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Books > Science & Mathematics > Physics > Quantum physics (quantum mechanics)
Exactly solvable models, that is, models with explicitly and completely diagonalizable Hamiltonians are too few in number and insufficiently diverse to meet the requirements of modern quantum physics. Quasi-exactly solvable (QES) models (whose Hamiltonians admit an explicit diagonalization only for some limited segments of the spectrum) provide a practical way forward. Although QES models are a recent discovery, the results are already numerous. Collecting the results of QES models in a unified and accessible form, Quasi-Exactly Solvable Models in Quantum Mechanics provides an invaluable resource for physicists using quantum mechanics and applied mathematicians dealing with linear differential equations. By generalizing from one-dimensional QES models, the expert author constructs the general theory of QES problems in quantum mechanics. He describes the connections between QES models and completely integrable theories of magnetic chains, determines the spectra of QES Schroedinger equations using the Bethe-Iansatz solution of the Gaudin model, discusses hidden symmetry properties of QES Hamiltonians, and explains various Lie algebraic and analytic approaches to the problem of quasi-exact solubility in quantum mechanics. Because the applications of QES models are very wide, such as, for investigating non-perturbative phenomena or as a good approximation to exactly non-solvable problems, researchers in quantum mechanics-related fields cannot afford to be unaware of the possibilities of QES models.
Advances in technology are taking the accuracy of macroscopic as well as microscopic measurements close to the quantum limit, for example, in the attempts to detect gravitational waves. Interest in continuous quantum measurements has therefore grown considerably in recent years. Continuous Quantum Measurements and Path Integrals examines these measurements using Feynman path integrals. The path integral theory is developed to provide formulae for concrete physical effects. The main conclusion drawn from the theory is that an uncertainty principle exists for processes, in addition to the familiar one for states. This implies that a continuous measurement has an optimal accuracy-a balance between inefficient error and large quantum fluctuations (quantum noise). A well-known expert in the field, the author concentrates on the physical and conceptual side of the subject rather than the mathematical.
Quantum electrodynamics (QED) is the branch of relativistic quantum field theory that deals specifically with the interactions between charged particles. It is widely used to solve problems in many areas of physics, such as elementary particles, atomic and molecular systems, and solid state physics. This accessible text, Basics of Quantum Electrodynamics, supplies a solid foundation in this dynamic area of physics, making a direct connection to the concepts of quantum mechanics familiar to the advanced undergraduate student. Chapters cover the general theory of free fields and the quantization of the scalar, electromagnetic, and spinorial fields, which prepares readers for understanding field interactions. The authors describe the general theory of field interactions, introducing the scattering matrix and the Feynman-Dyson graphs. They then discuss divergence-free second-order processes, such as Compton and Moller scattering, followed by divergent second-order processes, which cover vacuum polarization and mass and charge renormalization. Providing a modern, informative textbook, this volume illustrates the intimate connection between quantum mechanics and QED in two basic steps: the quantization of free fields, followed by the theory of their interactions. The text contains solved problems to facilitate the application of the theory, as well as a useful appendix on the theory of distributions. The step-by-step description of the quantization of various fields and the clear presentation of the most important interaction processes in QED make this textbook a useful guide for those studying physics at both the graduate and undergraduate level, as well as a reference for teachers and researchers in the field.
Taking a heuristic approach to relativistic quantum mechanics, Practical Quantum Electrodynamics provides a complete introduction to the theory, methodologies, and calculations used for explaining the physical interaction of charged particles. This book combines the principles of relativity and quantum theory necessary for performing the calculations of the electromagnetic scattering of electrons and positrons and the emission and absorption of photons. Beginning with an introduction of the wave equations for spin-0 and spin-1/2 particles, the author compares and contrasts the relativistic and spin effects for both types of particles. He emphasizes how the relativistic treatment of quantum mechanics and the spin-1/2 degree of freedom are necessary to describe electromagnetic interactions involving electron scattering and points out the shortfalls of the wave-equation approach to relativistic quantum mechanics. Developing the Feynman rules for quantum electrodynamics by example, the book offers an intuitive, hands-on approach for performing fundamental calculations. It also illustrates how to perform calculations that can be related to experiments such as diagrams, lifetimes, and cross sections. Practical Quantum Electrodynamics builds a strong foundation for further studies and research in theoretical and particle physics, particularly relativistic quantum field theory or nonrelativistic many-body theory.
