Quantum mechanics is one of the most fascinating, and at the same time most controversial, branches of contemporary science. Disputes have accompanied this science since its birth and have not ceased to this day. Uncommon Paths in Quantum Physics allows the reader to contemplate deeply some ideas and methods that are seldom met in the contemporary literature. Instead of widespread recipes of mathematical physics, based on the solutions of integro-differential equations, the book follows logical and partly intuitional derivations of non-commutative algebra. Readers can directly penetrate the abstract world of quantum mechanics. - First book in the market that treats this newly developed area of theoretical physics; the book will thus provide a fascinating overview of the prospective applications of this area, strongly founded on the theories and methods that it describes. - Provides a solid foundation for the application of quantum theory to current physical problems arising in the interpretation of molecular spectra and important effects in quantum field theory. - New insight into the physics of anharmonic vibrations, more feasible calculations with improved precision.

Gauge Theories in Particle Physics, Volume 1: From Relativistic Quantum Mechanics to QED, Third Edition presents an accessible, practical, and comprehensive introduction to the three gauge theories of the standard model of particle physics: quantum electrodynamics (QED), quantum chromodynamics (QCD), and the electroweak theory. For each of them, the authors provide a thorough discussion of the main conceptual points, a detailed exposition of many practical calculations of physical quantities, and a comparison of these quantitative predictions with experimental results. For this two-volume third edition, much of the book has been rewritten to reflect developments over the last decade, both in the curricula of university courses and in particle physics research. Substantial new material has been introduced that is intended for use in undergraduate physics courses. New introductory chapters provide a precise historical account of the properties of quarks and leptons, and a qualitative overview of the quantum field description of their interactions, at a level appropriate to third year courses. The chapter on relativistic quantum mechanics has been enlarged and is supplemented by additional sections on scattering theory and Green functions, in a form appropriate to fourth year courses. Since precision experiments now test the theories beyond lowest order in perturbation theory, an understanding of the data requires a more sophisticated knowledge of quantum field theory, including ideas of renormalization. The treatment of quantum field theory has therefore been considerably extended so as to provide a uniquely accessible and self-contained introduction to quantum field dynamics, as described by Feynman graphs. The level is suitable for advanced fourth year undergraduates and first year graduates. These developments are all contained in the first volume, which ends with a discussion of higher order corrections in QED; the second volume is devoted to the non-Abelian gauge theories of QCD and the electroweak theory. As in the first two editions, emphasis is placed throughout on developing realistic calculations from a secure physical and conceptual basis.

Volume 1 of this revised and updated edition provides an accessible and practical introduction to the first gauge theory included in the Standard Model of particle physics: quantum electrodynamics (QED).The book includes self-contained presentations of electromagnetism as a gauge theory as well as relativistic quantum mechanics. It provides a uniqu

NATIONAL BOOK AWARD LONGLIST NPR “BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR” SELECTION NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS’ CHOICE A virtuosic debut from a gifted violinist searching for a new mode of artistic becoming How does time shape consciousness and consciousness, time? Do we live in time, or does time live in us? And how does music, with its patterns of rhythm and harmony, inform our experience of time? Uncommon Measure explores these questions from the perspective of a young Korean American who dedicated herself to perfecting her art until performance anxiety forced her to give up the dream of becoming a concert solo violinist. Anchoring her story in illuminating research in neuroscience and quantum physics, Hodges traces her own passage through difficult family dynamics, prejudice, and enormous personal expectations to come to terms with the meaning of a life reimagined—one still shaped by classical music but moving toward the freedom of improvisation.

The fourth edition of this well-established, highly regarded two-volume set continues to provide a fundamental introduction to advanced particle physics while incorporating substantial new experimental results, especially in the areas of CP violation and neutrino oscillations. It offers an accessible and practical introduction to the three gauge theories included in the Standard Model of particle physics: quantum electrodynamics (QED), quantum chromodynamics (QCD), and the Glashow-Salam-Weinberg (GSW) electroweak theory. In the first volume, a new chapter on Lorentz transformations and discrete symmetries presents a simple treatment of Lorentz transformations of Dirac spinors. Along with updating experimental results, this edition also introduces Majorana fermions at an early stage, making the material suitable for a first course in relativistic quantum mechanics. Covering much of the experimental progress made in the last ten years, the second volume remains focused on the two non-Abelian quantum gauge field theories of the Standard Model: QCD and the GSW electroweak theory. A new chapter on CP violation and oscillation phenomena describes CP violation in B-meson decays as well as the main experiments that have led to our current knowledge of mass-squared differences and mixing angles for neutrinos. Exploring a new era in particle physics, this edition discusses the exciting discovery of a boson with properties consistent with those of the Standard Model Higgs boson. It also updates many other topics, including jet algorithms, lattice QCD, effective Lagrangians, and three-generation quark mixing and the CKM matrix. This revised and updated edition provides a self-contained pedagogical treatment of the subject, from relativistic quantum mechanics to the frontiers of the Standard Model. For each theory, the authors discuss the main conceptual points, detail many practical calculations of physical quantities from first principles, and compare these quantitative predictions with experimental results, helping readers improve both their calculation skills and physical insight.

