Jacqueline A. Stedall
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780198526025
- eISBN:
- 9780191712364
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198526025.001.0001
- Subject:
- Mathematics, History of Mathematics
This book casts new light on the work of Thomas Harriot (c.1560-1621), an innovative thinker and practitioner in several branches of the mathematical sciences, including navigation, astronomy, ...
More
This book casts new light on the work of Thomas Harriot (c.1560-1621), an innovative thinker and practitioner in several branches of the mathematical sciences, including navigation, astronomy, optics, geometry, and algebra. On his death Harriot left behind over 4,000 manuscript sheets, but most of his work still remains unpublished. This book focuses on 140 of those sheets, those concerned with the structure and solution of equations. The original material has been carefully ordered, translated, and annotated to provide the first complete edition of Harriot's treatise, and an extended introduction provides the reader with a lucid background to the work. Illustrations from the manuscripts provide additional interest. The appendices discuss correlations between Harriot's manuscripts and those of this contemporaries, Viète, Warner, and Torporley.Less
This book casts new light on the work of Thomas Harriot (c.1560-1621), an innovative thinker and practitioner in several branches of the mathematical sciences, including navigation, astronomy, optics, geometry, and algebra. On his death Harriot left behind over 4,000 manuscript sheets, but most of his work still remains unpublished. This book focuses on 140 of those sheets, those concerned with the structure and solution of equations. The original material has been carefully ordered, translated, and annotated to provide the first complete edition of Harriot's treatise, and an extended introduction provides the reader with a lucid background to the work. Illustrations from the manuscripts provide additional interest. The appendices discuss correlations between Harriot's manuscripts and those of this contemporaries, Viète, Warner, and Torporley.
Alexey Kavokin, Jeremy J. Baumberg, Guillaume Malpuech, and Fabrice P. Laussy
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199228942
- eISBN:
- 9780191711190
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199228942.001.0001
- Subject:
- Physics, Atomic, Laser, and Optical Physics
The rapid development of microfabrication and assembly of nanostructures has opened up many opportunities to miniaturize structures that confine light, producing unusual and extremely interesting ...
More
The rapid development of microfabrication and assembly of nanostructures has opened up many opportunities to miniaturize structures that confine light, producing unusual and extremely interesting optical properties. This book addresses the large variety of optical phenomena taking place in confined solid state structures: microcavities. Microcavities represent a unique laboratory for quantum optics and photonics. They exhibit a number of beautiful effects, including lasing, superfluidity, super-radiance, and entanglement. The book is written by four practitioners strongly involved in experiments and theories of microcavities. The introductory chapters present the semi-classical and quantum approaches to description of light-matter coupling in various solid state systems, including planar cavities, pillars, and spheres; introduce exciton-polaritons, and discuss their statistics and optical properties. The weak and strong exciton-light coupling regimes are discussed further with emphasis on the Purcell effect, lasing, optical parametric oscillations, and Bose-Einstein condensation of exciton polaritons. The last chapter discusses polarization and spin properties of cavity polaritons. The book also contains portraits of scientists who gave key contributions to classical electromagnetism, quantum optics, and exciton physics.Less
The rapid development of microfabrication and assembly of nanostructures has opened up many opportunities to miniaturize structures that confine light, producing unusual and extremely interesting optical properties. This book addresses the large variety of optical phenomena taking place in confined solid state structures: microcavities. Microcavities represent a unique laboratory for quantum optics and photonics. They exhibit a number of beautiful effects, including lasing, superfluidity, super-radiance, and entanglement. The book is written by four practitioners strongly involved in experiments and theories of microcavities. The introductory chapters present the semi-classical and quantum approaches to description of light-matter coupling in various solid state systems, including planar cavities, pillars, and spheres; introduce exciton-polaritons, and discuss their statistics and optical properties. The weak and strong exciton-light coupling regimes are discussed further with emphasis on the Purcell effect, lasing, optical parametric oscillations, and Bose-Einstein condensation of exciton polaritons. The last chapter discusses polarization and spin properties of cavity polaritons. The book also contains portraits of scientists who gave key contributions to classical electromagnetism, quantum optics, and exciton physics.
David Paganin
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780198567288
- eISBN:
- 9780191717963
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198567288.001.0001
- Subject:
- Physics, Atomic, Laser, and Optical Physics
This book offers a grounding in the field of coherent X-ray optics, which in the closing years of the 20th century experienced something of a renaissance with the availability of third-generation ...
