This monograph represents an extension of the author''s original PhD thesis and includes a more thorough discussion on the concepts and mathematics behind his research works on the foam model, as applied to studying issues of phase stability and elasticity for various non-closed packed structures found in fuzzy and colloidal crystals, as well as on a renormalization-group analysis regarding the critical behavior of loop polymers upon which topological constraints are imposed. The common thread behind these two research works is their demonstration of the importance and effectiveness of utilizing geometrical and topological concepts for modeling and understanding soft systems undergoing phase transitions.

The first five articles in this issue emphasize equilibrium phases and structures. The hard sphere properties of sterically stabilized particle suspensions are examined in the article by van Megan, Pusey and Bartlett, a colloidal compound is discussed by Hachisu and attractive interactions are shown to produce a full complement of phase transitions including a liquid/gas transition by Emmett and Vincent. Recent theoretical interest in the nature of melting in two dimensions has led to the investigation of the melting transition in colloidal systems where the particles are constrained to a single layer. Murray, Van Winkle and Wenk present experimental results supporting the view that two dimensional melting is mediated by two second order transitions, while Tang, Armstrong, Mockler and O'Sullivan present results suggesting a first order process in a similar colloidal monolayer.

Colloidal suspensions describe particles with size from typically a few nanometers to a few microns which are dispersed in a medium. In physics, in chemistry, and in biology colloids play an important role and the study of colloidal systems underwent a recent renaissance. This is based on the development of experimental techniques, the availability of extensive computer simulations and well-developed theoretical approaches. From a technological point of view, the relevance of micro- and nanostructured materials and the presence of colloids in nature and everyday life motivates study of this rich field. In this thesis the phase behavior and the effective interactions of colloidal suspensions in bulk, in contact with surfaces, and in confined geometry are studied. For mixtures of particles with hard-core interactions the model introduced by Asakura, Oosawa and Vrij provides an appropriate starting-point. Based on that model the free-volume theory and the density functional theory are employed. In experimental systems one faces particles with properties such as the size or the shape which are described by a distribution. To capture that issue a generalized approach based on free-volume theory for treating mixtures of colloids and a polydisperse depletion agent is presented. Within that approach it is possible to treat size and morphology polydispersity. A depletion agent with a bimodal distribution possessing two length scales can be studied. Though the Asakura-Oosawa-Vrij model describes a simple fluid - a mixture of hard spheres and ideal polymer - the phenomenology is rather rich: in contact with a wall one finds layering and wetting effects and in confined geometry of a narrow pore one finds capillary condensation. The competition between both effects manifests itself in thermodynamic properties like the excess colloid adsorption and the solvation force between the two confining walls. Solvent phase separation complicates the evaluation of interparticle interactions between the solute particles. We address this question for the wall-colloid and the colloid-colloid geometry. For a non-spherical particle the effect of curvature on thermodynamic quantities is studied.

Supersymmetry is a symmetry which combines bosons and fermions in the same multiplet of a larger group which unites the transformations of this symmetry with that of spacetime. Thus every bosonic particle must have a fermionic partner and vice versa. Since this is not what is observed, this symmetry with inherent theoretical advantages must be badly broken. It is hoped that the envisaged collider experiments at CERN will permit a first experimental test, which is expected to revive the interest in supersymmetry considerably.This revised edition of the highly successful text of 20 years ago provides an introduction to supersymmetry, and thus begins with a substantial chapter on spacetime symmetries and spinors. Following this, graded algebras are introduced, and thereafter the supersymmetric extension of the spacetime Poincaré algebra and its representations. The Wess-Zumino model, superfields, supersymmetric Lagrangians, and supersymmetric gauge theories are treated in detail in subsequent chapters. Finally the breaking of supersymmetry is addressed meticulously. All calculations are presented in detail so that the reader can follow every step.

This volume develops the techniques of perturbative QCD in great pedagogical detail starting with field theory. Aside from extensive treatments of the renormalization group technique, The operator product expansion formalism and their applications to short-distance reactions, this book provides a comprehensive introduction to gauge theories. Examples and exercises are provided to amplify the discussions on important topics. This is an ideal textbook on the subject of quantum chromodynamics and is essential for researchers and graduate students in high energy physics, nuclear physics and mathematical physics.

Observation, Prediction and Simulation of Phase Transitions in Complex Fluids presents an overview of the phase transitions that occur in a variety of soft-matter systems: colloidal suspensions of spherical or rod-like particles and their mixtures, directed polymers and polymer blends, colloid--polymer mixtures, and liquid-forming mesogens. This modern and fascinating branch of condensed matter physics is presented from three complementary viewpoints. The first section, written by experimentalists, emphasises the observation of basic phenomena (by light scattering, for example). The second section, written by theoreticians, focuses on the necessary theoretical tools (density functional theory, path integrals, free energy expansions). The third section is devoted to the results of modern simulation techniques (Gibbs ensemble, free energy calculations, configurational bias Monte Carlo). The interplay between the disciplines is clearly illustrated. For all those interested in modern research in equilibrium statistical mechanics.