Much progress has been made in the understanding of the general properties of the dielectric function and in the calculation of this quantity for many classes of media. This volume gathers together the considerable information available and presents a detailed overview of the present status of the theory of electromagnetic response functions, whilst simultaneously covering a wide range of problems in its application to condensed matter physics. The following subjects are covered: - the dielectric function of the homogeneous electron gas, of crystalline systems, and of inhomogeneous matter; - electromagnetic fluctuations and molecular forces in condensed matter; - electrodynamics of superlattices.

Much progress has been made in the understanding of the general properties of the dielectric function and in the calculation of this quantity for many classes of media. This volume gathers together the considerable information available and presents a detailed overview of the present status of the theory of electromagnetic response functions, whilst simultaneously covering a wide range of problems in its application to condensed matter physics. The following subjects are covered: - the dielectric function of the homogeneous electron gas, of crystalline systems, and of inhomogeneous matter; - electromagnetic fluctuations and molecular forces in condensed matter; - electrodynamics of superlattices.

More than a graduate text and advanced research guide on condensed matter physics, this volume emphasizes applications to a variety of systems rather than theoretical derivations and techniques. 1991 edition.

Recent developments in microelectronics technologies have created a great demand for interlayer dielectric materials with a very low dielectric constant. They will play a crucial role in the future generation of IC devices (VLSI/UISI and high speed IC packaging). Considerable efforts have been made to develop new low as well as high dielectric constant materials for applications in electronics industries. Besides achieving either low or high dielectric constants, other materials' properties such as good processability, high mechanical strength, high thermal and environmental stability, low thermal expansion, low current leakage, low moisture absorption, corrosion resistant, etc., are of equal importance. Many chemical and physical strategies have been employed to get desired dielectric materials with high performance. This is a rapidly growing field of science--both in novel materials and their applications to future packing technologies. The experimental data on inorganic and organic materials having low or high dielectric constant remail scattered in the literature. It is timely, therfore, to consolidate the current knowledge on low and high dielectric constant materials into a sigle reference source. Handbook of Low and High Dielectric Constant Materials and Their Applications is aimed at bringing together under a sigle cover (in two volumes) all low and high dielectric constant materials currently studied in academic and industrial research covering all spects of inorgani an organic materials from their synthetic chemistry, processing techniques, physics, structure-property relationship to applications in IC devices. This book will summarize the current status of the field covering important scientific developments made over the past decade with contributions from internationally recognized experts from all over the world. Fully cross-referenced, this book has clear, precise, and wide appeal as an essential reference source for all those interested in low and high dielectric constant material.

This volume presents six articles describing theoretical and experimental research of interest in optics. The articles review applications of the Wigner distribution function in optics and optoelectronics, examine the mathematical foundations and the applicability of Kramers-Kronig relations to data inversion in linear and nonlinear optical spectroscopy and explore concentration and anisotropy fluctuations. Chapter four reviews the field of fibre-optical soliton communication systems, and includes discussion of periodic amplification, timing jitter and its control and time-division multiplexing. Chapter five focuses on theoretical aspects of the local field electrodynamics in mesoscopic media. The final chapter reviews experiments and theories concerning the time it takes for a photon or an electromagnetic wave packet to tunnel across a barrier.

The object of this book is to provide a comprehensive reference source for the numerous scientific communities (engineers, researchers, students, etc.) in various disciplines which require detailed information in the field of dielectric materials. Part 1 focuses on physical properties, electrical ageing, and modeling - including topics such as the physics of charged dielectric materials, conduction mechanisms, dielectric relaxation, space charge, electric ageing and end of life (EOL) models, and dielectric experimental characterization. Part 2 examines applications of specific relevance to dielectric materials: insulating oils for transformers, electro-rheological fluids, electrolytic capacitors, ionic membranes, photovoltaic conversion, dielectric thermal control coatings for geostationary satellites, plastics recycling and piezoelectric polymers.