Diffusion, Quantum Theory, and Radically Elementary Mathematics. (MN-47)

Diffusion, Quantum Theory, and Radically Elementary Mathematics. (MN-47)
Author: William G. Faris
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 256
Release: 2006-09-10
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 0691125457

Diffusive motion--displacement due to the cumulative effect of irregular fluctuations--has been a fundamental concept in mathematics and physics since Einstein's work on Brownian motion. It is also relevant to understanding various aspects of quantum theory. This book explains diffusive motion and its relation to both nonrelativistic quantum theory and quantum field theory. It shows how diffusive motion concepts lead to a radical reexamination of the structure of mathematical analysis. The book's inspiration is Princeton University mathematics professor Edward Nelson's influential work in probability, functional analysis, nonstandard analysis, stochastic mechanics, and logic. The book can be used as a tutorial or reference, or read for pleasure by anyone interested in the role of mathematics in science. Because of the application of diffusive motion to quantum theory, it will interest physicists as well as mathematicians. The introductory chapter describes the interrelationships between the various themes, many of which were first brought to light by Edward Nelson. In his writing and conversation, Nelson has always emphasized and relished the human aspect of mathematical endeavor. In his intellectual world, there is no sharp boundary between the mathematical, the cultural, and the spiritual. It is fitting that the final chapter provides a mathematical perspective on musical theory, one that reveals an unexpected connection with some of the book's main themes.

Diffusion, Quantum Theory, and Radically Elementary Mathematics. (MN-47)

Diffusion, Quantum Theory, and Radically Elementary Mathematics. (MN-47)
Author: William G. Faris
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 257
Release: 2014-09-08
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 1400865255

Diffusive motion--displacement due to the cumulative effect of irregular fluctuations--has been a fundamental concept in mathematics and physics since Einstein's work on Brownian motion. It is also relevant to understanding various aspects of quantum theory. This book explains diffusive motion and its relation to both nonrelativistic quantum theory and quantum field theory. It shows how diffusive motion concepts lead to a radical reexamination of the structure of mathematical analysis. The book's inspiration is Princeton University mathematics professor Edward Nelson's influential work in probability, functional analysis, nonstandard analysis, stochastic mechanics, and logic. The book can be used as a tutorial or reference, or read for pleasure by anyone interested in the role of mathematics in science. Because of the application of diffusive motion to quantum theory, it will interest physicists as well as mathematicians. The introductory chapter describes the interrelationships between the various themes, many of which were first brought to light by Edward Nelson. In his writing and conversation, Nelson has always emphasized and relished the human aspect of mathematical endeavor. In his intellectual world, there is no sharp boundary between the mathematical, the cultural, and the spiritual. It is fitting that the final chapter provides a mathematical perspective on musical theory, one that reveals an unexpected connection with some of the book's main themes.

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.

Wholeness and the Implicate Order

Wholeness and the Implicate Order
Author: David Bohm
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 308
Release: 2005-07-12
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1134438729

David Bohm was one of the foremost scientific thinkers and philosophers of our time. Although deeply influenced by Einstein, he was also, more unusually for a scientist, inspired by mysticism. Indeed, in the 1970s and 1980s he made contact with both J. Krishnamurti and the Dalai Lama whose teachings helped shape his work. In both science and philosophy, Bohm's main concern was with understanding the nature of reality in general and of consciousness in particular. In this classic work he develops a theory of quantum physics which treats the totality of existence as an unbroken whole. Writing clearly and without technical jargon, he makes complex ideas accessible to anyone interested in the nature of reality.

The Physics of Quantum Mechanics

The Physics of Quantum Mechanics
Author: James Binney
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 408
Release: 2013-12
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0199688575

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.

Covariant Loop Quantum Gravity

Covariant Loop Quantum Gravity
Author: Carlo Rovelli
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 267
Release: 2015
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1107069629

A comprehensible introduction to the most fascinating research in theoretical physics: advanced quantum gravity. Ideal for researchers and graduate students.

Quantum Aspects of Life

Quantum Aspects of Life
Author: Derek Abbott
Publisher: World Scientific
Total Pages: 469
Release: 2008
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1848162677

A quantum origin of life? -- Quantum mechanics and emergence -- Quantum coherence and the search for the first replicator -- Ultrafast quantum dynamics in photosynthesis -- Modelling quantum decoherence in biomolecules -- Molecular evolution -- Memory depends on the cytoskeleton, but is it quantum? -- Quantum metabolism and allometric scaling relations in biology -- Spectroscopy of the genetic code -- Towards understanding the origin of genetic languages -- Can arbitrary quantum systems undergo self-replication? -- A semi-quantum version of the game of life -- Evolutionary stability in quantum games -- Quantum transmemetic intelligence -- Dreams versus reality : plenary debate session on quantum computing -- Plenary debate: quantum effects in biology : trivial or not? -- Nontrivial quantum effects in biology : a skeptical physicists' view -- That's life! : the geometry of p electron clouds.

Density Functional Theory

Density Functional Theory
Author: Eberhard Engel
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 543
Release: 2011-02-14
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3642140904

Density Functional Theory (DFT) has firmly established itself as the workhorse for atomic-level simulations of condensed phases, pure or composite materials and quantum chemical systems. This work offers a rigorous and detailed introduction to the foundations of this theory, up to and including such advanced topics as orbital-dependent functionals as well as both time-dependent and relativistic DFT. Given the many ramifications of contemporary DFT, the text concentrates on the self-contained presentation of the basics of the most widely used DFT variants: this implies a thorough discussion of the corresponding existence theorems and effective single particle equations, as well as of key approximations utilized in implementations. The formal results are complemented by selected quantitative results, which primarily aim at illustrating the strengths and weaknesses of particular approaches or functionals. The structure and content of this book allow a tutorial and modular self-study approach: the reader will find that all concepts of many-body theory which are indispensable for the discussion of DFT - such as the single-particle Green's function or response functions - are introduced step by step, along with the actual DFT material. The same applies to basic notions of solid state theory, such as the Fermi surface of inhomogeneous, interacting systems. In fact, even the language of second quantization is introduced systematically in an Appendix for readers without formal training in many-body theory.

A Course on Rough Paths

A Course on Rough Paths
Author: Peter K. Friz
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 354
Release: 2020-05-27
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 3030415562

With many updates and additional exercises, the second edition of this book continues to provide readers with a gentle introduction to rough path analysis and regularity structures, theories that have yielded many new insights into the analysis of stochastic differential equations, and, most recently, stochastic partial differential equations. Rough path analysis provides the means for constructing a pathwise solution theory for stochastic differential equations which, in many respects, behaves like the theory of deterministic differential equations and permits a clean break between analytical and probabilistic arguments. Together with the theory of regularity structures, it forms a robust toolbox, allowing the recovery of many classical results without having to rely on specific probabilistic properties such as adaptedness or the martingale property. Essentially self-contained, this textbook puts the emphasis on ideas and short arguments, rather than aiming for the strongest possible statements. A typical reader will have been exposed to upper undergraduate analysis and probability courses, with little more than Itô-integration against Brownian motion required for most of the text. From the reviews of the first edition: "Can easily be used as a support for a graduate course ... Presents in an accessible way the unique point of view of two experts who themselves have largely contributed to the theory" - Fabrice Baudouin in the Mathematical Reviews "It is easy to base a graduate course on rough paths on this ... A researcher who carefully works her way through all of the exercises will have a very good impression of the current state of the art" - Nicolas Perkowski in Zentralblatt MATH