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| the physics of quantum mechanics binney: The Physics of Quantum Mechanics James Binney, David Skinner, 2013-12 This title gives students a good understanding of how quantum mechanics describes the material world. The text stresses the continuity between the quantum world and the classical world, which is merely an approximation to the quantum world. |
| the physics of quantum mechanics binney: The Physics of Quantum Mechanics James Binney, David Skinner, 2013-11-01 The Physics of Quantum Mechanics aims to give students a good understanding of how quantum mechanics describes the material world. It shows that the theory follows naturally from the use of probability amplitudes to derive probabilities. It stresses that stationary states are unphysical mathematical abstractions that enable us to solve the theory's governing equation, the time-dependent Schroedinger equation. Every opportunity is taken to illustrate the emergence of the familiar classical, dynamical world through the quantum interference of stationary states. The text stresses the continuity between the quantum world and the classical world, which is merely an approximation to the quantum world. The connections between observables, operators and transformations are clearly explained and the standard commutation rules derived from the properties of spacetime. A chapter is devoted to entanglement, quantum computation, density operators and their role in thermodynamics, and the measurement problem. Scattering phenomena, including the origin of radioactivity, are handled early on in the accessible context of one dimension, and at the end of the book with some rigour in three dimensions. Hydrogen and helium are discussed in some detail and it is shown that quantum mechanics enables us to understand the structure of the periodic table without engaging with the complexities of many-electron atoms. Dirac notation is used from the outset and students are trained to move easily from one representation to another, choosing whichever representation is best suited to a particular problem. The mathematical prerequisites are no more than simple vector algebra, Taylor series expansion and the use of integrating factors to solve linear first order differential equations. Rigorous algebraic methods are preferred to the solution of partial differential equations. |
| the physics of quantum mechanics binney: The Principles of Quantum Mechanics Paul Adrien Maurice Dirac, 1981 The first edition of this work appeared in 1930, and its originality won it immediate recognition as a classic of modern physical theory. The fourth edition has been bought out to meet a continued demand. Some improvements have been made, the main one being the complete rewriting of the chapter on quantum electrodymanics, to bring in electron-pair creation. This makes it suitable as an introduction to recent works on quantum field theories. |
| the physics of quantum mechanics binney: Astrophysics James Binney, 2016 Astrophysics is said to have been born when Isaac Newton saw an apple drop in his orchard and had the electrifying insight that the Moon falls just like that apple. James Binney shows how the application of physical laws derived on Earth allows us to understand objects that exist on the far side of the Universe. |
| the physics of quantum mechanics binney: Quantum Fluctuations Edward Nelson, 1985-05-21 Stochastic mechanics is a description of quantum phenomena in classical probabilistic terms. This work contains a detailed account of the kinematics of diffusion processes, including diffusions on curved manifolds which are necessary for the treatment of spin in stochastic mechanics. The dynamical equations of the theory are derived from a variational principle, and interference, the asymptotics of free motion, bound states, statistics, and spin are described in classical terms. In addition to developing the formal mathematical aspects of the theory, the book contains discussion of possible physical causes of quantum fluctuations in terms of an interaction with a background field. The author gives a critical analysis of stochastic mechanics as a candidate for a realistic theory of physical processes, discussing measurement, local causality in the sense of Bell, and the failure of the theory in its present form to satisfy locality. |
| the physics of quantum mechanics binney: Galactic Dynamics James Binney, Scott Tremaine, 2011-10-30 Since it was first published in 1987, Galactic Dynamics has become the most widely used advanced textbook on the structure and dynamics of galaxies and one of the most cited references in astrophysics. Now, in this extensively revised and updated edition, James Binney and Scott Tremaine describe the dramatic recent advances in this subject, making Galactic Dynamics the most authoritative introduction to galactic astrophysics available to advanced undergraduate students, graduate students, and researchers. Every part of the book has been thoroughly overhauled, and many sections have been completely rewritten. Many new topics are covered, including N-body simulation methods, black holes in stellar systems, linear stability