This book deals with the physics of spin-polarized free electrons. Many aspects of this rapidly expanding field have been treated in review articles, but to date a self-contained monograph has not been available. In writing this book, I have tried to oppose the current trend in science that sees specialists writing primarily for like-minded specialists, and even physicists in closely related fields understanding each other less than they are inclined to admit. I have attempted to treat a modern field of physics in a style similar to that of a textbook. The presentation should be intelligible to readers at the graduate level, and while it may demand concentration, I hope it will not require decipher ing. If the reader feels that it occasionally dwells upon rather elementary topics, he should remember that this pedestrian excursion is meant to be reasonably self-contained. It was, for example, necessary to give a simple introduction to the Dirac theory in order to have a basis for the discussion of Mott scattering-one of the most important techniques in polarized electron studies.

Contents:Theoretical Foundation:Electronic and Magnetic Structure of Solid Surfaces (A J Freeman, C L Fu, S Ohnishi & M Weinert)Ferromagnetism of Transition Metals at Finite Temperatures (H Capellmann)Critical Behaviour at Surfaces of Ferromagnets (K Binder)Principles and Theory of Electron Scattering and Photoemission (R Feder)Experiments and Results:Sources and Detectors for Polarized Electrons (J Kirschner)Elastic Spin-Polarized Low Energy Electron Diffraction from Non-Magnetic Surfaces (F B Dunning & G K Walters)Elastic Spin-Polarized Low-Energy Electron Scattering from Magnetic Surfaces (U Gradmann & S F Alvarad)Inelastic Electron Scattering by Ferromagnets (J Kirschner)Spin Polarized Secondary Electron Emission from Ferromagnets (M Landolt)Spin Polarized Photoemission by Optical Spin Orientation in Semiconductors (F Meier)Adsorbates (U Heinzmann & G Schonhense)Spin- and Angle-Resolved Photoemission from Ferromagnets (E Kisker)Spin Dependent Inverse Photoemission from Ferromagnets (V Dose & M Glöbl)Photoemission and Bremsstrahlung from Fe and Ni: Theoretical Results and Analysis of Experimental Data (R Clauberg & R Feder)Polarized Electrons in Surface Physics: Outlook (M Campagna) Readership: Graduate students and researchers interested in surface physics.

The EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Science Research Committee of the U. K. ) suggested two Workshops (York University, 22-23 September, 1993 and 15-16 April, 1994) for possible development of polarized electron/photon physics as targeted areas of research. The remit of these meetings included identifying research groups and their activities in polarized electron/polarized photon physics, listing relevant existing facilities (particularly electron spin sources and polarimeters), possible joint projects between research groups in the U. K. , recognizing future needs of projects for research of the highest scientific merit and referring to international comparisons of these research activities. Although very diverse but interconnected, the areas of research presented at the Workshops embrace atomic, molecular, surface, and solid state physics. In more detail these areas covered: electron spin correlations and photon polarization correlations in atomic and molecular collisions and photoionization, electron spin effects in scanning tunneling microscopy, surface and interface magnetism from X-ray scattering and polarized Auger electrons (including analysis of domain structures in solids and surfaces), polarized electrons from multiphoton ionization, quasi-atomic effects in solid state physics, dichroism in molecular and surface processes, Faraday rotation and high-field magneto-optics and polarization effects in simultaneous higher order electron-photon excitations. It is obvious from the spectrum of research fields presented at the Workshops that physicists of primarily two communities, namely those studying electron and photon spin interactions with gaseous atomic and molecular targets and those using condensed matter targets for their studies, interacted very closely with each other.

The topic of the internal spin structure of the nucleon has become an unusually active subfield of particle and nuclear physics, together with the relevant technologies. This volume presents up-to-date coverage.All the talks given at the symposium can be found in the volume. In addition, selected articles are reprinted, including two early papers which record initial thinking about the topic, all experimental papers giving data on nucleon spin structure functions determined from polarized lepton-nucleon scattering, and two valuable previously unpublished papers.

"How did life originate and why were left-handed molecules selected for its architecture?" This question of high public and interdisciplinary scientific interest is the central theme of this book. It is widely known that in processes triggering the origin of life on Earth, the equal occurrence, the parity between left-handed amino acids and their right-handed mirror images, was violated. The balance was inevitably tipped to the left – as a result of which life's proteins today exclusively implement the left form of amino acids. Written in an engaging style, this book describes how the basic building blocks of life, the amino acids, formed. After a comprehensible introduction to stereochemistry, the author addresses the inherent property of amino acids in living organisms, namely the preference for left-handedness. What was the cause for the violation of parity of amino acids in the emergence of life on Earth? All the fascinating models proposed by physicists, chemists and biologist are vividly presented including the scientific conflicts. The author describes the attempt to verify any of those models with the chirality module of the ROSETTA mission, a probe built and launched with the mission to land on a comet and analyse whether there are chiral organic compounds that could have been brought to the Earth by cometary impacts. A truly interdisciplinary astrobiology book, "Amino Acids and the Asymmetry of Life" will fascinate students, researchers and all readers with backgrounds in natural sciences. With a foreword by Henri B. Kagan.