Peter S Pershan's Books

Liquid Surfaces and Interfaces

Synchrotron X-ray Methods

By: Peter S. Pershan,Mark Schlossman

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Liquid Surfaces and Interfaces

Synchrotron X-ray Methods

By: Peter S. Pershan,Mark Schlossman

The availability of synchrotron x-ray sources and the subsequent developments described in this book have led to substantial progress in our understanding of molecular ordering at liquid interfaces. This practical guide enables graduate students and researchers working in physics, chemistry, biology and materials science to understand and carry out experimental investigations into the basic physical and chemical properties of liquid surfaces and interfaces. The book examines the surfaces of bulk liquids, thin wetting films and buried liquid-liquid interfaces. It discusses experiments on simple and complex fluids, including pure water and organic liquids, liquid crystals, liquid metals, electrified liquid-liquid interfaces and interfacial monolayers of amphiphiles, nanoparticles, polymers and biomolecules. A detailed description of the apparatus and techniques required for these experiments is provided, and theoretical approaches to data analysis are described, including approximate methods such as the Master formula, the Born approximation, Parratt's algorithm and the Distorted Wave Approximation.

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Page Count

335

Publisher

Cambridge University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1139536117

ISBN 13

9781139536110

Digital Photography Explained

By: Peter S Pershan

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Digital Photography Explained

By: Peter S Pershan

This book can serve as a missing guide for technical features of digital photography that many enthusiasts are unaware of or remain bewildered about. An interesting example is that cameras with sensor sizes differing by a factor of three or four can have the same size resolution. The advantages of sensors — found in larger and more expensive cameras — are elucidated to readers. Another example is the explanation to why the depth of field increases as the lens aperture becomes smaller. The transition from diffraction-limited to sensor-limited resolution is also discussed. Through these examples, one discovers that the optics of practical, thick compound lenses can be understood using the formulas for the more familiar thin lenses.The book further expounds on procedures that are necessary to obtain true color images. For example, CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) sensors are equipped with color filters such that the intensity of the red, green and blue colors are recorded separately. Since the colors must be combined for print and digital displays, the separate colors recorded in the camera must somehow be merged. This process known as demosaicing is vividly explained. In fact, the technology for defining colors is a separate issue that is also treated in this book.Readers will learn that both our vision and computer displays respond in a nonlinear fashion that requires an operation known as gamma mapping, which is built into all monitors. An important takeaway for camera and photography enthusiasts is that in order to avoid moiré effects in certain types of photographs, most cameras have an anti-aliasing filter that has the unfortunate effect of smearing the resolution. This filter can, however, be removed in certain high-end cameras.

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Page Count

130

Publisher

World Scientific

Published Date

ISBN 10

9811283443

ISBN 13

9789811283444

Structure Of Liquid Crystal Phases

By: Peter S Pershan

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Structure Of Liquid Crystal Phases

By: Peter S Pershan

Current understanding of different phases as well as the phase transitions between them has only been achieved following recent theoretical advances on the effects of dimensionality in statistical physics. P S Pershan explains the connection between these two separate areas and gives some examples of problems where the understanding is still not complete. The most important example is the second order phase transition between the nematic and smectic-A phase. Others include the relation between the several hexatic phases that have been observed and the first order restacking transitions between phases that were all previously identified as smectic-B, but which should more properly be identified as crystalline-B. Some relatively recent experimental developments on the discotic phase, liquid crystal surfaces and lyotropic phases are also included. The book includes 41 major reprints of some of the recent seminal work on the structure of liquid crystals. They are introduced by a brief review of the symmetries and other properties of liquid crystalline phases. In addition, there is a discussion of the differences between true liquid crystalline phases and others that were described as liquid crystalline in the early literature, but which have since been shown to be true three-dimensional crystals. The progression from the isotropic fluid, through the nematic, smectic, and various crystalline phases can be understood in terms of a systematic decrease in symmetry, together with an accompanying variation in structure is explained. A guide to the selected reprints and a sort of “Rosetta Stone” for these various phases is provided. The goal of this book is to explain the systematics of this progression to students and others that are new to this field, as well as to provide a useful handbook for people already working in the field.

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