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This book is based on the premise that the entropy concept, a fundamental element of probability theory as logic, governs all of thermal physics, both equilibrium and nonequilibrium. The variational algorithm of J. Willard Gibbs, dating from the 19th Century and extended considerably over the following 100 years, is shown to be the governing feature over the entire range of thermal phenomena, such that only the nature of the macroscopic constraints changes. Beginning with a short history of the development of the entropy concept by Rudolph Clausius and his predecessors, along with the formalization of classical thermodynamics by Gibbs, the first part of the book describes the quest to uncove...
Kinetic theory is the link between the non--equilibrium statistical mechanics of many particle systems and macroscopic or phenomenological physics. Therefore much attention is paid in this book both to the derivation of kinetic equations with their limitations and generalizations on the one hand, and to the use of kinetic theory for the description of physical phenomena and the calculation of transport coefficients on the other hand. The book is meant for researchers in the field, graduate students and advanced undergraduate students. At the end of each chapter a section of exercises is added not only for the purpose of providing the reader with the opportunity to test his understanding of t...
Proceedings of the Thirteenth International Workshop on Maximum Entropy and Bayesian Methods
This monograph is devoted to the problem of the geometrizing of Lagrangians which depend on higher-order accelerations. It presents a construction of the geometry of the total space of the bundle of the accelerations of order k>=1. A geometrical study of the notion of the higher-order Lagrange space is conducted, and the old problem of prolongation of Riemannian spaces to k-osculator manifolds is solved. Also, the geometrical ground for variational calculus on the integral of actions involving higher-order Lagrangians is dealt with. Applications to higher-order analytical mechanics and theoretical physics are included as well. Audience: This volume will be of interest to scientists whose work involves differential geometry, mechanics of particles and systems, calculus of variation and optimal control, optimization, optics, electromagnetic theory, and biology.
The differential geometry of a regular Lagrangian is more involved than that of classical kinetic energy and consequently is far from being Riemannian. Nevertheless, such geometries are playing an increasingly important role in a wide variety of problems in fields ranging from relativistic optics to ecology. The present collection of papers will serve to bring the reader up-to-date on the most recent advances. Subjects treated include higher order Lagrange geometry, the recent theory of -Lagrange manifolds, electromagnetic theory and neurophysiology. Audience: This book is recommended as a (supplementary) text in graduate courses in differential geometry and its applications, and will also be of interest to physicists and mathematical biologists.
This volume contains selected papers presented at the Second Workshop on Clifford Algebras and their Applications in Mathematical Physics. These papers range from various algebraic and analytic aspects of Clifford algebras to applications in, for example, gauge fields, relativity theory, supersymmetry and supergravity, and condensed phase physics. Included is a biography and list of publications of Mário Schenberg, who, next to Marcel Riesz, has made valuable contributions to these topics. This volume will be of interest to mathematicians working in the fields of algebra, geometry or special functions, to physicists working on quantum mechanics or supersymmetry, and to historians of mathematical physics.
Differential-geometric methods are gaining increasing importance in the understanding of a wide range of fundamental natural phenomena. Very often, the starting point for such studies is a variational problem formulated for a convenient Lagrangian. From a formal point of view, a Lagrangian is a smooth real function defined on the total space of the tangent bundle to a manifold satisfying some regularity conditions. The main purpose of this book is to present: (a) an extensive discussion of the geometry of the total space of a vector bundle; (b) a detailed exposition of Lagrange geometry; and (c) a description of the most important applications. New methods are described for construction geom...
Quantum theory is one of the most fascinating and successful constructs in the intellectual history of mankind. Nonetheless, the theory has very shaky philosophical foundations. This book contains thoughtful discussions by eminent researchers of a spate of experimental techniques newly developed to test some of the stranger predictions of quantum physics. The advances considered include recent experiments in quantum optics, electron and ion interferometry, photon down conversion in nonlinear crystals, single trapped ions interacting with laser beams, atom-field coupling in micromaser cavities, quantum computation, quantum cryptography, decoherence and macroscopic quantum effects, the quantum state diffusion model, quantum gravity, the quantum mechanics of cosmology and quantum non-locality along with the continuing debate surrounding the interpretation of quantum mechanics. Audience: The book is intended for physicists, philosophers of science, mathematicians, graduate students and those interested in the foundations of quantum theory.
In this monograph, nonequilibrium statistical mechanics is developed by means of ensemble methods on the basis of the Boltzmann equation, the generic Boltzmann equations for classical and quantum dilute gases, and a generalised Boltzmann equation for dense simple fluids. The theories are developed in forms parallel with the equilibrium Gibbs ensemble theory in a way fully consistent with the laws of thermodynamics. The generalised hydrodynamics equations are the integral part of the theory and describe the evolution of macroscopic processes in accordance with the laws of thermodynamics of systems far removed from equilibrium. Audience: This book will be of interest to researchers in the fields of statistical mechanics, condensed matter physics, gas dynamics, fluid dynamics, rheology, irreversible thermodynamics and nonequilibrium phenomena.
The Twelfth International Workshop on Maximum Entropy and Bayesian Methods in Sciences and Engineering (MaxEnt 92) was held in Paris, France, at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), July 19-24, 1992. It is important to note that, since its creation in 1980 by some of the researchers of the physics department at the Wyoming University in Laramie, this was the second time that it took place in Europe, the first time was in 1988 in Cambridge. The two specificities of MaxEnt workshops are their spontaneous and informal charac ters which give the participants the possibility to discuss easily and to make very fruitful scientific and friendship relations among each others. This...