and response theory, and galaxy formation in the cosmological context. Binney and Tremaine, two of the world's leading astrophysicists, use the tools of theoretical physics to describe how galaxies and other stellar systems work, succinctly and lucidly explaining theoretical principles and their applications to observational phenomena. They provide readers with an understanding of stellar dynamics at the level needed to reach the frontiers of the subject. This new edition of the classic text is the definitive introduction to the field. ? A complete revision and update of one of the most cited references in astrophysics Provides a comprehensive description of the dynamical structure and evolution of galaxies and other stellar systems Serves as both a graduate textbook and a resource for researchers Includes 20 color illustrations, 205 figures, and more than 200 problems Covers the gravitational N-body problem, hierarchical galaxy formation, galaxy mergers, dark matter, spiral structure, numerical simulations, orbits and chaos, equilibrium and stability of stellar systems, evolution of binary stars and star clusters, and much more Companion volume to Galactic Astronomy, the definitive book on the phenomenology of galaxies and star clusters |
| the physics of quantum mechanics binney: Problems and Solutions in Quantum Mechanics Kyriakos Tamvakis, 2005-08-11 This collection of solved problems corresponds to the standard topics covered in established undergraduate and graduate courses in Quantum Mechanics. Problems are also included on topics of interest which are often absent in the existing literature. Solutions are presented in considerable detail, to enable students to follow each step. The emphasis is on stressing the principles and methods used, allowing students to master new ways of thinking and problem-solving techniques. The problems themselves are longer than those usually encountered in textbooks and consist of a number of questions based around a central theme, highlighting properties and concepts of interest. For undergraduate and graduate students, as well as those involved in teaching Quantum Mechanics, the book can be used as a supplementary text or as an independent self-study tool. |
| the physics of quantum mechanics binney: Problems And Solutions On Quantum Mechanics Yung-kuo Lim, 1998-09-28 The material for these volumes has been selected from the past twenty years' examination questions for graduate students at the University of California at Berkeley, Columbia University, the University of Chicago, MIT, the State University of New York at Buffalo, Princeton University and the University of Wisconsin. |
| the physics of quantum mechanics binney: Surprises in Theoretical Physics Rudolf Ernst Peierls, 1979-11-21 Problems in theoretical physics often lead to paradoxical answers; yet closer reasoning and a more complete analysis invariably lead to the resolution of the paradox and to a deeper understanding of the physics involved. Drawing primarily from his own experience and that of his collaborators, Sir Rudolf Peierls selects examples of such surprises from a wide range of physical theory, from quantum mechanical scattering theory to the theory of relativity, from irreversibility in statistical mechanics to the behavior of electrons in solids. By studying such surprises and learning what kind of possibilities to look for, he suggests, scientists may be able to avoid errors in future problems. In some cases the surprise is that the outcome of a calculation is contrary to what physical intuition seems to demand. In other instances an approximation that looks convincing turns out to be unjustified, or one that looks unreasonable turns out to be adequate. Professor Peierls does not suggest, however, that theoretical physics is a hazardous game in which one can never foresee the surprises a detailed calculation might reveal. Rather, he contends, all the surprises discussed have rational explanations, most of which are very simple, at least in principle. This book is based on the author's lectures at the University of Washington in the spring of 1977 and at the Institut de Physique Nucleaire, University de Paris-Sud, Orsay, during the winter of 1977-1978. |
| the physics of quantum mechanics binney: Mastering Quantum Mechanics Barton Zwiebach, 2022-04-12 A complete overview of quantum mechanics, covering essential concepts and results, theoretical foundations, and applications. This undergraduate textbook offers a comprehensive overview of quantum mechanics, beginning with essential concepts and results, proceeding through the theoretical foundations that provide the field’s conceptual framework, and concluding with the tools and applications students will need for advanced studies and for research. Drawn from lectures created for MIT undergraduates and for the popular MITx online course, “Mastering Quantum Mechanics,” the text presents the material in a modern and approachable manner while still including the traditional topics necessary for a well-rounded understanding of the subject. As the book progresses, the treatment gradually increases in difficulty, matching students’ increasingly sophisticated understanding of the material. • Part 1 covers states and probability amplitudes, the Schrödinger equation, energy eigenstates of particles in potentials, the hydrogen atom, and spin one-half particles • Part 2 covers mathematical tools, the pictures of quantum mechanics and the axioms of quantum mechanics, entanglement and tensor products, angular momentum, and identical particles. • Part 3 introduces tools and techniques that help students master the theoretical concepts with a focus on approximation methods. • 236 exercises and 286 end-of-chapter problems • 248 figures |
