This book presents a comprehensive overview of state-of-the-art quantum dot photodetectors, including device fabrication technologies, optical engineering/manipulation strategies, and emerging photodetectors with building blocks of novel quantum dots (e.g. perovskite) as well as their hybrid structured (e.g. 0D/2D) materials. Semiconductor quantum dots have attracted much attention due to their unique quantum confinement effect, which allows for the facile tuning of optical properties that are promising for next-generation optoelectronic applications. Among these remarkable properties are large absorption coefficient, high photosensitivity, and tunable optical spectrum from ultraviolet/visible to infrared region, all of which are very attractive and favorable for photodetection applications. The book covers both fundamental and frontier research in order to stimulate readers' interests in developing novel ideas for semiconductor photodetectors at the center of future developments in materials science, nanofabrication technology and device commercialization. The book provides a knowledge sharing platform and can be used as a reference for researchers working in the fields of photonics, materials science, and nanodevices.

This volume of the CRM Conference Series is based on a carefully refereed selection of contributions presented at the "11th International Symposium on Quantum Theory and Symmetries", held in Montreal, Canada from July 1-5, 2019. The main objective of the meeting was to share and make accessible new research and recent results in several branches of Theoretical and Mathematical Physics, including Algebraic Methods, Condensed Matter Physics, Cosmology and Gravitation, Integrability, Non-perturbative Quantum Field Theory, Particle Physics, Quantum Computing and Quantum Information Theory, and String/ADS-CFT. There was also a special session in honour of Decio Levi. The volume is divided into sections corresponding to the sessions held during the symposium, allowing the reader to appreciate both the homogeneity and the diversity of mathematical tools that have been applied in these subject areas. Several of the plenary speakers, who are internationally recognized experts in their fields, have contributed reviews of the main topics to complement the original contributions.

The scattering theory for transport phenomena was initiated by P. Lax and R. Phillips in 1967. Since then, great progress has been made in the field and the work has been ongoing for more than half a century. This book shows part of that progress. The book is divided into 7 chapters, the first of which deals with preliminaries of the theory of semigroups and C*-algebra, different types of semigroups, Schatten-von Neuman classes of operators, and facts about ultraweak operator topology, with examples using wavelet theory. Chapter 2 goes into abstract scattering theory in a general Banach space. The wave and scattering operators and their basic properties are defined. Some abstract methods such as smooth perturbation and the limiting absorption principle are also presented. Chapter 3 is devoted to the transport or linearized Boltzmann equation, and in Chapter 4 the Lax and Phillips formalism is introduced in scattering theory for the transport equation. In their seminal book, Lax and Phillips introduced the incoming and outgoing subspaces, which verify their representation theorem for a dissipative hyperbolic system initially and also matches for the transport problem. By means of these subspaces, the Lax and Phillips semigroup is defined and it is proved that this semigroup is eventually compact, hence hyperbolic. Balanced equations give rise to two transport equations, one of which can satisfy an advection equation and one of which will be nonautonomous. For generating, the Howland semigroup and Howland's formalism must be used, as shown in Chapter 5. Chapter 6 is the highlight of the book, in which it is explained how the scattering operator for the transport problem by using the albedo operator can lead to recovery of the functionality of computerized tomography in medical science. The final chapter introduces the Wigner function, which connects the Schroedinger equation to statistical physics and the Husimi distribution function. Here, the relationship between the Wigner function and the quantum dynamical semigroup (QDS) can be seen.

The book provides a unifying insight into fluctuation phenomena in a broad variety of vibrational systems of current interest. It consists of individual chapters written by leading experts in the field. The chapters are self-contained and complement each other. The ongoing rapid development of well-characterized mesoscopic vibrational systems has made it possible to address fundamental physics problems and to explore new approaches to quantum and classical measurements, with applications to quantum information, condensed matter physics, and engineering. The book gives an account of major results in this direction. The topics include dynamics and quantum control of microcavity modes coupled to qubits, measurements with bifurcation-based amplifiers and new types of such amplifiers; switching rate scaling and new quantum mechanisms of metastable decay; wave mixing and parametric excitation in the quantum regime; collective phenomena and the interaction-induced discrete time symmetry breaking; and back-action and shot noise in electron-vibrational systems.

This book offers a modern way of dealing with the problems of equilibrium states of Bose systems. Starting with the variation principle of statistical mechanics and the energy-entropy balance principle as equilibrium criteria, results for general boson systems and models are explicitly derived using simple functional analytic calculus.

