Inspired by the general configuration characteristics of automatic production lines, the author discusses the modelisation of important sectors of a factory. Typical topics such as parts feeders, part orienting devices, insertion mechanisms and buffered flows are analysed using random evolution models and non-linear dynamical systems theory.

These contributions to the 3rd IPAS'2006 seminar are grouped in 6 sections. Part 1 reviews new techniques for handling and feeding micro parts. Micro-robotics and robot applications for micro assembly are discussed in Part 2. An overview of different design and planning applications for microassembly is provided in Part 3. Part 4 covers reconfigurable and modular micro assembly systems and control applications. The economic aspects of microassembly including new business models are discussed in Part 5 while Part 6 presents specific technical solutions and microassembly applications.

Over the last few years it has become apparent that fluid turbulence shares many common features with plasma turbulence, such as coherent structures and self-organization phenomena, passive scalar transport and anomalous diffusion. This book gathers very high level, current papers on these subjects. It is intended for scientists and researchers, lecturers and graduate students because of the review style of the papers.

Quantum groups and quantum algebras as well as non-commutative differential geometry are important in mathematics and considered to be useful tools for model building in statistical and quantum physics. This book, addressing scientists and postgraduates, contains a detailed and rather complete presentation of the algebraic framework. Introductory chapters deal with background material such as Lie and Hopf superalgebras, Lie super-bialgebras, or formal power series. Great care was taken to present a reliable collection of formulae and to unify the notation, making this volume a useful work of reference for mathematicians and mathematical physicists.

The recently proposed, fully multi-scale theory of doublet mechanics offers unprecented opportunities to reconcile the discrete and continuum representations of solids while maintaining a simple analytical format and full compatibility with lattice dynamics and continuum mechanics. In this monograph, a self-contained account of the state of the art in doublet mechanics is presented. Novel results in the elastodynamics of microstructured media are reported, including the identification of a new class of dispersive surface waves, and the presentation of methods for the experimental determination of the essential microstructural parameters. The relationships between doublet mechanics, lattice dynamics, and continuum theories are examined, leading to the identification of the subject areas in which the use of doublet mechanics is most advantageous. These areas include the analysis of domains as diverse as micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), granular and particulate media, nanotubes, and peptide arrays.

The investigation ofmost problems of quantum physics leads to the solution of the Schrodinger equation with an appropriate interaction Hamiltonian or potential. However, the exact solutions are known for rather a restricted set of potentials, so that the standard eternal problem that faces us is to find the best effective approximation to the exact solution of the Schrodinger equation under consideration. In the most general form, this problem can be formulated as follows. Let a total Hamiltonian H describing a relativistic (quantum field theory) or a nonrelativistic (quantum mechanics) system be given. Our problem is to solve the Schrodinger equation Hlft = Enlftn, n i. e. , to find the energy spectrum {En} and the proper wave functions {lft } n including the'ground state or vacuum lft = 10). The main idea of any ap o proximation technique is to find a decomposition in such a way that Ha describes our physical system in the "closest to H" manner, and the Schrodinger equation HolJt. (O) = E(O)lJt. (O) n n n can be solved exactly. The interaction Hamiltonian HI is supposed to give small corrections to the zero approximation which can be calculated. In this book, we shall consider the problem of a strong coupling regime in quantum field theory, calculations ofpath or functional integrals over the Gaussian measure and spectral problems in quantum mechanics. Let us con sider these problems briefly.

These notes give an introduction to the description of hadrons, i.e., mesons and baryons, within a quark model based on a chirally invariant quantum field theory. Emphasis is put on a didactic approach intended for graduate students with some background on functional integral techniques. Starting from QCD a motivation of a specific form of the effective quark interaction is given. Functional integral bosonization leads to a theory describing successfully meson properties. It possesses solitonic solutions which are identified as baryons. Via functional integral techniques a Faddeev equation for baryons describing them as bound states of a diquark and a quark is derived. Finally, a unification of these two complementary pictures of baryons is proposed.