|
Books > Science & Mathematics > Physics > Quantum physics (quantum mechanics) > General
For more than a century, studies of atomic hydrogen have been a
rich source of scientific discoveries. These began with the Balmer
series in 1885 and the early quantum theories of the atom, and
later included the development of QED and the first successful
gauge field theory. Today, hydrogen and its relatives continue to
provide new fundamental information, as witnessed by the
contributions to this book. The printed volume contains invited
reviews on the spectroscopy of hydrogen, muonium, positronium,
few-electron ions and exotic atoms, together with related topics
such as frequency metrology and the determination of fundamental
constants. The accompanying CD contains, in addition to these
reviews, a further 40 contributed papers also presented at the
conference "Hydrogen Atom 2" held in summer 2000. Finally, to
facilitate a historical comparison, the CD also contains the
proceedings of the first "Hydrogen Atom" conference of 1988. The
book includes a foreword by Norman F. Ramsey.
Physicists who wish to understand the modeling of confinement of
quantum chromodynamics, as exhibited by dual superconductors, will
find this book an excellent introduction. The author focuses on the
models themselves, especially the Landau--Ginzburg model of a dual
superconductor, also called the Dual Abelian Higgs model.
Photoproduction of pions from complex nuclei has become an
investigative tool for (1) the detailed form of the elementary
photopion amplitude, (2) the pion-nucleus optical potential, (3)
nuclear structure, and (4) off-shell and medium effects on the
elementary amplitude in nuclear processes. In this book, all these
aspects are considered in detail. With improved experimental
accuracy and beam tech- nology the study of nuclear pion
photoproduction will break new ground and become an even more
powerful investigative tool. This monograph is intended as an
introductory guide as well as a reference manual for grad- uate
students and researchers working in this important area of physics.
This monograph is written within the framework of the quantum
mechanical paradigm. It is modest in scope in that it is restricted
to some obser vations and solved illustrative problems not readily
available in any of the many standard (and several excellent) texts
or books with solved problems that have been written on this
subject. Additionally a few more or less standard problems are
included for continuity and purposes of comparison. The hope is
that the points made and problems solved will give the student some
additional insights and a better grasp of this fascinating but
mathematically somewhat involved branch of physics. The hundred and
fourteen problems discussed have intentionally been chosen to
involve a minimum of technical complexity while still illus trating
the consequences of the quantum-mechanical formalism. Concerning
notation, useful expressions are displayed in rectangular boxes
while calculational details which one may wish to skip are included
in square brackets."
The Advanced Study Institute on "Path Integrals and Their
Applications in Quantum, Statistical, and Solid State Physics" was
held at the University of Antwerpen (R.U.C.A.), July 17-30, 1977.
The Institute was sponsored by NATO. Co-sponsors were: A.C.E.C.
(Belgium), Agfa-Gevaert (Belgium), l'Air Li~uide BeIge (Belgium),
Be1gonucleaire (Belgium), Bell Telephone Mfg. Co. (Belgium),
Boelwerf (Belgium), Generale BankmaatschappiJ (Belgium), I.B.M.
(Belgium), Kredietbank (Belgium), National Science Foundation
(U.S.A.), Siemens (Belgium). A total of 100 lecturers and partici-
pants attended the Institute. The development of path (or
functional) integrals in relation to problems of stochastic nature
dates back to the early 20's. At that time, Wiener succeeded in
obtaining the fundamental solution of the diffusion e~uation using
Einstein's joint probability of finding a Brownian particle in a
succession of space intervals during a corresponding succession of
time intervals. Dirac in the early 30's sowed the seeds of the path
integral formulation of ~uantum mecha- nics. However, the major and
decisive step in this direction was taken with Feynman's works in
~uantum and statistical physics, and quantum electrodynamicso The
applications now extend to areas such as continuous mechanics, and
recently functional integration methods have been employed by
Edwards for the study of polymerized matter.
The Aharonov-Bohm effect is associated with cyclic motion. It is
one of a number of anholonomic effects, and this means that the
dynamical description depends on the current position of the system
and on the path by which it reached that position.
