Download or read book Feynman s Thesis written by Richard Phillips Feynman and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2005 with total page 142 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Richard Feynman's never previously published doctoral thesis formed the heart of much of his brilliant and profound work in theoretical physics. Entitled ?The Principle of Least Action in Quantum Mechanics," its original motive was to quantize the classical action-at-a-distance electrodynamics. Because that theory adopted an overall space?time viewpoint, the classical Hamiltonian approach used in the conventional formulations of quantum theory could not be used, so Feynman turned to the Lagrangian function and the principle of least action as his points of departure.The result was the path integral approach, which satisfied ? and transcended ? its original motivation, and has enjoyed great success in renormalized quantum field theory, including the derivation of the ubiquitous Feynman diagrams for elementary particles. Path integrals have many other applications, including atomic, molecular, and nuclear scattering, statistical mechanics, quantum liquids and solids, Brownian motion, and noise theory. It also sheds new light on fundamental issues like the interpretation of quantum theory because of its new overall space?time viewpoint.The present volume includes Feynman's Princeton thesis, the related review article ?Space?Time Approach to Non-Relativistic Quantum Mechanics? [Reviews of Modern Physics 20 (1948), 367?387], Paul Dirac's seminal paper ?The Lagrangian in Quantum Mechanics'' [Physikalische Zeitschrift der Sowjetunion, Band 3, Heft 1 (1933)], and an introduction by Laurie M Brown.

Download or read book Quantum Mechanics Determinism Causality and Particles written by M. Flato and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Two important events in the history of physical sciences occurred re cently: the fiftieth anniversary of Quantum Mechanics and the Jubilee of Louis de Broglie's celebrated Thesis. These events occurred in the same period of time when the world honored de Broglie on the occa sion of his eightieth birthday. Some of de Broglie's friends, former students, and some people who used to know him and appreciate his personality decided to prepare an international volume for this cele brated occasion. Such a task was not very easy. It is always simpler to contribute in honor of famous people whose works and impact were great on a tech nical and pragmatic level than to contribute in honor of a person whose achievements were not only dominant in physical sciences themselves, but also had many important implications for the development of the whole branch of philosophy of sciences. Louis de Broglie, the man to whom we owe among other things the most fundamental notion of duality between waves and particles, be longs in a way to the Einsteinian school of thought. He never accepted literally the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics. To him it was clear that this interpretation makes quantum mechanics incomplete and highly non-deterministic. He always believed that since the duality between waves and particles was an experimental fact, there should be some manifestation of the Schrodinger wave itself in the realistic world. De Broglie had to struggle much for this idea, which he never gave up.

Download or read book On Certain Unitary Representations Of An Infinite Group Of Transformations Thesis By Leon Van Hove written by Marcus Berg and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2001-05-17 with total page 103 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On April 20, 1951, Léon Van Hove presented his thesis “Sur certaines représentations unitaires d'un groupe infini de transformations' to the Université libre de Bruxelles (Free University of Brussels), two days before the University of Grenoble had approved the creation of L'Ecole d'été de physique théorique at Les Houches (Haute Savoie, France). The first session of the “Ecole des Houches” began on July 15, 1951, with a month-long course by Van Hove on quantum mechanics. The lecture notes for this course were written for the benefit of physicists who — like most of their colleagues outside the US, Canada, and England at that time — did not know quantum mechanics but wanted to learn it seriously. Van Hove's course met their expectations fully. The physics course benefitted from the mathematical expertise of the lecturer, which is also apparent in this thesis. Without his own research as scaffolding, Van Hove could not have built the short and beautiful course which provided the participants with a solid, useful foundation in modern physics.The lecture notes are in French. If they had been in English they would have been published together with the translation of the thesis. The first three pages of the notes are reproduced at the end of this book. The set of notes was reproduced by stencils and distributed to the participants at the beginning of the course.The translation of Léon Van Hove's thesis was initiated in late 2000, when Bob Hermann, formerly in the Department of Mathematics at MIT, sent to Van Hove's son Michel his view on the thesis: “I would consider it as one of the most important mathematical physics papers of the past fifty years, containing the key ideas for what has become known as ‘geometric quantization.’” Indeed, the thesis is interesting both to historians of science and to theoretical physicists and mathematicians exploring the relationships between quantum and classical physics, based on the Hilbert-space approach to classical mechanics.

