Density Matrix Theories in Quantum Physics

Density Matrix Theories in Quantum Physics
Author: Boris V. Bondarev
Publisher: Bentham Science Publishers
Total Pages: 393
Release: 2020-11-03
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9811475393

In Density Matrix Theories in Quantum Physics, the author explores new possibilities for the main quantities in quantum physics – the statistical operator and the density matrix. The starting point in this exploration is the Lindblad equation for the statistical operator, where the main element of influence on a system by its environment is the dissipative operator. Bondarev has developed the theory of the harmonic oscillator, in which he finds the density matrix and proves the Heisenberg relation. Bondarev has written the dissipative diffusion and attenuation operators and proven the equivalence of the Wigner and Fokker–Planck equations using them. He further develops theories of the light-emitting diode and ball lightning. Bondarev also derives equations for the density matrix of a single particle and a system of identical particles. These equations have a remarkable property: when the density matrix has a diagonal shape they turn into a quantum kinetic equation for probability. Additional chapters in the book present new theories of experimentally discovered phenomena, such as the step kinetics of bimolecular reactions in solids, superconductivity, superfluidity, the energy spectrum of an arbitrary atom, lasers, spasers, and graphene. Density Matrix Theories in Quantum Physics is an informative reference for theoretical physicists interested in new theories on the subject of complex physical phenomena, quantum theory and density matrices.

Density Matrix Theory and Applications

Density Matrix Theory and Applications
Author: Karl Blum
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 217
Release: 2013-06-29
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1461568080

Quantum mechanics has been mostly concerned with those states of systems that are represented by state vectors. In many cases, however, the system of interest is incompletely determined; for example, it may have no more than a certain probability of being in the precisely defined dynamical state characterized by a state vector. Because of this incomplete knowledge, a need for statistical averaging arises in the same sense as in classical physics. The density matrix was introduced by J. von Neumann in 1927 to describe statistical concepts in quantum mechanics. The main virtue of the density matrix is its analytical power in the construction of general formulas and in the proof of general theorems. The evaluation of averages and probabilities of the physical quantities characterizing a given system is extremely cumbersome without the use of density matrix techniques. The representation of quantum mechanical states by density matrices enables the maximum information available on the system to be expressed in a compact manner and hence avoids the introduction of unnecessary vari ables. The use of density matrix methods also has the advantage of providing a uniform treatment of all quantum mechanical states, whether they are completely or incom~'\etely known. Until recently the use of the density matrix method has been mainly restricted to statistical physics. In recent years, however, the application of the density matrix has been gaining more and more importance in many other fields of physics.

Theory of Transport Properties of Semiconductor Nanostructures

Theory of Transport Properties of Semiconductor Nanostructures
Author: Eckehard Schöll
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 394
Release: 2013-11-27
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1461558077

Recent advances in the fabrication of semiconductors have created almost un limited possibilities to design structures on a nanometre scale with extraordinary electronic and optoelectronic properties. The theoretical understanding of elec trical transport in such nanostructures is of utmost importance for future device applications. This represents a challenging issue of today's basic research since it requires advanced theoretical techniques to cope with the quantum limit of charge transport, ultrafast carrier dynamics and strongly nonlinear high-field ef fects. This book, which appears in the electronic materials series, presents an over view of the theoretical background and recent developments in the theory of electrical transport in semiconductor nanostructures. It contains 11 chapters which are written by experts in their fields. Starting with a tutorial introduction to the subject in Chapter 1, it proceeds to present different approaches to transport theory. The semiclassical Boltzmann transport equation is in the centre of the next three chapters. Hydrodynamic moment equations (Chapter 2), Monte Carlo techniques (Chapter 3) and the cellular au tomaton approach (Chapter 4) are introduced and illustrated with applications to nanometre structures and device simulation. A full quantum-transport theory covering the Kubo formalism and nonequilibrium Green's functions (Chapter 5) as well as the density matrix theory (Chapter 6) is then presented.

The Fundamentals of Electron Density, Density Matrix and Density Functional Theory in Atoms, Molecules and the Solid State

The Fundamentals of Electron Density, Density Matrix and Density Functional Theory in Atoms, Molecules and the Solid State
Author: N.I. Gidopoulos
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 233
Release: 2013-03-09
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9401704090

This volume records the proceedings of a Forum on The Fundamentals of Electron Density, Density Matrix and Density Functional Theory in Atoms, Molecules and the Solid State held at the Coseners' House, Abingdon-on-Thames, Oxon. over the period 31st May - 2nd June, 2002. The forum consisted of 26 oral and poster presentations followed by a discussion structure around questions and comments submitted by the participants (and others who had expressed an interest) in advance of the meeting. Quantum mechanics provides a theoretical foundation for our under standing of the structure and properties of atoms, molecules and the solid state in terms their component particles, electrons and nuclei. (Rel ativistic quantum mechanics is required for molecular systems contain ing heavy atoms.) However, the solution of the equations of quantum mechanics yields a function, a wave function, which depends on the co ordinates, both space and spin, of all of the particles in the system. This functions contains much more information than is required to yield the energy or other property.

