is denied by a party overseas, or how an importer can simply deny the payment if there is documentary noncompliance Scrutinises different types of forex transactions, the regulatory framework within which they take place, and the associated risks and solutions Attempts to resolve the existing disparity in the understanding and interpretation of regulatory guidelines and the practices adopted by banks and corporate houses in implementing them. Accessibly written, this book will be useful to students, researchers, and teachers from the fields of management, business studies, international trade and treasury operations, finance, international banking, trade and commerce, and economics. This will also be an invaluable companion to the professionals working in export–import businesses, foreign exchange businesses, treasury front-office and back-office operations, bureaucrats, and public policymakers.The Road to Freedom: Economics And The Good Society
By Joseph E. Stiglitz. 2024
From one of the world’s leading economists, a compelling new vision of personal and economic freedom. We are a nation…
born from the conviction that people must be free. But since the middle of the last century, that idea has been co-opted. Forces on the political Right have justified exploitation by cloaking it in the rhetoric of freedom, leading to pharmaceutical companies freely overcharging for medication, a Big Tech free from oversight, politicians free to incite rebellion, corporations free to pollute, and more. How did we get here? Whose freedom are we—and should we—be thinking about? In The Road to Freedom, Nobel prize winner Joseph E. Stiglitz dissects America’s current economic system and the political ideology that created it, laying bare their twinned failure. “Free” and unfettered markets have only succeeded in delivering a series of crises: the financial crisis, the opioid crisis, and the crisis of inequality. While a small portion of the population has amassed considerable wealth, wages for most people have stagnated. Free and unfettered markets have exploited consumers, workers, and the environment alike. Such failures have fed populist movements that believe being free means abandoning any obligations citizens have to one another. As they grow in strength, these movements now pose a real threat to true economic and political freedom. As an economic advisor to presidents and as chief economist at the World Bank, Stiglitz has witnessed these profound changes firsthand. As he argues, the failures follow from the elites’ unshakeable dedication to “the neoliberal experiment.” Explicitly taking on giants such as Friedrich Hayek and Milton Friedman, Stiglitz exposes accepted ideas about our political and economic life for what they are: twisted visions that tear at the social fabric while they enrich the very few. The Road to Freedom breaks new ground, showing how economics—including recent advances in which Stiglitz has played such an important role—reframes how to think about freedom and the role of the state in a twenty-first century society. Drawing on the work of contemporary philosophers, Stiglitz explains a deeper, more humane way to assess freedoms—one that considers with care what to do when one person’s freedom conflicts with another’s. We must reimagine our existing economic and legal systems and embrace forms of collective action, including regulation and investment, if we are to create an innovative society in which everyone can flourish. The task could not be more urgent, and Stiglitz’s latest book is essential reading for those committed to the American ideal of an economic and political system that delivers well-being, opportunity, and meaningful freedoms for all.The Everything War: Amazon's Ruthless Quest to Own the World and Remake Corporate Power
By Dana Mattioli. 2024
Most Anticipated by Foreign Policy • Globe and Mail • Publishers Weekly • Next Big Idea Club Must Read April Books&“Will stand as a classic.&” –…
Christopher Leonard "Riveting, shocking, and full of revelations." - Bryan BurroughFrom veteran Amazon reporter for The Wall Street Journal, The Everything War is the first untold, devastating exposé of Amazon's endless strategic greed, from destroying Main Street to remaking corporate power, in pursuit of total domination, by any means necessary. In 2017, Lina Khan published a paper that accused Amazon of being a monopoly, having grown so large, and embedded in so many industries, it was akin to a modern-day Standard Oil. Unlike Rockefeller&’s empire, however, Bezos&’s company had grown voraciously without much scrutiny. In fact, for over twenty years, Amazon had emerged as a Wall Street darling and its &“customer obsession&” approach made it indelibly attractive to consumers across the globe. But the company was not benevolent; it operated in ways that ensured it stayed on top. Lina Khan&’s paper would light a fire in Washington, and in a matter of years, she would become the head of the FTC. In 2023, the FTC filed a monopoly lawsuit against Amazon in what may become one of the largest antitrust cases in the 21st century. With unparalleled access, and having interviewed hundreds of people – from Amazon executives to competitors to small businesses who rely on its marketplace to survive – Mattioli exposes how Amazon was driven by a competitive edge to dominate every industry it entered, bulldozed all who stood in its way, reshaped the retail landscape, transformed how Wall Street evaluates companies, and altered the very nature of the global economy. It has come to control most of online retail, and uses its own sellers&’ data to compete with them through Amazon&’s own private label brands. Millions of companies and governmental agencies use AWS, paying hefty fees for the service. And, the company has purposefully avoided collecting taxes for years, exploited partners, and even copied competitors—leveraging its power to extract whatever it can, at any cost. It has continued to gain market share in disparate areas, from media to logistics and beyond. Most companies dominate one or two industries; Amazon now leads in several. And all of this was by design.The Everything War is the definitive, inside story of how it grew into one of the most powerful and feared companies in the world – and why this lawsuit opens a window into the most consequential business story of our times.Crystallography and Crystal Chemistry
