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Sherman Fairchild Library of Engineering and Applied Science
Collection Statement
KIMBERLY DOUGLAS AND DANA ROTH
OCTOBER 1996
Engineering and Applied Science
GENERAL SCOPE
Research in this division is carried out in the fields of aeronautics, applied mathematics, applied mechanics, applied physics, civil engineering, computation and neural systems, computer science, control and dynamic systems, electrical engineering, environmental engineering science, materials science and mechanical engineering.
The SFL collection focuses on the engineering and applied aspects of the natural sciences as they relate to the research and instructional activities at Caltech. Since basic research is fundamental to these activities, collection development bibliographers balance their acquisitions from the theoretical to the practical. Engineering bibliographers also carefully coordinate their selections with the Physics, Biology and Chemistry bibliographers in interdivisional research areas such as lasers, solid state physics, semiconductors, biotechnology/protein engineering, catalysis and optics.
Research projects include very large scale integrated circuits, concurrent computing, opto-electronics, robust control systems, communications and signal processing, power electronics, plasma physics, solid-state devices, the physics of fluids, turbulence, air and water quality, earthquake engineering, the mechanics of fracture, diamond films and heat transfer.
By Option
AERONAUTICS
Aeronautics has evolved from a field of basic research and engineering, primarily related to the development of the airplane, into a richly multi-disciplinary discipline. Current research areas emphasize the fundamentals underlying aeronautics - fluid mechanics and dynamics, solid mechanics, and applied aerodynamics with a close interrelationship with the programs of the Jet Propulsion Center, Applied Mathematics, and Applied Mechanics. The option maintains instrumentation and equipment for experimentation in structures and solid mechanics related to the fracture or failure of composites and metals.
Research areas and library classification numbers:
 | Physics of fluids (gas dynamics and shock waves) - QA930/QC168/TL507/TL574 |
| Computational fluid dynamics (computer simulation of fluid flow) - QA911/TA357 |
| Technical fluid mechanics (turbulence, shear and separated flows) - QA913/QC880 |
| Structural mechanics (ceramics and composites) - TA418/TA640-660 |
| Mechanics of fracture (crack growth ..., viscoelastic behavior) - TA409-417 |
| Aero-acoustics( jet and combustion noise) - QC220/TD890/TL507/TL671 |
| Jet propulsion (combustion, turbomachinery) - QD516/TL573/TL709 |
APPLIED MATHEMATICS
Research in applied mathematics emphasizes interdisciplinary studies - nonlinear waves, perturbation theory, numerical analysis, fluid dynamics, computational fluid dynamics, scientific computation, computational materials science, and other areas.
Research areas and library classification numbers:
| Theoretical and computational fluid mechanics - QA901/QA911/TA357 |
| Theoretical and computational materials science - TA403 |
| Numerical analysis - QA297 |
| Differential and integral equations - QA320/QA370 |
| Wave propagation - QA920/QC660 |
| Bifurcation theory, perturbation and asymptotic methods - QA370 |
| Stability theory and variational methods - QA316 |
APPLIED MECHANICS
Applied Mechanics deals with problems in elasticity, plasticity, dynamics, and vibrations, including linear and nonlinear dynamical systems; random vibrations; structural dynamics and stability; fluid-structure interaction; wave propagation in solids; problems of large deformation and material instability in solids; phase transformations in solids; fracture mechanics, including elastic, viscoelastic, and plastic fracture; failure of composite materials; and finite-element analysis.
Research areas and library classification numbers:
| Linear and nonlinear vibrations - QA935/TA350/TA650 |
| Structural dynamics and design for earthquake and wind loads - TA645/TA654 |
| Elasticity, plasticity, and viscoelasticity - QA931/TA418 |
| Wave propagation in solids - QC176 |
| Mechanics of fracture - TA409/TA417 |
| Chaotic behavior - Q172.5/QA840 |
| Material instabilities and phase transformations in solids - QC176.8/TA418 |
APPLIED PHYSICS
The Applied Physics (APh) option is designed to interrelate the techniques of theoretical and experimental physics with problems of technological development. Research areas include: synthesis, properties and processing of electronic materials (epitaxy, thin films, nanocrystals, plasma physics, theoretical and experimental problems in the areas of semiconductor lasers, quantum well physics and devices, and nonlinear optics, solid-state device physics) for use in electronic and optoelectronic devices and circuits of the 21st century. The Applied Physics option includes many faculty with joint appointments in other divisions. This interdivisional approach is reflected in research opportunities such as solid-state physics, electromagnetics, fluid physics and transport phenomena.