More
This book offers a grounding in the field of coherent X-ray optics, which in the closing years of the 20th century experienced something of a renaissance with the availability of third-generation synchrotron sources. It begins with a treatment of the fundamentals of X-ray diffraction for both coherent and partially coherent radiation, together with the interactions of X-rays with matter. X-ray sources, optical elements, and detectors are then discussed, with an emphasis on their role in coherent X-ray optics. Various aspects of coherent X-ray imaging are then considered, including holography, interferometry, self imaging, phase contrast, and phase retrieval. The foundations of the new field of singular X-ray optics are examined, focusing on the topic of X-ray phase vortices. Most topics in the book are developed from first principles using a chain of logic which ultimately derives from the Maxwell equations, with numerous references to the contemporary and historical research literature.Less
This book offers a grounding in the field of coherent X-ray optics, which in the closing years of the 20th century experienced something of a renaissance with the availability of third-generation synchrotron sources. It begins with a treatment of the fundamentals of X-ray diffraction for both coherent and partially coherent radiation, together with the interactions of X-rays with matter. X-ray sources, optical elements, and detectors are then discussed, with an emphasis on their role in coherent X-ray optics. Various aspects of coherent X-ray imaging are then considered, including holography, interferometry, self imaging, phase contrast, and phase retrieval. The foundations of the new field of singular X-ray optics are examined, focusing on the topic of X-ray phase vortices. Most topics in the book are developed from first principles using a chain of logic which ultimately derives from the Maxwell equations, with numerous references to the contemporary and historical research literature.
Stephen Rand
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199574872
- eISBN:
- 9780191722219
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199574872.001.0001
- Subject:
- Physics, Atomic, Laser, and Optical Physics
This book attempts to bridge the enormous gap between introductory quantum mechanics and the research front of modern optics and scientific fields that make use of light in one step. Hence, while it ...
More
This book attempts to bridge the enormous gap between introductory quantum mechanics and the research front of modern optics and scientific fields that make use of light in one step. Hence, while it is suitable as a reference for the specialist in quantum optics, it also targets the nonspecialists from other disciplines who need to understand light and its uses in research. With a unique approach it introduces a single analytic tool, namely the density matrix, to analyze complex optical phenomena encountered in traditional as well as cross‐disciplinary research. It moves swiftly in a tight sequence from elementary to sophisticated topics in quantum optics, including laser tweezers, laser cooling, coherent population transfer, optical magnetism, electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT), squeezed light, and cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED). A systematic approach is used that starts with the simplest systems – stationary two‐level atoms – then introduces atomic motion, adds more energy levels, and moves on to discuss first‐, second‐, and third‐order coherence effects that are the basis for analyzing new optical phenomena in incompletely characterized systems. Unconventional examples and original problems are used to engage even seasoned researchers in exploring a mathematical methodology with which they can tackle virtually any new problem involving light. An extensive bibliography makes connections with mathematical techniques and subject areas which can extend the benefit of each section to guide readers further. The steady progression from “simple” to “elaborate” makes the book accessible not only to students from traditional subject areas that make use of light (physics, chemistry, electrical engineering, and materials science), but also to researchers from the “hyphenated” subjects of modern science and engineering: the biophysicists using mechanical effects of light, photochemists developing coherent control for rare species detection, biomedical engineers imaging through scattering media, electromechanical engineers working on molecular design of materials for electronics and space, electrical and computer engineers developing schemes for quantum computation, cryptography, frequency references, and so on. To try to identify techniques and ideas that are universal enough to be applied across the bewildering landscape of research on intersecting boundaries of emerging modern disciplines is a great challenge of out time. “Lectures on Light” offers selected insights on quantum dynamics and quantum theory of light for exactly this purpose.Less
This book attempts to bridge the enormous gap between introductory quantum mechanics and the research front of modern optics and scientific fields that make use of light in one step. Hence, while it is suitable as a reference for the specialist in quantum optics, it also targets the nonspecialists from other disciplines who need to understand light and its uses in research. With a unique approach it introduces a single analytic tool, namely the density matrix, to analyze complex optical phenomena encountered in traditional as well as cross‐disciplinary research. It moves swiftly in a tight sequence from elementary to sophisticated topics in quantum optics, including laser tweezers, laser cooling, coherent population transfer, optical magnetism, electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT), squeezed light, and cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED). A systematic approach is used that starts with the simplest systems – stationary two‐level atoms – then introduces atomic motion, adds more energy levels, and moves on to discuss first‐, second‐, and third‐order coherence effects that are the basis for analyzing new optical phenomena in incompletely characterized systems. Unconventional examples and original problems are used to engage even seasoned researchers in exploring a mathematical methodology with which they can tackle virtually any new problem involving light. An extensive bibliography makes connections with mathematical techniques and subject areas which can extend the benefit of each section to guide readers further. The steady progression from “simple” to “elaborate” makes the book accessible not only to students from traditional subject areas that make use of light (physics, chemistry, electrical engineering, and materials science), but also to researchers from the “hyphenated” subjects of modern science and engineering: the biophysicists using mechanical effects of light, photochemists developing coherent control for rare species detection, biomedical engineers imaging through scattering media, electromechanical engineers working on molecular design of materials for electronics and space, electrical and computer engineers developing schemes for quantum computation, cryptography, frequency references, and so on. To try to identify techniques and ideas that are universal enough to be applied across the bewildering landscape of research on intersecting boundaries of emerging modern disciplines is a great challenge of out time. “Lectures on Light” offers selected insights on quantum dynamics and quantum theory of light for exactly this purpose.
