A comprehensive collection of papers on theoretical aspects of electronic processes in simple and synthetic metals, superconductors, bulk and low-dimensional semiconductors under extreme conditions, such as high magnetic and electric fields, low and ultra-low temperatures. The main emphasis is on low-dimensional conductors and superconductors, where correlated electrons, interacting with magnetic or nonmagnetic impurities, phonons, photons, or nuclear spins, result in a variety of new physical phenomena, such as quantum oscillations in the superconducting state, Condon instability, Skyrmions and composite fermions in quantum Hall effect systems, and hyperfine field-induced mesoscopic and nanoscopic phenomena. Several new experimental achievements are reported that promise to delineate future trends in low temperature and high magnetic field physics, including the experimental observation of the interplay between superconductivity and nuclear spin ordering at ultra-low temperatures, new observations of Condon domains in normal metals, and an experimental proposal for the realisation of isotopically engineered, semiconductor-based spin-qubit elements for future quantum computation and communication technology.

The spin degree of freedom is an intrinsically quantum-mechanical phenomenon, leading to both intriguing applications and unsolved fundamental issues (such as "where does the proton spin come from"). The present volume investigates central aspects of modern spin physics in the form of extensive lectures on semiconductor spintronics, the spin-pairing mechanism in high-temperature semiconductors, spin in quantum field theory and the nucleon spin.

In the spirit of Alvin Toffler’s acclaimed works peering into the future of the technological society, Communication Shock is a concise history of communication technologies and an exploration of the possible social and human impacts of nanotechnology on the ecology of human communication. As we become increasingly more networked with communication technologies, we must come to understand and confront the social impact of these changes. More importantly, we must wisely choose in embracing or rejecting these technologies and exploring how we might do both by striking an appropriate balance. Grounded in communication theory and praxis, Communication Shock brings some objectivity to the discussion of technology, maps its development, and encourages a rational conversation about its potential problems and promise. It challenges readers to reach their own conclusions – about the future, imagined and unimaginable, about the fundamental values in conflict, and how one might choose to embrace or contest them to maintain individual autonomy in the face of increasingly ubiquitous marketing and technological change. Present and emerging communications technologies hold the promise for a bold new future, but they also have their inherent risks and drawbacks. Communication shock is the human response, conscious or unconscious, wherein the individual chooses to resist the growing pervasiveness of technology in his or her life by seeking ways to reduce or redirect new technologies or to reject the addition of such technologies altogether. Here is a framework for understanding the potential of the evolving technologies, determining which are essential and which are distractions from the life that one believes to be meaningful, and making informed choices for the life one wishes to live.

This book explains the calculations of Laughlin and Schrieffer and shows how they are modified when the magnetic length is treated properly. The attachment of flux quanta to the electron has been discussed at length and experimental reports are re-examined in the light of variable magnetic length. The angular momentum theory of the Quantum Hall Effect explains the experimental data as is well based on theoretical grounds. An effort is made to compromise the flux-attached electron theory with the angular momentum theory which shows that some of the composite fermions become bosons. The Quantum Hall effect is explained on the basis of angular momentum theory. The importance of the negative spin has been discussed. The considerable amount of literature is reviewed.

This new volume focuses on a new, exciting field of research: Spintronics, the area also known as spin-based electronics. The ultimate aim of researchers in this area is to develop new devices that exploit the spin of an electron instead of, or in addition to, its electronic charge. In recent years many groups worldwide have devoted huge efforts to research of spintronic materials, from their technology through characterization to modeling. The resultant explosion of papers in this field and the solid scientific results achieved justify the publication of this volume. Its goal is to summarize the current level of understanding and to highlight some key results and milestones that have been achieved to date. Semiconductor spintronics is expected to lead to a new generation of transistors, lasers and integrated magnetic sensors that can be used to create ultra-low power, high-speed memory, logic and photonic devices. In addition, development of novel devices such as spin-polarized light emitters, spin field effect transistors, integrated sensors and high-temperature electronics is anticipated. - Spintronics has emerged as one of the fastest growing areas of research - This text presents an in-depth examination of the most recent technological spintronic developments - Includes contributions from leading scholars and industry experts

This bookis based on some of the lectures duringthe Paci?c Institute of Theoretical Physics (PITP) summer school on “Quantum Magnetism”, held during June 2006 in Les Houches, in the French Alps. The school was funded jointly by NATO, the CNRS, and PITP, and entirely organized by PITP. Magnetism is a somewhat peculiar research ?eld. It clearly has a quant- mechanical basis – the microscopic exchange interactions arise entirely from the exclusion principle, in conjunction with repulsive interactions between electrons. And yet until recently the vast majority of magnetism researchersand users of m- netic phenomena around the world paid no attention to these quantum-mechanical roots. Thus, e.g., the huge ($400 billion per annum) industry which manufactures hard discs, and other components in the information technology sector, depends entirely on room-temperature properties of magnets – yet at the macroscopic or mesoscopic scales of interest to this industry, room-temperature magnets behave entirely classically.