| the physics of quantum mechanics binney: Quantum Theory John Polkinghorne, 2002-05-30 Quantum Theory is the most revolutionary discovery in physics since Newton. This book gives a lucid, exciting, and accessible account of the surprising and counterintuitive ideas that shape our understanding of the sub-atomic world. It does not disguise the problems of interpretation that still remain unsettled 75 years after the initial discoveries. The main text makes no use of equations, but there is a Mathematical Appendix for those desiring stronger fare. Uncertainty, probabilistic physics, complementarity, the problematic character of measurement, and decoherence are among the many topics discussed. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable. |
| the physics of quantum mechanics binney: Galactic Astronomy James Binney, Michael Merrifield, 2021-07-13 This is the definitive treatment of the phenomenology of galaxies--a clear and comprehensive volume that takes full account of the extraordinary recent advances in the field. The book supersedes the classic text Galactic Astronomy that James Binney wrote with Dimitri Mihalas, and complements Galactic Dynamics by Binney and Scott Tremaine. It will be invaluable to researchers and is accessible to any student who has a background in undergraduate physics. The book draws on observations both of our own galaxy, the Milky Way, and of external galaxies. The two sources are complementary, since the former tends to be highly detailed but difficult to interpret, while the latter is typically poorer in quality but conceptually simpler to understand. Binney and Merrifield introduce all astronomical concepts necessary to understand the properties of galaxies, including coordinate systems, magnitudes and colors, the phenomenology of stars, the theory of stellar and chemical evolution, and the measurement of astronomical distances. The book's core covers the phenomenology of external galaxies, star clusters in the Milky Way, the interstellar media of external galaxies, gas in the Milky Way, the structure and kinematics of the stellar components of the Milky Way, and the kinematics of external galaxies. Throughout, the book emphasizes the observational basis for current understanding of galactic astronomy, with references to the original literature. Offering both new information and a comprehensive view of its subject, it will be an indispensable source for professionals, as well as for graduate students and advanced undergraduates. |
| the physics of quantum mechanics binney: Notes on Quantum Mechanics Enrico Fermi, 1995-07 The lecture notes presented here in facsimile were prepared by Enrico Fermi for students taking his course at the University of Chicago in 1954. They are vivid examples of his unique ability to lecture simply and clearly on the most essential aspects of quantum mechanics. At the close of each lecture, Fermi created a single problem for his students. These challenging exercises were not included in Fermi's notes but were preserved in the notes of his students. This second edition includes a set of these assigned problems as compiled by one of his former students, Robert A. Schluter. Enrico Fermi was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1938. |
| the physics of quantum mechanics binney: A Modern Approach to Quantum Mechanics John S. Townsend, 2000 Inspired by Richard Feynman and J.J. Sakurai, A Modern Approach to Quantum Mechanics allows lecturers to expose their undergraduates to Feynman's approach to quantum mechanics while simultaneously giving them a textbook that is well-ordered, logical and pedagogically sound. This book covers all the topics that are typically presented in a standard upper-level course in quantum mechanics, but its teaching approach is new. Rather than organizing his book according to the historical development of the field and jumping into a mathematical discussion of wave mechanics, Townsend begins his book with the quantum mechanics of spin. Thus, the first five chapters of the book succeed in laying out the fundamentals of quantum mechanics with little or no wave mechanics, so the physics is not obscured by mathematics. Starting with spin systems it gives students straightfoward examples of the structure of quantum mechanics. When wave mechanics is introduced later, students should perceive it correctly as only one aspect of quantum mechanics and not the core of the subject. |