Theresa Levitt
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199544707
- eISBN:
- 9780191720178
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199544707.001.0001
- Subject:
- Physics, History of Physics
This work places revolutionary advances in light and optics in the cultural context of France in the first half of the 19th century. The narrative follows the work and careers of France's two chief ...
More
This work places revolutionary advances in light and optics in the cultural context of France in the first half of the 19th century. The narrative follows the work and careers of France's two chief rivals on the subject of light: Arago and Biot. Their disagreement began on the subject of technical optics, but expanded to include politics, religion, agricultural policy, education, dinner companions, housing arrangements, photography, railroads, vital forces, astrology, the Egyptian calendar, and colonial slavery. At the heart of their disagreement was always a question of visibility, and the extent of transparency or obscurity they assigned to the world. Optical transparency formed a crucial condition for Arago's vision of a liberal republic governed by reason. Biot's call for strong forms of authority rested on his claims that the world did not offer itself up for universal agreement so easily.Less
This work places revolutionary advances in light and optics in the cultural context of France in the first half of the 19th century. The narrative follows the work and careers of France's two chief rivals on the subject of light: Arago and Biot. Their disagreement began on the subject of technical optics, but expanded to include politics, religion, agricultural policy, education, dinner companions, housing arrangements, photography, railroads, vital forces, astrology, the Egyptian calendar, and colonial slavery. At the heart of their disagreement was always a question of visibility, and the extent of transparency or obscurity they assigned to the world. Optical transparency formed a crucial condition for Arago's vision of a liberal republic governed by reason. Biot's call for strong forms of authority rested on his claims that the world did not offer itself up for universal agreement so easily.
Theresa Levitt
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199544707
- eISBN:
- 9780191720178
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199544707.003.0008
- Subject:
- Physics, History of Physics
This chapter draws together conclusions from the narratives from the main chapters of the book and summarizes the advances in light and optics that occurred in the first half of the 19th century in ...
More
This chapter draws together conclusions from the narratives from the main chapters of the book and summarizes the advances in light and optics that occurred in the first half of the 19th century in France, thanks to the work of Arago and Biot. Optical instruments allowed Arago and Biot to navigate the boundaries between the visible and unseen.Less
This chapter draws together conclusions from the narratives from the main chapters of the book and summarizes the advances in light and optics that occurred in the first half of the 19th century in France, thanks to the work of Arago and Biot. Optical instruments allowed Arago and Biot to navigate the boundaries between the visible and unseen.
Sönke Johnsen
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691139906
- eISBN:
- 9781400840663
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691139906.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
Optics—a field of physics focusing on the study of light—is also central to many areas of biology, including vision, ecology, botany, animal behavior, neurobiology, and molecular biology. This book ...
