This respected high-level text is aimed at students and professionals working on random processes in various areas, including physics and finance. The first author, Melvin Lax (1922-2002) was a distinguished Professor of Physics at City College of New York and a member of the U. S. National Academy of Sciences, and is widely known for his contributions to our understanding of random processes in physics. Most chapters of this book are outcomes of the class notes which Lax taught at the City University of New York from 1985 to 2001. The material is unique as it presents the theoretical...

This textbook provides students with a complete working knowledge of the properties of imperfections in crystalline solids. Readers will learn how to apply the fundamental principles of mechanics and thermodynamics to defect properties in materials science, gaining all the knowledge and tools needed to put this into practice in their own research. Beginning with an introduction to defects and a brief review of basic elasticity theory and statistical thermodynamics, the authors go on to guide the reader in a step-by-step way through point, line, and planar defects, with an emphasis on their...