Research areas and library classification numbers:
| Superconductivity - QC611/QC612/TK7872 |
| Amorphous solids - QC176/QC611/TA418/TA450 |
| Semiconducting solid states - QC611/QC612/TK7871 |
| Antenna problems - QC474/QC670/QC676/TK7871.6 |
| Lasers - QC680/TK1671-TK1707 |
| Nonlinear optics - QC446/TA1750 |
| Magnetohydrodynamics - QA920/QC718.5/QC809 |
| High-temperature plasmas - QC718 |
| Superfluids - QC175/QC176/QC611 |
| Transport phenomena - QC175.2 |
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
Chemical engineering at Caltech is focused on fundamental chemical and transport processes and their applications in understanding, designing, and controlling a broad spectrum of complex chemical processes. Research programs are conducted in air pollution and aerosol science, process control and design, catalysis, zeolite synthesis, inorganic membranes, ceramics and electronic materials processing, statistical mechanics, polymer rheology and polymer physics, biochemical engineering, biomedical engineering, multiphase flow, dynamics of gas-surface interactions, and nanoscale structures.
Research areas and library classification numbers:
| Bioseparations - QD63 S4/TP156 S45/TP248.25 |
| Protein engineering & processing - QP551/TP248 P77/TP248.65 |
| Process control & design - TJ225/TP155.75/TS156.8 |
| Fluid mechanics and transport processes - QA911/QA929/QC175.2 |
| Polymer physics and rheology - QC189.5/TA455 P58 |
| Catalysts - TP156 C35 especially molecular sieves - TP245 S5 |
| Inorganic membranes - TP156 M4 |
| Synthesis and plasma processing of ceramics & electronic materials - TP807/TP815/TK7871.85 |
| Combustion - QD516 |
| Aerosols and colloids - QC882/QD549/TP244A3 |
| Biomaterials & tissue engineering - R857M3/RD120 |
CIVIL ENGINEERING
Civil Engineering at Caltech is limited to structural engineering, soil mechanics and foundation engineering, hydraulic engineering, hydrology, and coastal engineering. Research areas include the analysis of structures subjected to dynamic loadings, especially earthquake motions; the use of finite-element methods for structural analysis; seismic risk analysis and earthquake ground motion studies; system identification and control of structures; soil deformation under stress; soil liquefaction during earthquakes; sediment transportation in streams; dispersion in turbulent shear flows; problems related to density-stratified fluids; generation, propagation, and coastal effects of tsunamis; wave-current interaction; pollutant transport in porous media; aerosol filtration; radioactive-waste disposal; water reclamation; and the disposal of waste in the ocean.
Research areas and library classification numbers:
| Structural engineering - TA630-TA901 |
| Structural dynamics - TA654-TA656.5 |
| Earthquake engineering - QE530/TA650-TA654 |
| Soil mechanics and foundation engineering - TA710/TA775 |
| Finite element analysis - QC20.7/TA347/TA640 |
| Hydraulic engineering - GB651/TC150 |
| Hydraulics - TC160-TC179 |
| Coastal engineering - TC200 |
COMPUTATIONAL AND NEURAL SYSTEMS
CNS is an interdisciplinary option involving neurobiology, electrical engineering, computer science and physics. This integrated approach is designed to promote an interrelationship of biophysics and neurophysiology, computational devices, information theory, emergent or collective systems, parallel computation, neuronal modeling, and complex systems. Collection development responsibilities for the SFL library are generally limited to the physical aspects, as contrasted to the biological aspects, of neural systems.