| the physics of quantum mechanics binney: Lectures On Phase Transitions And The Renormalization Group Nigel Goldenfeld, 2018-03-08 Covering the elementary aspects of the physics of phases transitions and the renormalization group, this popular book is widely used both for core graduate statistical mechanics courses as well as for more specialized courses. Emphasizing understanding and clarity rather than technical manipulation, these lectures de-mystify the subject and show precisely how things work. Goldenfeld keeps in mind a reader who wants to understand why things are done, what the results are, and what in principle can go wrong. The book reaches both experimentalists and theorists, students and even active researchers, and assumes only a prior knowledge of statistical mechanics at the introductory graduate level.Advanced, never-before-printed topics on the applications of renormalization group far from equilibrium and to partial differential equations add to the uniqueness of this book. |
| the physics of quantum mechanics binney: Renormalization Methods W. D. McComb, 2004 This text fills a gap between undergraduate and more advanced texts on quantum field theory. It covers a range of renormalization methods with a clear physical interpretation, proceeds to the epsilon-expansion and ends with the first-order corrections to critical exponents beyond mean-field theory. |
| the physics of quantum mechanics binney: Lectures on Quantum Mechanics Steven Weinberg, 2013 Ideally suited to a one-year graduate course, this textbook is also a useful reference for researchers. Readers are introduced to the subject through a review of the history of quantum mechanics and an account of classic solutions of the Schr. |
| the physics of quantum mechanics binney: Principles of Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics Cathie Clarke, Bob Carswell, 2007-03-08 An advanced textbook on AFD introducing astrophysics students to the necessary fluid dynamics, first published in 2007. |
| the physics of quantum mechanics binney: The Theoretical Minimum Leonard Susskind, George Hrabovsky, 2014-04-22 A master teacher presents the ultimate introduction to classical mechanics for people who are serious about learning physics Beautifully clear explanations of famously 'difficult' things, -- Wall Street Journal If you ever regretted not taking physics in college -- or simply want to know how to think like a physicist -- this is the book for you. In this bestselling introduction to classical mechanics, physicist Leonard Susskind and hacker-scientist George Hrabovsky offer a first course in physics and associated math for the ardent amateur. Challenging, lucid, and concise, The Theoretical Minimum provides a tool kit for amateur scientists to learn physics at their own pace. |
| the physics of quantum mechanics binney: Cosmological Physics John A. Peacock, 1999 A comprehensive and authoritative introduction to contemporary cosmology for advanced undergraduate and graduate students. |
| the physics of quantum mechanics binney: The Theory of Critical Phenomena James Binney, 2023 A basic introduction to the theory of continuous phase transitions. The book provides a self-contained introduction to techniques that play important roles in contemporary physics for beginning graduate students. |
| the physics of quantum mechanics binney: Mathematical Methods for Physicists George Brown Arfken, George B. Arfken, Hans J. Weber, Frank E. Harris, 2013 Table of Contents Mathematical Preliminaries Determinants and Matrices Vector Analysis Tensors and Differential Forms Vector Spaces Eigenvalue Problems Ordinary Differential Equations Partial Differential Equations Green's Functions Complex Variable Theory Further Topics in Analysis Gamma Function Bessel Functions Legendre Functions Angular Momentum Group Theory More Special Functions Fourier Series Integral Transforms Periodic Systems Integral Equations Mathieu Functions Calculus of Variations Probability and Statistics. |
| the physics of quantum mechanics binney: Fundamentals of Astrophysics Stan Owocki, 2021-06-03 This concise textbook, designed specifically for a one-semester course in astrophysics, introduces astrophysical concepts to undergraduate science and engineering students with a background in college-level, calculus-based physics. The text is organized into five parts covering: stellar properties; stellar structure and evolution; the interstellar medium and star/planet formation; the Milky Way and other galaxies; and cosmology. Structured around short easily digestible chapters, instructors have flexibility to adjust their course's emphasis as it suits them. Exposition drawn from the author's decade of teaching his course guides students toward a basic but quantitative understanding, with 'quick questions' to spur practice in basic computations, together with more challenging multi-part exercises at the end of each chapter. Advanced concepts like the quantum nature of energy and radiation are developed as needed. The text's approach and level bridge the wide gap between introductory astronomy texts for non-science majors and advanced undergraduate texts for astrophysics majors. |
