Many aspects of the interaction of radiation with glasses are reviewed in this volume, with contributions from a broad scientific community. Several of the papers focus on the interdisciplinary approach required to connect technological applications to the basic interactions of energetic ions with insulators, reporting on the challenging problems that still remain to be solved. The high quality of these contributions once again demonstrates that the E-MRS is an efficient forum for interaction between research workers and industry. The proceedings represent an ideal bridge between the sixth and the planned seventh International Conference on Radiation Effects in Insulators to be held in Japan in 1993.

This Encyclopedia begins with an introduction summarizing itsscope and content. Glassmaking; Structure of Glass, GlassPhysics,Transport Properties, Chemistry of Glass, Glass and Light,Inorganic Glass Families, Organic Glasses, Glass and theEnvironment, Historical and Economical Aspect of Glassmaking,History of Glass, Glass and Art, and outlinepossible newdevelopments and uses as presented by the best known people in thefield (C.A. Angell, for example). Sections and chapters arearranged in a logical order to ensure overall consistency and avoiduseless repetitions. All sections are introduced by a briefintroduction and attractive illustration. Newly investigatedtopics will be addresses, with the goal of ensuring that thisEncyclopedia remains a reference work for years to come.

The earliest experimental data on an oxygen-free glass have been published by Schulz-Sellack in 1870 [1]. Later on, in 1902, Wood [2], as well as Meier in 1910 [3], carried out the first researches on the optical properties of vitreous selenium. The interest in the glasses that exhibit transparency in the infrared region of the optical spectrum rose at the beginning of the twentieth century. Firstly were investigated the heavy metal oxides and the transparency limit was extended from (the case of the classical oxide glasses) up to wavelength. In order to extend this limit above the scientists tried the chemical compositions based on the elements of the sixth group of the Periodic Table, the chalcogens: sulphur, selenium and tellurium. The systematic research in the field of glasses based on chalcogens, called chalcogenide glasses, started at the middle of our century. In 1950 Frerichs [4] investigated the glass and published the paper: “New optical glasses transparent in infrared up to 12 . Several years later he started the study of the selenium glass and prepared several binary glasses with sulphur [5]. Glaze and co-workers [6] developed in 1957 the first method for the preparation of the glass at the industrial scale, while Winter-Klein [7] published reports on numerous chalcogenides prepared in the vitreous state.

At every stage of the fuel cycle, the materials used are at the heart of nuclear energy safety issues. These materials, which range from steel to polymers, including ceramics, glass, concrete and graphite, are submitted to extreme stresses combining mechanical, thermal and irradiation constraints. The objective of this book is to provide a basis for the research of nuclear materials subjected to irradiation, with the desire to contextualize them in the industrial environment. Therefore, most of the chapters are co-authored and contain a mix of basic and applied research. The reader will find chapters on nuclear reactor materials (structural materials, neutron absorbers, moderators and nuclear fuel) and on materials in waste management (glass, concrete and organic materials). These material chapters are complemented by more general information on defects and their creation, radiolysis and irradiation and characterization tools.

Electronic excitation is a means to change materials properties. This book analyses the important features of the changes induced by electronic excitation, identifies what is critical, and provides a basis from which materials modification can be developed successfully. Electronic excitation by lasers or electron beams can change the properties of materials. In the last few years, there has been a mix of basic science, of new laser and electron beam tools, and of new needs from microelectronics, photonics and nanotechnology. This book extends and synthesises the science, addressing ideas like energy localisation and charge localisation, with detailed comparisons of experiment and theory. It also identifies the ways this understanding links to technological needs, like selective removal of material, controlled changes, altering the balance between process steps, and possibilities of quantum control. This book will be of particular interest to research workers in physics, chemistry, electronic engineering and materials science.

Bringing together contributions from leading experts in the field, this book reviews laser processing concepts that allow the structuring of material beyond optical limits, and methods that facilitate direct observation of the underlying mechanisms by exploring direct structuring and self-organization phenomena. The capacity to nanostructure material using ultrafast lasers lays the groundwork for the next generation of flexible and precise material processing tools. Rapid access to scales of 100 nm and below in two and three dimensions becomes a factor of paramount importance to engineer materials and to design innovative functions. To reflect the dynamic nature of the field at all levels from basic science to applications, the book is divided into three parts, Fundamental Processes, Concepts of Extreme Nanostructuring, and Applications, each of which is comprehensively covered. This book will be a useful resource for graduate students and researchers in laser processing, materials engineering, and nanoscience.