By Rick Ubic. 2024
This textbook introduces readers to the language, concepts, and tools of crystallography, as well as many aspects of crystal chemistry.…
Important topics, such as bonding, electronegativity, lattice energy, symmetry operations, crystal defects, and structure-property relationships are covered. Worked examples are included where appropriate. By uniquely combining elements of crystallography and crystal chemistry, the text is a useful and accessible resource for students across many disciplines. Chapter summaries and example problems are included to optimize use by students and faculty in both graduate and undergraduate curricula. Historical context to relevant discoveries and biographical sketches of many of the scientists involved in the development of this field are also provided to expand the student’s knowledge of both solid-state science and scientists.Der Realismus - in der theoretischen Physik: Zusammenhänge und Hintergründe zu aktueller Forschung
By Norbert Hermann Hinterberger. 2023
Computational Optical Imaging: Principle and Technology (Advances in Optics and Optoelectronics)
By Zhengjun Liu, Xuyang Zhou, Shutian Liu. 2024
This book highlights a comprehensive introduction to the principles and calculation methods of computational optical imaging. Integrating optical imaging and…
computing technology to achieve significant performance improvements, computational optical imaging has become an active research field in optics. It has given rise to the emerging of new concepts such as computational imaging, computational measurement and computational photography. As high-performance image detectors make image measurements discrete and digital, images are mostly recorded in the form of discrete data, almost replacing the continuous medium used for pattern recording. Computational optical imaging technology has become an effective way for people to study microscopic imaging. At present, different imaging systems are composed of continuous optical elements such as lenses and prisms or discrete optical elements such as spatial light modulators or digital micro-mirror devices. The current computing technology has permeated all aspects of imaging systems and gradually promotes the digitization of optical imaging systems. This book summarizes the representative work done in this field and introduces the latest results. Computing technology plays an important bridging role between theories of optics and experimental systems, which inspires more comprehensive and in-depth research. It has the advantages of high repeatability, flexibility, strong computing power and low cost. In this multidisciplinary field, researchers in computer science, optics and information science have joined together to extend its depth and breadth. Targeting cutting-edge issues to be solved in computational optics, this book introduces a variety of methods that involve theoretical innovations and technical breakthroughs in imaging resolution, the field of view, imaging speed, and computing speed. It intends to provide a handy reference and technical support for graduate students, researchers and professionals engaged in the study and practice of computational optical imaging.Raman Spectroscopy: Advances and Applications (Springer Series in Optical Sciences #248)
By Dheeraj Kumar Singh, Ashish Kumar Mishra, Arnulf Materny. 2024
This book highlights recent advances of spectroscopic techniques based on Raman scattering. Different applications are introduced that serve as examples…
for the versatile use of Raman techniques. Raman spectroscopy is a marker free technique, which is capable of yielding detailed information about molecular systems in a non-destructive way. This makes it a valuable tool for, e.g., material science or medical research. The access to vibrational energy and dynamics yields fundamental insights into static and dynamical structural properties of molecules being influenced by and influencing their material science or medical research environment. The better understanding of the basic building blocks of materials helps to improve the functionality in various applications. Raman spectroscopy has become a truly interdisciplinary research tool, and the ongoing development of techniques makes it attractive for growing variety of scientific and industrial applications, which will be demonstrated in the book. While the “classical” linear spontaneous Raman spectroscopy is restricted in its applicability due to low signal intensities or the excitation of strong fluorescence background, new techniques have helped to overcome such problems. Examples, presented in the book, are surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), and various associated techniques are used to drastically increase signal intensity, confocal, and tip-enhanced Raman scattering (TERS) allowing for high and even sub-diffraction limited spatial resolutions, coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) avoiding fluorescence background and allowing for time-resolved observations of vibrational dynamics, or hyper- and resonance Raman scattering influencing the scattering based on electronic resonances, etc.Stephen Hawking: A Life Well Lived
By Kitty Ferguson. 2016
In 1963 Stephen Hawking was given two years to live. Defying all the odds, he died in March 2018 at…