| the physics of quantum mechanics binney: Decoherence Maximilian A. Schlosshauer, 2007-07-28 This detailed, accessible introduction to the field of quantum decoherence reviews the basics and then explains the essential consequences of the phenomenon for our understanding of the world. The discussion includes, among other things: How the classical world of our experience can emerge from quantum mechanics; the implications of decoherence for various interpretations of quantum mechanics; recent experiments confirming the puzzling consequences of the quantum superposition principle and making decoherence processes directly observable. |
| the physics of quantum mechanics binney: Relativity, Gravitation and Cosmology Ta-Pei Cheng, 2010 An introduction to Einstein's general theory of relativity, this work is structured so that interesting applications, such as gravitational lensing, black holes and cosmology, can be presented without the readers having to first learn the difficult mathematics of tensor calculus. |
| the physics of quantum mechanics binney: The Role of Mathematics in Physical Sciences Giovanni Boniolo, Paolo Budinich, Majda Trobok, 2005-03-10 Even though mathematics and physics have been related for centuries and this relation appears to be unproblematic, there are many questions still open: Is mathematics really necessary for physics, or could physics exist without mathematics? Should we think physically and then add the mathematics apt to formalise our physical intuition, or should we think mathematically and then interpret physically the obtained results? Do we get mathematical objects by abstraction from real objects, or vice versa? Why is mathematics effective into physics? These are all relevant questions, whose answers are necessary to fully understand the status of physics, particularly of contemporary physics. The aim of this book is to offer plausible answers to such questions through both historical analyses of relevant cases, and philosophical analyses of the relations between mathematics and physics. |
| the physics of quantum mechanics binney: Quantum Mechanics for Beginners M. Suhail Zubairy, 2020 An introduction to the fascinating subject of quantum mechanics. Almost entirely algebra-based, this book is accessible to those with only a high school background in physics and mathematics. In addition to the foundations of quantum mechanics, it also provides an introduction to the fields of quantum communication and quantum computing. |
| the physics of quantum mechanics binney: General Principles of Quantum Mechanics Wolfgang Pauli, 2012-12-06 I am very happy to accept the translators' invitation to write a few lines of introduction to this book. Of course, there is little need to explain the author. Pauli's first famous work, his article on the theory of relativity in the Encyklopädie der Mathematischen Wissenschaften was written at the age of twenty. He afterwards took part in the development of atomic physics from the still essentially classical picture of Bohr's early work to the true quantum mechanics. Thereafter, some of his work concerned the treatment of problems in the framework of the new theory, especially his paper on the hydrogen atom following the matrix method without recourse to Schrodinger's analytic form of the theory. His greatest achievement, the exclusion principle, generally known today under his own name as the Pauli principle, that governs the quantum theory of all problems including more than one electron, preceded the basic work of Heisenberg and Schrodinger, and brought him the Nobel prize. It includes the mathematical treatment of the spin by means of the now so well known Pauli matrices. In 1929, in a paper with Heisenberg, he laid the foundation of quantum electrodynamics and, in doing so, to the whole theory of quantized wave fields which was to become the via regia of access to elementary particle physics, since here for the first time processes of generation and annihilation of particles could be described for the case of the photons. |
| the physics of quantum mechanics binney: Statistical Approach to Quantum Field Theory Andreas Wipf, 2021-10-25 This new expanded second edition has been totally revised and corrected. The reader finds two complete new chapters. One covers the exact solution of the finite temperature Schwinger model with periodic boundary conditions. This simple model supports instanton solutions – similarly as QCD – and allows for a detailed discussion of topological sectors in gauge theories, the anomaly-induced breaking of chiral symmetry and the intriguing role of fermionic zero modes. The other new chapter is devoted to interacting fermions at finite fermion density and finite temperature. Such low-dimensional models are used to describe long-energy properties of Dirac-type materials in condensed matter physics. The large-N solutions of the Gross-Neveu, Nambu-Jona-Lasinio and Thirring models are presented in great detail, where N denotes the number of fermion flavors. Towards the end of the book corrections to the large-N solution and simulation results of a finite number of fermion flavors are presented. Further problems are added at the end of each chapter in order to guide the reader to a deeper understanding of the presented topics. This book is meant for advanced students and young researchers who want to acquire the necessary tools and experience to produce research results in the statistical approach to Quantum Field Theory. |
