Quantum theory is one of the most important intellectual developments in the early twentieth century.The confluence of mathematics and quantum physics emerged arguably from von Neumann's seminal work on the spectral theory of linear operators.This volume arose from a twomonth workshop held at the Institute for Mathematical Sciences at the National University of Singapore in July-September 2008 on mathematical physics, focusing specifically on operator algebras in quantum theory.This volume is essentially written for graduate students and young researchers so that they can acquire a gentle introduction to the application of operator algebras to quantum information sciences, chaotic and many-body problems.Several lecture notes delivered during the workshop by experts in the field were specially commissioned for this volume.
Quantum theory is one of the most important intellectual developments in the early twentieth century.The confluence of mathematics and quantum physics emerged arguably from von Neumann's seminal work on the spectral theory of linear operators.This volume arose from a twomonth workshop held at the Institute for Mathematical Sciences at the National University of Singapore in July-September 2008 on mathematical physics, focusing specifically on operator algebras in quantum theory.This volume is essentially written for graduate students and young researchers so that they can acquire a gentle introduction to the application of operator algebras to quantum information sciences, chaotic and many-body problems.Several lecture notes delivered during the workshop by experts in the field were specially commissioned for this volume.
Quantum mechanics and the theory of operators on Hilbert space have been deeply linked since their beginnings in the early twentieth century. States of a quantum system correspond to certain elements of the configuration space and observables correspond to certain operators on the space. This book is a brief, but self-contained, introduction to the mathematical methods of quantum mechanics, with a view towards applications to Schrodinger operators. Part 1 of the book is a concise introduction to the spectral theory of unbounded operators. Only those topics that will be needed for later applications are covered. The spectral theorem is a central topic in this approach and is introduced at an early stage. Part 2 starts with the free Schrodinger equation and computes the free resolvent and time evolution. Position, momentum, and angular momentum are discussed via algebraic methods. Various mathematical methods are developed, which are then used to compute the spectrum of the hydrogen atom. Further topics include the nondegeneracy of the ground state, spectra of atoms, and scattering theory. This book serves as a self-contained introduction to spectral theory of unbounded operators in Hilbert space with full proofs and minimal prerequisites: Only a solid knowledge of advanced calculus and a one-semester introduction to complex analysis are required. In particular, no functional analysis and no Lebesgue integration theory are assumed. It develops the mathematical tools necessary to prove some key results in nonrelativistic quantum mechanics. Mathematical Methods in Quantum Mechanics is intended for beginning graduate students in both mathematics and physics and provides a solid foundation for reading more advanced books and current research literature. This new edition has additions and improvements throughout the book to make the presentation more student friendly.
This book is the first volume of the proceedings of the Canadian Mathematical Society Annual Seminar on Mathematical Quantum Theory, held in Vancouver in August 1993. The seminar was run as a research-level summer school concentrating on two related areas of contemporary mathematical physics. The subject of the first session, quantum field theory and many-body theory, is covered in the present volume; papers from the second session, on Schr odinger operators, are in Volume 2. Each session featured a series of minicourses, consisting of approximately four one-hour lectures, designed to introduce students to current research in a particular area. In addition, about thirty speakers gave one-hour expository lectures. With contributions by some of the top experts in the field, this book provides an overview of the state of the art in mathematical quantum field and many-body theory.
The spectral theory of linear operators plays a key role in the mathematical formulation of quantum theory. Furthermore, such a rigorous mathematical foundation leads to a more profound insight into the nature of quantum mechanics. This textbook provides a concise and comprehensible introduction to the spectral theory of (unbounded) self-adjoint operators and its application in quantum dynamics. The book places emphasis on the symbiotic relationship of these two domains by (1) presenting the basic mathematics of nonrelativistic quantum mechanics of one particle, i.e., developing the spectral theory of self-adjoint operators in infinite-dimensional Hilbert spaces from the beginning, and (2) giving an overview of many of the basic functional aspects of quantum theory, from its physical principles to the mathematical models. The book is intended for graduate (or advanced undergraduate) students and researchers interested in mathematical physics. It starts with linear operator theory, spectral questions and self-adjointness, and ends with the effect of spectral type on the large time behaviour of quantum systems. Many examples and exercises are included that focus on quantum mechanics.
The first volume (General Theory) differs from most textbooks as it emphasizes the mathematical structure and mathematical rigor, while being adapted to the teaching the first semester of an advanced course in Quantum Mechanics (the content of the book are the lectures of courses actually delivered.). It differs also from the very few texts in Quantum Mechanics that give emphasis to the mathematical aspects because this book, being written as Lecture Notes, has the structure of lectures delivered in a course, namely introduction of the problem, outline of the relevant points, mathematical tools needed, theorems, proofs. This makes this book particularly useful for self-study and for instructors in the preparation of a second course in Quantum Mechanics (after a first basic course). With some minor additions it can be used also as a basis of a first course in Quantum Mechanics for students in mathematics curricula. The second part (Selected Topics) are lecture notes of a more advanced course aimed at giving the basic notions necessary to do research in several areas of mathematical physics connected with quantum mechanics, from solid state to singular interactions, many body theory, semi-classical analysis, quantum statistical mechanics. The structure of this book is suitable for a second-semester course, in which the lectures are meant to provide, in addition to theorems and proofs, an overview of a more specific subject and hints to the direction of research. In this respect and for the width of subjects this second volume differs from other monographs on Quantum Mechanics. The second volume can be useful for students who want to have a basic preparation for doing research and for instructors who may want to use it as a basis for the presentation of selected topics.
Quantum mechanics is arguably one of the most successful scientific theories ever and its applications to chemistry, optics, and information theory are innumerable. This book provides the reader with a rigorous treatment of the main mathematical tools from harmonic analysis which play an essential role in the modern formulation of quantum mechanics. This allows us at the same time to suggest some new ideas and methods, with a special focus on topics such as the Wigner phase space formalism and its applications to the theory of the density operator and its entanglement properties. This book can be used with profit by advanced undergraduate students in mathematics and physics, as well as by confirmed researchers.
This largely self-contained book on the theory of quantum information focuses on precise mathematical formulations and proofs of fundamental facts that form the foundation of the subject. It is intended for graduate students and researchers in mathematics, computer science, and theoretical physics seeking to develop a thorough understanding of key results, proof techniques, and methodologies that are relevant to a wide range of research topics within the theory of quantum information and computation. The book is accessible to readers with an understanding of basic mathematics, including linear algebra, mathematical analysis, and probability theory. An introductory chapter summarizes these necessary mathematical prerequisites, and starting from this foundation, the book includes clear and complete proofs of all results it presents. Each subsequent chapter includes challenging exercises intended to help readers to develop their own skills for discovering proofs concerning the theory of quantum information.