This volume comprises 8 articles written by lecturers of 50th Karpacz Winter School of Theoretical Physics and their collaborators. The contributing lecturers are outstanding researchers, and experts in various fields of physics, in particular in condensed matter, quantum phase transitions and quantum critical phenomena. The articles reflect the contents of the lectures given for school participants and cover various aspects of quantum phase transitions and quantum critical phenomena, from experimental to mathematical ones. For those wishing to get acquainted with the subject, extensive lists of references are provided in the articles.

Until recently, engineering materials could be characterised successfully using relatively simple testing procedures. As materials technology advances, interest is growing in materials possessing complex meso-, micro- and nano-structures, which to a large extent determine their physical properties and behaviour. The purposes of materials modelling are many - optimisation, investigation of failure, simulation of production processes, to name a few. Modelling and characterisation are closely intertwined, increasingly so as the complexity of the material increases. Characterisation, in essence, is the connection between the abstract material model and the real-world behaviour of the material in question. Characterisation of complex materials therefore may require a combination of experimental techniques and computation. This book contains papers from the Fourth International Conference on Computational Methods and Experiments in Materials Characterisation which brought researchers who use computational methods, those who perform experiments, and of course those who do both, in all areas of materials characterisation, to discuss their recent results and ideas, in order to foster the multidisciplinary approach that has become necessary for the study of complex phenomena.

The Committee to Assess the Current Status and Future Direction of High Magnetic Field Science in the United States was convened by the National Research Council in response to a request by the National Science Foundation. This report answers three questions: (1) What is the current state of high-field magnet science, engineering, and technology in the United States, and are there any conspicuous needs to be addressed? (2) What are the current science drivers and which scientific opportunities and challenges can be anticipated over the next ten years? (3) What are the principal existing and planned high magnetic field facilities outside of the United States, what roles have U.S. high field magnet development efforts played in developing those facilities, and what potentials exist for further international collaboration in this area? A magnetic field is produced by an electrical current in a metal coil. This current exerts an expansive force on the coil, and a magnetic field is "high" if it challenges the strength and current-carrying capacity of the materials that create the field. Although lower magnetic fields can be achieved using commercially available magnets, research in the highest achievable fields has been, and will continue to be, most often performed in large research centers that possess the materials and systems know-how for forefront research. Only a few high field centers exist around the world; in the United States, the principal center is the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL). High Magnetic Field Science and Its Application in the United States considers continued support for a centralized high-field facility such as NHFML to be the highest priority. This report contains a recommendation for the funding and siting of several new high field nuclear magnetic resonance magnets at user facilities in different regions of the United States. Continued advancement in high-magnetic field science requires substantial investments in magnets with enhanced capabilities. High Magnetic Field Science and Its Application in the United States contains recommendations for the further development of all-superconducting, hybrid, and higher field pulsed magnets that meet ambitious but achievable goals.

This extensive and comprehensive handbook systematically reviews the basic physics, theory and recent advances in superconductivity. Covering the entire field, this unparalleled resource carefully blends theoretical studies with experimental results to provide an indispensable foundation for further research. Leading researchers, including Nobel laureates, describe the state of the art in conventional and unconventional superconductors. In addition to full-coverage of novel materials and underlying mechanisms, the handbook reflects continued, intense research into electron-phone based superconductivity.

This is the first of three volumes of the extensively revised and updated second edition of the Handbook of Superconductivity. The past twenty years have seen rapid progress in superconducting materials, which exhibit one of the most remarkable physical states of matter ever to be discovered. Superconductivity brings quantum mechanics to the scale of the everyday world where a single, coherent quantum state may extend over a distance of metres, or even kilometres, depending on the size of a coil or length of superconducting wire. Viable applications of superconductors rely fundamentally on an understanding of this intriguing phenomena and the availability of a range of materials with bespoke properties to meet practical needs. This first volume covers the fundamentals of superconductivity and the various classes of superconducting materials, which sets the context and background for Volumes 2 and 3. Key Features: Covers the depth and breadth of the field Includes contributions from leading academics and industry professionals across the world Provides hands-on guidance to the manufacturing and processing technologies A comprehensive reference, this handbook is suitable for both graduate students and practitioners in experimental physics, materials science and multiple engineering disciplines, including electronic and electrical, chemical, mechanical, metallurgy and others.

Closing a gap in the literature, this volume is intended both as an introductory text at postgraduate level and as a modern, comprehensive reference for researchers in the field. Provides a full working description of the main fundamental tools in the theorists toolbox which have proven themselves on the field of quantum magnetism in recent years. Concludes by focusing on the most important cuurent materials form an experimental viewpoint, thus linking back to the initial theoretical concepts.

Ruthenate materials have come into focus recently because of their very interesting magnetic and superconducting properties. From the first international conference on this topic, the present volume has emerged as a first coherent account of the considerable body of work, both theoretical and experimental, gathered in this field within a short time span. The book has been written in the form of a set of lectures and tutorial reviews with the aim of providing the research community with both a comprehensive and modern source of reference and a tutorial introduction for postgraduate students and nonspecialists working in related areas.