Novel instruments for high-precision imaging polarimetry have opened new possibilities, including for exploring effects in radiative scattering, atomic physics, spectral line formation, and radiative transfer. This volume gives a comprehensive and up-to-date account of this rapidly evolving and interdisciplinary field of science.

Magnetic fields are responsible for much of the variability and structuring in the universe, but only on the Sun can the basic magnetic field related processes be explored in detail. While several excellent textbooks have established a diagnostic foundation for exploring the physics of unmagnetized stellar atmospheres through spectral analysis, no corresponding treatise for magnetized stellar atmospheres has been available. The present monograph fills this gap. The theoretical foundation for the diagnostics of stellar magnetism is developed from first principles in a comprehensive way, both within the frameworks of classical physics and quantum field theory, together with a presentation of the various solar applications. This textbook can serve as an introduction to solar and stellar magnetism for astronomers and physicists at the graduate or advanced undergraduate level and will also become a resource book for more senior scientists with a general interest in cosmic magnetic fields.

The physics of microwave-burst emission is briefly examined to give the rationale for investigating polarization spectra. The instruments used to carry out the 9.4 GHz and 7 GHz circular-polarization measurements and the 5 GHz Stokes-parameter measurements are described. A survey of the August 1972 to December 1973 period produced a table of 45 bursts, from which some limited results were obtained. About 75 to 80 percent of all bursts are circularly polarized, with varying polarization over the 5 to 9.4 GHz range. For most bursts where the circular polarization pc increases toward the upper or lower end of the 5 to 9.4 GHz range, the total intensity I also increases in that direction. The few bursts having a pc sense reversal in the 5 to 9.4 GHz range also have a spectral maximum of I at roughly the same frequency. Some simplified explanations of the results are presented.

Much progress has been made in recent years in understanding the complex physics of polarized radiation in the sun and stars. This physics includes vector radiative transfer and spectral line formation in the presence of magnetic fields, scattering theory and coherence effects, partial redistribution and turbulent magnetic fields, numerical techniques and Stokes inversion, as well as concepts for polarimetric imaging with a precision limited only by photon statistics. The present volume gives a comprehensive and up-to-date account of this rapidly evolving field of science.

The Animals to Animats Conference brings together researchers fromethology, psychology, ecology, artificial intelligence, artificiallife, robotics, engineering, and related fields to furtherunderstanding of the behaviors and underlying mechanisms that allownatural and synthetic agents (animats) to adapt and survive inuncertain environments The Animals to Animats Conference brings together researchers from ethology, psychology, ecology, artificial intelligence, artificial life, robotics, engineering, and related fields to further understanding of the behaviors and underlying mechanisms that allow natural and synthetic agents (animats) to adapt and survive in uncertain environments. The work presented focuses on well-defined models--robotic, computer-simulation, and mathematical--that help to characterize and compare various organizational principles or architectures underlying adaptive behavior in both natural animals and animats.

Novel instruments for high-precision imaging polarimetry have opened new possibilities, including for exploring effects in radiative scattering, atomic physics, spectral line formation, and radiative transfer. This volume gives a comprehensive and up-to-date account of this rapidly evolving and interdisciplinary field of science.