More
Optics—a field of physics focusing on the study of light—is also central to many areas of biology, including vision, ecology, botany, animal behavior, neurobiology, and molecular biology. This book introduces the fundamentals of optics to biologists and nonphysicists, giving them the tools they need to successfully incorporate optical measurements and principles into their research. The book starts with the basics, describing the properties of light and the units and geometry of measurement. It then explores how light is created and propagates and how it interacts with matter, covering topics such as absorption, scattering, fluorescence, and polarization. The book also provides a tutorial on how to measure light as well as an informative discussion of quantum mechanics. The book features a host of examples drawn from nature and everyday life, and several appendixes that offer further practical guidance for researchers. This concise book uses a minimum of equations and jargon, explaining the basic physics of light in a succinct and lively manner. It is the essential primer for working biologists and for anyone seeking an accessible introduction to optics.Less
Optics—a field of physics focusing on the study of light—is also central to many areas of biology, including vision, ecology, botany, animal behavior, neurobiology, and molecular biology. This book introduces the fundamentals of optics to biologists and nonphysicists, giving them the tools they need to successfully incorporate optical measurements and principles into their research. The book starts with the basics, describing the properties of light and the units and geometry of measurement. It then explores how light is created and propagates and how it interacts with matter, covering topics such as absorption, scattering, fluorescence, and polarization. The book also provides a tutorial on how to measure light as well as an informative discussion of quantum mechanics. The book features a host of examples drawn from nature and everyday life, and several appendixes that offer further practical guidance for researchers. This concise book uses a minimum of equations and jargon, explaining the basic physics of light in a succinct and lively manner. It is the essential primer for working biologists and for anyone seeking an accessible introduction to optics.
Peter Adamson
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195181425
- eISBN:
- 9780199785087
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195181425.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
This chapter is divided into three sections dealing with pharmacology, optics, and music, and emphasizes the issues of methodology, especially how al-Kindī thinks mathematics is used in science. In ...
More
This chapter is divided into three sections dealing with pharmacology, optics, and music, and emphasizes the issues of methodology, especially how al-Kindī thinks mathematics is used in science. In pharmacology, al-Kindī gives an arithmetical theory for calculating the effects of compound drugs. In optics, he expands on ideas inherited from Ptolemy to provide a novel theory of light and color. In music, he puts forward an ambitious theory, influenced by Pythagoreanism, which holds that all things are interconnected by relations of harmony.Less
This chapter is divided into three sections dealing with pharmacology, optics, and music, and emphasizes the issues of methodology, especially how al-Kindī thinks mathematics is used in science. In pharmacology, al-Kindī gives an arithmetical theory for calculating the effects of compound drugs. In optics, he expands on ideas inherited from Ptolemy to provide a novel theory of light and color. In music, he puts forward an ambitious theory, influenced by Pythagoreanism, which holds that all things are interconnected by relations of harmony.
Heinz-Peter Breuer and Francesco Petruccione
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199213900
- eISBN:
- 9780191706349
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199213900.001.0001
- Subject:
- Physics, Theoretical, Computational, and Statistical Physics
This book treats the central physical concepts and mathematical techniques used to investigate the dynamics of open quantum systems. To provide a self-contained presentation, the text begins with a ...
More
This book treats the central physical concepts and mathematical techniques used to investigate the dynamics of open quantum systems. To provide a self-contained presentation, the text begins with a survey of classical probability theory and with an introduction to the foundations of quantum mechanics, with particular emphasis on its statistical interpretation and on the formulation of generalized measurement theory through quantum operations and effects. The fundamentals of density matrix theory, quantum Markov processes, and completely positive dynamical semigroups are developed. The most important master equations used in quantum optics and condensed matter theory are derived and applied to the study of many examples. Special attention is paid to the Markovian and non-Markovian theory of environment induced decoherence, its role in the dynamical description of the measurement process, and to the experimental observation of decohering electromagnetic field states. The book includes the modern formulation of open quantum systems in terms of stochastic processes in Hilbert space. Stochastic wave function methods and Monte Carlo algorithms are designed and applied to important examples from quantum optics and atomic physics. The fundamentals of the treatment of non-Markovian quantum processes in open systems are developed on the basis of various mathematical techniques, such as projection superoperator methods and influence functional techniques. In addition, the book expounds the relativistic theory of quantum measurements and the density matrix theory of relativistic quantum electrodynamics.Less
This book treats the central physical concepts and mathematical techniques used to investigate the dynamics of open quantum systems. To provide a self-contained presentation, the text begins with a survey of classical probability theory and with an introduction to the foundations of quantum mechanics, with particular emphasis on its statistical interpretation and on the formulation of generalized measurement theory through quantum operations and effects. The fundamentals of density matrix theory, quantum Markov processes, and completely positive dynamical semigroups are developed. The most important master equations used in quantum optics and condensed matter theory are derived and applied to the study of many examples. Special attention is paid to the Markovian and non-Markovian theory of environment induced decoherence, its role in the dynamical description of the measurement process, and to the experimental observation of decohering electromagnetic field states. The book includes the modern formulation of open quantum systems in terms of stochastic processes in Hilbert space. Stochastic wave function methods and Monte Carlo algorithms are designed and applied to important examples from quantum optics and atomic physics. The fundamentals of the treatment of non-Markovian quantum processes in open systems are developed on the basis of various mathematical techniques, such as projection superoperator methods and influence functional techniques. In addition, the book expounds the relativistic theory of quantum measurements and the density matrix theory of relativistic quantum electrodynamics.
