This new series Mechanics and Physics of Discrete Systems aims to provide a coherent picture of the modern development of discrete physical systems. Each volume will offer an orderly perspective of disciplines such as molecular dynamics, crystal mechanics and/or physics, dislocation, etc. Emphasized in particular are the fundamentals of mechanics and physics that play an essential role in engineering applications.Volume 1, Gauge Theory and Defects in Solids, presents a detailed development of a rational theory of the dynamics of defects and damage in solids. Solutions to field equations are used to determine stresses, dislocation densities and currents that arise from histories of loading of boundaries of bodies. Analysed in detail is a gauge theory with a gauge group that is not semi-simple, and whose action occurs at the classical macroscopic level. Yang-Mills theory is applied where the state variables are elastic displacements in solids, determination of mechanical and electromagnetic observables by choice of gauge conditions is demonstrated, and practices of classical dislocation theory are derived from first principles.

Marcel Grossmann Meetings are formed to further the development of General Relativity by promoting theoretical understanding in the fields of physics, mathematics, astronomy and astrophysics and to direct future technological, observational, and experimental efforts. In these meetings are discussed recent developments in classical and quantum gravity, general relativity and relativistic astrophysics, with major emphasis on mathematical foundations and physical predictions, with the main objective of gathering scientists from diverse backgrounds for deepening the understanding of spacetime structure and reviewing the status of test-experiments for Einstein's theory of gravitation. The range of topics is broad, going from the more abstract classical theory, quantum gravity and strings, to the more concrete relativistic astrophysics observations and modeling.The three volumes of the proceedings of MG12 give a broad view of all aspects of gravitational physics and astrophysics, from mathematical issues to recent observations and experiments. The scientific program of the meeting includes 29 plenary talks stretched over 6 mornings, and 74 parallel sessions over 5 afternoons. Volume A contains plenary and review talks ranging from the mathematical foundations of classical and quantum gravitational theories including recent developments in string theories, to precision tests of general relativity including progress towards the detection of gravitational waves, to relativistic astrophysics including such topics as gamma ray bursts, black hole physics both in our galaxy, in active galactic nuclei and in other galaxies, neutron stars, pulsar astrophysics, gravitational lensing effects, neutrino physics and ultra high energy cosmic rays. The rest of the volumes include parallel sessions on dark matter, neutrinos, X-ray sources, astrophysical black holes, neutron stars, binary systems, radiative transfer, accretion disks, alternative gravitational theories, perturbations of collapsed objects, analog models, black hole thermodynamics, cosmic background radiation & observational cosmology, numerical relativity & algebraic computing, gravitational lensing, variable ';constants'; of nature, large scale structure, topology of the universe, brane-world cosmology, early universe models & cosmic microwave background anisotropies, inhomogeneous cosmology, inflation, gamma ray burst modeling, supernovas, global structure, singularities, cosmic censorship, chaos, Einstein-Maxwell systems, inertial forces, gravitomagnetism, wormholes & time machines, exact solutions of Einstein's equations, gravitational waves, gravitational wave detectors & data analysis, precision gravitational measurements, history of relativity, quantum gravity & loop quantum gravity, Casimir effect, quantum cosmology, strings & branes, self-gravitating systems, gamma ray astronomy, cosmic rays, gamma ray bursts and quasars.

Topological restrictions. These are relevant to the understanding of the statistical properties of elementary particles and the entanglement phenomena in polymer physics and biophysics. The Chern-Simons theory of particles with fractional statistics (anyons) is introduced and applied to explain the fractional quantum Hall effect." "The relevance of path integrals to financial markets is discussed, and improvements of the famous Black-Scholes formula for option prices are developed which account for the fact that large market fluctuations occur much more frequently than in Gaussian distributions." --Book Jacket.

Topological defects have recently become of great interest in condensed matter physics, particle physics and cosmology. They are the unavoidable remnants of many symmetry breaking phase transitions. Topological defects can play an important role in describing the properties of many condensed matter systems (e.g. superfluids and superconduc tors); they can catalyze many unusual effects in particle physics models and they may be responsible for seeding the density perturbations in the early Universe which de velop into galaxies and the large-scale structure of the Universe. Topological defects are also of great interest in mathematics as nontrivial solutions of nonlinear differential equations stabilized by topological effects. The purpose of the Advanced Study Institute "Formation and Interactions of Topo logical Defects" was to bring together students and practitioners in condensed matter physics, particle physics and cosmology, to give a detailed exposition of the role of topo logical defects in these fields; to explore similarities and differences in the approaches; and to provide a common basis for discussion and future collaborative research on common problems.

This book lays the foundations of the theory of fluctuating multivalued fields with numerous applications. Most prominent among these are phenomena dominated by the statistical mechanics of line-like objects, such as the phase transitions in superfluids and superconductors as well as the melting process of crystals, and the electromagnetic potential as a multivalued field that can produce a condensate of magnetic monopoles. In addition, multivalued mappings play a crucial role in deriving the physical laws of matter coupled to gauge fields and gravity with torsion from the laws of free matter. Through careful analysis of each of these applications, the book thus provides students and researchers with supplementary reading material for graduate courses on phase transitions, quantum field theory, gravitational physics, and differential geometry.

Focuses on fundamental mathematical and computational methods underpinning physics. Relevant to statistical physics, chaotic and complex systems, classical and quantum mechanics, classical and quantum integrable systems and classical and quantum field theory.