Muhammad Sahimi Boeken

Disordered systems, particularly heterogeneous materials, are crucial in both natural and industrial contexts. Recent advancements in experimental techniques allow for in-depth analysis of their morphology, leading to a better understanding of their properties. Innovative theoretical methods, including renormalization group theory and percolation theory, enable the interpretation of experimental data and prediction of material properties across various scales. Coupled with enhanced computational power, these developments facilitate modeling at the molecular level, paving the way for tailored applications.

Focusing on the intricate relationship between rigidity and elasticity, this book delves into discrete approaches to elastic networks, particularly in biological materials. It explores the number of elastic moduli in lattices, numerical simulations, and the derivation of elastic networks from continuum elasticity, highlighting models like the Born model and its limitations. The text further examines rigidity percolation, its correlation lengths, and phase transitions, while also discussing central-force networks and bond-bending forces, offering a comprehensive understanding of elastic properties in various contexts.

The second edition of this book reflects significant advancements in percolation theory and its applications since the first edition in 1994. It features completely rewritten and reorganized chapters, updated through 2022, along with eight new chapters that explore diverse applications across various fields. Topics include biological materials, networks, directed percolation, earthquakes, geochemical processes, and large-scale real-world issues, such as technology dissemination and ad-hoc mobile networks, highlighting the theory's relevance in contemporary research.

In this standard reference of the field, theoretical and experimental approaches to flow, hydrodynamic dispersion, and miscible displacements in porous media and fractured rock are considered. Two different approaches are discussed and contrasted with each other. The first approach is based on the classical equations of flow and transport, called 'continuum models'. The second approach is based on modern methods of statistical physics of disordered media; that is, on 'discrete models', which have become increasingly popular over the past 15 years. The book is unique in its scope, since (1) there is currently no book that compares the two approaches, and covers all important aspects of porous media problems; and (2) includes discussion of fractured rocks, which so far has been treated as a separate subject. Portions of the book would be suitable for an advanced undergraduate course. The book will be ideal for graduate courses on the subject, and can be used by chemical, petroleum, civil, environmental engineers, and geologists, as well as physicists, applied physicist and allied scientists that deal with various porous media problems.