Surface Modes in Physics

Download or read book Surface Modes in Physics written by Bo E. Sernelius and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2011-04-27 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Electromagnetic surface modes are present at all surfaces and interfaces between material of different dielectric properties. These modes have very important effects on numerous physical quantities: adhesion, capillary force, step formation and crystal growth, the Casimir effect etc. They cause surface tension and wetting and they give rise to forces which are important e.g. for the stability of colloids. This book is a useful and elegant approach to the topic, showing how the concept of electromagnetic modes can be developed as a unifying theme for a range of condensed matter physics. The author concentrates in finding out the basic origin of the force and how they are developed from the collective excitations of the solids. Different materials are treated, e.g. metals, semiconductors, plasmas, liquids and gases all with different collective modes. In close relation to the theoretical background, the reader is served with a broad field of applications. The book serves readers who are concerned with applications to real world problems with a deep knowledge on surface modes, and inspires new developments of the field.