| the physics of quantum mechanics binney: Introduction to Quantum Mechanics David J. Griffiths, 2017 This bestselling textbook teaches students how to do quantum mechanics and provides an insightful discussion of what it actually means. |
| the physics of quantum mechanics binney: Quantum Mechanics Nouredine Zettili, 2009-02-17 Quantum Mechanics: Concepts and Applications provides a clear, balanced and modern introduction to the subject. Written with the student’s background and ability in mind the book takes an innovative approach to quantum mechanics by combining the essential elements of the theory with the practical applications: it is therefore both a textbook and a problem solving book in one self-contained volume. Carefully structured, the book starts with the experimental basis of quantum mechanics and then discusses its mathematical tools. Subsequent chapters cover the formal foundations of the subject, the exact solutions of the Schrödinger equation for one and three dimensional potentials, time-independent and time-dependent approximation methods, and finally, the theory of scattering. The text is richly illustrated throughout with many worked examples and numerous problems with step-by-step solutions designed to help the reader master the machinery of quantum mechanics. The new edition has been completely updated and a solutions manual is available on request. Suitable for senior undergradutate courses and graduate courses. |
| the physics of quantum mechanics binney: Schaum's Outline of Quantum Mechanics, Second Edition Yoav Peleg, Reuven Pnini, Elyahu Zaarur, Eugene Hecht, 2009-08-28 Tough Test Questions? Missed Lectures? Not Enough Time? Fortunately for you, there's Schaum's. More than 40 million students have trusted Schaum's to help them succeed in the classroom and on exams. Schaum's is the key to faster learning and higher grades in every subject. Each Outline presents all the essential course information in an easy-to-follow, topic-by-topic format. You also get hundreds of examples, solved problems, and practice exercises to test your skills. This Schaum's Outline gives you Hundreds of examples with explanations of quantum mechanics concepts Exercises to help you test your mastery of quantum mechanics Complete review of all course fundamentals Fully compatible with your classroom text, Schaum's highlights all the important facts you need to know. Use Schaum's to shorten your study time--and get your best test scores! Topics include: Mathematical Background; Schrodinger Equation and Applications; Foundations of Quantum Mechanics; Harmonic Oscillator; Angular Momentum; Spin; Hydrogen-Like Atoms; Particle Motion in an Electromagnetic Field; Solution Methods in Quantum Mechanics; Solutions Methods in Quantum Mechanics; Numerical Methods in Quantum Mechanics; Identical Particles; Addition of Angular Momenta; Scattering Theory; and Semiclassical Treatment of Radiation Schaum's Outlines--Problem Solved. |
| the physics of quantum mechanics binney: Quantum Information, Computation and Communication Jonathan A. Jones, Dieter Jaksch, 2012-07-19 Based on years of teaching experience, this textbook guides physics undergraduate students through the theory and experiment of the field. |
| the physics of quantum mechanics binney: Physics Sidney Perkowitz, 2019-07-25 Physics, the fundamental science of matter and energy, encompasses all levels of nature from the subatomic to the cosmic, and underlies much of the technology around us. Understanding the physics of our universe is an essential aspect of humanity's quest to understand our environment and our place within it. Doing physics enables us to explore the interaction between environment and human society, and can help us to work towards the future sustainability of the planet. This Very Short Introduction provides an overview of how this pervasive science came to be and how it works: who funds it, how physicists are trained and how they think, and how physics supports the technology we all use. Sidney Perkowitz presents the theories and outcomes of pure and applied physics from ideas of the Greek natural philosophers to modern quantum mechanics, cosmology, digital electronics and energy production. Considering its most consequential experiments, including recent results in elementary particles, gravitational waves and materials science, he also discusses outside the lab, the effects of physics on society, culture, and humanity's vision of its place in the universe. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable. |
| the physics of quantum mechanics binney: Particle Physics Frank Close, 2023-10-24 Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring Following the discovery of the Higgs boson, Frank Close has produced this major revision to his classic and compelling introduction to the fundamental particles that make up the universe. Frank Close takes us on a journey into the atom to examine known particles such as quarks, electrons, and the ghostly neutrino, and explains the key role and significance of the Higgs boson. Along the way he provides fascinating insights into how discoveries in particle physics have actually been made, and discusses how our picture of the world has been radically revised in the light of these developments. He concludes by looking ahead to new ideas about the mystery of antimatter and massive neutrinos, and to what the next 50 years of research might reveal about the nature of the Higgs field which moulds the fundamental particles and forces. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable. |
