An International Conference on the "Statistical Properties of Nuclei" was held from August 23 to August 27, 1971, at the State University of New York at Albany campus. The purpose of the conference was to review the current status of the experimental and theoretical aspects of resonance reaction theories, statistics of resonance parameters such as level spacings, neutron, fission, radiative and reaction widths, level densities, fluctuations in cross sections, strength functions and its relation to the optical model, intermediate structure in particle and photon induced reactions, and statistical aspects of the decay of the compound nucleus. The conference was held under the auspices of the Inter national Union of Pure and Applied Physics. The organization of the conference was greatly facilitated by the financial support received from the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics, The National Science Foundation and the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission and the generous use of the physical facilities and other audio-visual services provided by the State University of New York. It is with great pleasure that I thank all tbese agencies for their kind support.

This book is devoted to the calculation of hot-plasma properties which generally requires a huge number of atomic data. It is the first book that combines information on the details of the basic atomic physics and its application to atomic spectroscopy with the use of the relevant statistical approaches. Information like energy levels, radiative rates, collisional and radiative cross-sections, etc., must be included in equilibrium or non-equilibrium models in order to describe both the atomic-population kinetics and the radiative properties. From the very large number of levels and transitions involved in complex ions, some statistical (global) properties emerge. The book presents a coherent set of concepts and compact formulas suitable for tractable and accurate calculations. The topics addressed are: radiative emission and absorption, and a dozen of other collisional and radiative processes; transition arrays between level ensembles (configurations, superconfigurations); effective temperatures of configurations, superconfigurations, and ions; charge-state distributions; radiative power losses and opacity. There are many numerical examples and comparisons with experiment presented throughout the book. The plasma properties described in this book are especially relevant to large nuclear fusion facilities such as the NIF (California) and the ITER (France), and to astrophysics. Methods relevant to the central-field configurational model are described in detail in the appendices: tensor-operator techniques, second-quantization formalism, statistical distribution moments, and the algebra of partition functions. Some extra tools are propensity laws, correlations, and fractals. These methods are applied to the analytical derivation of many properties, specially the global ones, through which the complexity is much reduced. The book is intended for graduate-level students, and for physicists working in the field.

This book a first comprehensive review on statistical spectroscopy deals with two related yet distinct topics a" averages and fluctuations. While fluctuations have been dealt with in considerable detail in Porter's book entitled Statistical Theories of Spectra: Fluctuations and subsequent reviews and books there does not exist at present a similar treatise on averages. This unique volume is designed to fill this significant gap.The book begins with an introductory review and overview of the subject of spectral distributions initiated by J Bruce French in the 60's followed by a collection of original papers which continue to give new insight on average properties of spectra. The purpose is to highlight the considerable advancements made in the application of statistical spectroscopy to nuclear structure and to encourage new directions in random matrix theory many-body chaos and statistical mechanics of finite quantum systems such as nuclei atoms molecules quantum dots etc.Along with Wong's book entitled Nuclear Statistical Spectroscopy this volume would be useful to a reader looking for a thorough introduction to the subject as well as to the specialist contemplating new applications. Finally with most of the material available in one place this book would be ideal in the design of graduate courses in statistical spectroscopy suited to specific needs.

Since the publication of Random Matrices (Academic Press, 1967) so many new results have emerged both in theory and in applications, that this edition is almost completely revised to reflect the developments. For example, the theory of matrices with quaternion elements was developed to compute certain multiple integrals, and the inverse scattering theory was used to derive asymptotic results. The discovery of Selberg's 1944 paper on a multiple integral also gave rise to hundreds of recent publications. This book presents a coherent and detailed analytical treatment of random matrices, leading in particular to the calculation of n-point correlations, of spacing probabilities, and of a number of statistical quantities. The results are used in describing the statistical properties of nuclear excitations, the energies of chaotic systems, the ultrasonic frequencies of structural materials, the zeros of the Riemann zeta function, and in general the characteristic energies of any sufficiently complicated system. Of special interest to physicists and mathematicians, the book is self-contained and the reader need know mathematics only at the undergraduate level.Key Features* The three Gaussian ensembles, unitary, orthogonal, and symplectic; their n-point correlations and spacing probabilities* The three circular ensembles: unitary, orthogonal, and symplectic; their equivalence to the Gaussian* Matrices with quaternion elements* Integration over alternate and mixed variables* Fredholm determinants and inverse scattering theory* A Brownian motion model of the matrices* Computation of the mean and of the variance of a number of statistical quantities* Selberg's integral and its consequences

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1972.