Advanced Quantum Theory AMATH473/673, PHYS454
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1 Notation for States
The S-Matrix1 D. E. Soper2 University of Oregon Physics 634, Advanced Quantum Mechanics November 2000 1 Notation for states In these notes we discuss scattering nonrelativistic quantum mechanics. We will use states with the nonrelativistic normalization h~p |~ki = (2π)3δ(~p − ~k). (1) Recall that in a relativistic theory there is an extra factor of 2E on the right hand side of this relation, where E = [~k2 + m2]1/2. We will use states in the “Heisenberg picture,” in which states |ψ(t)i do not depend on time. Often in quantum mechanics one uses the Schr¨odinger picture, with time dependent states |ψ(t)iS. The relation between these is −iHt |ψ(t)iS = e |ψi. (2) Thus these are the same at time zero, and the Schrdinger states obey d i |ψ(t)i = H |ψ(t)i (3) dt S S In the Heisenberg picture, the states do not depend on time but the op- erators do depend on time. A Heisenberg operator O(t) is related to the corresponding Schr¨odinger operator OS by iHt −iHt O(t) = e OS e (4) Thus hψ|O(t)|ψi = Shψ(t)|OS|ψ(t)iS. (5) The Heisenberg picture is favored over the Schr¨odinger picture in the case of relativistic quantum mechanics: we don’t have to say which reference 1Copyright, 2000, D. E. Soper [email protected] 1 frame we use to define t in |ψ(t)iS. For operators, we can deal with local operators like, for instance, the electric field F µν(~x, t). -
An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory
AN INTRODUCTION TO QUANTUM FIELD THEORY By Dr M Dasgupta University of Manchester Lecture presented at the School for Experimental High Energy Physics Students Somerville College, Oxford, September 2009 - 1 - - 2 - Contents 0 Prologue....................................................................................................... 5 1 Introduction ................................................................................................ 6 1.1 Lagrangian formalism in classical mechanics......................................... 6 1.2 Quantum mechanics................................................................................... 8 1.3 The Schrödinger picture........................................................................... 10 1.4 The Heisenberg picture............................................................................ 11 1.5 The quantum mechanical harmonic oscillator ..................................... 12 Problems .............................................................................................................. 13 2 Classical Field Theory............................................................................. 14 2.1 From N-point mechanics to field theory ............................................... 14 2.2 Relativistic field theory ............................................................................ 15 2.3 Action for a scalar field ............................................................................ 15 2.4 Plane wave solution to the Klein-Gordon equation ........................... -
Discrete-Continuous and Classical-Quantum
Under consideration for publication in Math. Struct. in Comp. Science Discrete-continuous and classical-quantum T. Paul C.N.R.S., D.M.A., Ecole Normale Sup´erieure Received 21 November 2006 Abstract A discussion concerning the opposition between discretness and continuum in quantum mechanics is presented. In particular this duality is shown to be present not only in the early days of the theory, but remains actual, featuring different aspects of discretization. In particular discreteness of quantum mechanics is a key-stone for quantum information and quantum computation. A conclusion involving a concept of completeness linking dis- creteness and continuum is proposed. 1. Discrete-continuous in the old quantum theory Discretness is obviously a fundamental aspect of Quantum Mechanics. When you send white light, that is a continuous spectrum of colors, on a mono-atomic gas, you get back precise line spectra and only Quantum Mechanics can explain this phenomenon. In fact the birth of quantum physics involves more discretization than discretness : in the famous Max Planck’s paper of 1900, and even more explicitly in the 1905 paper by Einstein about the photo-electric effect, what is really done is what a computer does: an integral is replaced by a discrete sum. And the discretization length is given by the Planck’s constant. This idea will be later on applied by Niels Bohr during the years 1910’s to the atomic model. Already one has to notice that during that time another form of discretization had appeared : the atomic model. It is astonishing to notice how long it took to accept the atomic hypothesis (Perrin 1905). -
Arxiv:1511.01069V1 [Quant-Ph]
To appear in Contemporary Physics Copenhagen Quantum Mechanics Timothy J. Hollowood Department of Physics, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, U.K. (September 2015) In our quantum mechanics courses, measurement is usually taught in passing, as an ad-hoc procedure involving the ugly collapse of the wave function. No wonder we search for more satisfying alternatives to the Copenhagen interpretation. But this overlooks the fact that the approach fits very well with modern measurement theory with its notions of the conditioned state and quantum trajectory. In addition, what we know of as the Copenhagen interpretation is a later 1950’s development and some of the earlier pioneers like Bohr did not talk of wave function collapse. In fact, if one takes these earlier ideas and mixes them with later insights of decoherence, a much more satisfying version of Copenhagen quantum mechanics emerges, one for which the collapse of the wave function is seen to be a harmless book keeping device. Along the way, we explain why chaotic systems lead to wave functions that spread out quickly on macroscopic scales implying that Schr¨odinger cat states are the norm rather than curiosities generated in physicists’ laboratories. We then describe how the conditioned state of a quantum system depends crucially on how the system is monitored illustrating this with the example of a decaying atom monitored with a time of arrival photon detector, leading to Bohr’s quantum jumps. On the other hand, other kinds of detection lead to much smoother behaviour, providing yet another example of complementarity. Finally we explain how classical behaviour emerges, including classical mechanics but also thermodynamics. -
Demnächst Auch in Ihrem Laptop?
