This book investigates two possibilities for describing classical-mechanical physical systems along with their Hamiltonian dynamics in the framework of quantum mechanics.The first possibility consists in exploiting the geometrical properties of the set of quantum pure states of "microsystems" and of the Lie groups characterizing the specific classical system. The second approach is to consider quantal systems of a large number of interacting subsystems – i.e. macrosystems, so as to study the quantum mechanics of an infinite number of degrees of freedom and to look for the behaviour of their collective variables. The final chapter contains some solvable models of “quantum measurement" describing dynamical transitions from "microsystems" to "macrosystems".

This book is an introduction to the field of constrained Hamiltonian systems and their quantization, a topic which is of central interest to theoretical physicists who wish to obtain a deeper understanding of the quantization of gauge theories, such as describing the fundamental interactions in nature. Beginning with the early work of Dirac, the book covers the main developments in the field up to more recent topics, such as the field?antifield formalism of Batalin and Vilkovisky, including a short discussion of how gauge anomalies may be incorporated into this formalism. All topics are well illustrated with examples emphasizing points of central interest. The book should enable graduate students to follow the literature on this subject without much problems, and to perform research in this field.

Even though time-dependent spectroscopic techniques continue to push the frontier of chemical physics, they receive scant mention in introductory courses and are poorly covered in standard texts. Quantum Dynamics: Applications in Biological and Materials Systems bridges the gap between what is traditionally taught in a one-semester quantum chemistr

The school held at Villa Marigola, Lerici, Italy, in July 1997 was very much an educational experiment aimed not just at teaching a new generation of students the latest developments in computer simulation methods and theory, but also at bringing together researchers from the condensed matter computer simulation community, the biophysical chemistry community and the quantum dynamics community to confront the shared problem: the development of methods to treat the dynamics of quantum condensed phase systems.This volume collects the lectures delivered there. Due to the focus of the school, the contributions divide along natural lines into two broad groups: (1) the most sophisticated forms of the art of computer simulation, including biased phase space sampling schemes, methods which address the multiplicity of time scales in condensed phase problems, and static equilibrium methods for treating quantum systems; (2) the contributions on quantum dynamics, including methods for mixing quantum and classical dynamics in condensed phase simulations and methods capable of treating all degrees of freedom quantum-mechanically.

Classical Dynamics of Particles and Systems presents a modern and reasonably complete account of the classical mechanics of particles, systems of particles, and rigid bodies for physics students at the advanced undergraduate level. The book aims to present a modern treatment of classical mechanical systems in such a way that the transition to the quantum theory of physics can be made with the least possible difficulty; to acquaint the student with new mathematical techniques and provide sufficient practice in solving problems; and to impart to the student some degree of sophistication in handling both the formalism of the theory and the operational technique of problem solving. Vector methods are developed in the first two chapters and are used throughout the book. Other chapters cover the fundamentals of Newtonian mechanics, the special theory of relativity, gravitational attraction and potentials, oscillatory motion, Lagrangian and Hamiltonian dynamics, central-force motion, two-particle collisions, and the wave equation.

This book provides a coherent introduction to Gutzwiller’s trace formula accessible to well-prepared science, mathematics, and engineering students who have taken introductory courses in linear algebra, classical, and quantum mechanics. In addition to providing an enrichment of the undergraduate curriculum, this book may serve as the primary text for graduate courses on semiclassical methods. Since periodic-orbit expansions may be used to solve all types of wave systems that typically occur in mathematics, phyics, and engineering, this book is attractice for professional scientists and engineers as well. Following a thorough review of elementary concepts in classical and quantum mechanics the reader is introduced to the idea of classical periodic orbits, the foundation of Gutzwiller’s approach to quantum spectra. The trace formula itself is derived following an introduction to Feynman’s path integrals. Numerous applications, including the exact solutions of “unsolvable” one-dimensional quantum problems, illustrate the power of Gutzwiller’s method. Worked examples throughout the text illustrate the material and provide immediate “hands-on” demonstrations of tools and concepts just learned. Problems at the end of each section invite the reader to consolidate the acquired knowledge.