| the physics of quantum mechanics binney: Symmetries, Particles and Fields Ben Allanach, 2021-08-05 A coursebook for a Master's level course at the University of Cambridge to prepare students for a Ph.D. in theoretical particle physics. Lie groups and Lie algebras are important in the construction of quantum field theories that describe interactions between known particles. One particle states are described in terms of irreducible representations of the Poincare group, a Lie group. Quantum fields may be acted on by operators of the Poincare group. Gauge theories, which describe many of the interactions in the Standard Model of particle physics, also rely on Lie groups. We assume knowledge of quantum mechanics, linear algebras, and vector spaces at the undergraduate level. We do not require knowledge of quantum field theory, although the book was designed with the assumption that some basic quantum field theory is studied simultaneously (in particular, the construction of Lagrangian densities in terms of fields); then, a few applications will make more sense. After some basic properties and preliminaries, we introduce matrix Lie groups, which rely on continuous parameters. Differentially, these act as a Lie algebra. The exponential map connects the Lie algebra to the Lie group. We then introduce representations in terms of square matrices, describing how to construct various new representations in terms of combinations of others. The group of rotations in three-dimensional space SO(3) is examined, along with SU(2) and the connection to angular momentum states in quantum theory. Representations of each are covered. The relativistic symmetries (the Lorentz group and the Poincare group in four dimensions) are studied from the point of view of their group elements and Lie algebras. Analysis of compact simple Lie algebras and their finite representations comes from mapping them to a geometrical picture involving roots and weights via the Cartan matrix. An overview of the results of the Cartan classification of simple Lie algebras is included. An application in terms of representations of a global SU(3)F flavour symmetry explains some features of the spectrum of hadronic particles. Further properties of the spectrum lead one to introduce an additional local SU(3)c colour symmetry leading to a particular gauge theory called quantum chromodynamics. We cover abelian and non-abelian gauge theories before returning to irreducible induced representations of the Poincare group, which are used to describe one-particle states. |
| the physics of quantum mechanics binney: The Theory of Elementary Waves Lewis E. Little, 2018-08 The Theory of Elementary Waves: A New Explanation of Fundamental Physics, by Dr. Lewis E. Little, upends the standard view of quantum mechanics. His new theory explains activity at the sub-atomic level with the same understanding of cause and effect that governs all other science: In other words, the Theory of Elementary Waves (TEW) makes sense of the physical universe. The science of physics should allow us to understand the physical world, from galaxies to sub-atomic particles. Yet quantum mechanics has produced a sad irony, namely that millions of high school and college students consider physics to be virtually incomprehensible. Explanations under quantum mechanics include a variety of contradictions. Most prominent is that elementary particles simultaneously exhibit the properties and behavior of particles and waves, a notion which produced the claim that a single particle-or at least it's potential-can be in two places at once. The links in this chain of absurdity have led to bizarre extremes, such as the idea of backwards time, curved space and the comment from a well-known physicist that the moon is demonstrably not there when nobody looks. The time is ripe for a credible challenge to the formalisms of quantum theory. The Theory of Elementary Waves presents: -A full critique of quantum theory, including Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle, Bell's Theorem, the double-slit experiment and such topics as dark matter. -An entire chapter on how TEW provides a physical explanation of Einstein's theory of relativity. -How TEW sheds new light on the physics of the atom and atomic decay. -Suggestions for future research, not just in physics but in chemistry and biology as well. In the book's foreword, best-selling author Robert Prechter credits Dr. Little with a vision as revolutionary as that of Copernicus 350 years earlier, and writes he not only revolutionizes the fundamentals of sub-atomic physics but also reclaims the fundamentals of scientific philosophy. If you want to experience being at the forefront of a scientific revolution in what was formerly an unnecessarily mysterious field, The Theory of Elementary Waves: A New Explanation of Fundamental Physics is for you. |
