Pascal Richet – författare

The quest to pinpoint the age of the Earth is nearly as old as humanity itself. For most of history, people trusted mythology or religion to provide the answer, even though nature abounds with clues to the past of the Earth and the stars. In A Natural History of Time, geophysicist Pascal Richet tells the fascinating story of how scientists and philosophers examined those clues and from them built a chronological scale that has made it possible to reconstruct the history of nature itself. Richet begins his story with mythological traditions, which were heavily influenced by the seasons and almost uniformly viewed time cyclically. The linear history promulgated by Judaism, with its story of creation, was an exception, and it was that tradition that drove early Christian attempts to date the Earth. For instance, in 169 CE, the bishop of Antioch, for instance declared that the world had been in existence for “5,698 years and the odd months and days.” Until the mid-eighteenth century, such natural timescales derived from biblical chronologies prevailed, but, Richet demonstrates, with the Scientific Revolution geological and astronomical evidence for much longer timescales began to accumulate. Fossils and the developing science of geology provided compelling evidence for periods of millions and millions of years—a scale that even scientists had difficulty grasping. By the end of the twentieth century, new tools such as radiometric dating had demonstrated that the solar system is four and a half billion years old, and the universe itself about twice that, though controversial questions remain. The quest for time is a story of ingenuity and determination, and like a geologist, Pascal Richet carefully peels back the strata of that history, giving us a chance to marvel at each layer and truly appreciate how far our knowledge—and our planet—have come.

With pure SiO2 as a starting point, compositions of increasing chemical complexity are successively dealt with in a dozen chapters. The effects of network-modifying cations on structure and properties are first exemplified by alkali and alkaline earth elements. The specific influence of aluminum, iron, titanium, and phosphorus are then reviewed. With water, volatiles in the system COHS, noble gases, and halogens, the effects of volatile components are also described. The last chapter explains how the results obtained on simpler melts can be applied to chemically complex systems. In each chapter, physical and chemical properties are described first and followed by a review of glass and melt structure. When possible, pressure effects are also considered.*From SiO2 to complex silicate compositions, the physical and chemical properties of melts and glasses of geological and industrial interest*Structural characterization of melts and glasses, from ambient to high pressure and temperature*From basic concepts to an advanced level, a consistent description of the structure-property-composition relationships in glasses and melts

Silicate Glasses and Melts, Second Edition describes the structure-property-composition relationships for silicate glasses and melts from a geological and industrial perspective. Updated sections include (i) characterization of silicate melt and COHN fluid structure (with and without dissolved silicate components) with pressure, temperature, and redox conditions and responses of structural variables to chemical composition, (ii) determination of solubility and solution mechanisms of COHN volatiles in silicate melts and minerals and of solubility and solution mechanisms of silicate components in COHN fluids, and (iii) effects of very high pressure on structure and properties of melts and glasses.

This new book is an essential resource for researchers in a number of fields, including geology, geophysics, geoscience, volcanology, material science, glass science, petrology and mineralogy.

A comprehensive and up-to-date encyclopedia to the fabrication, nature, properties, uses, and history of glass 

The Encyclopedia of Glass Science, Technology, History, and Culture has been designed to satisfy the needs and curiosity of a broad audience interested in the most varied aspects of material that is as old as the universe. As described in over 100 chapters and illustrated with 1100 figures, the practical importance of glass has increased over the ages since it was first man-made four millennia ago. The old-age glass vessels and window and stained glass now coexist with new high-tech products that include for example optical fibers, thin films, metallic, bioactive and hybrid organic-inorganic glasses, amorphous ices or all-solid-state batteries. 

In the form of scholarly introductions, the Encyclopedia chapters have been written by 151 noted experts working in 23 countries. They present at a consistent level and in a self-consistent manner these industrial, technological, scientific, historical and cultural aspects. Addressing the most recent fundamental advances in glass science and technology, as well as rapidly developing topics such as extra-terrestrial or biogenic glasses, this important guide:

The Encyclopedia of Glass Science, Technology, History, and Culture has been written not only for glass scientists and engineers in academia and industry, but also for material scientists as well as for art and industry historians. It represents a must-have, comprehensive guide to the myriad aspects this truly outstanding state of matter.

A comprehensive and up-to-date encyclopedia to the fabrication, nature, properties, uses, and history of glass 

The Encyclopedia of Glass Science, Technology, History, and Culture has been designed to satisfy the needs and curiosity of a broad audience interested in the most varied aspects of material that is as old as the universe. As described in over 100 chapters and illustrated with 1100 figures, the practical importance of glass has increased over the ages since it was first man-made four millennia ago. The old-age glass vessels and window and stained glass now coexist with new high-tech products that include for example optical fibers, thin films, metallic, bioactive and hybrid organic-inorganic glasses, amorphous ices or all-solid-state batteries. 

In the form of scholarly introductions, the Encyclopedia chapters have been written by 151 noted experts working in 23 countries. They present at a consistent level and in a self-consistent manner these industrial, technological, scientific, historical and cultural aspects. Addressing the most recent fundamental advances in glass science and technology, as well as rapidly developing topics such as extra-terrestrial or biogenic glasses, this important guide:

The Encyclopedia of Glass Science, Technology, History, and Culture has been written not only for glass scientists and engineers in academia and industry, but also for material scientists as well as for art and industry historians. It represents a must-have, comprehensive guide to the myriad aspects this truly outstanding state of matter.