This book describes the recent evolution of solid-state physics, which is primarily dedicated to examining the behavior of solids at the atomic scale. It also presents various state-of-the-art reviews and original contributions related to solid-state sciences. The book consists of four sections, namely, solid-state behavior, metastable materials, spintronics materials, and mechanics of deformable bodies. The authors’ contributions relating to solid-state behavior deal with the performance of solid matters pertaining to quantum mechanics, physical metallurgy, and crystallography. The authors’ contributions relating to metastable materials demonstrate the behavior of amorphous/bulk metallic glasses and some nonequilibrium materials. The authors’ contributions relating to spintronic materials explain the principles and equations underlying the physics, transport, and dynamics of spin in solid-state systems. The authors’ contributions relating to the mechanics of deformable bodies deal with applications of numeric and analytic solutions/models for solid-state structures under deformation. Key Features:Issues in solid-state physics, Lagrangian quantum mechanics,Quantum and thermal behavior of HCP crystals,Thermoelectric properties of semiconductors,Bulk metallic glasses and metastable atomic density determination,Applications of spintronics and Heusler alloys, 2D elastostatic, mathematical modeling and dynamic stiffness methods on deformable bodies.

This book describes the recent evolution of solid-state physics, which is primarily dedicated to examining the behavior of solids at the atomic scale. It also presents various state-of-the-art reviews and original contributions related to solid-state sciences. The book consists of four sections, namely, solid-state behavior, metastable materials, spintronics materials, and mechanics of deformable bodies. The authors' contributions relating to solid-state behavior deal with the performance of solid matters pertaining to quantum mechanics, physical metallurgy, and crystallography. The authors' contributions relating to metastable materials demonstrate the behavior of amorphous/bulk metallic glasses and some nonequilibrium materials. The authors' contributions relating to spintronic materials explain the principles and equations underlying the physics, transport, and dynamics of spin in solid-state systems. The authors' contributions relating to the mechanics of deformable bodies deal with applications of numeric and analytic solutions/models for solid-state structures under deformation. Key Features:Issues in solid-state physics, Lagrangian quantum mechanics,Quantum and thermal behavior of HCP crystals,Thermoelectric properties of semiconductors,Bulk metallic glasses and metastable atomic density determination,Applications of spintronics and Heusler alloys, 2D elastostatic, mathematical modeling and dynamic stiffness methods on deformable bodies.

As the editor, I feel extremely happy to present to the readers such a rich collection of chapters authored/co-authored by a large number of experts from around the world covering the broad field of guided wave optics and optoelectronics. Most of the chapters are state-of-the-art on respective topics or areas that are emerging. Several authors narrated technological challenges in a lucid manner, which was possible because of individual expertise of the authors in their own subject specialties. I have no doubt that this book will be useful to graduate students, teachers, researchers, and practicing engineers and technologists and that they would love to have it on their book shelves for ready reference at any time.

World population is growing at an alarming rate and is anticipated to reach about six billion by the end of year 2050. On the other hand, agricultural productivity is not increasing at a required rate to keep up with the food demand. The reasons for this are water shortages, depleting soil fertility and mainly various abiotic stresses. The fast pace at which developments and novel findings that are recently taking place in the cutting edge areas of molecular biology and basic genetics, have reinforced and augmented the efficiency of science outputs in dealing with plant abiotic stresses. In depth understanding of the stresses and their effects on plants is of paramount importance to evolve effective strategies to counter them. This book is broadly dived into sections on the stresses, their mechanisms and tolerance, genetics and adaptation, and focuses on the mechanic aspects in addition to touching some adaptation features. The chief objective of the book hence is to deliver state of the art information for comprehending the nature of abiotic stress in plants. We attempted here to present a judicious mixture of outlooks in order to interest workers in all areas of plant sciences.

Approach your problems from the right end It isn't that they can't see the solution. It is and begin with the answers. Then one day, that they can't see the problem. perbaps you will find the final question. G. K. Chesterton. The Scandal of Father 'The Hermit Clad in Crane Feathers' in R. Brown 'The point of a Pin'. van GuIik's The Chinese Maze Murders. Growing specialization and diversification have brought a host of monographs and textbooks on increasingly specialized topics. However, the "tree" of knowledge of mathematics and related fields does not grow only by putting forth new branches. It also happens, quite often in fact, that branches which were thought to be completely disparate are suddenly seen to be related. Further, the kind and level of sophistication of mathematics applied in various sciences has changed drastically in recent years: measure theory is used (non-trivially) in regional and theoretical economics; algebraic geometry interacts with physics; the Minkowsky lemma, coding theory and the structure of water meet one another in packing and covering theory; quantum fields, crystal defects and mathematical programming profit from homotopy theory; Lie algebras are relevant to filtering; and prediction and electrical engineering can use Stein spaces. And in addition to this there are such new emerging subdisciplines as "experimental mathematics", "CFD", "completely integrable systems", "chaos, synergetics and large-scale order", which are almost impossible to fit into the existing classification schemes. They draw upon widely different sections of mathematics.

To have unimaginably outstanding useful properties (physical, mechanical, electrical, optical, chemical, and magnetic) in a single material design is a highly challenging task in the material science community, which can be achieved through nanocomposites. These nanocomposites can be produced from all conventional materials, which include polymers, metals/alloys, and ceramics, by modifying their internal structures. Due to modification of the structures of all kinds of conventional materials, at either the nano or ultra-fine level, the materials exhibit superior performance, which is a boon for all fields of science. In general, nanocomposite materials can be manufactured by solid-state processing techniques, liquid metallurgy, ex-situ and in-situ powder metallurgy, and other basic science synthesis routes. Furthermore, the possibility of making environmentally friendly materials is also possible with nanotechnology. Therefore, to investigate and demonstrate developments in the field of nanocomposites, this book is targeted at all the scientific personnel working in this field.

The major issue of energy saving and conservation of the environment in the world is being emphasized to us to concentrate on lightweight materials in which aluminium alloys are contributing more in applications in the twenty-first century. Aluminium and its related materials possess lighter weight, considerable strength, more corrosion resistance and ductility. Especially from the past one decade, the use of aluminium alloys is increasing in construction field, transportation industries, packaging purposes, automotive, defence, aircraft and electrical sectors. Around 85% is being used in the form of wrought products, which replace the use of cast iron. Further, the major features of aluminium alloy are recyclability and its abundant availability in the world. In general, aluminium and its related materials are being processed via casting, drawing, forging, rolling, extrusion, welding, powder metallurgy process, etc. To improve the physical and mechanical properties, scientists are doing more research and adding some second-phase particles in to it called composites in addition to heat treatment. Therefore, to explore more in this field, the present book has been aimed and focused to bridge all scientists who are working in this field. The main objective of the present book is to focus on aluminium, its alloys and its composites, which include, but are not limited to, the various processing routes and characterization techniques in both macro- and nano-levels.