An example of an anholonomic effect is Foucault's famous pendulum,
which simply demonstrates the Earth's rotation. The Sagnac effect -
a light beam passing around a rotated system of mirrors - is
another example. Modern dynamical developments such as Hannay's
angle and Berry's phase are further useful examples.
The book addresses three major topics in mathematical physics: 1.
recent rigorous results in potential theory with appli- cations in
particle physics, 2. analyticity in quantum field theory and its
applica- tions, and 3. fundamentals and applications of the inverse
problem. In addition, the book contains some contributions on
questions of general interest in quantum field theory such as
nonperturbative solutions of quantum chromodynamics, bifurcation
theory applied to chiral symmetry, as well as exactly soluable
models. The volume closes with a brief review of geometric
approaches to particle physics and a phenomenological discussion of
Higgs interactions.
This review gives a brief discussion of the structure of the
Standard Model and its quantum corrections for testing the
electroweak theory at current and future colliders. The predictions
for the vector boson masses, neutrino scattering cross sections,
and the Z resonance observables such as the width of the Z
resonance, partial widths, effective neutral current coupling
constants and mixing angles at the Z peak, are presented. Recent
experimental data and their implications for the present status of
the Standard Model are compared. Finally, the question of how
virtual new physics can influence the predictions for the precision
observables and the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM) as
a special example of particular theoretical interest are discussed.
This book describes manifestations of classical dynamics and chaos
in the quantum properties of mesoscopic systems. During the last
two decades mesoscopic physics has evolved into a rapidly
progressing and exciting interdisciplinary field of physics. The
first part of the book deals with integrable and chaotic classical
dynamics with particular emphasis on the semiclassical description
of spectral correlations, thermodynamic properties and linear
response functions. The main part shows applications to prominent
observables in the mesoscopic context.
This book is devoted to some recently developed techniques in
quantum field theory (QFT), as well as to their main applications
to different areas of parti cle physics. All together they are
known as the effective or phenomenological Lagrangian formalism.
Motivated by the enormous amount of work carried out in this field
during the last years, our purpose when writing this book has been
to give a modern and pedagogical exposition of the most relevant as
pects of the topic. We hope that our efforts will be useful, both
for graduated students in the search for a solid theoretical
background in modern phe nomenology and for more experimented
particle physicists willing to learn about this field or to start
working on it. Even though we have tried to keep the book as
self-contained as possible, it has been written assuming that the
reader is familiar, at least, with the most basic concepts and
techniques of QFT, gauge theories, the standard model (SM) and
differential geometry, at the level of graduate studies. It is
therefore possible that senior high-energy physicists may find the
book too detailed and so they could probably omit several sections.
The book is divided into two main parts and the appendices. In the
first part we introduce the fundamentals of the effective
Lagrangian formalism and other basic topics such as Ward
identities, non-linear sigma models (NLSM), spontaneous symmetry
breaking (SSB), anomalies, the SM symmetries, etc."
This thesis provides an introduction to the physics of the Standard
Model and beyond, and to the methods used to analyse Large Hadron
Collider (LHC) data. The 'hierarchy problem', astrophysical data
and experiments on neutrinos indicate that new physics can be
expected at the now accessible TeV scale. This work investigates
extensions of the Standard Model with gravitons and gravitinos (in
the context of supergravity). The production of these particles in
association with jets is studied as one of the most promising
avenues for researching new physics at the LHC. Advanced simulation
techniques and tools, such as algorithms allowing the computation
of Feynman graphs and helicity amplitudes are first developed and
then employed.
Trajectory-based formalisms are an intuitively appealing way of
describing quantum processes because they allow the use of
"classical" concepts. Beginning as an introductory level suitable
for students, this two-volume monograph presents (1) the
fundamentals and (2) the applications of the trajectory description
of basic quantum processes. This second volume is focussed on
simple and basic applications of quantum processes such as
interference and diffraction of wave packets, tunneling, diffusion
and bound-state and scattering problems. The corresponding analysis
is carried out within the Bohmian framework. By stressing its
interpretational aspects, the book leads the reader to an
alternative and complementary way to better understand the
underlying quantum dynamics.
This thesis breaks new ground in the physics of photonic circuits
for quantum optical applications. The photonic circuits are based
either on ridge waveguides or photonic crystals, with embedded
quantum dots providing the single qubit, quantum optical emitters.
