Newman

The Conference timetable had to be so arranged as to spread the main topics over several separate sessions. It was therefore decided to publish the material in these Proceedings under nine subject headings, irrespective of session. Within each chapter, which is preceded by a list of the sessions featuring the subject, all papers, invited and contributed, whether presented at the Conference or accepted for publication only, have been arranged in some lo­ gical order. The reports of the four Panel Discussions were edited or summarized by the respective Moderator in consultation with Panel Members. In one instance, shortened versions of the Introductory Papers precede the discussion. Where possible, verbatim accounts of the often lively exchanges have been retained. The customary catalogue of high-energy acceler­ ators has been published separately. The continuing world-wide activities in accelerator research, witl1 its ever larger pro­ jects, are reflected by the numerous contributions accepted for inclusion in these Proceedings, which have reached the limit of what a single volume can manageably contain, while making rapid publication even harder to achieve. All the more reason to extend the gratitude of all con­ cerned to those involved in the chain of production: - To the authors, for their prompt handing-in or timely posting of their papers. Thanks also to their secretaries who followed the guidelines for the presentation of camera-ready copy.

The volume comprises a collection of 20 of the 43 papers presented at the Third International Round Table on Safavid Persia, held at the University of Edinburgh in August, 1998 and edited by the Round Table's organiser. The Third Round Table, the largest of the series to date, continued the emphasis of its predecessors on understanding and appreciating the legacy of the Safavid period by means of exchanges between both established and 'newer' scholars drawn from a variety of fields to facilitate an exchange of ideas, information, and methodologies across a broad range of academic disciplines between scholars from diverse disciplines and research backgrounds with a common interest in the history and culture of this period of Iran's history.

This book provides an introduction to Monte Carlo simulations in classical statistical physics and is aimed both at students beginning work in the field and at more experienced researchers who wish to learn more about Monte Carlo methods. The material covered includes methods for both equilibrium and out of equilibrium systems, and common algorithms like the Metropolis and heat-bath algorithms are discussed in detail, as well as more sophisticated ones such as continuous time Monte Carlo, cluster algorithms, multigrid methods, entropic sampling and simulated tempering. Data analysis techniques are also explained starting with straightforward measurement and error-estimation techniques and progressing to topics such as the single and multiple histogram methods and finite size scaling. The last few chapters of the book are devoted to implementation issues, including discussions of such topics as lattice representations, efficient implementation of data structures, multispin coding, parallelization of Monte Carlo algorithms, and random number generation. At the end of the book the authors give a number of example programs demonstrating the applications of these techniques to a variety of well-known models.

The successful calculation of critical exponents for continuous phase transitions is one of the main achievements of theoretical physics over the last quarter-century. This was achieved through the use of scaling and field-theoretic techniques which have since become standard equipment in many areas of physics, especially quantum field theory. This book provides a thorough introduction to these techniques. Continuous phase transitions are introduced, then the necessary statistical mechanics is summarized, followed by standard models, some exact solutions and techniques for numerical simulations. The real-space renormalization group and mean-field theory are then explained and illustrated. The final chapters cover the Landau-Ginzburg model, from physical motivation, through diagrammatic perturbation theory and renormalization to the renormalization group and the calculation of critical exponents above and below the critical temperature.

Inflation affects literary occupations and preoccupations quite as much as it does financial scrip. Starting from this premise, Charles Newman ventures forth on an irreverent, wide-ranging discussion of the Post-Modern attitude in fiction, culture, and sensibility. Newman questions the revolutionary claims of avant-garde novelists and literary theorists, but he is no less critical of the arguments of neoconservatives, neorealists, and advocates of moral fiction. Newman argues that neither of these groups has confronted the unprecedented break with tradition entailed by an economics and culture of inflation. A combination of cultural critique, literary criticism, economic forecast, and historical jeremiad, The Post-Modern Aura is finally a positive statement, celebrating The Act of Fiction and suggesting how the forces which have been devaluing it might be overcome.