Download or read book The Structures of Mathematical Physics written by Steven P. Starkovich and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This textbook serves as an introduction to groups, rings, fields, vector and tensor spaces, algebras, topological spaces, differentiable manifolds and Lie groups --- mathematical structures which are foundational to modern theoretical physics. It is aimed primarily at undergraduate students in physics and mathematics with no previous background in these topics. Applications to physics --- such as the metric tensor of special relativity, the symplectic structures associated with Hamilton's equations and the Generalized Stokes's Theorem --- appear at appropriate places in the text. Worked examples, end-of-chapter problems (many with hints and some with answers) and guides to further reading make this an excellent book for self-study. Upon completing this book the reader will be well prepared to delve more deeply into advanced texts and specialized monographs in theoretical physics or mathematics.

Download or read book Quantum Mathematical Physics written by Felix Finster and published by Birkhäuser. This book was released on 2016-02-24 with total page 517 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Quantum physics has been highly successful for more than 90 years. Nevertheless, a rigorous construction of interacting quantum field theory is still missing. Moreover, it is still unclear how to combine quantum physics and general relativity in a unified physical theory. Attacking these challenging problems of contemporary physics requires highly advanced mathematical methods as well as radically new physical concepts. This book presents different physical ideas and mathematical approaches in this direction. It contains a carefully selected cross-section of lectures which took place in autumn 2014 at the sixth conference ``Quantum Mathematical Physics - A Bridge between Mathematics and Physics'' in Regensburg, Germany. In the tradition of the other proceedings covering this series of conferences, a special feature of this book is the exposition of a wide variety of approaches, with the intention to facilitate a comparison. The book is mainly addressed to mathematicians and physicists who are interested in fundamental questions of mathematical physics. It allows the reader to obtain a broad and up-to-date overview of a fascinating active research area.

Download or read book Physics for Mathematicians written by Michael Spivak and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 733 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Understanding Physics Using Mathematical Reasoning written by Andrzej Sokolowski and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021-08-20 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book speaks about physics discoveries that intertwine mathematical reasoning, modeling, and scientific inquiry. It offers ways of bringing together the structural domain of mathematics and the content of physics in one coherent inquiry. Teaching and learning physics is challenging because students lack the skills to merge these learning paradigms. The purpose of this book is not only to improve access to the understanding of natural phenomena but also to inspire new ways of delivering and understanding the complex concepts of physics. To sustain physics education in college classrooms, authentic training that would help develop high school students’ skills of transcending function modeling techniques to reason scientifically is needed and this book aspires to offer such training The book draws on current research in developing students’ mathematical reasoning. It identifies areas for advancements and proposes a conceptual framework that is tested in several case studies designed using that framework. Modeling Newton’s laws using limited case analysis, Modeling projectile motion using parametric equations and Enabling covariational reasoning in Einstein formula for the photoelectric effect represent some of these case studies. A wealth of conclusions that accompany these case studies, drawn from the realities of classroom teaching, is to help physics teachers and researchers adopt these ideas in practice.

Download or read book The Logical Structure of Mathematical Physics written by Joseph D. Sneed and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 325 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is about scientific theories of a particular kind - theories of mathematical physics. Examples of such theories are classical and relativis tic particle mechanics, classical electrodynamics, classical thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, hydrodynamics, and quantum mechanics. Roughly, these are theories in which a certain mathematical structure is employed to make statements about some fragment of the world. Most of the book is simply an elaboration of this rough characterization of theories of mathematical physics. It is argued that each theory of mathematical physics has associated with it a certain characteristic mathematical struc ture. This structure may be used in a variety of ways to make empirical claims about putative applications of the theory. Typically - though not necessarily - the way this structure is used in making such claims requires that certain elements in the structure play essentially different roles. Some playa "theoretical" role; others playa "non-theoretical" role. For example, in classical particle mechanics, mass and force playa theoretical role while position plays a non-theoretical role. Some attention is given to showing how this distinction can be drawn and describing precisely the way in which the theoretical and non-theoretical elements function in the claims of the theory. An attempt is made to say, rather precisely, what a theory of mathematical physics is and how you tell one such theory from anothe- what the identity conditions for these theories are.

