Physics and Astronomy

• Emphasizes biomedical imaging and sensing;
• Describes new computational approaches with examples;
• Provides detailed descriptions of novel instrumentation.

This book systematically discusses the algorithms and principles for achieving stable and optimal beam (or products of the beam) parameters in particle accelerators. A four-layer beam control strategy is introduced to structure the subsystems related to beam controls, such as beam device control, beam feedback, and beam optimization. This book focuses on the global control and optimization layers. As a basis of global control, the beam feedback system regulates the beam parameters against disturbances and stabilizes them around the setpoints. The global optimization algorithms, such as the robust conjugate direction search algorithm, genetic algorithm, and particle swarm optimization algorithm, are at the top layer, determining the feedback setpoints for optimal beam qualities.

In addition, the authors also introduce the applications of machine learning for beam controls. Selected machine learning algorithms, such as supervised learning based on artificial neural networks and Gaussian processes, and reinforcement learning, are discussed. They are applied to configure feedback loops, accelerate global optimizations, and directly synthesize optimal controllers. Authors also demonstrate the effectiveness of these algorithms using either simulation or tests at the SwissFEL. With this book, the readers gain systematic knowledge of intelligent beam controls and learn the layered architecture guiding the design of practical beam control systems.

This book gives a detailed discussion of the initial enthusiasm triggered by the discovery of x-rays and radioactive radiation which later turned into fear and repulsion in a significant part of the global population up to the 21^st century.

The author concludes that low doses of radiation are safe and can even be beneficial (as known from medical radiation treatment); and also that the natural radiation background is necessary for the normal growth and development and well-being of a living organism. The author also discusses cases and effects of large doses, arguing, however, that dangerous doses of radiation are very unlikely. 

This book challenges radio-phobia. It not only offers arguments helping to overcome an unreasonable fear but, based on the latest understanding of science, argues to gradually move back, not to the former radio-euphoria, but to a new, conscious attitude towards radiation.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of graphene-based photocatalysts, from the fundamentals to the applications. Graphene, the special material of the twenty-first century, has unique properties that make it an ideal candidate for use in photocatalytic activities. The book explores the basic principles of  photocatalysis, including its mechanism and classification, and provides a historical overview and future prospects for the field. The synthesis and characterization of graphene for photocatalytic applications are discussed in detail, including controlling factors for graphene synthesis and its unique properties that make it an effective photocatalyst. It also covers a range of applications for graphene-based photocatalysts, including photocatalytic degradation of pollutants, hydrogen generation, water splitting, disinfection, and other potential uses. In addition, the book addresses strategies for enhancing photocatalytic activity and the factors that affect it. The economic perspective of cost-benefit analysis and life cycle assessment are also discussed. 

It is a valuable resource for researchers, academics, and professionals working in the field of photocatalysis and ideal for those interested in the latest developments in graphene-based photocatalysts and their potential applications, including researchers, academics, and professionals in the fields of materials science, chemistry, and chemical engineering.

This book presents a comprehensive exploration of unresolved mysteries in particle physics, delving into cutting-edge research aimed at unraveling the enigmatic facets of the Standard Model (SM). It tackles fundamental questions surrounding neutrino masses, flavor physics, and the strong CP problem, shedding light on the universe's underlying structure. The insightful analysis takes readers on a journey that begins with probing the mechanisms behind neutrino mass generation, including the existence of heavy neutral leptons and their implications for collider experiments. The book then navigates the intricate landscape of flavor physics, elucidating rare B-meson decays and their role as a window to new physics beyond the SM. Additionally, it investigates axions as potential hot dark matter candidates, offering valuable insights into their interactions with pions and cosmological implications. This work not only addresses current theoretical puzzles but also paves the way for future advancements in particle physics. Aimed at researchers, graduate students, and professionals in the field, this book serves as an indispensable resource for those seeking to delve deeper into the forefront of particle physics research. 

This book offers a tour of “the known galaxy”, here defined as the region of interstellar space closest to Earth. The phrase “the known galaxy” has a particular resonance in science fiction, as it refers to the part of the Milky Way that from the perspective of a point in time centuries from now may have been explored and settled by human beings. In the known galaxy, there are gloomy ocean worlds illuminated by the light of exploding stars. There are worlds where precious gems could be as common as pebbles. There are planets eternally wandering between the stars like the Flying Dutchman. There are lava worlds, steam worlds, hot Jupiters, cold Jupiters and maybe even worlds like our Earth. The purpose of the book is to begin to give this region a sense of place, in the same way that Mars is now starting to be appreciated as a location rather than just a planet. In doing so, the book merges our current scientific knowledge of the known galaxy with speculative fiction and with older legends and myths.

A sense of place is the feeling that some locations have a special meaning. This emotional connection arises from a combination of cultural and environmental factors that make individuals care about a particular place. It is challenging to create a sense of place for distant locations that no human has visited and for which our current knowledge is limited. This book attempts to take a step in this direction, by dividing the known galaxy into a number of clearly described distinct regions, by providing scientific descriptions of the likely environmental conditions on the known planets of these regions, and by linking these planets to their literary and mythological context.

The book is aimed at fans of both science fact and science fiction. It combines a tour of real planets outside of our solar system with tales of their fictional counterparts. The combination of solid scientific facts and analysis with speculation and imagination will be appealing to readers who want to gain a feeling for these planets as places with a back story, rather than just as names somewhere out there in the sky.