Synchronization of chaotic systems, a patently nonlinear phenomenon, has emerged as a highly active interdisciplinary research topic at the interface of physics, biology, applied mathematics and engineering sciences. In this connection, time-delay systems described by delay differential equations have developed as particularlysuitable tools for modeling specific dynamical systems. Indeed, time-delay is ubiquitous in many physical systems, for example due to finiteswitching sp...

This is a comprehensive overview of state-of-the-art computational methods based on orbital-free formulation of density functional theory completed by the most recent developments concerning the exact properties, approximations, and interpretations of the relevant quantities in density functional theory.The book is a compilation of contributions stemming from a series of workshops which had been taking place since 2002. It not only chronicles many of the latest developments but also summar...

The book summarizes the state-of-the-art of research on control of self-organizing nonlinear systems with contributions from leading international experts in the field. The first focus concerns recent methodological developments including control of networks and of noisy and time-delayed systems. As a second focus, the book features emerging concepts of application including control of quantum systems, soft condensed matter, and biological systems. Special topics reflecting the active rese...

This research addresses delay effects in nonlinear systems, which are ubiquitous in various fields of physics, chemistry, biology, engineering, and even in social and economic systems. They may arise as a result of processing times or due to the finite propagation speed of information between the constituents of a complex system. Time delay has two complementary, counterintuitive and almost contradictory facets. On the one hand, delay is able to induce instabilities, bifurcations of period...

At present, the marketplace for professionals, researchers, and graduate students in solid-state physics and materials science lacks a book that presents a comprehensive discussion of ferroelectrics and related materials in a form that is suitable for experimentalists and engineers. This book proposes to present a wide coverage of domain-related issues concerning these materials. This coverage includes selected theoretical topics (which are covered in the existing literature) in addition t...

Faithful communication is a necessary precondition for large-scale quantum information processing and networking, irrespective of the physical platform. Thus, the problems of quantum-state transfer and quantum-network engineering have attracted enormous interest over the last years, and constitute one of the most active areas of research in quantum information processing. The present volume introduces the reader to fundamental concepts and various aspects of this exciting research area, in...

The development of linear-scaling density functional theory (LS-DFT) has made ab initio calculations on systems containing thousands of atoms possible. These systems range from nanostructures to biomolecules. These methods rely on the use of localized basis sets, which are optimised for the representation of occupied Kohn-Sham states but do not guarantee an accurate representation of the unoccupied states. This is problematic if one wishes to combine the power of LS-DFT with that of theore...

This work addresses time-delay in complex nonlinear systems and, in particular, its applications in complex networks; its role in control theory and nonlinear optics are also investigated. Delays arise naturally in networks of coupled systems due to finite signal propagation speeds and are thus a key issue in many areas of physics, biology, medicine, and technology. Synchronization phenomena in these networks play an important role, e.g., in the context of learning, cognitive and pathologi...

This book is a treatise on the thermodynamic and dynamic properties of thin liquid films at solid surfaces and, in particular, their rupture instabilities. For the quantitative study of these phenomena, polymer thin films (sometimes referred to as “ultrathin”) have proven to be an invaluable experimental model system.What is it that makes thin film instabilities special and interesting? First, thin polymeric films have an important range of applications. An understanding of their in...

For decades, the surface-plasmon-polariton wave guided by the interface of simple isotropic materials dominated the scene. However, in recent times research on electromagnetic surface waves guided by planar interfaces has expanded into new and exciting areas. In the 1990's research focused on advancing knowledge of the newly discovered Dyakonov wave. More recently, much of the surface wave research is motivated by the proliferation of nanotechnology and the growing number of materials avai...

This book presents cutting-edge concepts, paradigms, and research highlights in the field of computational materials science and engineering, and provides a fresh, up-to-date perspective on solving present and future materials challenges. The chapters are written by not only pioneers in the fields of computational materials chemistry and materials science, but also experts in multi-scale modeling and simulation as applied to materials engineering. Pedagogical introductions to the different...

Ion Correlations at Electrified Soft Matter Interfaces presents an investigation that combines experiments, theory, and computer simulations to demonstrate that the interdependency between ion correlations and other ion interactions in solution can explain the distribution of ions near an electrified liquid/liquid interface. The properties of this interface are exploited to vary the coupling strength of ion-ion correlations from weak to strong while monitoring their influence on i...