Pierre Gaspard - Böcker

Continuing the tradition of the Advances in Chemical Physics series, Volume 101: Chemical Reactions and Their Control on the Femtosecond Time Scale details the extraordinary findings reported at the XXth Solvay Conference on Chemistry, held at the Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium, from November 28 to December 2, 1995. This new volume discusses the remarkable opportunities afforded by the femtosecond laser, focusing on the host of phenomena this laser has made it possible to observe. Examining molecules on the intrinsic time scale of their vibrations as well as their dissociative motions and electronic excitations represents only part of a broadened scientific window made possible by the femtosecond laser.The assembled studies, with follow-up discussions, reflect the many specialties and perspectives of the Conference's 65 participants as well as their optimism concerning the breadth of scientific discovery now open to them. The studies shed light on the laser's enhanced technical reach in the area of coherent control of chemical reactions as well as of more general quantum systems. The theoretical fundamentals of femto-chemistry, the unique behavior of the femtosecond laser, and a view toward future technological applications were also discussed: Femtochemistry: chemical reaction dynamics and their controlCoherent control with femtosecond laser pulsesFemtosecond chemical dynamics in condensed phasesControl of quantum many-body dynamicsExperimental observation of laser controlSolvent dynamics and RRKM theory of clustersHigh-resolution spectroscopy and intramolecular dynamicsMolecular Rydberg states and ZEKE spectroscopyTransition-state spectroscopy and photodissociationQuantum and semiclassical theories of chemical reaction rates.A fascinating and informative status report on the cutting-edge chemical research made possible by the femtosecond laser, Chemical Reactions and Their Control on the Femtosecond Time Scale is an indispensable volume for professionals and students alike.The femtosecond laser and chemistry's extraordinary new frontier of molecular motions observed on the scale of a quadrillionth of a second.Research chemists have only tapped the surface of the spectacular reach and precision of the femtosecond laser, a technology that has allowed them to observe the dynamics of molecules on the intrinsic time scale of their vibrations, dissociative motions, and electronic excitations. Volume 101 in the Advances in Chemical Physics series, Chemical Reactions and Their Control on the Femtosecond Time Scale details their extraordinary findings, presented at the XXth Solvay Conference on Chemistry, in Brussels.The studies reflect the work, in part, of the Conference's 65 participants, including many prominent contributors. Together they shed light on the laser's enhanced technical range in the area of coherent control of chemical reactions as well as of more general quantum systems. The theoretical fundamentals of femtochemistry, the unique behavior of the femtosecond laser, and a view toward future technological applications were also discussed.An exceptionally up-to-date examination of the chemical analyses made possible by the femtosecond laser, Chemical Reactions and Their Control on the Femtosecond Time Scale is an important reference for professionals and students interested in enhancing their research capabilities with this remarkable tool.From 1993 to 1996, she worked with Dr. P. Gaspard at the Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium, on the application of new semiclassical techniques to elementary chemical reaction processes.

This book describes advances in the application of chaos theory to classical scattering and nonequilibrium statistical mechanics generally, and to transport by deterministic diffusion in particular. The author presents the basic tools of dynamical systems theory, such as dynamical instability, topological analysis, periodic-orbit methods, Liouvillian dynamics, dynamical randomness and large-deviation formalism. These tools are applied to chaotic scattering and to transport in systems near equilibrium and maintained out of equilibrium. Chaotic Scattering is illustrated with disk scatterers and with examples of unimolecular chemical reactions and then generalized to transport in spatially extended systems. This book will be bought by researchers interested in chaos, dynamical systems, chaotic scattering, and statistical mechanics in theoretical, computational and mathematical physics and also in theoretical chemistry.

This book describes advances in the application of chaos theory to classical scattering and nonequilibrium statistical mechanics generally, and to transport by deterministic diffusion in particular. The author presents the basic tools of dynamical systems theory, such as dynamical instability, topological analysis, periodic-orbit methods, Liouvillian dynamics, dynamical randomness and large-deviation formalism. These tools are applied to chaotic scattering and to transport in systems near equilibrium and maintained out of equilibrium. Chaotic Scattering is illustrated with disk scatterers and with examples of unimolecular chemical reactions and then generalized to transport in spatially extended systems. This book will be bought by researchers interested in chaos, dynamical systems, chaotic scattering, and statistical mechanics in theoretical, computational and mathematical physics and also in theoretical chemistry.

This book provides a comprehensive and self-contained overview of recent progress in nonequilibrium statistical mechanics, in particular, the discovery of fluctuation relations and other time-reversal symmetry relations. The significance of these advances is that nonequilibrium statistical physics is no longer restricted to the linear regimes close to equilibrium, but extends to fully nonlinear regimes. These important new results have inspired the development of a unifying framework for describing both the microscopic dynamics of collections of particles, and the macroscopic hydrodynamics and thermodynamics of matter itself. The book discusses the significance of this theoretical framework in relation to a broad range of nonequilibrium processes, from the nanoscale to the macroscale, and is essential reading for researchers and graduate students in statistical physics, theoretical chemistry and biological physics.