Quantum theory offers a strange, and perhaps unique, case in the history of science. Although research into its roots has provided important results in recent years, the debate goes on. Some theorists argue that quantum theory is weakened by the inclusion of the so called "reduction of the state vector" in its foundations. Quantum Theory without Reduction presents arguments in favor of quantum theory as a consistent and complete theory without this reduction and as a theory capable of explaining all known features of the measurement problem. This collection of invited contributions defines and explores different aspects of this issue, bringing an old debate into a new perspective and leading to a more satisfying consensus about quantum theory. The book will be of interest to researchers in theoretical physics and mathematical physics involved in the foundations of quantum theory. Scientists, engineers, and philosophers interested in the conceptual problems of quantum theory will also find this work stimulating.
An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory is a textbook intended for the graduate physics course covering relativistic quantum mechanics, quantum electrodynamics, and Feynman diagrams. The authors make these subjects accessible through carefully worked examples illustrating the technical aspects of the subject, and intuitive explanations of what is going on behind the mathematics. After presenting the basics of quantum electrodynamics, the authors discuss the theory of renormalization and its relation to statistical mechanics, and introduce the renormalization group. This discussion sets the stage for a discussion of the physical principles that underlie the fundamental interactions of elementary particle physics and their description by gauge field theories.
The state-of-the-art of quantum transport and quantum kinetics in semiconductors, plus the latest applications, are covered in this monograph. Since the publishing of the first edition in 1996, the nonequilibrium Green function technique has been applied to a large number of new research topics, and the revised edition introduces the reader to many of these areas. This book is both a reference work for researchers and a self-tutorial for graduate students.
The XII Max Born Symposium has a special character. It was held in honour th of Jan Lopusza nski on the occasion of his 75 birthday. As a rule the Max Born Symposia organized by the Institute of Theoretical Physics at the University of Wroc law were devoted to well-de ned subjects of contemporary interest. This time, however, the organizers decided to make an exception. Lopusza nski's in?uence on and contribution to the development of th- retical physics at Wrocla w University is highly appreciable. His personality and scienti c achievements gave him authority which he used to the best - vantage of the Institute. In fact we still pro t from his knowledge, experience and judgment. Lopusza nski's scienti c activity extended over about half a century. He successfully participated in research on the most important and fascinating issues of theoretical physics. During his scienti c career he met and made friends with many outstanding physicists who shaped theoretical physics to the present form. For this reason, as well as the coincidence of the approaching end of the century, we thought that it would be interesting and instructive to give the symposium a retrospective character. We decided to trust the speakers' judgment and intuition for the choice of subjects for their talks. We just asked them to give the audience the important message based on their knowledge and experience.
Choice Outstanding Title, September 2020 This book fills a gap in the middle ground between quantum mechanics of a single electron to the concept of a quantum field. In doing so, the book is divided into two parts; the first provides the necessary background to quantum theory extending from Planck's formulation of black body radiation to Schrodinger's equation; and the second part explores Dirac's relativistic electron to quantum fields, finishing with an description of Feynman diagrams and their meaning. Much more than a popular account, yet not too heavy so as to be inaccessible, this book assumes no prior knowledge of quantum physics or field theory and provides the necessary foundations for readers to then progress to more advanced texts on quantum field theory. It will be of interest to undergraduate students in physics and mathematics, in addition to an interested, general audience. Features: Provides an extensive yet accessible background to the concepts Contains numerous, illustrative diagrams Presents in-depth explanations of difficult subjects
The spellbinding stories of the scientists whose eureka! breakthroughs in modern physics reveal science's astonishing predictive power. How does it feel to know something about the universe that no one has ever known before? And why is mathematics so good at revealing nature's secrets? This is the story of the scientists who, using mathematics, predicted the existence of unknown planets, black holes, invisible force fields, ripples in the fabric of space-time, unsuspected subatomic particles, and even antimatter. The journey from prediction to proof transports us from seats of learning in Paris and Cambridge to the war-torn Russian front, to bunkers beneath nuclear reactors, observatories in Berlin and California, and huge tunnels under the Swiss-French border. From electromagnetism to Einstein's gravitational waves to Wolfgang Pauli's elusive neutrino, acclaimed science writer Marcus Chown takes us on a breathtaking, mind-altering tour of the major breakthroughs of modern physics and highlights science's central mystery: its astonishing predictive power.