Download or read book Foundations of Mathematics and Physics One Century After Hilbert written by Joseph Kouneiher and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-05-26 with total page 441 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores the rich and deep interplay between mathematics and physics one century after David Hilbert’s works from 1891 to 1933, published by Springer in six volumes. The most prominent scientists in various domains of these disciplines contribute to this volume providing insight to their works, and analyzing the impact of the breakthrough and the perspectives of their own contributions. The result is a broad journey through the most recent developments in mathematical physics, such as string theory, quantum gravity, noncommutative geometry, twistor theory, Gauge and Quantum fields theories, just to mention a few. The reader, accompanied on this journey by some of the fathers of these theories, explores some far reaching interfaces where mathematics and theoretical physics interact profoundly and gets a broad and deep understanding of subjects which are at the core of recent developments in mathematical physics. The journey is not confined to the present state of the art, but sheds light on future developments of the field, highlighting a list of open problems. Graduate students and researchers working in physics, mathematics and mathematical physics will find this journey extremely fascinating. All those who want to benefit from a comprehensive description of all the latest advances in mathematics and mathematical physics, will find this book very useful too.

Download or read book Differential Equations on Manifolds and Mathematical Physics written by Vladimir M. Manuilov and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2022-01-21 with total page 349 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a volume originating from the Conference on Partial Differential Equations and Applications, which was held in Moscow in November 2018 in memory of professor Boris Sternin and attracted more than a hundred participants from eighteen countries. The conference was mainly dedicated to partial differential equations on manifolds and their applications in mathematical physics, geometry, topology, and complex analysis. The volume contains selected contributions by leading experts in these fields and presents the current state of the art in several areas of PDE. It will be of interest to researchers and graduate students specializing in partial differential equations, mathematical physics, topology, geometry, and their applications. The readers will benefit from the interplay between these various areas of mathematics.

Download or read book A Collection of Problems on Mathematical Physics written by B. M. Budak and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2013-10-22 with total page 783 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Collection of Problems on Mathematical Physics is a translation from the Russian and deals with problems and equations of mathematical physics. The book contains problems and solutions. The book discusses problems on the derivation of equations and boundary condition. These Problems are arranged on the type and reduction to canonical form of equations in two or more independent variables. The equations of hyperbolic type concerns derive from problems on vibrations of continuous media and on electromagnetic oscillations. The book considers the statement and solutions of boundary value problems pertaining to equations of parabolic types when the physical processes are described by functions of two, three or four independent variables such as spatial coordinates or time. The book then discusses dynamic problems pertaining to the mechanics of continuous media and problems on electrodynamics. The text also discusses hyperbolic and elliptic types of equations. The book is intended for students in advanced mathematics and physics, as well as, for engineers and workers in research institutions.

Download or read book Mathematical Methods in Physics written by Philippe Blanchard and published by Birkhäuser. This book was released on 2015-04-07 with total page 598 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The second edition of this textbook presents the basic mathematical knowledge and skills that are needed for courses on modern theoretical physics, such as those on quantum mechanics, classical and quantum field theory, and related areas. The authors stress that learning mathematical physics is not a passive process and include numerous detailed proofs, examples, and over 200 exercises, as well as hints linking mathematical concepts and results to the relevant physical concepts and theories. All of the material from the first edition has been updated, and five new chapters have been added on such topics as distributions, Hilbert space operators, and variational methods. The text is divided into three parts: - Part I: A brief introduction to (Schwartz) distribution theory. Elements from the theories of ultra distributions and (Fourier) hyperfunctions are given in addition to some deeper results for Schwartz distributions, thus providing a rather comprehensive introduction to the theory of generalized functions. Basic properties and methods for distributions are developed with applications to constant coefficient ODEs and PDEs. The relation between distributions and holomorphic functions is considered, as well as basic properties of Sobolev spaces. - Part II: Fundamental facts about Hilbert spaces. The basic theory of linear (bounded and unbounded) operators in Hilbert spaces and special classes of linear operators - compact, Hilbert-Schmidt, trace class, and Schrödinger operators, as needed in quantum physics and quantum information theory – are explored. This section also contains a detailed spectral analysis of all major classes of linear operators, including completeness of generalized eigenfunctions, as well as of (completely) positive mappings, in particular quantum operations. - Part III: Direct methods of the calculus of variations and their applications to boundary- and eigenvalue-problems for linear and nonlinear partial differential operators. The authors conclude with a discussion of the Hohenberg-Kohn variational principle. The appendices contain proofs of more general and deeper results, including completions, basic facts about metrizable Hausdorff locally convex topological vector spaces, Baire’s fundamental results and their main consequences, and bilinear functionals. Mathematical Methods in Physics is aimed at a broad community of graduate students in mathematics, mathematical physics, quantum information theory, physics and engineering, as well as researchers in these disciplines. Expanded content and relevant updates will make this new edition a valuable resource for those working in these disciplines.

