Les Houches – serie

Dynamos is a collection of lectures given in July 2007 at the Les Houches Summer School on "Dynamos".

This book is a collection of lectures given in July 2007 at the Les Houches Summer School on "String Theory and the Real World: From particle physics to astrophysics." Provides a pedagogical introduction to topics in String Theory, and Cosmology Addresses each topic from the basis to the most recent developments Covers the lectures by internationally-renowned and leading experts

The first section of this volume corresponds to courses on the cytoskeleton, its various structures and its dynamics, especially during the cell cycle. The reductionist approach is favoured in this field and considerable effort is spent on finding out how these structures are built up from their component molecules, how they grow or decrease in size, how they interact with each other and with other cell components. The second section describes the endo membrane system of a eukaryotic cell and the regulated protein traffic that flows through it. Part III deals with the onset of higher levels of organization. Topics covered include the development of the central nervous system, the role of time in biology and theoretical models to describe biochemical and cellular oscillations. The volume concludes with a reflection on physics and biology and the author shares some of his thoughts on the different ways in which physicists and biologists tackle problems in their respective fields.

Understanding and predicting the Earth's climate system, particularly climate variability and possible human-induced climate change, presents one of the most difficult and urgent challenges in science. Climate scientists worldwide have responded to that challenge over the past decade by creating a wide variety of ever more sophisticated climate models that are beginning to show considerable ability to replicate many aspects of the climate system. At the same time, to fully understand climate change, one also has to look to past climates. For this purpose five eminent scholars who span the disciplines of modeling and observation, including elements of past, present and future climate studies came together at this Les Houches school. They presented a systematic development of each of their respective subjects which provided a comprehensive overview of this vast and complex subject. These core lectures were supplemented by a set of shorter lectures and of seminars.

It has been recognised recently that the strange features of the quantum world could be used for new information transmission or processing functions such as quantum cryptography or, more ambitiously, quantum computing. These fascinating perspectives renewed the interest in fundamental quantum properties and lead to important theoretical advances, such as quantum algorithms and quantum error correction codes. On the experimental side, remarkable advances have been achieved in quantum optics, solid state physics or nuclear magnetic resonance. This book presents the lecture notes of the Les Houches Summer School on 'Quantum entanglement and information processing'. Following the long tradition of the les Houches schools, it provides a comprehensive and pedagogical approach of the whole field, written by renowned specialists.One major goal of this book is to establish connections between the communities of quantum optics and of quantum electronic devices working in the area of quantum computing. When two communities share the same goals, the universality of physics unavoidably leads to similar developments. However, the communication barrier is often high, and few physicists are able to overcome it. This school has contributed to bridge the existing gap between communities, for the benefit of the future actors in the field of quantum computing. The book thus combines introductory chapters, providing the reader with a sufficiently wide theoretical framework in quantum information, quantum optics and quantum circuits physics, with more specialized presentations of recent theoretical and experimental advances in the field. This structure makes the book accessible to any graduate student having a good knowledge of basic quantum mechanics, and extremely useful to researchers.�Covers quantum optics, solid state physics and NMR implementations�Pedagogical approach combining introductory lectures and advanced chapters�Written by leading experts in the field�Accessible to all graduate students with a basic knowledge of quantum mechanics

Neuroscience is an interdisciplinary field that strives to understand the functioning of neural systems at levels ranging from biomolecules and cells to behaviour and higher brain functions (perception, memory, cognition). Neurophysics has flourished over the past three decades, becoming an indelible part of neuroscience, and has arguably entered its maturity. It encompasses a vast array of approaches stemming from theoretical physics, computer science, and applied mathematics. This book provides a detailed review of this field from basic concepts to its most recent development.

This book is dedicated to the multiple aspects, that is, biological, physical and computational of DNA and RNA molecules. These molecules, central to vital processes, have been experimentally studied by molecular biologists for five decades since the discovery of the structure of DNA by Watson and Crick in 1953. Recent progresses (e.g. use of DNA chips, manipulations at the single molecule level, availability of huge genomic databases...) have revealed an imperious need for theoretical modelling. Further progresses will clearly not be possible without an integrated understanding of all DNA and RNA aspects and studies.

The book is intended to be a desktop reference for advanced graduate students or young researchers willing to acquire a broad interdisciplinary understanding of the multiple aspects of DNA and RNA. It is divided in three main sections:

The first section comprises an introduction to biochemistry and biology of nucleic acids. The structure and function of DNA are reviewed in R. Lavery's chapter. The next contribution, by V. Fritsch and E. Westhof, concentrates on the folding properties of RNA molecules. The cellular processes involving these molecules are reviewed by J. Kadonaga, with special emphasis on the regulation of transcription. These chapters does not require any preliminary knowledge in the field (except that of elementary biology and chemistry).

The second section covers the biophysics of DNA and RNA, starting with basics in polymer physics in the contribution by R. Khokhlov. A large space is then devoted to the presentation of recent experimental and theoretical progresses in the field of single molecule studies. T. Strick's contribution presents a detailed description of the various micro-manipulation techniques, and reviews recent experiments on the interactions between DNA and proteins (helicases, topoisomerases, ...). The theoretical modeling of single molecules is presented by J. Marko, with a special attention paid to the elastic and topological properties of DNA. Finally, advances in the understanding of electrophoresis, a technique of crucial importance in everyday molecular biology, are exposed in T. Duke's contribution.

