Results of a theoretical study of low-dimensional nonlinear systems are reported. One system is the isotropic Heisenberg ferromagnet with long range spin-spin interactions. The spin coupling parameter depends as the power law r-p on the distance r between spins. One-dimensional chains, two-dimensional square lattices, and two-layer films are considered as specific examples. The thermodynamic properties of these systems are investigated in a broad range of the parameter p using the Handscomb quantum Monte-Carlo method. The phase behavior and properties of the spin correlation functions are determined, and the critical indices and the temperature of the phase transition are calculated. Another system studied in this thesis is a dielectric multilayer structure with planar interfaces. In each of the layers the dielectric constant is generally a nonlinear function of the electric field. A new formalism is developed to study propagation of nonlinear optical waves in such a structure. The formalism is applied to a thin film sandwiched between two semi-infinite media and to an infinite periodic superlattice. Properties of the waves and the dispersion relations are investigated numerically.

Internal combustion engines still have a potential for substantial improvements, particularly with regard to fuel efficiency and environmental compatibility. These goals can be achieved with help of control systems. Modeling and Control of Internal Combustion Engines (ICE) addresses these issues by offering an introduction to cost-effective model-based control system design for ICE. The primary emphasis is put on the ICE and its auxiliary devices. Mathematical models for these processes are developed in the text and selected feedforward and feedback control problems are discussed. The appendix contains a summary of the most important controller analysis and design methods, and a case study that analyzes a simplified idle-speed control problem. The book is written for students interested in the design of classical and novel ICE control systems.

Proceedings of a NATO ARW held in Florence, Italy, June 7--13, 1990

Thermofluids, while a relatively modern term, is applied to the well-established field of thermal sciences, which is comprised of various intertwined disciplines. Thus mass, momentum, and heat transfer constitute the fundamentals of th- mofluids. This book discusses thermofluids in the context of thermodynamics, single- and two-phase flow, as well as heat transfer associated with single- and two-phase flows. Traditionally, the field of thermal sciences is taught in univer- ties by requiring students to study engineering thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer, in that order. In graduate school, these topics are discussed at more advanced levels. In recent years, however, there have been attempts to in- grate these topics through a unified approach. This approach makes sense as thermal design of widely varied systems ranging from hair dryers to semicond- tor chips to jet engines to nuclear power plants is based on the conservation eq- tions of mass, momentum, angular momentum, energy, and the second law of thermodynamics. While integrating these topics has recently gained popularity, it is hardly a new approach. For example, Bird, Stewart, and Lightfoot in Transport Phenomena, Rohsenow and Choi in Heat, Mass, and Momentum Transfer, El- Wakil, in Nuclear Heat Transport, and Todreas and Kazimi in Nuclear Systems have pursued a similar approach. These books, however, have been designed for advanced graduate level courses. More recently, undergraduate books using an - tegral approach are appearing.

Covering colloids, polymers, surfactant phases, emulsions, and granular media, Soft and Fragile Matter: Nonequilibrium Dynamics, Metastability and Flow (PBK) provides self-contained and pedagogical coverage of the rapidly advancing field of systems driven out of equilibrium, with a strong emphasis on unifying conceptual principles rather than material-specific details. Written by internationally recognized experts, the book contains introductions at the level of a graduate course in soft condensed matter and statistical physics to the following areas: experimental techniques, polymers, rheology, colloids, computer simulation, surfactants, phase separation kinetics, driven systems, structural glasses, slow dynamics, and granular materials. These topics lead to a range of exciting applications at the forefront of current research, including microplasticity of emulsions, sequence design of copolymers, branched polymer dynamics, nucleation kinetics in colloids, multiscale modeling, flow-induced surfactant textures, fluid demixing under shear, two-time correlation functions, chaotic sedimentation dynamics, and sound propagation in powders. Balancing theory, simulation, and experiment, this broadly-based, pedagogical account of a rapidly developing field is an excellent compendium for graduate students and researchers in condensed matter physics, materials science, and physical chemistry.