Choice Outstanding Title, September 2020 This book fills a gap in the middle ground between quantum mechanics of a single electron to the concept of a quantum field. In doing so, the book is divided into two parts; the first provides the necessary background to quantum theory extending from Planck's formulation of black body radiation to Schrodinger's equation; and the second part explores Dirac's relativistic electron to quantum fields, finishing with an description of Feynman diagrams and their meaning. Much more than a popular account, yet not too heavy so as to be inaccessible, this book assumes no prior knowledge of quantum physics or field theory and provides the necessary foundations for readers to then progress to more advanced texts on quantum field theory. It will be of interest to undergraduate students in physics and mathematics, in addition to an interested, general audience. Features: Provides an extensive yet accessible background to the concepts Contains numerous, illustrative diagrams Presents in-depth explanations of difficult subjects
Combining elastic and inelastic processes with transfer reactions, this two-part volume explores how these events affect heavy ion collisions. Special attention is given to processes involving the transfer of two nucleons, which are specific for probing pairing correlations in nuclei. This novel treatment provides, together with the description of surface vibration and rotations, a unified picture of heavy ion reactions in terms of the elementary modes of nuclear excitation. Heavy Ion Reactions is essential reading for beginning graduate students as well as experienced researchers.
Since the turn of the century, the increasing availability of photoelectron imaging experiments, along with the increasing sophistication of experimental techniques, and the availability of computational resources for analysis and numerics, has allowed for significant developments in such photoelectron metrology. Quantum Metrology with Photoelectrons, Volume 1: Foundations discusses the fundamental concepts along with recent and emerging applications. The core physics is that of photoionization, and Volume 1 addresses this topic. The foundational material is presented in part as a tutorial with extensive numerical examples and also in part as a collected reference to the relevant theoretical treatments from the literature for a range of cases. Topics are discussed with an eye to developing general quantum metrology schemes, in which full quantum state reconstruction of the photoelectron wavefunction is the goal. In many cases, code and/or additional resources are available online. Consequently, it is hoped that readers at all levels will find something of interest and that the material provides something rather different from existing textbooks.
This book is designed to make accessible to nonspecialists the still evolving concepts of quantum mechanics and the terminology in which these are expressed. The opening chapters summarize elementary concepts of twentieth century quantum mechanics and describe the mathematical methods employed in the field, with clear explanation of, for example, Hilbert space, complex variables, complex vector spaces and Dirac notation, and the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. After detailed discussion of the Schroedinger equation, subsequent chapters focus on isotropic vectors, used to construct spinors, and on conceptual problems associated with measurement, superposition, and decoherence in quantum systems. Here, due attention is paid to Bell's inequality and the possible existence of hidden variables. Finally, progression toward quantum computation is examined in detail: if quantum computers can be made practicable, enormous enhancements in computing power, artificial intelligence, and secure communication will result. This book will be of interest to a wide readership seeking to understand modern quantum mechanics and its potential applications.
This volume is devoted to the theory of superfluid quantum liquids, describing the Landau theory of a neutral Fermi liquid in order to illustrate, in comparatively elementary fashion, the way both quantum statistics and particle interaction determine system behavior.
This book provides an interdisciplinary perspective on one of the most fascinating and important open questions in science: What is quantum mechanics talking about? Quantum theory is perhaps our best confirmed physical theory. However, despite its great empirical effectiveness and the subsequent technological developments that it gave rise to in the 20th century, from the interpretation of the periodic table of elements to CD players, holograms and quantum state teleportation, it stands even today without a universally accepted interpretation. The novelty of the book comes from the multiple viewpoints and subjects investigated by a group of researchers from Europe and North and South America.
