Institute of Physics eBooks

Applications of Fourier transform in physics

Shinil Cho

Published Dec 1, 2023• 0 citations

Abstract

There is a mathematical method for finding frequency components and their amplitudes, or spectra from periodic patterns. It is called Fourier transform (FT) spectral analysis. In this chapter, how we apply Fourier transform to the following subjects will be explored, emphasizing theoretical discussions: electronics circuits and telecommunication; spectroscopy—magnetic resonance, and IR-spectroscopy; optics—one- and two-dimensional diffractions, lens, hologram, and x-ray diffraction; stochastic process—central limit theorem, Brownian motion, fluctuation–dissipation theorem, and motional narrowing; spectral method for solving diffusion equation and Green’s function for wave equation; and quantum mechanics—wave packet, group velocity, imaginary time Schrödinger equation, Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle, and the Born approximation of scattering of a particle of potential.

DOI: 10.1088/978-0-7503-6044-9ch4

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