The first comprehensive treatment of quantum physics in any language, this classic introduction to the basic theory remains highly recommended and in wide use, both as a text and as a reference. A unified and accurate guide to the application of radiative processes, it explores the mathematics and physics of quantum theory. 1954 edition.
This book is unique in covering phenomena in photon- matter interactions in a unified way over a range of many orders in energy. The quantum field theoretic approach to the fully relativistic theory of quantum electrodynamics (QED) is presented together with the non- relativistic theory in both confined and unconfined geometries. The predictions of QED have been verified to a greater accuracy than any other physical theory. Moreover QED is a paradigm for other gauge theories and is presented in such a way that the generalisation to other gauge theories is natural. Gauge and Poincare symmetry properties and the non-existence of a photon wave function are thoroughly discussed. Starting from the Dirac equation the non-relativistic interaction of the electron with the electromagnetic field is derived as an effective Hamiltonian of multipole expansions. Much of quantum optics is based on the lowest order dipole approximation. From this point on the treatment of fully relativistic QED and quantum optics is done in parallel. Applications of perturbation theory such as Compton and Moller scattering and the theory photdetection are given. After the impressive successes of QED, the limitation of the theory and the necessity of electroweak theory and quantumchromodynamics are discussed. The remaining chapters are devoted to quantum optics inside cavaties. Various approaches to open systems such as master equations are discussed within the context of active systems (e.g. the laser) and passive systems. Semi- classical approximarions are shown to imply a rich non- linear dynamics including chaos for certain parameter regimes. The effect of fluctuations on such non-linear dynamics is also studied. The final chapter is devoted to highly non- classical states of the light field such as photon number, squeezed and two photon entangled states. The latter are studied for the important system of parametric down conversion and the localisation properties of photons are characterised in terms of asympotic tails in photodetection probabilities as a function of time delay. The range of the book has wider benefits. Workers in quantum optics will gain a deeper understanding of the foundations of their subject and field theorists will see concrete examples of open systems, which are beginning to impinge on fundamental theories.
Nobel Laureate discusses quantum theory, uncertainty, wave mechanics, work of Dirac, Schroedinger, Compton, Einstein, others. "An authoritative statement of Heisenberg's views on this aspect of the quantum theory." — Nature.
Since the discovery of the corpuscular nature of radiation by Planck more than fifty years ago the quantum theory of radiation has gone through many stages of development which seemed to alternate between spectacular success and hopeless frustration. The most recent phase started in 1947 with the discovery of the electromagnetic level shifts and the realization that the exist ing theory, when properly interpreted, was perfectly adequate to explain these effects to an apparently unlimited degree of accuracy. This phase has now reached a certain conclusion: for the first time in the checkered history of this field of research it has become possible to give a unified and consistent presen tation of radiation theory in full conformity with the principles of relativity and quantum mechanics. To this task the present book is devoted. The plan for a book of this type was conceived during the year 1951 while the first-named author (J. M. J. ) held a Fulbright research scholarship at Cambridge University. During this year of freedom from teaching and other duties he had the opportunity of conferring with physicists in many different countries on the recent developments in radiation theory. The comments seemed to be almost unanimous that a book on quantum electrodynamics at the present time would be of inestimable value to physicists in many parts of the world. However, it was not until the spring of 1952 that work on the book began in earnest.
An understanding of quantum mechanics is vital to all students of physics, chemistry and electrical engineering, but requires a lot of mathematical concepts, the details of which are given with great clarity in this book. Various concepts have been derived from first principles, so it can also be used for self-study. The chapters on the JWKB approximation, time-independent perturbation theory and effects of magnetic field stand out for their clarity and easy-to-understand mathematics. Two complete chapters on the linear harmonic oscillator provide a very detailed discussion of one of the most fundamental problems in quantum mechanics. Operator algebra is used to show the ease with which one can calculate the harmonic oscillator wave functions and study the evolution of the coherent state. Similarly, three chapters on angular momentum give a detailed account of this important problem. Perhaps the most attractive feature of the book is the excellent balance between theory and applications and the large number of applications in such diverse areas as astrophysics, nuclear physics, atomic and molecular spectroscopy, solid-state physics, and quantum well structures.
This book is primarily intended for graduate chemists and chemical physicists. Indeed, it is based on a graduate course that I give in the Chemistry Depart ment of Southampton University. Nowadays undergraduate chemistry courses usually include an introduction to quantum mechanics with particular reference to molecular properties and there are a number of excellent textbooks aimed specifically at undergraduate chemists. In valence theory and molecular spectroscopy physical concepts are often encountered that are normally taken on trust. For example, electron spin and the anomalous magnetic moment of the electron are usually accepted as postulates, although they are well understood by physicists. In addition, the advent of new techniques has led to experimental situations that can only be accounted for adequately by relatively sophisticated physical theory. Relativis tic corrections to molecular orbital energies are needed to explain X-ray photo electron spectra, while the use oflasers can give rise to multiphoton transitions, which are not easy to understand using the classical theory of radiation. Of course, the relevant equations may be extracted from the literature, but, if the underlying physics is not understood, this is a practice that is at best dissatisfy ing and at worst dangerous. One instance where great care must be taken is in the use of spectroscopically determined parameters to test the accuracy of elec tronic wave functions.
Galileo Unbound traces the journey that brought us from Galileo's law of free fall to today's geneticists measuring evolutionary drift, entangled quantum particles moving among many worlds, and our lives as trajectories traversing a health space with thousands of dimensions. Remarkably, common themes persist that predict the evolution of species as readily as the orbits of planets or the collapse of stars into black holes. This book tells the history of spaces of expanding dimension and increasing abstraction and how they continue today to give new insight into the physics of complex systems. Galileo published the first modern law of motion, the Law of Fall, that was ideal and simple, laying the foundation upon which Newton built the first theory of dynamics. Early in the twentieth century, geometry became the cause of motion rather than the result when Einstein envisioned the fabric of space-time warped by mass and energy, forcing light rays to bend past the Sun. Possibly more radical was Feynman's dilemma of quantum particles taking all paths at once — setting the stage for the modern fields of quantum field theory and quantum computing. Yet as concepts of motion have evolved, one thing has remained constant, the need to track ever more complex changes and to capture their essence, to find patterns in the chaos as we try to predict and control our world.
This book examines the different areas of knowledge, traditions, and conceptual resources that contributed to the building of Max Planck’s theory of radiation. It presents an insightful comparative analysis that not only sheds light upon a fundamental chapter in the history of modern physics, but also enlarges our understanding of how theoreticians work. Coverage offers a deep investigation into the technical aspects behind the theory and extends in time the notion of quantum revolution. It also presents a full-fledged discussion of the combinatorial part of Planck’s theory and places emphasis on the epistemological role of mathematical practices. By painstakingly reconstructing both the electromagnetic and the combinatorial part of Planck’s black-body theory, the author shows how some apparently merely technical resources, such as the Fourier series, effectively contributed to shape the final form of Planck’s theory. For decades, historians have debated the conditions of possibility of Max Planck’s discovery as a paradigmatic example of scientific revolution. In particular, the use of combinatorics, which eventually paved the way for the introduction of the quantum hypothesis, has remained a puzzle for experts. This book presents a fresh perspective on this important debate that will appeal to historians and philosophers of science.
Important text represents a concise course on the subject, centering on the historic development of the basic ideals and the logical structure of the theory, with particular emphasis on Brownian motion and quantum statistics. Alone or as part of the complete set, this volume represents a peerless resource.