The highlight of the thesis is the first demonstration of a
spin-photon interface using an all-waveguide geometry, a vital
component of a quantum optical circuit, based on deterministic
single photon emission from a single quantum dot. The work makes a
further important contribution to the field by demonstrating the
effects and limitations that inevitable disorder places on photon
propagation in photonic crystal waveguides, a further key component
of quantum optical circuits. Overall the thesis offers a number of
highly novel contributions to the field; those on chip circuits may
prove to be the only means of scaling up the highly promising
quantum-dot-based quantum information technology.
Extensions to the No-Core Shell Model presents three extensions to
the No-Core Shell Model (NCSM) that allow for calculations of
heavier nuclei, specifically for the p-shell nuclei. The
Importance-Truncated NCSM (IT-NCSM) formulated on arguments of
multi-configurational perturbation theory selects a small set of
basis states from the initially large basis space in which the
Hamiltonian is diagonalized. Previous IT-NCSM calculations have
proven reliable, however, there has been no thorough investigation
of the inherent error in the truncated IT-NCSM calculations. This
thesis provides a detailed study of IT-NCSM calculations and
compares them to full NCSM calculations to judge the accuracy of
IT-NCSM in heavier nuclei. When IT-NCSM calculations are performed,
one often needs to extrapolate the ground-state energy from the
finite basis (or model) spaces to the full NCSM model space. In
this thesis a careful investigation of the extrapolation procedures
was performed. On a related note, extrapolations in the NCSM are
commonplace, but up to recently did not have the ultraviolet (UV)
or infrared (IR) physics under control. This work additionally
presents a method that maps the NCSM parameters into an
effective-field theory inspired framework, in which the UV and IR
physics are treated appropriately. The NCSM is well-suited to
describe bound-state properties of nuclei, but is not well-adapted
to describe loosely bound systems, such as the exotic nuclei near
the neutron drip line. With the inclusion of the Resonating Group
Method (RGM), the NCSM / RGM can provide a first-principles
description of exotic nuclei and the first extension of the NCSM.
"CP" violation is a well-established phenomenon in particle
physics, but until 2001 it was only observed in kaons. In the last
decade, several matter-antimatter asymmetries have been observed in
neutral B mesons in line with the expectations of the Standard
Model of the weak interaction. Direct "CP" violation is also
expected in the decay rates of charged "B+ "mesons versus that of
"B-" mesons, though the greatest effects are present in a decay
that occurs just twice in 10 million decays. Such rarity requires
huge samples to study and this is exactly what the LHC, and its
dedicated "B-"physics experiment LHCb provide.This thesispresents
ananalysis of the first two years of LHCb data.The authordescribes
the first observation of the rare decay, "B- DK-, D -K+ "and the
first observation of direct "CP" violation in this "B" decay. The
workconstitutes essential information on the experiment s
measurement of a fundamental parameter of the theory and stands as
a benchmark against which subsequent analyses of this type will be
compared."
This monograph identifies the essential characteristics of the
objects described by current quantum theory and considers their
relationship to space-time. In the process, it explicates the
senses in which quantum objects may be consistently considered to
have parts of which they may be composed or into which they may be
decomposed. The book also demonstrates the degree to which
reduction is possible in quantum mechanics, showing it to be
related to the objective indefiniteness of quantum properties and
the strong non-local correlations that can occur between the
physical quantities of quantum subsystems. Careful attention is
paid to the relationships among such property correlations,
physical causation, probability, and symmetry in quantum theory. In
this way, the text identifies and clarifies the conceptual grounds
underlying the unique nature of many quantum phenomena.
The extensive development of electronics and automation equip ment
defines the scientific and technical significance of all types of
high-density energy converters that are used in electronic and
automatic equipment. A powerful pulsed discharge in gas is one type
of conversion of electrical energy into extremely intense optical
radiation. In order to characterize the possibilities inherent in
such a discharge, it suffices to recall that high-power lasers were
first developed by using flashlamps based on precisely this kind of
discharge. The correct use of existing types of flashlamps, work
toward developing new types of flashlamps, and the solution of new
problems by using such flashlamps require a knowledge of the
physical processes that occur in them and the relationship between
their technical characteristics and their design data and
power-supply parameters. An acquaintance with the variety of
existing flashlamps and the cir cuits used in the equipment
employing them also is needed."