The fifth edition of this well-established, highly regarded two-volume set continues to provide a fundamental introduction to advanced particle physics while incorporating substantial new experimental results, especially in the areas of the Higgs and top quark sectors, as well as CP violation and neutrino oscillations. It offers an accessible and practical introduction to the three gauge theories comprising the Standard Model of particle physics: quantum electrodynamics (QED), quantum chromodynamics (QCD), and the Glashow-Salam-Weinberg (GSW) electroweak theory. The first volume provides a broad and self-contained introduction to the first of these theories, QED. A unique feature is the elementary introduction to quantum field theory, leading in easy stages to covariant perturbation theory and Feynman graphs, thereby establishing a firm foundation for the formal and conceptual framework upon which the subsequent development of the three quantum gauge field theories of the Standard Model is based. The second volume covers the two non-Abelian gauge theories of QCD and the GSW theory. A distinctive feature is the extended treatment of two crucial theoretical tools: spontaneous symmetry breaking and the renormalization group. The underlying physics of these is elucidated by parallel discussions of examples from condensed matter systems: superfluidity and superconductivity, and critical phenomena. This new edition includes updates to jet algorithms, lattice field theory, CP violation and the CKM matrix, and neutrino physics. New to the fifth edition: Tests of the Standard Model in the Higgs and top quark sectors The naturalness problem and responses to it going beyond the Standard Model The Standard Model as an effective field theory This revised and updated anniversary edition provides a self-contained pedagogical treatment of the subject, from relativistic quantum mechanics to the frontiers of the Standard Model. For each theory, the authors discuss the main conceptual points in both mathematical and physical aspects, detail many practical calculations of physical quantities from first principles, and compare these quantitative predictions with experimental results, helping readers improve both their calculation skills and physical insight. This set should serve as a valuable handbook for students and researchers in advanced particle physics looking for an introduction to the Standard Model of particle physics.

Specifically designed to introduce graduate students to the functional integration method in contemporary physics as painlessly as possible, the book concentrates on the conceptual problems inherent in the path integral formalism. Throughout, the striking interplay between stochastic processes, statistical physics and quantum mechanics comes to the fore, and all the methods of fundamental interest are generously illustrated by important physical examples.

The fifth edition of this well-established, highly regarded two-volume set continues to provide a fundamental introduction to advanced particle physics while incorporating substantial new experimental results, especially in the areas of Higgs and top sector physics, as well as CP violation and neutrino oscillations. It offers an accessible and practical introduction to the three gauge theories comprising the Standard Model of particle physics: quantum electrodynamics (QED), quantum chromodynamics (QCD), and the Glashow-Salam-Weinberg (GSW) electroweak theory. Volume 1 of this updated edition provides a broad introduction to the first of these theories, QED. The book begins with self-contained presentations of relativistic quantum mechanics and electromagnetism as a gauge theory. Lorentz transformations, discrete symmetries, and Majorana fermions are covered. A unique feature is the elementary introduction to quantum field theory, leading in easy stages to covariant perturbation theory and Feynman graphs, thereby establishing a firm foundation for the formal and conceptual framework upon which the subsequent development of the three quantum gauge field theories of the Standard Model is based. Detailed tree-level calculations of physical processes in QED are presented, followed by an elementary treatment of one-loop renormalization of a model scalar field theory, and then by the realistic case of QED. The text includes updates on nucleon structure functions and the status of QED, in particular the precision tests provided by the anomalous magnetic moments of the electron and muon. The authors discuss the main conceptual points of the theory, detail many practical calculations of physical quantities from first principles, and compare these quantitative predictions with experimental results, helping readers improve both their calculation skills and physical insight. Each volume should serve as a valuable handbook for students and researchers in advanced particle physics looking for an introduction to the Standard Model of particle physics.

Albert Einstein, together with Theodor Kaluza and Oskar Klein, realized that extra dimensions can be used to unify the different fields of physics, as well as unifying the fields with their material sources. In fact, it was Einstein's dream to transpose the “base wood” of the matter term in his field equations to the “marble” of the geometrical term. During his lifetime, this kind of unified theory achieved only partial success. But the modern approach, outlined in this bestseller, is elegant and agrees with all the classical tests. The basic idea is to unify the source and its field using the rich algebra of higher-dimensional Riemannian geometry. In other words, space, time and matter become parts of geometry.

This book begins by providing a simplified version of the computational quantum chemistry sufficient to calculate the wavefunctions that are the basic input of NG-QTAIM. Enough basic (scalar) QTAIM theory is provided to understand the later chapters. In addition, our developments of scalar QTAIM are presented and activities at various levels of difficulty are provided for the readership to facilitate understanding. The topological origins of Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules (QTAIM) before explaining the highlights and consequences of the developments of Next-Generation QTAIM (NG-QTAIM) that is a 3-D vector-based realization of QTAIM. The book compiles all developments and extensions of Next-Generation QTAIM in one place for easy reference for those engaged in theoretical/computational chemistry. Essential insights into molecular switch functioning not available from the energy barrier or any scalar measures are presented along with a new measure to assess the efficiency of rotary molecular motors. The book also discusses how the treatment of external forces such as electric fields and laser irradiation is included in NG-QTAIM. This book benefits theoretical/computational chemists/physics/engineers, students (graduate and undergraduate) and chemical/pharmaceutical industry researchers who carry out chemical computations in universities and industries. Where appropriate, Target Learning Outcomes and Further Reading are provided along with a list of the scientific goals to be addressed in addition to a glossary table in the summary sections. Where applicable each chapter concludes by outlining benefits, limitations and suggestions for further investigations. All our NG-QTAIM publications are available as pre-prints in the form of .pdf files along with the corresponding supplementary materials at our BEACON website www.beaconresearch.org.