| the physics of quantum mechanics binney: The Quantum Story Jim Baggott, 2011-02-24 The twentieth century was defined by physics. From the minds of the world's leading physicists there flowed a river of ideas that would transport mankind to the pinnacle of wonderment and to the very depths of human despair. This was a century that began with the certainties of absolute knowledge and ended with the knowledge of absolute uncertainty. It was a century in which physicists developed weapons with the capacity to destroy our reality, whilst at the same time denying us the possibility that we can ever properly comprehend it. Almost everything we think we know about the nature of our world comes from one theory of physics. This theory was discovered and refined in the first thirty years of the twentieth century and went on to become quite simply the most successful theory of physics ever devised. Its concepts underpin much of the twenty-first century technology that we have learned to take for granted. But its success has come at a price, for it has at the same time completely undermined our ability to make sense of the world at the level of its most fundamental constituents. Rejecting the fundamental elements of uncertainty and chance implied by quantum theory, Albert Einstein once famously declared that 'God does not play dice'. Niels Bohr claimed that anybody who is not shocked by the theory has not understood it. The charismatic American physicist Richard Feynman went further: he claimed that nobody understands it. This is quantum theory, and this book tells its story. Jim Baggott presents a celebration of this wonderful yet wholly disconcerting theory, with a history told in forty episodes -- significant moments of truth or turning points in the theory's development. From its birth in the porcelain furnaces used to study black body radiation in 1900, to the promise of stimulating new quantum phenomena to be revealed by CERN's Large Hadron Collider over a hundred years later, this is the extraordinary story of the quantum world. Oxford Landmark Science books are 'must-read' classics of modern science writing which have crystallized big ideas, and shaped the way we think. |
| the physics of quantum mechanics binney: Scaling and Renormalization in Statistical Physics John Cardy, 1996-04-26 This text provides a thoroughly modern graduate-level introduction to the theory of critical behaviour. It begins with a brief review of phase transitions in simple systems, then goes on to introduce the core ideas of the renormalisation group. |
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Apr 1, 2025 · The Physics page features the latest news in materials science, quantum physics, particle physics, and more.
Physics - Science News
5 days ago · The Physics page features the latest news in materials science, quantum physics, particle physics, and more.
Quantum mechanics was born 100 years ago. Physicists are …
Feb 4, 2025 · A century ago, science went quantum. To celebrate, physicists are throwing a global, year-long party. In 1925, quantum mechanics, the scientific theory that describes the …
Physics Forums: Science Discussion, Homework Help, Articles
Jun 3, 2025 · Physics Forums aims to provide a community for students, scientists, educators or hobbyists to learn and discuss science as it is currently generally understood and practiced by …
Trump’s ‘Golden Dome’ plan has a major obstacle: Physics
May 22, 2025 · Senior physics writer Emily Conover has a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Chicago. She is a two-time winner of the D.C. Science Writers’ Association Newsbrief award …
Physics Blogs You Need to Be Reading - Physics Forums
May 25, 2015 · These are some of the best physics blogs, updated regularly, written by some of the top minds. The feeds are updated on page refresh, so bookmark this page and you’ll have …
Exploration into the Physics of Rainbows - Physics Forums
Jan 5, 2016 · A rainbow is usually seen as less than half a circle. In the right circumstances, full-circle rainbows can be seen above you in the sky, or below when you view from high up. …
A Beginner Physics Guide to Baryon Particles
Apr 18, 2020 · The interesting thing, which we saw in my article, is that the concept of superpositions creates a much richer physics (and chemistry!). If we were limited to the four …
Electrons’ magnetism confirms particle physics’ most precise …
Feb 23, 2023 · That property is predicted by the standard model of particle physics, the theory that describes particles and forces on a subatomic level. In fact, it’s the most precise prediction …
The sound of clapping, explained by physics - Science News
Mar 4, 2025 · Senior physics writer Emily Conover has a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Chicago. She is a two-time winner of the D.C. Science Writers’ Association Newsbrief award …
Physics | Page 2 of 206 - Science News
Apr 1, 2025 · The Physics page features the latest news in materials science, quantum physics, particle physics, and more.
