Superstrings and M-theory: provocative and controversial, but unarguably one of the most interesting and active areas of research in current physics. Called by some, "the theory of everything," superstrings may solve a problem that has eluded physicists for the past 50 years, the final unification of the two great theories of the twentieth century, general relativity and quantum field theory. Now, here is a thoroughly revised, second edition of a course-tested comprehensive introductory graduate text on superstrings which stresses the most current areas of interest, not covered in other...

Laser cooling is a relatively new technique that has led to insights into the behavior of atoms as well as confirming with striking detail some of the fundamental notions of quantum mechanics, such as the condensation predicted by S.N. Bose. This elegant technique, whereby atoms, molecules, and even microscopic beads of glass, are trapped in small regions of free space by beams of light and subsequently moved at will using other beams, provides a useful research tool for the study of individual atoms and clusters of atoms, for investigating the details of chemical reactions, and even for...

We have shown that simple power-law dynamics is expected for flexible fractal objects. Although the predicted behavior is well established for linear polymers, the situationm is considerably more complex for colloidal aggregates. In the latter case, the observed K-dependence of (r) can be explained either in terms of non-asymptotic hydrodynamics or in terms of weak power-law polydispersity. In the case of powders (alumina, in particular) apparent fractal behavior seen in static scattering is not found in the dynamics. ID. W. Schaefer, J. E. Martin, P. Wiitzius, and D. S. Cannell, Phys. Rev....