Detailed reviews of new and emerging topics in chemical physics presented by leading experts The Advances in Chemical Physics series is dedicated to reviewing new and emerging topics as well as the latest developments in traditional areas of study in the field of chemical physics. Each volume features detailed comprehensive analyses coupled with individual points of view that integrate the many disciplines of science that are needed for a full understanding of chemical physics. Volume 153 of Advances in Chemical Physics features six expertly written contributions: Recent advances of ultrafast X-ray absorption spectroscopy for molecules in solution Scaling perspective on intramolecular vibrational energy flow: analogies, insights, and challenges Longest relaxation time of relaxation processes for classical and quantum Brownian motion in a potential escape rate theory approach Local fluctuations in solution: theory and applications Macroscopic effects of microscopic heterogeneity Ab initio methodology for pseudospin Hamiltonians of anisotropic magnetic centers Reviews published in Advances in Chemical Physics are typically longer than those published in journals, providing the space needed for readers to fully grasp the topic: the fundamentals as well as the latest discoveries, applications, and emerging avenues of research. Extensive cross-referencing enables readers to explore the primary research studies underlying each topic. Advances in Chemical Physics is ideal for introducing novices to topics in chemical physics. Moreover, the series provides the foundation needed for more experienced researchers to advance their own research studies and continue to expand the boundaries of our knowledge in chemical physics.

This volume in the prestigious Advances in Chemical Physics series, edited by Nobel Prize-winner Ilya Prigogine and renowned authority Stuart A. Rice, provides general information about a wide variety of topics in chemical physics. Experts present comprehensive analyses of subjects of interest and encourage the expression of individual points of view. This approach to presenting an overview of a subject will both stimulate new research and serve as a personalized learning text for beginners in the field.

This series provides the chemical physics field with a forum for critical, authoritative evaluations of advances in every area of the discipline. Volume 129 in the series continues to report recent advances with significant, up-to-date chapters by internationally recognized researchers.

Advances in Chemical Physics covers recent advances at the cutting edge of research relative to chemical physics. The series, Advances in Chemical Physics, provides a forum for critical, authoritative evaluations of advances in every area of the discipline.

Adventures in Chemical Physics continues to report recent advances with significant, up-to-date chapters by internationally recognized researchers from a variety of prestigious academic and professional institutions such as McGill University, the University of Pennsylvania, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Tel Aviv University, and the University of Chicago.

The Encyclopedia of Physical Chemistry and Chemical Physics introduces possibly unfamiliar areas, explains important experimental and computational techniques, and describes modern endeavors. The encyclopedia quickly provides the basics, defines the scope of each subdiscipline, and indicates where to go for a more complete and detailed explanation. Particular attention has been paid to symbols and abbreviations to make this a user-friendly encyclopedia. Care has been taken to ensure that the reading level is suitable for the trained chemist or physicist. The encyclopedia is divided in three major sections: FUNDAMENTALS: the mechanics of atoms and molecules and their interactions, the macroscopic and statistical description of systems at equilibrium, and the basic ways of treating reacting systems. The contributions in this section assume a somewhat less sophisticated audience than the two subsequent sections. At least a portion of each article inevitably covers material that might also be found in a modern, undergraduate physical chemistry text. METHODS: the instrumentation and fundamental theory employed in the major spectroscopic techniques, the experimental means for characterizing materials, the instrumentation and basic theory employed in the study of chemical kinetics, and the computational techniques used to predict the static and dynamic properties of materials. APPLICATIONS: specific topics of current interest and intensive research. For the practicing physicist or chemist, this encyclopedia is the place to start when confronted with a new problem or when the techniques of an unfamiliar area might be exploited. For a graduate student in chemistry or physics, the encyclopedia gives a synopsis of the basics and an overview of the range of activities in which physical principles are applied to chemical problems. It will lead any of these groups to the salient points of a new field as rapidly as possible and gives pointers as to where to read about the topic in more detail.

The Advances in Chemical Physics series provides the chemical physics and physical chemistry fields with a forum for critical, authoritative evaluations of advances in every area of the discipline. Filled with cutting-edge research reported in a cohesive manner not found elsewhere in the literature, each volume of the Advances in Chemical Physics series serves as the perfect supplement to any advanced graduate class devoted to the study of chemical physics.