Stephen Barnett and Paul Radmore
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780198563617
- eISBN:
- 9780191714245
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198563617.001.0001
- Subject:
- Physics, Theoretical, Computational, and Statistical Physics
This book provides a firm grounding in those techniques needed to derive analytic solutions to relevant model problems. The book begins with a brief review of the mathematical foundations of quantum ...
More
This book provides a firm grounding in those techniques needed to derive analytic solutions to relevant model problems. The book begins with a brief review of the mathematical foundations of quantum theory, especially those relevant to the description of atoms and optical fields and their coherent interactions. The following chapters treat the operators and states required, the rules for manipulating these, and the techniques commonly employed for calculating their statistical properties. A chapter is devoted to the important topic of dissipative processes and to the effects that these have on quantum optical systems. The final chapter discusses dressed states, that is, the eigenstates of interacting systems, including those that are dissipative. Fourteen short appendices summarize the more important topics in mathematics required in the book or present the lengthier calculations not included in the chapters. A selective bibliography is given at the end of the book.Less
This book provides a firm grounding in those techniques needed to derive analytic solutions to relevant model problems. The book begins with a brief review of the mathematical foundations of quantum theory, especially those relevant to the description of atoms and optical fields and their coherent interactions. The following chapters treat the operators and states required, the rules for manipulating these, and the techniques commonly employed for calculating their statistical properties. A chapter is devoted to the important topic of dissipative processes and to the effects that these have on quantum optical systems. The final chapter discusses dressed states, that is, the eigenstates of interacting systems, including those that are dissipative. Fourteen short appendices summarize the more important topics in mathematics required in the book or present the lengthier calculations not included in the chapters. A selective bibliography is given at the end of the book.
Warwick F. Vincent, Sally MacIntyre, Robert H. Spigel, and Isabelle Laurion
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199213887
- eISBN:
- 9780191707506
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199213887.003.0004
- Subject:
- Biology, Ecology, Aquatic Biology
The physical environment of high latitude lakes exerts a wide-ranging influence on their aquatic ecology. Certain features of Arctic and Antarctic lakes — such as prolonged ice cover and ...
More
The physical environment of high latitude lakes exerts a wide-ranging influence on their aquatic ecology. Certain features of Arctic and Antarctic lakes — such as prolonged ice cover and stratification, persistent low temperatures, and low concentrations of optically active materials — make them highly sensitive to climate change and to other environmental perturbations. This chapter describes the snow and ice dynamics of high latitude lakes, and the factors that control their dates of freeze-up and break-up. The effects of ice cover and optical variables on the penetration of solar radiation that, in turn, influences heating and stratification, convective mixing, photochemical reactions, and photobiological processes including primary production are examined. This is followed by a description of stratification and mixing regimes including meromixis in stratified saline lakes, and a summary of water budgets, currents, flux pathways, and mixing processes that operate in ice-covered waters.Less
The physical environment of high latitude lakes exerts a wide-ranging influence on their aquatic ecology. Certain features of Arctic and Antarctic lakes — such as prolonged ice cover and stratification, persistent low temperatures, and low concentrations of optically active materials — make them highly sensitive to climate change and to other environmental perturbations. This chapter describes the snow and ice dynamics of high latitude lakes, and the factors that control their dates of freeze-up and break-up. The effects of ice cover and optical variables on the penetration of solar radiation that, in turn, influences heating and stratification, convective mixing, photochemical reactions, and photobiological processes including primary production are examined. This is followed by a description of stratification and mixing regimes including meromixis in stratified saline lakes, and a summary of water budgets, currents, flux pathways, and mixing processes that operate in ice-covered waters.
W. H. Brock
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199215300
- eISBN:
- 9780191706929
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199215300.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
Priestley's observations and experiments enabled others to interpret nature in a new way. This chapter reviews these observations and experiments covering electrostatics, optics, pneumatic chemistry, ...