Research areas and library classification numbers:
| Neural networks - QA76.87/QP363.3/TK7882 |
COMPUTER SCIENCE
The field of Computer Science includes research in VLSI systems; concurrent (parallel) and distributed computation; computer graphics and pattern recognition; theory of computation; computational complexity and information theory; learning theory; programming languages; semantics; parallel programming and formal methods of proving correctness; the human-machine interface; including natural language; computational linguistics; computational modeling techniques; image synthesis; computer vision; and computer-aided design. Computer Science research at Caltech frequently involves interdisciplinary connections with other fields such as mathematics, physics, biology, linguistics, and electrical engineering. Computational and Neural Systems is a closely related option.
Research areas and library classification numbers:
| Computational complexity - QA 267-QA268 |
| Computational linguistics - P98/QA76.9 |
| Computational modeling techniques - QA401 |
| Computer graphics - T385 |
| Computer vision - TA1632-TA1634 |
| Computer-aided design - TA 345 |
| Concurrent (parallel) and distributed computation - QA76.6 |
| Human-machine interface including natural language - QA76.9/TA167-TA168 |
| Image synthesis - TA1632 |
| Information theory / learning theory - Q350-Q385 |
| Parallel programming - QA76.642 |
| Pattern recognition - TK7882 |
| Programming languages - QA76.6/QA76.73/QA367 |
| Semantics - B820/P325/Q387.5/QA76.7 |
| Theory of computation - QA367 |
| VLSI systems - TK7874 |
CONTROL AND DYNAMICAL SYSTEMS
The CDS option emphasizes the interdisciplinary nature of the modern theory of dynamical systems and control. Research is conducted in all aspects of control and dynamical systems, with emphasis on robustness, multivariable and nonlinear systems, optimal control, decentralized control, modeling, and system identification for robust control. Applications areas include large flexible structures; chemical process control; mixing and transport processes in fluids; turbomachines and complex combustion systems; global bifurcation analysis and control of nonlinear systems, including strongly nonlinear and chaotic dynamics; nonlinear flight dynamics for highly maneuverable aircraft; and robotic manipulation.
Research areas and library classification numbers:
| Non-linear dynamics - Q172/QC133 |
| Chaotic phenomena - Q172.5 |
| Bifurcation theory - QA370-QA380 |
| Vibrations - QA935/TA350/TA650 |
| Multivariable and non-linear control - QA402/TJ210-TJ216 |
| Robotics - TJ210-TJ211 |
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
The major EE research activities are solid-state electronics, including contacts to semiconductors, thin films, ion implantation, backscattering, and channeling analysis; microsensors and microactuators, including micromachining technology for accelerometers, infrared sensors, pressure sensors, microsurgical tools, and neuron probes; quantum electronics, including coherent radiation from submillimeter through ultraviolet wavelengths, nonlinear optics, and integrated devices in III-V semiconductors; electromagnetic waves, including integrated circuit antennas, dielectric waveguides, and optical signal and image processing; communication systems, networks, switching, and traffic; coding and information theory and practice, wireless communications, including signal processing, data compression, and error-correcting coding techniques; power electronics, including the efficient conversion of electrical energy; digital signal processing, including adaptive and multirate filtering; wavelet transforms.
Research areas and library classification numbers:
| Solid-state electronics - TK7871.85 |
| Semiconductors - QC611-QC612/TK7870 |
| Thin films - QC176/TA418.9/TK7871-TK7872 |
| Quantum electronics - QC685-QC689/TA1700 |
| Non-linear optics - QC446/TA1505/TA1750 |
| Epitaxial growth - QD921 |
| Waveguides - QC661/TK7870-TK7872 |
| Fiber optics - QC447-QC448/TA1815 |
| Power electronics - TK2790/TK7881 |
| Communication systems - TK5100/TL507 |
| Information theory - Q350-Q385/QA268/TK5102 |
| Wireless engineering & communications - TK5103/TK6570 |
| Learning theory - LB1051/QA76.9 |
| Pattern recognition - BF311/Q327/QP360/TA1634/TK7882 |
| Optical information processing - TA1630 |
| Microsensors and microactuators - TK7870 |
| Computational vision - QP475/TA1632-TA1634 |
| Data compression (information theory, stochastic processes - QA76.9/TK5102 |
| Signal/image processing and optimization - TA1637/TK5102/TK7870 |
ENGINEERING SCIENCE
Engineering Science developed as new frontiers of engineering have advanced to coalesce with major disciplines of science. Fields of research may include such topics as fluid mechanics (including applications to geophysical and biomechanical problems), physics of fluids, structure and properties of solids and liquids, dynamics of deformable bodies, and rheology of biological fluids.