Quantum mechanics is one of mankind's most remarkable intellectual
achievements. Stunningly successful and elegant, it challenges our
deepest intuitions about the world. In this book, seventeen
physicists and philosophers, all deeply concerned with
understanding quantum mechanics, reply to Schlosshauer's
penetrating questions about the central issues. They grant us an
intimate look at their radically different ways of making sense of
the theory's strangeness. What is quantum mechanics about? What is
it telling us about nature? Can quantum information or new
experiments help lift the fog? And where are we headed next?
Everyone interested in the contemporary but often longstanding
conundrums of quantum theory, whether lay reader or expert, will
find much food for thought in these pages. A wealth of personal
reflections and anecdotes guarantee an engaging read. Participants:
Guido Bacciagaluppi, Caslav Brukner, Jeffrey Bub, Arthur Fine,
Christopher Fuchs, GianCarlo Ghirardi, Shelly Goldstein, Daniel
Greenberger, Lucien Hardy, Anthony Leggett, Tim Maudlin, David
Mermin, Lee Smolin, Antony Valentini, David Wallace, Anton
Zeilinger, and Wojciech Zurek.
Given the extensive application of random walks in virtually every
science related discipline, we may be at the threshold of yet
another problem solving paradigm with the advent of quantum walks.
Over the past decade, quantum walks have been explored for their
non-intuitive dynamics, which may hold the key to radically new
quantum algorithms. This growing interest has been paralleled by a
flurry of research into how one can implement quantum walks in
laboratories. This book presents numerous proposals as well as
actual experiments for such a physical realization, underpinned by
a wide range of quantum, classical and hybrid technologies.
The theoretical foundations of the Standard Model of elementary
particles relies on the existence of the Higgs boson, a particle
which has been revealed for the first time by the experiments run
at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in 2012. As the Higgs boson is
an unstable particle, its search strategies were based on its decay
products. In this thesis, Francesco Pandolfi conducted a search for
the Higgs boson in the H ZZ l + l - qq Decay Channel with 4.6 fb -1
of 7 TeV proton-proton collision data collected by the Compact Muon
Solenoid (CMS) experiment. The presence of jets in the final state
poses a series of challenges to the experimenter: both from a
technical point of view, as jets are complex objects and
necessitate of ad-hoc reconstruction techniques, and from an
analytical one, as backgrounds with jets are copious at hadron
colliders, therefore analyses must obtain high degrees of
background rejection in order to achieve competitive sensitivity.
This is accomplished by following two directives: the use of an
angular likelihood discriminant, capable of discriminating events
likely to originate from the decay of a scalar boson from
non-resonant backgrounds, and by using jet parton flavor tagging,
selecting jets compatible with quark hadronization and discarding
jets more likely to be initiated by gluons. The events passing the
selection requirements in 4.6 fb -1 of data collected by the CMS
detector are examined, in the search of a possible signal
compatible with the decay of a heavy Higgs boson. The thesis
describes the statistical tools and the results of this analysis.
This work is a paradigm for studies of the Higgs boson with final
states with jets. The non-expert physicists will enjoy a complete
and eminently readable description of a proton-proton collider
analysis. At the same time, the expert reader will learn the
details of the searches done with jets at CMS.
One of the best ways to "lift the lid" on what is happening inside
a given material is to study it using nuclear magnetic resonance
(NMR). Of particular interest are NMR 1/T1 relaxation rates, which
measure how fast energy stored in magnetic nuclei is transferred to
surrounding electrons. This thesis develops a detailed,
quantitative theory of NMR 1/T1 relaxation rates, and shows for the
first time how they could be used to measure the speed at which
energy travels in a wide range of magnetic materials. This theory
is used to make predictions for"Quantum Spin Nematics", an exotic
form of quantum order analogous to a liquid crystal. In order to do
so, it is first necessary to unravel how spin nematics transport
energy. This thesis proposes a new way to do this, based on the
description of quarks in high-energy physics. Experiments to test
the ideas presented are now underway in laboratories across the
world.
|
|