More
Priestley's observations and experiments enabled others to interpret nature in a new way. This chapter reviews these observations and experiments covering electrostatics, optics, pneumatic chemistry, and photosynthesis. It then considers the ways recent historians have interpreted Priestley's scientific activities in the context of his theological, educational, and political activities. Finally, the chapter re-examines the question of Priestley's attitude towards Lavoisier and his continuing support for a phlogistic world view.Less
Priestley's observations and experiments enabled others to interpret nature in a new way. This chapter reviews these observations and experiments covering electrostatics, optics, pneumatic chemistry, and photosynthesis. It then considers the ways recent historians have interpreted Priestley's scientific activities in the context of his theological, educational, and political activities. Finally, the chapter re-examines the question of Priestley's attitude towards Lavoisier and his continuing support for a phlogistic world view.
Stephen E. Lahey
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195183313
- eISBN:
- 9780199870349
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195183313.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
Wyclif’s philosophical thought followed a period of remarkable innovation in the history of medieval philosophy, when the Ockhamist movement challenged the Aristotelian synthesis of Thomist and ...
More
Wyclif’s philosophical thought followed a period of remarkable innovation in the history of medieval philosophy, when the Ockhamist movement challenged the Aristotelian synthesis of Thomist and Scotist theologians. From the 1320s, Oxford thinkers like Thomas Bradwardine and the Mertonian Calculators had developed a rigorous logical method of analysis for the exploration of semantics and Aristotelian physics. Their analytic approach, in part inspired by Ockham’s logic, characterized Oxford philosophy and theology well into the 1370s. This chapter explores the relation of Wyclif’s epistemology, with attention to his fondness for analogy to the science of optics, to his understanding of the nature of science in the context of his predecessors in Oxford’s “Golden Age of Theology.” Foremost among these predecessors are Adam Wodeham, William Crathorn, Robert Holcot, and Richard Fitzralph.Less
Wyclif’s philosophical thought followed a period of remarkable innovation in the history of medieval philosophy, when the Ockhamist movement challenged the Aristotelian synthesis of Thomist and Scotist theologians. From the 1320s, Oxford thinkers like Thomas Bradwardine and the Mertonian Calculators had developed a rigorous logical method of analysis for the exploration of semantics and Aristotelian physics. Their analytic approach, in part inspired by Ockham’s logic, characterized Oxford philosophy and theology well into the 1370s. This chapter explores the relation of Wyclif’s epistemology, with attention to his fondness for analogy to the science of optics, to his understanding of the nature of science in the context of his predecessors in Oxford’s “Golden Age of Theology.” Foremost among these predecessors are Adam Wodeham, William Crathorn, Robert Holcot, and Richard Fitzralph.
Chih-Ming Ho (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199219698
- eISBN:
- 9780191594229
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199219698.001.0001
- Subject:
- Mathematics, Mathematical Biology
A universal goal of technological development is the enrichment of human life. The fast developments of nano/micro technologies enable us to directly handle a single cell or a single molecule. This ...
More
A universal goal of technological development is the enrichment of human life. The fast developments of nano/micro technologies enable us to directly handle a single cell or a single molecule. This capability propels the molecular based diagnostic and therapeutic technologies to a new horizon. In this book, we not only examine the-state- of-art biotechnologies, but also present many cutting-edge research topics which will lead toward the next generation technologies for improving human health. With the capabilities of moving, stopping, mixing and concentrating minute amount of fluid and/or particles, microfluidic circuitry provides unprecedented functions for advancing sample preparation and cell culture processes. Integrated bio-marker sensors with microfluidics, it becomes possible to detect diseases in extremely sensitive and specific manner. With the cutting edge optical techniques and proper surface molecular modification, we can study and manipulate biological processes in live cell. While we have made significant progresses in studying and controlling the phenomena in the nano/micro scale, human health is a system issue with a length in the order of a meter. A disparity of several orders of magnitude in the length scales presents significant challenges. Our current and future tasks are to develop the seamless integration processes from materials through devices and eventually into engineering systems. Our ultimate goal is that these nano/micro technology based systems can effectively interface and direct the biological complex system toward desired fate.Less
A universal goal of technological development is the enrichment of human life. The fast developments of nano/micro technologies enable us to directly handle a single cell or a single molecule. This capability propels the molecular based diagnostic and therapeutic technologies to a new horizon. In this book, we not only examine the-state- of-art biotechnologies, but also present many cutting-edge research topics which will lead toward the next generation technologies for improving human health. With the capabilities of moving, stopping, mixing and concentrating minute amount of fluid and/or particles, microfluidic circuitry provides unprecedented functions for advancing sample preparation and cell culture processes. Integrated bio-marker sensors with microfluidics, it becomes possible to detect diseases in extremely sensitive and specific manner. With the cutting edge optical techniques and proper surface molecular modification, we can study and manipulate biological processes in live cell. While we have made significant progresses in studying and controlling the phenomena in the nano/micro scale, human health is a system issue with a length in the order of a meter. A disparity of several orders of magnitude in the length scales presents significant challenges. Our current and future tasks are to develop the seamless integration processes from materials through devices and eventually into engineering systems. Our ultimate goal is that these nano/micro technology based systems can effectively interface and direct the biological complex system toward desired fate.