Bridging the gap between general theoretical physics and the phenomenological research in the field of Bose systems, this book provides an insight into the fascinating quantum world of bosons. Key topics include the occurrence of BEC and its intimate structural relation with the phenomena of spontaneous symmetry breaking and off-diagonal long range order; the condensate equation; the issue concerning the choice of boundary conditions; solvable versus non-solvable boson models; the set of quasi-free boson states; the role of dissipative perturbations; and the surprising but general relation between general quantum fluctuations and boson systems.

Only some knowledge of quantum mechanics and undergraduate algebra and analysis is assumed. This textbook brings students and researchers smoothly from general concepts to vivid applications.

Available here for the first time in English, "Reality and Its Order" is a remarkable philosophical text by Werner Heisenberg, the father of quantum mechanics and one of the leading scientists of the 20th century. Written during the wartime years and initially distributed only to his family and trusted friends, the essay describes Heisenberg's philosophical view of how we understand the natural world and our role within it. In this volume, the essay is introduced by the physicist Helmut Rechenberg and annotated by the science historian Ernst Peter Fischer. The content, particularly within its historical context, will be of great interest to many physicists, philosophers and historians of science.

This book and its sequel (Theories of Matter Space and Time: Quantum Theories) are taken from third and fourth year undergraduate Physics courses at Southampton University, UK. The aim of both books is to move beyond the initial courses in classical mechanics, special relativity, electromagnetism, and quantum theory to more sophisticated views of these subjects and their interdependence. The goal is to guide undergraduates through some of the trickier areas of theoretical physics with concise analysis while revealing the key elegance of each subject. The first chapter introduces the key areas of the principle of least action, an alternative treatment of Newtownian dynamics, that provides new understanding of conservation laws. In particular, it shows how the formalism evolved from Fermat's principle of least time in optics. The second introduces special relativity leading quickly to the need and form of four-vectors. It develops four-vectors for all kinematic variables and generalize Newton's second law to the relativistic environment; then returns to the principle of least action for a free relativistic particle. The third chapter presents a review of the integral and differential forms of Maxwell's equations before massaging them to four-vector form so that the Lorentz boost properties of electric and magnetic fields are transparent. Again, it then returns to the action principle to formulate minimal substitution for an electrically charged particle.

This thesis presents a comprehensive theoretical description of classical and quantum aspects of plasmonics in three and two dimensions, and also in transdimensional systems containing elements with different dimensionalities. It focuses on the theoretical understanding of the salient features of plasmons in nanosystems as well as on the multifaceted aspects of plasmon-enhanced light-matter interactions at the nanometer scale. Special emphasis is given to the modeling of nonclassical behavior across the transition regime bridging the classical and the quantum domains. The research presented in this dissertation provides useful tools for understanding surface plasmons in various two- and three-dimensional nanostructures, as well as quantum mechanical effects in their response and their joint impact on light-matter interactions at the extreme nanoscale. These contributions constitute novel and solid advancements in the research field of plasmonics and nanophotonics that will help guide future experimental investigations in the blossoming field of nanophotonics, and also facilitate the design of the next generation of truly nanoscale nanophotonic devices.

Following the emergence of quantum computing, the subsequent quantum revolution will be that of interconnecting individual quantum computers at the global level. In the same way that classical computers only realised their full potential with the emergence of the internet, a fully-realised quantum internet is the next stage of evolution for quantum computation. This cutting-edge book examines in detail how the quantum internet would evolve in practise, focusing not only on the technology itself, but also the implications it will have economically and politically, with numerous non-technical sections throughout the text providing broader context to the discussion. The book begins with a description of classical networks before introducing the key concepts behind quantum networks, such as quantum internet protocols, quantum cryptography, and cloud quantum computing. Written in an engaging style and accessible to graduate students in physics, engineering, computer science and mathematics.

This book provides an overview of state-of-the-art implementations of quantum random number generators (QRNGs), and especially examines their relation to classical statistical randomness models and numerical techniques for computing random numbers. The reader - who ideally has a background in classical statistics, computer science, or cryptography - is introduced to the world of quantum bits step by step, and explicit relations between QRNGs and their classical counterparts are identified along the way. Random number generation is a major pillar of cryptography. Capitalizing on the randomness inherent in quantum phenomena is a rapidly evolving branch of quantum cryptography with countless applications for the future. The value of quantum randomness for cryptographic purposes is empirically demonstrated in statistical evaluations of QRNGs' performance compared to classical techniques for true and pseudorandom number generation. The book then provides an overview of technical implementations of QRNGs, before a concluding discussion of major achievements and remaining obstacles in the field rounds out the coverage, while also opening the door for future research directions.