Download or read book Mathematical Physics with Partial Differential Equations written by James Kirkwood and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2012-01-20 with total page 431 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Suitable for advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students taking a course on mathematical physics, this title presents some of the most important topics and methods of mathematical physics. It contains mathematical derivations and solutions - reinforcing the material through repetition of both the equations and the techniques.

Download or read book Mirror Symmetry written by Kentaro Hori and published by American Mathematical Soc.. This book was released on 2003 with total page 954 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This thorough and detailed exposition is the result of an intensive month-long course on mirror symmetry sponsored by the Clay Mathematics Institute. It develops mirror symmetry from both mathematical and physical perspectives with the aim of furthering interaction between the two fields. The material will be particularly useful for mathematicians and physicists who wish to advance their understanding across both disciplines. Mirror symmetry is a phenomenon arising in string theory in which two very different manifolds give rise to equivalent physics. Such a correspondence has significant mathematical consequences, the most familiar of which involves the enumeration of holomorphic curves inside complex manifolds by solving differential equations obtained from a ``mirror'' geometry. The inclusion of D-brane states in the equivalence has led to further conjectures involving calibrated submanifolds of the mirror pairs and new (conjectural) invariants of complex manifolds: the Gopakumar-Vafa invariants. This book gives a single, cohesive treatment of mirror symmetry. Parts 1 and 2 develop the necessary mathematical and physical background from ``scratch''. The treatment is focused, developing only the material most necessary for the task. In Parts 3 and 4 the physical and mathematical proofs of mirror symmetry are given. From the physics side, this means demonstrating that two different physical theories give isomorphic physics. Each physical theory can be described geometrically, and thus mirror symmetry gives rise to a ``pairing'' of geometries. The proof involves applying $R\leftrightarrow 1/R$ circle duality to the phases of the fields in the gauged linear sigma model. The mathematics proof develops Gromov-Witten theory in the algebraic setting, beginning with the moduli spaces of curves and maps, and uses localization techniques to show that certain hypergeometric functions encode the Gromov-Witten invariants in genus zero, as is predicted by mirror symmetry. Part 5 is devoted to advanced topi This one-of-a-kind book is suitable for graduate students and research mathematicians interested in mathematics and mathematical and theoretical physics.

Download or read book Lost Causes in and beyond Physics written by R.F. Streater and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2007-07-16 with total page 169 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book deals with a selection of research topics in theoretical physics that have (almost) been proven to be a dead-end or continue at least to be highly controversial. Nevertheless, small but dedicated research communities continue to work on these issues. In a series of essays this book describes their work and struggle as well as the chances of any breakthrough in these areas. It is written as both an entertainment and serious study.

Download or read book The Role of Mathematics in Physical Sciences written by Giovanni Boniolo and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2005-07-22 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Download or read book The Functions of Mathematical Physics written by Harry Hochstadt and published by Courier Corporation. This book was released on 2012-04-30 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A modern classic, this clearly written, incisive textbook provides a comprehensive, detailed survey of the functions of mathematical physics, a field of study straddling the somewhat artificial boundary between pure and applied mathematics. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the theorists who devoted themselves to this field — pioneers such as Gauss, Euler, Fourier, Legendre, and Bessel — were searching for mathematical solutions to physical problems. Today, although most of the functions have practical applications, in areas ranging from the quantum-theoretical model of the atom to the vibrating membrane, some, such as those related to the theory of discontinuous groups, still remain of purely mathematical interest. Chapters One and Two examine orthogonal polynomials, with sections on such topics as the recurrence formula, the Christoffel-Darboux formula, the Weierstrass approximation theorem, and the application of Hermite polynomials to quantum mechanics. Chapter Three is devoted to the principal properties of the gamma function, including asymptotic expansions and Mellin-Barnes integrals. Chapter Four covers hypergeometric functions, including a review of linear differential equations with regular singular points, and a general method for finding integral representations. Chapters Five and Six are concerned with the Legendre functions and their use in the solutions of Laplace's equation in spherical coordinates, as well as problems in an n-dimension setting. Chapter Seven deals with confluent hypergeometric functions, and Chapter Eight examines, at length, the most important of these — the Bessel functions. Chapter Nine covers Hill's equations, including the expansion theorems.