Mauro Fabrizio and Morro Angelo
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780198527008
- eISBN:
- 9780191713316
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198527008.003.0010
- Subject:
- Mathematics, Applied Mathematics
This chapter presents some nonlinear constitutive models and develops wave propagation problems in nonlinear electromagnetism. Nonlinear models arise from nonlinear functions or functionals, which ...
More
This chapter presents some nonlinear constitutive models and develops wave propagation problems in nonlinear electromagnetism. Nonlinear models arise from nonlinear functions or functionals, which describe the polarization and the magnetization. Various perturbation approaches to the generation of harmonics are outlined. Exact results are provided in connection with wavefronts associated with hyperbolic systems of equations, and the classical Bernoulli equation for the amplitude is obtained. Shock wave solutions in nonlinear dielectrics are investigated.Less
This chapter presents some nonlinear constitutive models and develops wave propagation problems in nonlinear electromagnetism. Nonlinear models arise from nonlinear functions or functionals, which describe the polarization and the magnetization. Various perturbation approaches to the generation of harmonics are outlined. Exact results are provided in connection with wavefronts associated with hyperbolic systems of equations, and the classical Bernoulli equation for the amplitude is obtained. Shock wave solutions in nonlinear dielectrics are investigated.
Jon McGinnis
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195331479
- eISBN:
- 9780199868032
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195331479.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
This chapter first looks at Avicenna’s account of the cause of the activities associated with a living body, a cause that he identifies with the soul. After brief comments on the powers of the ...
More
This chapter first looks at Avicenna’s account of the cause of the activities associated with a living body, a cause that he identifies with the soul. After brief comments on the powers of the so-called vegetative soul, the discussion turns to the powers of the animal soul, such as perception via the external senses, namely, hearing, sight, smell, touch, and taste, with a particular focus on the power of vision and the role Avicenna sees light playing in vision. It next considers the so-called internal faculties or senses, such as imagination, memory, and the like. Here, the focus is on Avicenna’s criteria for deducing his list of the various kinds of internal faculties, with particular attention to his discussion of the compositive imagination and cogitative faculty in humans.Less
This chapter first looks at Avicenna’s account of the cause of the activities associated with a living body, a cause that he identifies with the soul. After brief comments on the powers of the so-called vegetative soul, the discussion turns to the powers of the animal soul, such as perception via the external senses, namely, hearing, sight, smell, touch, and taste, with a particular focus on the power of vision and the role Avicenna sees light playing in vision. It next considers the so-called internal faculties or senses, such as imagination, memory, and the like. Here, the focus is on Avicenna’s criteria for deducing his list of the various kinds of internal faculties, with particular attention to his discussion of the compositive imagination and cogitative faculty in humans.
Ian P. Howard and Brian J. Rogers
- Published in print:
- 1996
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195084764
- eISBN:
- 9780199871049
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195084764.003.0001
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Psychology
This introductory chapter begins with a discussion of binocular vision and stereopsis, types of binocular stimuli and process, and cyclopean procedures. It then presents the history of physiological ...
More
This introductory chapter begins with a discussion of binocular vision and stereopsis, types of binocular stimuli and process, and cyclopean procedures. It then presents the history of physiological optics and vision, and history of ideas of stereoscopic vision. Stereoscopic techniques are described.Less
This introductory chapter begins with a discussion of binocular vision and stereopsis, types of binocular stimuli and process, and cyclopean procedures. It then presents the history of physiological optics and vision, and history of ideas of stereoscopic vision. Stereoscopic techniques are described.
Roy Sorensen
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195326574
- eISBN:
- 9780199870271
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195326574.003.0007
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind
A para-reflection is a privational phenomenon that is often mistaken as a reflection. You have seen them as the “reflection” of your pupil in the mirror. Your iris reflects light in the standard way ...
