This monograph is a fundamental reference for scientists and engineers who encounter spin processes in their work. The author, Ilya Kuprov, derives the concept of spin from basic symmetries and gives an overview of theoretical and computational aspects of spin dynamics: from Dirac equation and spin Hamiltonian, through coherent evolution and relaxation theories, to quantum optimal control, and all the way to practical implementation advice for parallel computers.

ILYA KUPROV is the principal developer of theSpinach package for large-scale spin dynamics simulations and a Deputy Editor at theScience Advances journal where he handles papers dealing with magnetic processes and spin. For the last twenty years, he has been working on theoretical models of quantum processes encountered in nuclear magnetic resonance, electron spin resonance, magnetic resonance imaging, spin chemistry and related areas on which he has authored over 100 papers. The applications of his work span a huge range of topics, from photosynthesis to parallel computing to quantum control theory.

Mathematical Background.- What Exactly is Spin?.- Bestiary of Spin Hamiltonians.- Coherent Spin Dynamics.- Other Degrees of Freedom.- Dissipative Spin Dynamics.- Incomplete Basis Sets.- Optimal Control of Spin Systems.- Notes on Software Engineering.