The search for a quantum theory of the gravitational field is one of the great open problems in theoretical physics. This book presents a self-contained discussion of the concepts, methods and applications that can be expected in such a theory. The two main approaches to its construction - the direct quantisation of Einstein's general theory of relativity and string theory - are covered. Whereas the first attempts to construct a viable theory for the gravitational field alone, string theory assumes that a quantum theory of gravity will be achieved only through a unification of all the interactions. However, both employ the general method of quantization of constrained systems, which is described together with illustrative examples relevant for quantum gravity. There is a detailed presentation of the main approaches employed in quantum general relativity: path-integral quantization, the background-field method and canonical quantum gravity in the metric, connection and loop formulations. The discussion of string theory centres around its quantum-gravitational aspects and the comparison with quantum general relativity. Physical applications discussed at length include the quantization of black holes, quantum cosmology, the indications of a discrete structure of spacetime, and the origin of irreversibility. This third edition contains new chapters or sections on quantum gravity phenomenology, Horava-Lifshitz quantum gravity, analogue gravity, the holographic principle, and affine quantum gravity. It will present updates on loop quantum cosmology, the LTB model, asymptotic safety, and various discrete approaches. The third edition also contains pedagogical extensions throughout the text. This book will be of interest to researchers and students working in relativity and gravitation, cosmology, quantum field theory and related topics. It will also be of interest to mathematicians and philosophers of science.

Niels Bohr and the Quantum Atom is the first book that focuses in detail on the birth and development of Bohr's atomic theory and gives a comprehensive picture of it. At the same time it offers new insight into Bohr's peculiar way of thinking, what Einstein once called his 'unique instinct and tact'. Contrary to most other accounts of the Bohr atom, the book presents it in a broader perspective which includes the reception among other scientists and the criticism launched against it by scientists of a more conservative inclination. Moreover, it discusses the theory as Bohr originally conceived it, namely, as an ambitious theory covering the structure of atoms as well as molecules. By discussing the theory in its entirety it becomes possible to understand why it developed as it did and thereby to use it as an example of the dynamics of scientific theories.

The ancient Greeks believed that everything in the Universe should be describable in terms of geometry. This thesis takes several steps towards realising this goal by introducing geometric descriptions of systems such as quantum gravity, fermionic particles and the origins of the Universe itself. The author extends the applicability of previous work by Vilkovisky, DeWitt and others to include theories with spin 1/2 and spin 2 degrees of freedom. In addition, he introduces a geometric description of the potential term in a quantum field theory through a process known as the Eisenhart lift. Finally, the methods are applied to the theory of inflation, where they show how geometry can help answer a long-standing question about the initial conditions of the Universe. This publication is aimed at graduate and advanced undergraduate students and provides a pedagogical introduction to the exciting topic of field space covariance and the complete geometrization of quantum field theory.

Remarkable recent progress in quantum optics has given rise to extremely precise quantum measurements that are used in the research into the fundamentals of quantum physics, and in different branches of physics such as optical spectroscopy. This progress stimulates new technologies in the field of optical communications, optical computation and information systems. This state-of-the-art volume presents work from a Summer School on Advances in Quantum Optics and Spectroscopy of Solids, held in Ankara, Turkey, in 1995. The various contributions written by leading scientists in the field cover a wide range of subjects in this exciting area of physics, and report new and important results and ideas. Topics dealt with include the interaction of quantum light with trapped atoms and condensed matter; quantum tomography and phase analysis; and many applications of quantum optics from mesoscopic physics to correlation spectroscopy of non-classical states, which are of major importance in understanding the nature of collective excitations in solids. Audience: This book will be of interest to postgraduate students and researchers whose work involves quantum optics, solid state spectroscopy and its applications.

This thesis presents the first experimental calibration of the top-quark Monte-Carlo mass. It also provides the top-quark mass-independent and most precise top-quark pair production cross-section measurement to date. The most precise measurements of the top-quark mass obtain the top-quark mass parameter (Monte-Carlo mass) used in simulations, which are partially based on heuristic models. Its interpretation in terms of mass parameters used in theoretical calculations, e.g. a running or a pole mass, has been a long-standing open problem with far-reaching implications beyond particle physics, even affecting conclusions on the stability of the vacuum state of our universe. In this thesis, this problem is solved experimentally in three steps using data obtained with the compact muon solenoid (CMS) detector. The most precise top-quark pair production cross-section measurements to date are performed. The Monte-Carlo mass is determined and a new method for extracting the top-quark mass from theoretical calculations is presented. Lastly, the top-quark production cross-sections are obtained - for the first time - without residual dependence on the top-quark mass, are interpreted using theoretical calculations to determine the top-quark running- and pole mass with unprecedented precision, and are fully consistently compared with the simultaneously obtained top-quark Monte-Carlo mass.