'The text is easy to read because the matter is clearly explained. Symmetries are a central component of physical laws, and the PT-symmetry proves to be very interesting and fruitful. The discussion of the matter is up-to-date and self-contained. The book is recommended to students of higher courses, PhD and researchers. It is also a basic read to those who wish to have an insight into this field.'Contemporary PhysicsOriginated by the author in 1998, the field of PT (parity-time) symmetry has become an extremely active and exciting area of research. PT-symmetric quantum and classical systems have theoretical, experimental, and commercial applications, and have been the subject of many journal articles, PhD theses, conferences, and symposia. Carl Bender's work has influenced major advances in physics and generations of students.This book is an accessible entry point to PT symmetry, ideal for students and scientists looking to begin their own research projects in this field.
'The text is easy to read because the matter is clearly explained. Symmetries are a central component of physical laws, and the PT-symmetry proves to be very interesting and fruitful. The discussion of the matter is up-to-date and self-contained. The book is recommended to students of higher courses, PhD and researchers. It is also a basic read to those who wish to have an insight into this field.'Contemporary PhysicsOriginated by the author in 1998, the field of PT (parity-time) symmetry has become an extremely active and exciting area of research. PT-symmetric quantum and classical systems have theoretical, experimental, and commercial applications, and have been the subject of many journal articles, PhD theses, conferences, and symposia. Carl Bender's work has influenced major advances in physics and generations of students.This book is an accessible entry point to PT symmetry, ideal for students and scientists looking to begin their own research projects in this field.
With both industrial and teaching experience, the author explains the effects of time dependence in systems with two energy levels. The book starts with time-independent interactions and goes on to treat interactions with time-dependent electric and magnetic fields. Complete derivations are presented for each case, so the reader understands how the solutions are found. Both closed-form and numerical solutions are treated, and the calculations are compared with experimental data from the literature. Numerous plots are provided to show how the solutions depend on the parameters of the interactions.The book builds upon an undergraduate course in quantum mechanics and is useful for readers interested in magnetic resonance and quantum optics. In addition, this book is ideal for self-study by students or researchers starting on two-level systems. The detailed derivations and plots should ease readers into the study of two-level systems in a wide variety of settings.
'The book is a useful compendium of most significant topics in quantum information and computation ... It is readable by any undergraduate or graduate student in physics, mathematics, computer science, chemistry or engineering ... The book has a simple, attractive, easy to grasp and systematic treatment, with the final goal to be used as a substantial wide-ranging primer and single comprehensive material for quantum computation and information without the need for consulting supplementary texts.'Contemporary PhysicsQuantum computation and information is a rapidly developing interdisciplinary field. It is not easy to understand its fundamental concepts and central results without facing numerous technical details. This book provides the reader with a useful guide. In particular, the initial chapters offer a simple and self-contained introduction; no previous knowledge of quantum mechanics or classical computation is required.Various important aspects of quantum computation and information are covered in depth, starting from the foundations (the basic concepts of computational complexity, energy, entropy, and information, quantum superposition and entanglement, elementary quantum gates, the main quantum algorithms, quantum teleportation, and quantum cryptography) up to advanced topics (like entanglement measures, quantum discord, quantum noise, quantum channels, quantum error correction, quantum simulators and tensor networks).It can be used as a broad range textbook for a course in quantum information and computation, both for upper-level undergraduate students and for graduate students. It contains a large number of solved exercises, which are an essential complement to the text, as they will help the student to become familiar with the subject. The book may also be useful as general education for readers who want to know the fundamental principles of quantum information and computation and who have the basic background acquired from their undergraduate course in physics, mathematics, or computer science, as well as for researchers interested in some of the latest spin-off of the field, including the use of quantum information in the theories of many-body systems.
