The 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded for the discovery of cosmic acceleration due to dark energy, a discovery that is all the more perplexing as nobody knows what dark energy actually is. We put the modern concept of cosmological vacuum energy into historical context and show how it grew out of disparate roots in quantum mechanics (zero-point energy) and relativity theory (the cosmological constant, Einstein's “greatest blunder”). These two influences have remained strangely aloof and still co-exist in an uneasy alliance that is at the heart of the greatest crisis in theoretical physics, the cosmological-constant problem.

The approach taken in this book is to approach vacuum systems from a pressure regime viewpoint. That is, after covering some basic chemistry, the first pressure regime covered is the rough vacuum regime. Within the study of rough vacuum systems, the following topics are covered: the gas load, the pumping mechanism, pressure measurement and vacuum system construction. The discussion of rough vacuum is then followed by the study of high-vacuum systems. The same topics are revisited, but this time from a high vacuum perspective. Once both rough vacuum and high vacuum systems are covered, then the topics of leak detection and residual gas analysis are introduced. This approach lends itself to laboratory experimentation. During the review of gas laws from chemistry, there are a number of experiments and demonstrations that can be performed to reinforce basic laws and concepts. Then, during the study of rough vacuum systems, pumpdown times can be calculated and pumpdowns performed in the laboratory. Likewise, during the study of high-vacuum systems, pumpdowns as well as other lab exercises, such as outgassing and residual gas analysis, can be conducted. Coverage of vacuum systems from a pressure regime viewpoint, rather than from a topical viewpoint. Focus on the fundamental science behind vacumm system components. This book is written for users of vacuum systems, especially the technicians that are responsible for maintaining them.

House cleaning has been an innate human activity forever but only since the early 19th century have mechanical devices replaced the physical labor (performed mostly by women). Mechanical carpet sweepers were replaced by manual suction cleaners, which in turn were replaced by electric vacuum cleaners in the early 20th century. Innovative inventors, who improved vacuum cleaners as electricity became commonly available, made these advances possible. Many early manufacturers failed, but some, such as Bissell, Hoover, Eureka and others, became household names as they competed for global dominance with improved features, performance and appearance. This book describes the fascinating people who made this possible, as well as the economic, cultural and technological contexts of their times. From obscure beginnings 200 years ago, vacuum cleaners have become an integral part of modern household culture.