The Measurement Problem Johannes Kofler Quantum Foundations Seminar Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics Munich, December 12th 2011 The measurement problem Different aspects: • How does the wavefunction collapse occur? Does it even occur at all? • How does one know whether something is a system or a measurement apparatus? When does one apply the Schrödinger equation (continuous and deterministic evolution) and when the projection postulate (discontinuous and probabilistic)? • How real is the wavefunction? Does the measurement only reveal pre-existing properties or “create reality”? Is quantum randomness reducible or irreducible? • Are there macroscopic superposition states (Schrödinger cats)? Where is the border between quantum mechanics and classical physics? The Kopenhagen interpretation • Wavefunction: mathematical tool, “catalogue of knowledge” (Schrödinger) not a description of objective reality • Measurement: leads to collapse of the wavefunction (Born rule) • Properties: wavefunction: non-realistic randomness: irreducible • “Heisenberg cut” between system and apparatus: “[T]here arises the necessity to draw a clear dividing line in the description of atomic processes, between the measuring apparatus of the observer which is described in classical concepts, and the object under observation, whose behavior is represented by a wave function.” (Heisenberg) • Classical physics as limiting case and as requirement: “It is decisive to recognize that, however far the phenomena transcend the scope of classical physical explanation, the -
Finally Making Sense of the Double-Slit Experiment
Finally making sense of the double-slit experiment Yakir Aharonova,b,c,1, Eliahu Cohend,1,2, Fabrizio Colomboe, Tomer Landsbergerc,2, Irene Sabadinie, Daniele C. Struppaa,b, and Jeff Tollaksena,b aInstitute for Quantum Studies, Chapman University, Orange, CA 92866; bSchmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, Orange, CA 92866; cSchool of Physics and Astronomy, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel; dH. H. Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TL, United Kingdom; and eDipartimento di Matematica, Politecnico di Milano, 9 20133 Milan, Italy Contributed by Yakir Aharonov, March 20, 2017 (sent for review September 26, 2016; reviewed by Pawel Mazur and Neil Turok) Feynman stated that the double-slit experiment “. has in it the modular momentum operator will arise as particularly signifi- heart of quantum mechanics. In reality, it contains the only mys- cant in explaining interference phenomena. This approach along tery” and that “nobody can give you a deeper explanation of with the use of Heisenberg’s unitary equations of motion intro- this phenomenon than I have given; that is, a description of it” duce a notion of dynamical nonlocality. Dynamical nonlocality [Feynman R, Leighton R, Sands M (1965) The Feynman Lectures should be distinguished from the more familiar kinematical non- on Physics]. We rise to the challenge with an alternative to the locality [implicit in entangled states (10) and previously ana- wave function-centered interpretations: instead of a quantum lyzed in the Heisenberg picture by Deutsch and Hayden (11)], wave passing through both slits, we have a localized particle with because dynamical nonlocality has observable effects on prob- nonlocal interactions with the other slit. -
Appendix: the Interaction Picture
Appendix: The Interaction Picture The technique of expressing operators and quantum states in the so-called interaction picture is of great importance in treating quantum-mechanical problems in a perturbative fashion. It plays an important role, for example, in the derivation of the Born–Markov master equation for decoherence detailed in Sect. 4.2.2. We shall review the basics of the interaction-picture approach in the following. We begin by considering a Hamiltonian of the form Hˆ = Hˆ0 + V.ˆ (A.1) Here Hˆ0 denotes the part of the Hamiltonian that describes the free (un- perturbed) evolution of a system S, whereas Vˆ is some added external per- turbation. In applications of the interaction-picture formalism, Vˆ is typically assumed to be weak in comparison with Hˆ0, and the idea is then to deter- mine the approximate dynamics of the system given this assumption. In the following, however, we shall proceed with exact calculations only and make no assumption about the relative strengths of the two components Hˆ0 and Vˆ . From standard quantum theory, we know that the expectation value of an operator observable Aˆ(t) is given by the trace rule [see (2.17)], & ' & ' ˆ ˆ Aˆ(t) =Tr Aˆ(t)ˆρ(t) =Tr Aˆ(t)e−iHtρˆ(0)eiHt . (A.2) For reasons that will immediately become obvious, let us rewrite this expres- sion as & ' ˆ ˆ ˆ ˆ ˆ ˆ Aˆ(t) =Tr eiH0tAˆ(t)e−iH0t eiH0te−iHtρˆ(0)eiHte−iH0t . (A.3) ˆ In inserting the time-evolution operators e±iH0t at the beginning and the end of the expression in square brackets, we have made use of the fact that the trace is cyclic under permutations of the arguments, i.e., that Tr AˆBˆCˆ ··· =Tr BˆCˆ ···Aˆ , etc. -