Reduced-Density-Matrix Mechanics

Reduced-Density-Matrix Mechanics
Author: David A. Mazziotti
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 300
Release: 2007-04-06
Genre: Science
ISBN: 047010659X

An up-to-date account of this cutting-edge research in a consistent and understandable framework, of special interest to experts in other areas of electronic structure and/or quantum many-body theory. It will serve equally well as a self-contained guide to learning about reduced density matrices either through self-study or in a classroom as well as an invaluable resource for understanding the critical advancements in the field.

Quantum Theory: Concepts and Methods

Quantum Theory: Concepts and Methods
Author: A. Peres
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 463
Release: 2006-06-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0306471205

There are many excellent books on quantum theory from which one can learn to compute energy levels, transition rates, cross sections, etc. The theoretical rules given in these books are routinely used by physicists to compute observable quantities. Their predictions can then be compared with experimental data. There is no fundamental disagreement among physicists on how to use the theory for these practical purposes. However, there are profound differences in their opinions on the ontological meaning of quantum theory. The purpose of this book is to clarify the conceptual meaning of quantum theory, and to explain some of the mathematical methods which it utilizes. This text is not concerned with specialized topics such as atomic structure, or strong or weak interactions, but with the very foundations of the theory. This is not, however, a book on the philosophy of science. The approach is pragmatic and strictly instrumentalist. This attitude will undoubtedly antagonize some readers, but it has its own logic: quantum phenomena do not occur in a Hilbert space, they occur in a laboratory.

Quantum Networks

Quantum Networks
Author: Günter Mahler
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 403
Release: 2013-03-09
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3662031760

The focus here is on density matrix theory cast into a representation - SU(n) algebra - since this is particularly adapted to describing networks of quasi-molecular subsystems. This approach allows an understanding of how classical properties emerge within a quantum mechanical world and how non-classical features survive in a classical environment. The authors introduce and discuss non-classical aspects such as single-particle and multi-particle coherence such that a picture evolves of how these features are generated and destroyed by interactions with the environment. The outcome is a description of how the dynamics of individual quantum systems are interrelated with information dynamics.

Quantum Mechanics in Phase Space

Quantum Mechanics in Phase Space
Author: Cosmas Zachos
Publisher: World Scientific
Total Pages: 560
Release: 2005
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9812383840

Wigner's quasi-probability distribution function in phase space is a special (Weyl) representation of the density matrix. It has been useful in describing quantum transport in quantum optics; nuclear physics; decoherence, quantum computing, and quantum chaos. It is also important in signal processing and the mathematics of algebraic deformation. A remarkable aspect of its internal logic, pioneered by Groenewold and Moyal, has only emerged in the last quarter-century: it furnishes a third, alternative, formulation of quantum mechanics, independent of the conventional Hilbert space, or path integral formulations.In this logically complete and self-standing formulation, one need not choose sides ? coordinate or momentum space. It works in full phase space, accommodating the uncertainty principle, and it offers unique insights into the classical limit of quantum theory. This invaluable book is a collection of the seminal papers on the formulation, with an introductory overview which provides a trail map for those papers; an extensive bibliography; and simple illustrations, suitable for applications to a broad range of physics problems. It can provide supplementary material for a beginning graduate course in quantum mechanics.

The Theory of Open Quantum Systems

The Theory of Open Quantum Systems
Author: Heinz-Peter Breuer
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 648
Release: 2002
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 9780198520634

This book treats the central physical concepts and mathematical techniques used to investigate the dynamics of open quantum systems. To provide a self-contained presentation the text begins with a survey of classical probability theory and with an introduction into the foundations of quantum mechanics with particular emphasis on its statistical interpretation. The fundamentals of density matrix theory, quantum Markov processes and dynamical semigroups are developed. The most important master equations used in quantum optics and in the theory of quantum Brownian motion are applied to the study of many examples. Special attention is paid to the theory of environment induced decoherence, its role in the dynamical description of the measurement process and to the experimental observation of decohering Schrodinger cat states. The book includes the modern formulation of open quantum systems in terms of stochastic processes in Hilbert space. Stochastic wave function methods and Monte Carlo algorithms are designed and applied to important examples from quantum optics and atomic physics, such as Levy statistics in the laser cooling of atoms, and the damped Jaynes-Cummings model. The basic features of the non-Markovian quantum behaviour of open systems are examined on the basis of projection operator techniques. In addition, the book expounds the relativistic theory of quantum measurements and discusses several examples from a unified perspective, e.g. non-local measurements and quantum teleportation. Influence functional and super-operator techniques are employed to study the density matrix theory in quantum electrodynamics and applications to the destruction of quantum coherence are presented. The text addresses graduate students and lecturers in physics and applied mathematics, as well as researchers with interests in fundamental questions in quantum mechanics and its applications. Many analytical methods and computer simulation techniques are developed and illustrated with the help of numerous specific examples. Only a basic understanding of quantum mechanics and of elementary concepts of probability theory is assumed.