Scattering, Natural Surfaces, and Fractals

Scattering, Natural Surfaces, and Fractals provides a comprehensive overview of electromagnetic scattering from natural surfaces, ranging from the classical to the more recent (fractal) approach. As remote sensing applications become increasingly important, this text provides readers with a solid background in interpretation, classification and thematization of microwave images. The “scattering problem is discussed in detail with emphasis on its application to electromagnetic wave propagation, remote sensing, radar detection, and electromagnetic diagnostics. Natural surface and fractals complete this treatise focusing on how the fractal model represents our natural environment and other planets in our solar system, most recently as used to research the planet Venus and Titan, one of the moons of Saturn. An example of how scattering, fractals, and natural surfaces are of great importance is the following: Natural oil slicks in the ocean have been found to be fractal while man-made ones (generated by illegal washing of oil carrying ships) are not. Processing of an ocean image from space may detect the latter by means of a fractal analysis. An elegant and clear treatment of a rigorous topic with informative prose and realistic illustrations of scattering Provides readers with a solid background in interpretation, classification, and thematization of microwave images The only book available on fractal models and their application to scattering

Scattering is the collision of two objects that results in a change of trajectory and energy. For example, in particle physics, such as electrons, photons, or neutrons are "scattered off" of a target specimen, resulting in a different energy and direction. In the field of electromagnetism, scattering is the random diffusion of electromagnetic radiation from air masses is an aid in the long-range sending of radio signals over geographic obstacles such as mountains. This type of scattering, applied to the field of acoustics, is the spreading of sound in many directions due to irregularities in the transmission medium. Volume I of Scattering will be devoted to basic theoretical ideas, approximation methods, numerical techniques and mathematical modeling. Volume II will be concerned with basic experimental techniques, technological practices, and comparisons with relevant theoretical work including seismology, medical applications, meteorological phenomena and astronomy. This reference will be used by researchers and graduate students in physics, applied physics, biophysics, chemical physics, medical physics, acoustics, geosciences, optics, mathematics, and engineering. This is the first encyclopedic-range work on the topic of scattering theory in quantum mechanics, elastodynamics, acoustics, and electromagnetics. It serves as a comprehensive interdisciplinary presentation of scattering and inverse scattering theory and applications in a wide range of scientific fields, with an emphasis, and details, up-to-date developments. Scattering also places an emphasis on the problems that are still in active current research. The first interdisciplinary reference source on scattering to gather all world expertise in this technique Covers the major aspects of scattering in a common language, helping to widening the knowledge of researchers across disciplines The list of editors, associate editors and contributors reads like an international Who's Who in the interdisciplinary field of scattering

Modeling and simulating biological and physical systems are nowadays active branches of science. The diversity and complexity of behaviors and patterns present in the natural world have their reciprocity in life systems. Bifurcations, solitons and fractals are some of these ubiquitous structures that can be indistinctively identified in many models with the most diverse applications, from microtubules with an essential role in the maintenance and the shaping of cells, to the nano/microscale structure in disordered systems determined with small-angle scattering techniques. This book collects several works in this direction, giving an overview of some models and theories, which are useful for the study and analysis of complex biological and physical systems. It can provide a good guidance for physicists with interest in biology, applied research scientists and postgraduate students.

Fractal analysis has entered a new era. The applications to different areas of knowledge have been surprising. Let us begin with the fractional calculus-fractal geometry relationship, which allows for modeling with extreme precision of phenomena such as diffusion in porous media with fractional partial differential equations in fractal objects. Where the order of the equation is the same as the fractal dimension, this allows us to make calculations with enormous precision in diffusion phenomena-particularly in the oil industry, for new spillage prevention. Main applications to industry, design of fractal antennas to receive all frequencies and that is used in all cell phones, spacecraft, radars, image processing, measure, porosity, turbulence, scattering theory. Benoit Mandelbrot, creator of fractal geometry, would have been surprised by the use of fractal analysis presented in this book: "Part I: Petroleum Industry and Numerical Analysis"; "Part II: Fractal Antennas, Spacecraft, Radars, Image Processing, and Measure"; and "Part III: Scattering Theory, Porosity, and Turbulence." It's impossible to picture today's research without fractal analysis.

In the words of B. B. Mandelbrot's contribution to this important collection of original papers, fractal geometry is a "new geometric language, which is geared towards the study of diverse aspects of diverse objects, either mathematical or natural, that are not smooth, but rough and fragmented to the same degree at all scales." This book will be of interest to all physical and biological scientists studying these phenomena. It is based on a Royal Society discussion meeting held in 1988. Originally published in 1990. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Fractal Functions, Fractal Surfaces, and Wavelets, Second Edition, is the first systematic exposition of the theory of local iterated function systems, local fractal functions and fractal surfaces, and their connections to wavelets and wavelet sets. The book is based on Massopust’s work on and contributions to the theory of fractal interpolation, and the author uses a number of tools—including analysis, topology, algebra, and probability theory—to introduce readers to this exciting subject. Though much of the material presented in this book is relatively current (developed in the past decades by the author and his colleagues) and fairly specialized, an informative background is provided for those entering the field. With its coherent and comprehensive presentation of the theory of univariate and multivariate fractal interpolation, this book will appeal to mathematicians as well as to applied scientists in the fields of physics, engineering, biomathematics, and computer science. In this second edition, Massopust includes pertinent application examples, further discusses local IFS and new fractal interpolation or fractal data, further develops the connections to wavelets and wavelet sets, and deepens and extends the pedagogical content. Offers a comprehensive presentation of fractal functions and fractal surfaces Includes latest developments in fractal interpolation Connects fractal geometry with wavelet theory Includes pertinent application examples, further discusses local IFS and new fractal interpolation or fractal data, and further develops the connections to wavelets and wavelet sets Deepens and extends the pedagogical content

These 76 papers on the use of light scattering technologies in the fields of mechanics, biomedicine and material science originate from the 1998 Saratov Fall Meeting.

Transient friction effects determine the behavior of a wide class of mechatronic systems. Classic examples are squealing brakes, stiction in robotic arms, or stick-slip in linear drives. To properly design and understand mechatronic systems of this type, good quantitative models of transient friction effects are of primary interest. The theory developed in this book approaches this problem bottom-up, by deriving the behavior of macroscopic friction surfaces from the microscopic surface physics. The model is based on two assumptions: First, rough surfaces are inherently fractal, exhibiting roughness on a wide range of scales. Second, transient friction effects are caused by creep enlargement of the real area of contact between two bodies. This work demonstrates the results of extensive Finite Element analyses of the creep behavior of surface asperities, and proposes a generalized multi-scale area iteration for calculating the time-dependent real contact between two bodies. The toolset is then demonstrated both for the reproduction of a variety of experimental results on transient friction as well as for system simulations of two example systems.