Quantum Field Theory II
Quantum Field Theory II T. Nguyen PHY 391 Independent Study Term Paper Prof. S.G. Rajeev University of Rochester April 20, 2018 1 Introduction The purpose of this independent study is to familiarize ourselves with the fundamental concepts of quantum field theory. In this paper, I discuss how the theory incorporates the interactions between quantum systems. With the success of the free Klein-Gordon field theory, ultimately we want to introduce the field interactions into our picture. Any interaction will modify the Klein-Gordon equation and thus its Lagrange density. Consider, for example, when the field interacts with an external source J(x). The Klein-Gordon equation and its Lagrange density are µ 2 (@µ@ + m )φ(x) = J(x); 1 m2 L = @ φ∂µφ − φ2 + Jφ. 2 µ 2 In a relativistic quantum field theory, we want to describe the self-interaction of the field and the interaction with other dynamical fields. This paper is based on my lecture for the Kapitza Society. The second section will discuss the concept of symmetry and conservation. The third section will discuss the self-interacting φ4 theory. Lastly, in the fourth section, I will briefly introduce the interaction (Dirac) picture and solve for the time evolution operator. 2 Noether's Theorem 2.1 Symmetries and Conservation Laws In 1918, the mathematician Emmy Noether published what is now known as the first Noether's Theorem. The theorem informally states that for every continuous symmetry there exists a corresponding conservation law. For example, the conservation of energy is a result of a time symmetry, the conservation of linear momentum is a result of a plane symmetry, and the conservation of angular momentum is a result of a spherical symmetry. -
Interaction Representation
Interaction Representation So far we have discussed two ways of handling time dependence. The most familiar is the Schr¨odingerrepresentation, where operators are constant, and states move in time. The Heisenberg representation does just the opposite; states are constant in time and operators move. The answer for any given physical quantity is of course independent of which is used. Here we discuss a third way of describing the time dependence, introduced by Dirac, known as the interaction representation, although it could equally well be called the Dirac representation. In this representation, both operators and states move in time. The interaction representation is particularly useful in problems involving time dependent external forces or potentials acting on a system. It also provides a route to the whole apparatus of quantum field theory and Feynman diagrams. This approach to field theory was pioneered by Dyson in the the 1950's. Here we will study the interaction representation in quantum mechanics, but develop the formalism in enough detail that the road to field theory can be followed. We consider an ordinary non-relativistic system where the Hamiltonian is broken up into two parts. It is almost always true that one of these two parts is going to be handled in perturbation theory, that is order by order. Writing our Hamiltonian we have H = H0 + V (1) Here H0 is the part of the Hamiltonian we have under control. It may not be particularly simple. For example it could be the full Hamiltonian of an atom or molecule. Neverthe- less, we assume we know all we need to know about the eigenstates of H0: The V term in H is the part we do not have control over. -
Chapter 4. Bra-Ket Formalism
Essential Graduate Physics QM: Quantum Mechanics Chapter 4. Bra-ket Formalism The objective of this chapter is to describe Dirac’s “bra-ket” formalism of quantum mechanics, which not only overcomes some inconveniences of wave mechanics but also allows a natural description of such intrinsic properties of particles as their spin. In the course of the formalism’s discussion, I will give only a few simple examples of its application, leaving more involved cases for the following chapters. 