The third section presents provides an overview of the main computational approaches to integrate, analyse and simulate molecular and genetic networks. First, J. van Helden introduces a series of statistical and computational methods allowing the identification of short nucleic fragments putatively involved in the regulation of gene expression from sets of promoter sequences controlling co-expressed genes. Next, the chapter by Samsonova et al. connects this issue of transcriptional regulation with that of the control of cell differentiation and pattern formation during embryonic development. Finally, H. de Jong and D. Thieffry review a series of mathematical approaches to model the dynamical behaviour of complex genetic regulatory networks. This contribution includes brief descriptions and references to successful applications of these approaches, including the work of B. Novak, on the dynamical modelling of cell cycle in different model organisms, from yeast to mammals.

. Provides a comprehensive overview of the structure and function of DNA and RNA at the interface between physics, biology and information science.

The proceedings of the 2005 les Houches summer school on Mathematical Statistical Physics give and broad and clear overview on this fast developing area of interest to both physicists and mathematicians. Introduction to a field of math with many interdisciplinary connections in physics, biology, and computer science Roadmap to the next decade of mathematical statistical mechanics Volume for reference years to come

The Standard Model of elementary particles and interactions is one of the best tested theories in physics. It has been found to be in remarkable agreement with experiment, and its validity at the quantum level has been successfully probed in the electroweak sector. In spite of its experimental successes, though, the Standard Model suffers from a number of limitations, and is likely to be an incomplete theory. It contains many arbitrary parameters; it does not include gravity, the fourth elementary interaction; it does not provide an explanation for the hierarchy between the scale of electroweak interactions and the Planck scale, characteristic of gravitational interactions; and finally, it fails to account for the dark matter and the baryon asymmetry of the universe. This led particle theorists to develop and study various extensions of the Standard Model, such as supersymmetric theories, Grand Unified Theories or theories with extra space-time dimensions - most of which have been proposed well before the experimental verification of the Standard Model. The coming generation of experimental facilities (such as high-energy colliders, B-physics experiments, neutrino superbeams, as well as astrophysical and cosmological observational facilities) will allow us to test the predictions of these theories and to deepen our understanding of the fundamental laws of nature.This book is a collection of lectures given in August 2005 at the Les Houches Summer School on Particle Physics beyond the Standard Model. It provides a pedagogical introduction to the various aspects of particle physics beyond the Standard Model, covering each topic from the basics to the most recent developments: supersymmetric theories, Grand Unified Theories, theories with extra dimensions, flavour physics and CP violation, neutrino physics, astroparticle physics and cosmology.�Provides a pedagogical introduction to particle physics beyond the Standard Model�Covers the various aspects of particle physics beyond the Standard Model�Addresses each topic from the basics to the most recent developments�Addresses both the theoretical and phenomenological aspects of the subject�Written in a pedagogical style by leading experts in the field

There has been recently some interdisciplinary convergence on a number of precise topics which can be considered as prototypes of complex systems. This convergence is best appreciated at the level of the techniques needed to deal with these systems, which include: 1) A domain of research around a multiple point where statistical physics, information theory, algorithmic computer science, and more theoretical (probabilistic) computer science meet: this covers some aspects of error correcting codes, stochastic optimization algorithms, typical case complexity and phase transitions, constraint satisfaction problems. 2) The study of collective behavior of interacting agents, its impact on understanding some types of economical and financial problems, their link to population and epidemics dynamics, game theory, social, biological and computer networks and evolution.The present book is the written version of the lectures given during the Les Houches summer school session on "Complex Systems", devoted to these emerging interdisciplinary fields. The lectures consist both in a number of long methodological courses (probability theory, statistical physics of disordered systems, information theory, network structure and evolution, agent-based economics and numerical methods) and more specific, 'problem oriented' courses. Lecturers are all leading experts in their field; they have summarized recent results in a clear and authoritative manner. The "Les Houches lecture notes" have a long tradition of excellence and are often found to be useful for a number of years after they were written. The book is of interest to students and researchers with various backgrounds: probability theory, computer science, information theory, physics, finance, biology, etc.�Topical and comprehensive survey of the emerging, interdisciplinary field of "Complex Systems", covered by recognized world experts�"Les Houches lectures notes": a long tradition of excellence and long-lasting impact �Of interest to a broad audience (mathematics, physics, biology, informatics, finance, geology, etc.)�Some applications may have concrete impact�Selected topics in complex systems: forefront of research in the field

This book is a collection of lectures given in August 2006 at the Les Houches Summer School on "Particle Physics and Cosmology: the Fabric of Spacetime�. It provides a pedagogical introduction to the various aspects of both particle physics beyond the Standard Model and Cosmology of the Early Universe, covering each topic from the basics to the most recent developments.� Provides a pedagogical introduction to topics at the interface of particle physics and cosmology� Addresses each topic from the basis to the most recent developments� Provides necessary tools to build new theoretical models addressing various issues both in cosmology and particle physics� Covers the lectures by internationally-renowned and leading experts� Faces the predictions of theoretical models against collider experimental data as well as from cosmological observations