Thisvolumecontainsthewrittenversionsofinvitedlecturespresentedat the"39. InternationaleUniversitatswochenfur .. Kern-undTeilchenphysik"in Schladming, Austria, which took place from February 26th to March 4th, 2000. The title of the school was "Methods of Quantization". This is, of course,averybroad?eld,soonlysomeofthenewandinterestingdevel- mentscouldbecoveredwithinthescopeoftheschool. About75yearsagoSchrodingerpresentedhisfamouswaveequationand Heisenbergcameupwithhisalgebraicapproachtothequantum-theoretical treatmentofatoms. Aimingmainlyatanappropriatedescriptionofatomic systems, these original developments did not take into consideration E- stein'stheoryofspecialrelativity. WiththeworkofDirac,Heisenberg,and Pauliitsoonbecameobviousthatauni?edtreatmentofrelativisticandqu- tume?ectsisachievedbymeansoflocalquantum?eldtheory,i. e. anintrinsic many-particletheory. Mostofourpresentunderstandingoftheelementary buildingblocksofmatterandtheforcesbetweenthemisbasedonthequ- tizedversionof?eldtheorieswhicharelocallysymmetricundergaugetra- formations. Nowadays,theprevailingtoolsforquantum-?eldtheoreticalc- culationsarecovariantperturbationtheoryandfunctional-integralmethods. Beingnotmanifestlycovariant,theHamiltonianapproachtoquantum-?eld theorieslagssomewhatbehind,althoughitresemblesverymuchthefamiliar nonrelativisticquantummechanicsofpointparticles. Aparticularlyintere- ingHamiltonianformulationofquantum-?eldtheoriesisobtainedbyqu- tizingthe?eldsonhypersurfacesoftheMinkowsispacewhicharetangential tothelightcone. The"timeevolution"ofthesystemisthenconsideredin + "light-conetime"x =t+z/c. Theappealingfeaturesof"light-conequ- tization",whicharethereasonsfortherenewedinterestinthisformulation ofquantum?eldtheories,werehighlightedinthelecturesofBernardBakker andThomasHeinzl. Oneoftheopenproblemsoflight-conequantizationis theissueofspontaneoussymmetrybreaking. Thiscanbetracedbacktozero modeswhich,ingeneral,aresubjecttocomplicatedconstraintequations. A generalformalismforthequantizationofphysicalsystemswithconstraints waspresentedbyJohnKlauder. Theperturbativede?nitionofquantum?eld theoriesisingenerala?ictedbysingularitieswhichareovercomebyare- larizationandrenormalizationprocedure. Structuralaspectsoftherenormal- VI Preface izationprobleminthecaseofgaugeinvariant?eldtheorieswerediscussed inthelectureofKlausSibold. Areviewofthemathematicsunderlyingthe functional-integralquantizationwasgivenbyLudwigStreit. Apartfromthetopicsincludedinthisvolumetherewerealsolectures ontheKaluza-odingerpresentedhisfamouswaveequationand Heisenbergcameupwithhisalgebraicapproachtothequantum-theoretical treatmentofatoms. Aimingmainlyatanappropriatedescriptionofatomic systems, these original developments did not take into consideration E- stein'stheoryofspecialrelativity. WiththeworkofDirac,Heisenberg,and Pauliitsoonbecameobviousthatauni?edtreatmentofrelativisticandqu- tume?ectsisachievedbymeansoflocalquantum?eldtheory,i. e. anintrinsic many-particletheory. Mostofourpresentunderstandingoftheelementary buildingblocksofmatterandtheforcesbetweenthemisbasedonthequ- tizedversionof?eldtheorieswhicharelocallysymmetricundergaugetra- formations. Nowadays,theprevailingtoolsforquantum-?eldtheoreticalc- culationsarecovariantperturbationtheoryandfunctional-integralmethods. Beingnotmanifestlycovariant,theHamiltonianapproachtoquantum-?eld theorieslagssomewhatbehind,althoughitresemblesverymuchthefamiliar nonrelativisticquantummechanicsofpointparticles. Aparticularlyintere- ingHamiltonianformulationofquantum-?eldtheoriesisobtainedbyqu- tizingthe? eldsonhypersurfacesoftheMinkowsispacewhicharetangential tothelightcone. The"timeevolution"ofthesystemisthenconsideredin + "light-conetime"x =t+z/c. Theappealingfeaturesof"light-conequ- tization",whicharethereasonsfortherenewedinterestinthisformulation ofquantum?eldtheories,werehighlightedinthelecturesofBernardBakker andThomasHeinzl. Oneoftheopenproblemsoflight-conequantizationis theissueofspontaneoussymmetrybreaking. Thiscanbetracedbacktozero modeswhich,ingeneral,aresubjecttocomplicatedconstraintequations. A generalformalismforthequantizationofphysicalsystemswithconstraints