age seventy-six as the most celebrated scientist in the world. This carefully researched and updated biography and tribute gives a rich picture of Hawking's remarkable life - his childhood, the heart-rending beginning of his struggle with motor neurone disease, his ever-increasing international fame, and his long personal battle for survival in pursuit of a scientific understanding of the universe. From more recent years, Kitty Ferguson describes his inspiring leadership at the London Paralympic Games, the release of the film The Theory of Everything, his continuing work on black holes and the origin of the universe, the discovery of 'supertranslations', and the astounding 'Starshot' program. Here also are his intense concern for the future of the Earth and his use of his celebrity to fight for environmental and humanitarian causes, and, finally, a ground-breaking paper he was working on at the time of his death, in which he took issue with some of his own earlier theories. Throughout, Ferguson summarizes and explains the cutting-edge science in which Hawking was engaged and offers vivid first-hand descriptions of his funeral in Cambridge and the interment of his ashes in Westminster Abbey. This is an amazing and revealing tribute, assessing Hawking's legacy in and out of science.Six Facets Of Light
By Ann Wroe. 2015
'She's a genius, I believe, because she lights up every subject she touches.' Hilary Mantel A Spectator Book of the…
YearGoethe claimed to know what light was. Galileo and Einstein both confessed they didn't. On the essential nature of light, and how it operates, the scientific jury is still out. There is still time, therefore, to listen to painters and poets on the subject. They, after all, spend their lives pursuing light and trying to tie it down.Six Facets of Light is a series of meditations on this most elusive and alluring feature of human life. Set mostly on the Downs and coastline of East Sussex, the most luminous part of England, it interweaves a walker's experiences of light in Nature with the observations, jottings and thoughts of a dozen writers and painters - and some scientists - who have wrestled to define and understand light. From Hopkins to Turner, Coleridge to Whitman, Fra Angelico to Newton, Ravilious to Dante, the mystery of light is teased out and pondered on. Some of the results are surprising.By using mostly notebooks and sketchbooks, this book becomes a portrait of the transitoriness, randomness, swiftness, frustrations and quicksilver beauty that are the essence of light. It is a work to be enjoyed, pondered over, engaged with, provoked by; to be packed in the rucksack of every walker heading for the sea or the hills, or to be opened to bring that outside radiance within four dark town walls.Lifescapes by Ann Wroe is coming in August 2023.StarWords: The Celestial Roots of Modern Language (Springer Praxis Books)
By Daniel Kunth, Elena Terlevich. 2024
Unbeknownst to many, our modern language contains countless words that were inspired by human observations of the cosmos. We now…
use words like “zenith”, “Monday”, “disaster”, “dog days”, “starfish”, “lunatic”, flu, and so many others, without a second thought for their celestial roots. Famous French astrophysicist Daniel Kunth invites you on a linguistic and scientific journey through space and time to explore these forgotten origins. You will be astonished to rediscover cosmic language hidden in plain sight through this wonderful collection of historical and cultural stories, famous idioms and delightful puns, along with the real science behind each one. Elena Terlevich is a well known professional astronomer working at INAOE in Mexico, an honorary Professor at La Plata University in Argentina and a regular visitor at the Institute of Astronomy in Cambridge (UK). Requiring no prior knowledge in astronomy or linguistics, this book’s universal contentsinvite the reader to ponder how our observations of the night sky have shaped our modern tongue and customs.Paleo-Geodynamics Peculiarities of the Arctic Ocean Eurasian Floor (Earth and Environmental Sciences Library)
By Anatoly Schreider, Mikhail Klyuev, Alexandra Sazhneva, Andrey Brekhovskikh. 2024
The book deals with some issues of paleo-geodynamics of the Eurasian floor of the Arctic Ocean.A comprehensive geological and geophysical…
analysis of information on the anomalous magnetic field in the Eurasian Basin was carried out using modeling of the inversion magnetically active layer of the oceanic crust. As a result of this analysis, the identification and spatial position of linear paleo-magnetic anomalies were refined, which made it possible to significantly update the geochronology of the bottom of the Eurasian Basin and identify a number of stages in its evolution.On this basis, the features and stages of the kinematics of the development of the bottom of the Eurasian Basin in the past were revealed.At the first Cretaceous–Paleogene stage, prior to the formation of the A26 paleo-anomaly on the Eurasian margin, extension processes developed significantly and turned into rifting. In the process of rifting, weakened zones and related fractures were formed, along which the Siberian continental margin began to be torn off about 60 Ma ago with the formation of the Lomonosov Ridge.At the second stage of evolution, rifting turned into spreading, and the growth rate of the new oceanic crust in the A26–A24 paleo-anomaly interval (59–53 Ma ago) was more than 2.5 cm/yr. At the same time, the northern flank of the Mid-Arctic Ridge grew more intensively than the southern one.The third stage was characterized by a further progressive slowdown in the process of bottom spreading, the minimum of which, with spreading rates of about 1 cm/year, fell on the formation of paleo-anomalies A13-A6 (30-20 million years ago).The fourth stage of growth of the new oceanic crust began later than the time of the A6 paleo-anomaly and is characterized by some intensification of growth at rates up to 1.2 cm/yr. The average rate of bottom growth over an interval of almost 60 Ma turned out to be close to 1.3 cm/yr, which makes it possible to classify the Mid-Arctic Ridge as a slow-growing one.On this basis, kinematic models of the development of bottom configurations were developed with the determination of the Euler poles, rotation angles, asymmetries, axes of spallation and paleo-bathymetry for the Eurasian Basin, the Polar part of the Lomonosov Ridge, the splitting of the Arlis Spura from the Lomonosov Ridge, the development of the Gakkel Ridge and the development of the Greenland region of the bottom.