This thesis uses the tools of quantum information science to uncover fascinating new insights about the intersection of quantum theory and relativity. It is divided into three self-contained parts, the first of which employs detector models to investigate how the information content of quantum fields depends on spacetime curvature and global spacetime topology. The behavior of Unruh-DeWitt detectors on curved spacetimes are investigated, following which these detectors are used to probe the vacuum state of a scalar field in various topologies. This leads to a generalization of the entanglement harvesting protocol involving detectors in arbitrary curved spacetimes admitting a Wightman function. The second part extends the theory of quantum reference frames to those associated with noncompact groups. Motivated by the pursuit of a relational relativistic quantum theory where the group of reference frames is the Poincare group, the author then generalizes a communication protocol between two parties lacking a common reference frame to the scenario where the group of transformations of their reference frame is a one-dimensional noncompact Lie group. Finally, the third part, inspired by theories of quantum gravity, generalizes the conditional probability interpretation of time, a proposed mechanism for time to emerge from a fundamentally timeless Universe. While the conditional probability interpretation of time is based upon conditioning a solution to the Wheeler-DeWitt equation on a subsystem of the universe that acts a clock, the author extends this approach to include an interaction between the system being used as a clock and a system whose evolution the clock is tracking.

This book reveals unique transport phenomena and functionalities in topological insulators coupled with magnetism and superconductivity. Topological insulators are a recently discovered class of materials that possess a spin-momentum-locked surface state. Their exotic spin texture makes them an exciting platform for investigating emergent phenomena, especially when coupled with magnetism or superconductivity. Focusing on the strong correlation between electricity and magnetism in magnetic topological insulators, the author presents original findings on current-direction-dependent nonreciprocal resistance, current-induced magnetization reversal and chiral edge conduction at the domain wall. In addition, he demonstrates how the coupling between superconductivity and topological surface state leads to substantial nonreciprocal resistance. The author also elucidates the origins of these phenomena and deepens readers' understanding of the topologically nontrivial electronic state. The book includes several works which are published in top journals and were selected for the President's Award by the University of Tokyo and for the Ikushi Prize, awarded to distinguished Ph.D. students in Japan.

This book presents a history of the correspondence principle from a new perspective. The author provides a unique exploration of the relation between the practice of theory and conceptual development in physics. In the process, he argues for a new understanding of the history of the old quantum theory and the emergence of quantum mechanics. The analysis looks at how the correspondence principle was disseminated and how the principle was applied as a research tool during the 1920s. It provides new insights into the interaction between theoretical tools and scientific problems and shows that the use of this theoretical tool changed the tool itself in a process of transformation through implementation. This process, the author claims, was responsible for the conceptual development of the correspondence principle. This monograph connects to the vast literature in the history of science, which analyzed theoretical practices as based on tacit knowledge, skills, and calculation techniques. It contributes to the historical understanding of quantum physics and the emergence of quantum mechanics. Studying how physicists used a set of tools to solve problems, the author spells out the skillful guessing" that went into the making of quantum theoretical arguments and argues that the integration and implementation of technical resources was a central driving force for the conceptual and theoretical transformation in the old quantum theory.

While quantum theory has been used to study the physical universe with great profit, both intellectual and financial, ever since its discovery eighty-five years ago, over the last fifty years we have found out more and more about the theory itself, and what it tells us about the universe. It seems we may have to accept non-locality - cause and effect may be light-years apart; loss of realism - nature may be fundamentally probabilistic; and non-determinism - it seems that God does play dice! This book, totally up-to-date and written by an expert in the field, explains the emergence of our new perspective on quantum theory, but also describes how the ideas involved in this re-evaluation led seamlessly to a totally new discipline - quantum information theory. This discipline includes quantum computation, which is able to perform tasks quite out of the range of other computers; the totally secure algorithms of quantum cryptography; and quantum teleportation - as part of science fact rather than science fiction. The book is the first to combine these elements, and will be of interest to anybody interested in fundamental aspects of science and their application to the real world.

In modern mathematical physics, classical together with quantum, geometrical and functional analytic methods are used simultaneously. Non-commutative geometry in particular is becoming a useful tool in quantum field theories. This book, aimed at advanced students and researchers, provides an introduction to these ideas. Researchers will benefit particularly from the extensive survey articles on models relating to quantum gravity, string theory, and non-commutative geometry, as well as Connes' approach to the standard model.