More
A para-reflection is a privational phenomenon that is often mistaken as a reflection. You have seen them as the “reflection” of your pupil in the mirror. Your iris reflects light in the standard way but your pupil absorbs all but a negligible amount of light (as do other dark things such as coal and black velvet). Para-reflections work by contrast. Since they are parasitic on their host reflections, para-reflections are relational and dependent in a way that reflections are not. Nevertheless, para-reflections obey nearly all the laws of reflection with exquisite fidelity. Physicists and psychologists who study optics have neglected these everyday phenomena. Happily, physicists have been attentive and insightful about other privational phenomena such as vacuums and cold spots. This kind of subtle treatment of negative things needs to be extended to optics.Less
A para-reflection is a privational phenomenon that is often mistaken as a reflection. You have seen them as the “reflection” of your pupil in the mirror. Your iris reflects light in the standard way but your pupil absorbs all but a negligible amount of light (as do other dark things such as coal and black velvet). Para-reflections work by contrast. Since they are parasitic on their host reflections, para-reflections are relational and dependent in a way that reflections are not. Nevertheless, para-reflections obey nearly all the laws of reflection with exquisite fidelity. Physicists and psychologists who study optics have neglected these everyday phenomena. Happily, physicists have been attentive and insightful about other privational phenomena such as vacuums and cold spots. This kind of subtle treatment of negative things needs to be extended to optics.
Józef Ignaczak and Martin Ostoja‐Starzewski
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199541645
- eISBN:
- 9780191716164
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199541645.003.0013
- Subject:
- Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, Mathematical Physics
While all previous chapters are devoted to linear hyperbolic theories of thermoelasticity, this one concerns a rigid but nonlinear hyperbolic heat conductor due to Coleman et al. (1982, 1983, 1986). ...
More
While all previous chapters are devoted to linear hyperbolic theories of thermoelasticity, this one concerns a rigid but nonlinear hyperbolic heat conductor due to Coleman et al. (1982, 1983, 1986). This particular material model obeys the law of conservation of energy, the dissipation inequality, Maxwell‐Cattaneo's equation, and a generalized energy‐entropy relation with a parabolic variation of the energy and entropy along the heat flux axis. Following a review of the field equations for a 1‐D case, a number of closed‐form solutions to the nonlinear governing equations are obtained, and then a method of weakly nonlinear geometric optics is applied to obtain an asymptotic solution to the Cauchy problem with a weakly perturbed initial condition associated with the nonlinear model.Less
While all previous chapters are devoted to linear hyperbolic theories of thermoelasticity, this one concerns a rigid but nonlinear hyperbolic heat conductor due to Coleman et al. (1982, 1983, 1986). This particular material model obeys the law of conservation of energy, the dissipation inequality, Maxwell‐Cattaneo's equation, and a generalized energy‐entropy relation with a parabolic variation of the energy and entropy along the heat flux axis. Following a review of the field equations for a 1‐D case, a number of closed‐form solutions to the nonlinear governing equations are obtained, and then a method of weakly nonlinear geometric optics is applied to obtain an asymptotic solution to the Cauchy problem with a weakly perturbed initial condition associated with the nonlinear model.
Mark McCartney, Andrew Whitaker, and Alastair Wood (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- August 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780198822868
- eISBN:
- 9780191861321
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198822868.001.0001
- Subject:
- Mathematics, History of Mathematics
George Gabriel Stokes was one of the most significant mathematicians and natural philosophers of the nineteenth century. Serving as Lucasian professor at Cambridge he made wide-ranging contributions ...
More
George Gabriel Stokes was one of the most significant mathematicians and natural philosophers of the nineteenth century. Serving as Lucasian professor at Cambridge he made wide-ranging contributions to optics, fluid dynamics and mathematical analysis. As Secretary of the Royal Society he played a major role in the direction of British science acting as both a sounding board and a gatekeeper. Outside his own area he was a distinguished public servant and MP for Cambridge University. He was keenly interested in the relation between science and religion and wrote extensively on the matter. This edited collection of essays brings together experts in mathematics, physics and the history of science to cover the many facets of Stokes’s life in a scholarly but accessible way.Less
George Gabriel Stokes was one of the most significant mathematicians and natural philosophers of the nineteenth century. Serving as Lucasian professor at Cambridge he made wide-ranging contributions to optics, fluid dynamics and mathematical analysis. As Secretary of the Royal Society he played a major role in the direction of British science acting as both a sounding board and a gatekeeper. Outside his own area he was a distinguished public servant and MP for Cambridge University. He was keenly interested in the relation between science and religion and wrote extensively on the matter. This edited collection of essays brings together experts in mathematics, physics and the history of science to cover the many facets of Stokes’s life in a scholarly but accessible way.