Research areas and library classification numbers:
| Free surface phenomena and non-linear waves - TC175 |
| Hydrodynamic stability theory and flow-structure interactions - QA911/TA357 |
| Biophysical and geophysical fluid mechanics - QC809 |
ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING SCIENCE
The EES option emphasizes basic studies that underlie new solutions to challenging environmental problems, such as urban, regional, and global air quality; water supply and water quality control; effective management of hazardous substances in the environment; and maintenance of stable aquatic ecosystems. Central to the program are air pollution control engineering, atmospheric and aquatic chemistry, environmental fluid mechanics, applied microbiology, hydraulics, hydrology, and aerosol physics and chemistry. The Environmental Quality Laboratory investigates air and water quality problems, control of hazardous substances and energy policy.
Research areas and library classification numbers:
| Environmental trace metals - TD427 |
| Coagulation and settling of particles - QD549/TD455 |
| Aerosol chemistry and physics - QC882/QD549/TP244 |
| Cloud chemistry - QC861/QC981 |
| Climate change - QC982-QC994 |
| Hazardous waste treatments - TD811/TD1020 |
| Environmental photochemistry - TD193 |
| Oxidation kinetics - QD501 |
| Applied microbiology - QR50-QR80 |
| In situ bioremediation - TD192/TD870 |
| Aquatic transport of pollutants and particles - TD196 |
| Turbulent shear flows/mixing - TA357 |
| Air pollution - TD881-TD890 |
| Air quality - TD883 |
| Water resources and quality - TD370-TD375 |
MATERIALS SCIENCE
Materials scientists study relationships between the properties of materials and their internal structure, and how this structure can be controlled. Research is oriented toward fundamental phenomena that underlie the design of future engineering materials. Emphasis is on the study of nonequilibrium metallic materials, including studies of disorder, surfaces, and interfaces. Modern facilities for the preparation of materials include equipment for rapid quenching, physical vapor deposition, ion-beam bombardment, and shock-wave consolidation. Facilities for the characterization of materials include a 300 keV transmission electron microscope, a wide variety of X-ray diffraction equipment, EXAFS and Mossbauer spectrometers, and modern calorimetry equipment. Facilities for measuring the mechanical, magnetic, and electrical properties of materials are available.
Research areas and library classification numbers:
| Metals - TA403/459 TN690 |
| Semiconductors - TK7871.87 QC611 |
| Ceramics - TP807/810/815 |
| Composites - TA418.9 |
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
Mechanical Engineering emphasizes a broad coverage of such basic subjects as heat and energy transfer, thermodynamics, solid and fluid mechanics, kinematics, and dynamics, as well as interdisciplinary subjects, including engineering design and robotic systems. Typical research projects have been concerned with convective heat transfer in complex fluid-solid systems, turbulent flows, aeroacoustics, numerical methods for fluid dynamics, turbomachines, cavitation, hydrofoils in unsteady flow, two-phase flows, aerosols, combustion, synthesis of ceramics, diamond film, and other materials, automatic measurement of machine-part geometries, development of computer-aided engineering design tools, design of manipulator terminal devices, autonomous robotic systems, and control of mechanical systems.
Research areas and library classification numbers:
| Applied fluid mechanics - TA357 |
| Cavitation - QC151/TA357/TC171 |
| Engineering design including CAD - TA174/TK7874 |
| Robotics - TJ210-TJ211 |
| Kinematics - QA841-QA842/QC321 |
| Diamond films - QE393/TJ1193/TP873 |
| Chemical vapor deposition - TS695 |
| Heat transfer - QC320-QC338/TJ260 |
| Multiphase transport - TA357 |
| Engineering Thermodynamics - QD504/TJ265 |
| Mass transport - QC175.2/QC318 |