John von Neumann (1903-1957) was undoubtedly one of the scientific geniuses of the 20th century. The main fields to which he contributed include various disciplines of pure and applied mathematics, mathematical and theoretical physics, logic, theoretical computer science, and computer architecture. Von Neumann was also actively involved in politics and science management and he had a major impact on US government decisions during, and especially after, the Second World War. There exist several popular books on his personality and various collections focusing on his achievements in mathematics, computer science, and economy. Strangely enough, to date no detailed appraisal of his seminal contributions to the mathematical foundations of quantum physics has appeared. Von Neumann's theory of measurement and his critique of hidden variables became the touchstone of most debates in the foundations of quantum mechanics. Today, his name also figures most prominently in the mathematically rigorous branches of contemporary quantum mechanics of large systems and quantum field theory. And finally - as one of his last lectures, published in this volume for the first time, shows - he considered the relation of quantum logic and quantum mechanical probability as his most important problem for the second half of the twentieth century. The present volume embraces both historical and systematic analyses of his methodology of mathematical physics, and of the various aspects of his work in the foundations of quantum physics, such as theory of measurement, quantum logic, and quantum mechanical entropy. The volume is rounded off by previously unpublished letters and lectures documenting von Neumann's thinking about quantum theory after his 1932 Mathematical Foundations of Quantum Mechanics. The general part of the Yearbook contains papers emerging from the Institute's annual lecture series and reviews of important publications of philosophy of science and its history.

This is a textbook on the theory and calculation of molecular electromagnetic and spectroscopic properties designed for a one-semester course with lectures and exercise classes. The idea of the book is to provide thorough background knowledge for the calculation of electromagnetic and spectroscopic properties of molecules with modern quantum chemical software packages.
The book covers the derivation of the molecular Hamiltonian in the presence of electromagnetic fields, and of time-independent and time-dependent perturbation theory in the form of response theory. It defines many molecular properties and spectral parameters and gives an introduction to modern computational chemistry methods.

The theories of quantum fields and strings have had a fruitful impact on certain exciting developments in mathematics and have sparked mathematicians' interest in further understanding some of the basic elements of these grand physical theories. This self-contained text presents quantum mechanics from the point of view of some computational examples with a mixture of mathematical clarity often not found in texts offering only a purely physical point of view. Emphasis is placed on the systematic application of the Nikiforov--Uvarov theory of generalized hypergeometric differential equations to solve the SchrAdinger equation and to obtain the quantization of energies from a single unified point of view. This theory is developed and is also used to give a uniform approach to the theory of special functions. Additional key features: * Considerable material is devoted to the foundations of classical mechanics using conventional mathematical terminology * The first 10 chapters of Part I cover Planck and SchrAdinger quantization, Pauli's spin functions, and an introduction to multielectron atoms * Part II treats such topics as Feynman path integrals, quantum statistical partition functions, high and low temperature asymptotics of quantum fields of over a negatively curved space-time * Selected special topics involve some applications of the theory of automorphic forms, zeta functions, the Jacobi inversion formula, spherical harmonic analysis and the Selberg trace formula * Excellent bibliography and index. Communication between physicists and mathematicians requires continual bridges to eliminate the divide. This monograph furthers that goal in presenting some new and exciting applications ofso-called pure mathematics, including number theory, to various problems arising in physics. An excellent resource for classroom or self-study.

With a new chapter on quantum entanglement and quantum information, as well as added discussions of the quantum beam splitter, electromagnetically induced transparency, slow light and the input-output formalism, this fourth edition of the brilliant work on quantum optics has been much updated. It still gives a self-contained and broad coverage of the basic elements necessary to understand and carry out research in laser physics and quantum optics, including a review of basic quantum mechanics and pedagogical introductions to system-reservoir interactions and to second quantization. The text reveals the close connection between many seemingly unrelated topics, such as probe absorption, four-wave mixing, optical instabilities, resonance fluorescence and squeezing.

This book offers a fresh perspective on some of the central experimental and theoretical works that laid the foundations for today's quantum mechanics: It traces the theoretical and mathematical development of the hypotheses that put forward to explain puzzling experimental results; it also examines their interconnections and how they together evolved into modern quantum theory. Particular attention is paid to J.J. Thomson's atomic modeling and experiments at the Cavendish Laboratory, Max Planck's struggle to explain the experimental results of Heinrich Rubens and Ferdinand Kurlbaum, as well as the path leading from Louis de Broglie's ideas to the wave theory of Erwin Schroedinger. Combining his experience in teaching quantum mechanics with his interest in the historical roots of the subject, the author has created a valuable resource for understanding quantum physics through its history, and a book that is appreciated both by working physicists and historians.