Introduces number operators with a focus on the relationship between quantum mechanics and social science Mathematics is increasingly applied to classical problems in finance, biology, economics, and elsewhere. Quantum Dynamics for Classical Systems describes how quantum tools—the number operator in particular—can be used to create dynamical systems in which the variables are operator-valued functions and whose results explain the presented model. The book presents mathematical results and their applications to concrete systems and discusses the methods used, results obtained, and techniques developed for the proofs of the results. The central ideas of number operators are illuminated while avoiding excessive technicalities that are unnecessary for understanding and learning the various mathematical applications. The presented dynamical systems address a variety of contexts and offer clear analyses and explanations of concluded results. Additional features in Quantum Dynamics for Classical Systems include: Applications across diverse fields including stock markets and population migration as well as a unique quantum perspective on these classes of models Illustrations of the use of creation and annihilation operators for classical problems Examples of the recent increase in research and literature on the many applications of quantum tools in applied mathematics Clarification on numerous misunderstandings and misnomers while shedding light on new approaches in the field Quantum Dynamics for Classical Systems is an ideal reference for researchers, professionals, and academics in applied mathematics, economics, physics, biology, and sociology. The book is also excellent for courses in dynamical systems, quantum mechanics, and mathematical models.

Several well-established geometric and topological methods are used in this work in an application to a beautiful physical phenomenon known as the geometric phase. This book examines the geometric phase, bringing together different physical phenomena under a unified mathematical scheme. The material is presented so that graduate students and researchers in applied mathematics and physics with an understanding of classical and quantum mechanics can handle the text.

This book describes, by using elementary techniques, how some geometrical structures widely used today in many areas of physics, like symplectic, Poisson, Lagrangian, Hermitian, etc., emerge from dynamics. It is assumed that what can be accessed in actual experiences when studying a given system is just its dynamical behavior that is described by using a family of variables ("observables" of the system). The book departs from the principle that ''dynamics is first'' and then tries to answer in what sense the sole dynamics determines the geometrical structures that have proved so useful to describe the dynamics in so many important instances. In this vein it is shown that most of the geometrical structures that are used in the standard presentations of classical dynamics (Jacobi, Poisson, symplectic, Hamiltonian, Lagrangian) are determined, though in general not uniquely, by the dynamics alone. The same program is accomplished for the geometrical structures relevant to describe quantum dynamics. Finally, it is shown that further properties that allow the explicit description of the dynamics of certain dynamical systems, like integrability and super integrability, are deeply related to the previous development and will be covered in the last part of the book. The mathematical framework used to present the previous program is kept to an elementary level throughout the text, indicating where more advanced notions will be needed to proceed further. A family of relevant examples is discussed at length and the necessary ideas from geometry are elaborated along the text. However no effort is made to present an ''all-inclusive'' introduction to differential geometry as many other books already exist on the market doing exactly that. However, the development of the previous program, considered as the posing and solution of a generalized inverse problem for geometry, leads to new ways of thinking and relating some of the most conspicuous geometrical structures appearing in Mathematical and Theoretical Physics.

This book aims to present an information-theoretical approach to thermodynamics and its generalisations. On the one hand, it generalises the concept of `information thermodynamics' to that of `information dynamics' in order to stress applications outside thermal phenomena. On the other hand, it is a synthesis of the dynamics of state change and the theory of complexity, which provide a common framework to treat both physical and nonphysical systems together. Both classical and quantum systems are discussed, and two appendices are included to explain principal definitions and some important aspects of the theory of Hilbert spaces and operator algebras. The concept of higher-order temperatures is explained and applied to biological and linguistic systems. The theory of open systems is presented in a new, much more general form. Audience: This volume is intended mainly for theoretical and mathematical physicists, but also for mathematicians, experimental physicists, physical chemists, theoretical biologists, communication engineers, and all those interested in entropy and open systems. It can also be recommended as a supplementary text.