waspresentedbyJohnKlauder. Theperturbativede?nitionofquantum?eld theoriesisingenerala?ictedbysingularitieswhichareovercomebyare- larizationandrenormalizationprocedure. Structuralaspectsoftherenormal- VI Preface izationprobleminthecaseofgaugeinvariant?eldtheorieswerediscussed inthelectureofKlausSibold. Areviewofthemathematicsunderlyingthe functional-integralquantizationwasgivenbyLudwigStreit. Apartfromthetopicsincludedinthisvolumetherewerealsolectures ontheKaluza-Kleinprogramforsupergravity(P. vanNieuwenhuizen),on dynamicalr-matricesandquantization(A. Alekseev),andonthequantum Liouvillemodelasaninstructiveexampleofquantumintegrablemodels(L. Faddeev). Inaddition,theschoolwascomplementedbymanyexcellents- inars. Thelistofseminarspeakersandthetopicsaddressedbythemcanbe foundattheendofthisvolume. Theinterestedreaderisrequestedtocontact thespeakersdirectlyfordetailedinformationorpertinentmaterial. Finally,wewouldliketoexpressourgratitudetothelecturersforalltheir e?ortsandtothemainsponsorsoftheschool,theAustrianMinistryofE- cation,Science,andCultureandtheGovernmentofStyria,forprovidingg- eroussupport. Wealsoappreciatethevaluableorganizationalandtechnical assistanceofthetownofSchladming,theSteyr-Daimler-PuchFahrzeugte- nik, Ricoh Austria, Styria Online, and the Hornig company. Furthermore, wethankoursecretaries,S. FuchsandE. Monschein,anumberofgra- atestudentsfromourinstitute,and,lastbutnotleast,ourcolleaguesfrom theorganizingcommitteefortheirassistanceinpreparingandrunningthe school. Graz, HeimoLatal March2001 WolfgangSchweiger Contents FormsofRelativisticDynamics BernardL. G. Bakker...1 1 Introduction...1 2 ThePoincar'eGroup...3 3 FormsofRelativisticDynamics...4 3. 1 ComparisonofInstantForm,FrontForm,andPointForm...6 4 Light-FrontDynamics...9 4. 1 RelativeMomentum,InvariantMass...9 4. 2 TheBoxDiagram...14 5 Poincar'eGeneratorsinFieldTheory...19 5. 1 FermionsInteractingwithaScalarField...20 5. 2 InstantForm...20 5. 3 FrontForm(LF)...21 5. 4 InteractingandNon-interactingGeneratorsonanInstant andontheLightFront...22 6 Light-FrontPerturbationTheory...23 6. 1 ConnectionofCovariantAmplitudes toLight-FrontAmplitudes...24 6. 2 Regularization...26 6. 3 MinusRegularization...26 7 TriangleDiagraminYukawaTheory...27 7. 1 CovariantCalculation ...28 7. 2 ConstructionoftheCurrentinLFD...30 7. 3 NumericalResults...37 3 8 FourVariationsonaThemein? Theory...37 8. 1 CovariantCalculation...39 8. 2 Instant-FormCalculation...42 8. 3 CalculationinLight-FrontCoordinates...47 8. 4 Front-FormCalculation...49 9 DimensionalRegularization:BasicFormulae...51 10 Four-DimensionalIntegration...52 11 SomeUsefulIntegrals...53 References...53 VIII Contents Light-ConeQuantization:FoundationsandApplications ThomasHeinzl...
'The authors should be recognised for their efforts to present a mathematically rigorous introduction to Quantum Mechanics (QM) in a form that has broad appeal; there are not many introductory QM texts that would cover, for example, decoherence. I think many educators would appreciate this book, especially those interested in courses that combine science and philosophy.'Contemporary PhysicsApart from providing a lucid introduction to the mathematical formalism and conceptual foundations of quantum mechanics, we explain why the laws of physics have the form that they do. In addition, we present a new and unique look at the quantum world, steering clear of two common errors: the error of the -ontologists, who reify a calculational tool; and the error of the anti-realists, for whom physical theories are simply devices for expressing regularities among observations.The new edition of this acclaimed text adds around 200 pages on a variety of topics, such as how the founders sought to make sense of quantum mechanics, Kant's theory of science, QBism, Everettian quantum mechanics, de Broglie-Bohm theory, environmental decoherence, contextuality, nonlocality, and the paradox of subjectivity - the curious fact that the world seems to exist twice, once for us, in our minds, and once by itself, independently of us. |
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