This monograph introduces mathematicians, physicists, and engineers to the ideas relating quantum mechanics and symmetries - both described in terms of Lie algebras and Lie groups. The exposition of quantum mechanics from this point of view reveals that classical mechanics and quantum mechanics are very much alike. Written by a mathematician and a physicist, this book is (like a math book) about precise concepts and exact results in classical mechanics and quantum mechanics, but motivated and discussed (like a physics book) in terms of their physical meaning. The reader can focus on the simplicity and beauty of theoretical physics, without getting lost in a jungle of techniques for estimating or calculating quantities of interest.
This monograph introduces mathematicians, physicists, and engineers to the ideas relating quantum mechanics and symmetries - both described in terms of Lie algebras and Lie groups. The exposition of quantum mechanics from this point of view reveals that classical mechanics and quantum mechanics are very much alike. Written by a mathematician and a physicist, this book is (like a math book) about precise concepts and exact results in classical mechanics and quantum mechanics, but motivated and discussed (like a physics book) in terms of their physical meaning. The reader can focus on the simplicity and beauty of theoretical physics, without getting lost in a jungle of techniques for estimating or calculating quantities of interest.
The goal of this book is to present classical mechanics, quantum mechanics, and statistical mechanics in an almost completely algebraic setting, thereby introducing mathematicians, physicists, and engineers to the ideas relating classical and quantum mechanics with Lie algebras and Lie groups. The book emphasizes the closeness of classical and quantum mechanics, and the material is selected in a way to make this closeness as apparent as possible. Much of the material covered here is not part of standard textbook treatments of classical or quantum mechanics (or is only superficially treated there). For physics students who want to get a broader view of the subject, this book may therefore serve as a useful complement to standard treatments of quantum mechanics. Almost without exception, this book is about precise concepts and exact results in classical mechanics, quantum mechanics, and statistical mechanics. The structural properties of mechanics are discussed independent of computational techniques for obtaining quantitatively correct numbers from the assumptions made. The standard approximation machinery for calculating from first principles explicit thermodynamic properties of materials, or explicit cross sections for high energy experiments can be found in many textbooks and is not repeated here.
Quantum mechanics is one of the principle pillars of modern physics. It also remains a topic of great interest to mathematicians. Since its discovery it has inspired and been inspired by many topics within modern mathematics, including functional analysis and operator algebras, Lie groups, Lie algebras and their representations, principle bundles, distribution theory, and much more. Written with beginning graduate students in mathematics in mind, this book provides a thorough treatment of (nonrelativistic) quantum mechanics in a style that is leisurely, without the usual theorem-proof grammar of pure mathematics, while remaining mathematically honest. The author takes the time to fully develop the required mathematics and employs a consistent mathematical presentation to clarify the often-confusing notation of physics texts. Along the way the reader encounters several topics requiring more advanced mathematics than found in many discussions of the subject, making for a fascinating course in how mathematics and physics interact.
Quantum mechanics is one of the principle pillars of modern physics. It also remains a topic of great interest to mathematicians. Since its discovery it has inspired and been inspired by many topics within modern mathematics, including functional analysis and operator algebras, Lie groups, Lie algebras and their representations, principle bundles, distribution theory, and much more. Written with beginning graduate students in mathematics in mind, this book provides a thorough treatment of (nonrelativistic) quantum mechanics in a style that is leisurely, without the usual theorem-proof grammar of pure mathematics, while remaining mathematically honest. The author takes the time to fully develop the required mathematics and employs a consistent mathematical presentation to clarify the often-confusing notation of physics texts. Along the way the reader encounters several topics requiring more advanced mathematics than found in many discussions of the subject, making for a fascinating course in how mathematics and physics interact.
Structured as a dialogue between a mathematician and a physicist, Symmetry and Quantum Mechanics unites the mathematical topics of this field into a compelling and physically-motivated narrative that focuses on the central role of symmetry. Aimed at advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students in mathematics with only a minimal background in physics, this title is also useful to physicists seeking a mathematical introduction to the subject. Part I focuses on spin, and covers such topics as Lie groups and algebras, while part II offers an account of position and momentum in the context of the representation theory of the Heisenberg group, along the way providing an informal discussion of fundamental concepts from analysis such as self-adjoint operators on Hilbert space and the Stone-von Neumann Theorem. Mathematical theory is applied to physical examples such as spin-precession in a magnetic field, the harmonic oscillator, the infinite spherical well, and the hydrogen atom.
Introducing a geometric view of fundamental physics, starting from quantum mechanics and its experimental foundations, this book is ideal for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in quantum mechanics and mathematical physics. Focusing on structural issues and geometric ideas, this book guides readers from the concepts of classical mechanics to those of quantum mechanics. The book features an original presentation of classical mechanics, with the choice of topics motivated by the subsequent development of quantum mechanics, especially wave equations, Poisson brackets and harmonic oscillators. It also presents new treatments of waves and particles and the symmetries in quantum mechanics, as well as extensive coverage of the experimental foundations.
This book provides a comprehensive treatment of quantum mechanics from a mathematics perspective and is accessible to mathematicians starting with second-year graduate students. It addition to traditional topics, like classical mechanics, mathematical foundations of quantum mechanics, quantization, and the Schrodinger equation, this book gives a mathematical treatment of systems of identical particles with spin, and it introduces the reader to functional methods in quantum mechanics. This includes the Feynman path integral approach to quantum mechanics, integration in functional spaces, the relation between Feynman and Wiener integrals, Gaussian integration and regularized determinants of differential operators, fermion systems and integration over anticommuting (Grassmann) variables, supersymmetry and localization in loop spaces, and supersymmetric derivation of the Atiyah-Singer formula for the index of the Dirac operator. Prior to this book, mathematicians could find these topics only in physics textbooks and in specialized literature. This book is written in a concise style with careful attention to precise mathematics formulation of methods and results.Numerous problems, from routine to advanced, help the reader to master the subject. In addition to providing a fundamental knowledge of quantum mechanics, this book could also serve as a bridge for studying more advanced topics in quantum physics, among them quantum field theory. Prerequisites include standard first-year graduate courses covering linear and abstract algebra, topology and geometry, and real and complex analysis.