4.1. Motivation As the reader could see from the previous chapters of these notes, wave mechanics gives many results of primary importance. Moreover, it is mostly sufficient for many applications, for example, solid-state electronics and device physics. However, in the course of our survey, we have filed several grievances about this approach. Let me briefly summarize these complaints: (i) Attempts to analyze the temporal evolution of quantum systems, beyond the trivial time behavior of the stationary states, described by Eq. (1.62), run into technical difficulties. For example, we could derive Eq. (2.151) describing the metastable state’s decay and Eq. (2.181) describing the quantum oscillations in coupled wells, only for the simplest potential profiles, though it is intuitively clear that such simple results should be common for all problems of this kind. Solving such problems for more complex potential profiles would entangle the time evolution analysis with the calculation of the spatial distribution of the evolving wavefunctions – which (as we could see in Secs. 2.9 and 3.6) may be rather complex even for simple time-independent potentials. -
Perceived Reality, Quantum Mechanics, and Consciousness
7/28/2015 Cosmology About Contents Abstracting Processing Editorial Manuscript Submit Your Book/Journal the All & Indexing Charges Guidelines & Preparation Manuscript Sales Contact Journal Volumes Review Order from Amazon Order from Amazon Order from Amazon Order from Amazon Order from Amazon Cosmology, 2014, Vol. 18. 231-245 Cosmology.com, 2014 Perceived Reality, Quantum Mechanics, and Consciousness Subhash Kak1, Deepak Chopra2, and Menas Kafatos3 1Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078 2Chopra Foundation, 2013 Costa Del Mar Road, Carlsbad, CA 92009 3Chapman University, Orange, CA 92866 Abstract: Our sense of reality is different from its mathematical basis as given by physical theories. Although nature at its deepest level is quantum mechanical and nonlocal, it appears to our minds in everyday experience as local and classical. Since the same laws should govern all phenomena, we propose this difference in the nature of perceived reality is due to the principle of veiled nonlocality that is associated with consciousness. Veiled nonlocality allows consciousness to operate and present what we experience as objective reality. In other words, this principle allows us to consider consciousness indirectly, in terms of how consciousness operates. We consider different theoretical models commonly used in physics and neuroscience to describe veiled nonlocality. Furthermore, if consciousness as an entity leaves a physical trace, then laboratory searches for such a trace should be sought for in nonlocality, where probabilities do not conform to local expectations. Keywords: quantum physics, neuroscience, nonlocality, mental time travel, time Introduction Our perceived reality is classical, that is it consists of material objects and their fields. On the other hand, reality at the quantum level is different in as much as it is nonlocal, which implies that objects are superpositions of other entities and, therefore, their underlying structure is wave-like, that is it is smeared out. -
The Path Integral Approach to Quantum Mechanics Lecture Notes for Quantum Mechanics IV
The Path Integral approach to Quantum Mechanics Lecture Notes for Quantum Mechanics IV Riccardo Rattazzi May 25, 2009 2 Contents 1 The path integral formalism 5 1.1 Introducingthepathintegrals. 5 1.1.1 Thedoubleslitexperiment . 5 1.1.2 An intuitive approach to the path integral formalism . .. 6 1.1.3 Thepathintegralformulation. 8 1.1.4 From the Schr¨oedinger approach to the path integral . .. 12 1.2 Thepropertiesofthepathintegrals . 14 1.2.1 Pathintegralsandstateevolution . 14 1.2.2 The path integral computation for a free particle . 17 1.3 Pathintegralsasdeterminants . 19 1.3.1 Gaussianintegrals . 19 1.3.2 GaussianPathIntegrals . 20 1.3.3 O(ℏ) corrections to Gaussian approximation . 22 1.3.4 Quadratic lagrangians and the harmonic oscillator . .. 23 1.4 Operatormatrixelements . 27 1.4.1 Thetime-orderedproductofoperators . 27 2 Functional and Euclidean methods 31 2.1 Functionalmethod .......................... 31 2.2 EuclideanPathIntegral . 32 2.2.1 Statisticalmechanics. 34 2.3 Perturbationtheory . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 35 2.3.1 Euclidean n-pointcorrelators . 35 2.3.2 Thermal n-pointcorrelators. 36 2.3.3 Euclidean correlators by functional derivatives . ... 38 0 0 2.3.4 Computing KE[J] and Z [J] ................ 39 2.3.5 Free n-pointcorrelators . 41 2.3.6 The anharmonic oscillator and Feynman diagrams . 43 3 The semiclassical approximation 49 3.1 Thesemiclassicalpropagator . 50 3.1.1 VanVleck-Pauli-Morette formula . 54 3.1.2 MathematicalAppendix1 . 56 3.1.3 MathematicalAppendix2 . 56 3.2 Thefixedenergypropagator. 57 3.2.1 General properties of the fixed energy propagator . 57 3.2.2 Semiclassical computation of K(E)............. 61 3.2.3 Two applications: reflection and tunneling through a barrier 64 3 4 CONTENTS 3.2.4 On the phase of the prefactor of K(xf ,tf ; xi,ti) ....