This extended and revised edition of the successful German version is a clearly structured and easily readable introduction, written by an experienced author with sound knowledge of experimental synthesis and analysis of nanostructures. Developed from courses on nanophysics and nanotechnology, this textbook covers the fundamental physics of nanostructures, methods of growth and manipulation, characterization methods with a focus on optical analyzing methods and nanooptics, a discussion of nano-architectures and the latest applications in optics, electronics, quantum computers, molecular nanostructures, biology and soft matter. This edition also includes an expanded discussion of quantum and classical effects as well as magnetic nanostructures. With its wide range of problems to test the reader's understanding, it is primarily aimed at graduate students with a basic knowledge of solid state physics, but can be equally used as a reference for professionals in physics, chemistry and materials science working on nanosystems, soft matter or biophysical matters.

1 Mesoscopic and microscopic physics 2 Physics of nanostructures (quantum and classical effects) Morphology Electronic structure - Optical properties - Magnetic properties - Transport phenomena - Heterostructures Problems to chapter 2 3 Generation and manipulation of nanostructures Top-down methods - Nanostructures via photons and lithographical methods - Nanoimprint technology - Nanostructures via raster probe methods -Bottom up methods - Epitaxial growth - Self organization - Deposition of selected cluster matter Problems to chapter 3 4 Characterisation of nanostructures Optical microscopy - Simple light microscopy - Bright- and dark field microscopy - Fluorescence and phase contrast microscopy - Confocal microscopy - Brewster angle microscopy - Raster microscopies - Electron microscopy - Scanning probe microscopies - Near field microscopy - New advanced microscopies - Linear and nonlinear spectroscopy - Diffraction methods - Emission methods Problems to chapter 4 5 Nano architecture Layered systems - Colloidal solutions and crystals - Light-based gratings - Coulomb crystals 6 Applications Optics - Integrated optics, nanooptics and nonlinear optics - Optical and magnetical data storage - Photonic crystals - Ultrashort time dynamics in nanostructures Electronics - Optoelectronics - Molecular and nano-electronics - Quantum computers - Biology and soft matter - Characterization of elementary units - Nanobionics and nano-biotechnology - Molecular nanostructures - Micro- and nanomechanics Problems to chapter 6 References Index