The Odd Quantum

by Treiman, Sam B.

• ISBN13: 9780691009261
• ISBN10: 0691009260
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-11-01
• Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr

Summary

This is a rare and much-needed book: a concise but comprehensive account of quantum mechanics for popular science readers written by a respected physicist. Sam Treiman--internationally renowned for his work in particle physics--makes quantum mechanics accessible to nonspecialists. Combining mastery of the material with clear, elegant prose and infectious enthusiasm, he conveys the substance, methods, and profound oddities of the field.Treiman begins with an overview of quantum mechanics. He sketches the early development of the field by Einstein, Bohr, Heisenberg, Schrödinger, and others, and he makes clear how the quantum outlook flies in the face of common sense. As he explains, the quantum world is intrinsically probabilistic. For example, a particle is not in general in some particular place at a given instant, nor does it have a definite momentum. According to the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, there is a limit to how well both location and momentum can be specified simultaneously. In addition, particles can move through barriers and otherwise move in regions of space that are forbidden by classical mechanics. If a particle has a choice of different paths, it pursues all of them at once. Particles display wave-like characteristics and waves show particle-like characteristics. Treiman pays special attention to the more fundamental wave outlook and its expression in quantum field theory. He deals here with the remarkable fact that all the particles of a given species are strictly identical, and with the unnerving fact that particles can be created and destroyed. As Treiman introduces us to these and other wonders, he also touches--without resolution--on some of the deep philosophical problems of quantum mechanics, notably how probabilities become facts.Weaving together impeccable and up-to-date science, engaging writing, and a talent for clear explanation honed over Treiman's distinguished career as a physicist and teacher, The Odd Quantum is a remarkable survey of a field that changed the course of modern scientific and philosophical thought.

Author Biography

Sam Treiman is the Eugene Higgins Professor of Physics Emeritus at Princeton University.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
Introduction	3	(24)
Overview
Beginnings.
Classical Background	27	(34)
Newton's law
Gravity
Energy
Electromagnetism
Special Relativity.
The ``Old'' Quantum Mechanics	61	(19)
Electromagnetic Waves
Blackbody Radiation
Early Spectroscopy.
The Rutherford Atom
Bohr's Quantum Model
De Broglie's Matter Waves.
Foundations	80	(39)
The Two-Slit Experiment
Schroedinger's Wave Equation.
Probabilistic Interpretation
A Brief Survey of the Rules.
Commuting Observables
The Uncertainty Principle
Momentum.
The Operator Concept
Angular Momentum
Aspects of Energy.
Some Quantum Classics	119	(30)
The Free Particle
Particle in a Box
The Harmonic Oscillator.
Central Potentials Generally
The One-Electron Atom
The Infinite Solenoid
Decay Processes.
Identical Particles	149	(24)
Symmetry, Antisymmetry Rules
The Pauli Principle
The Fermi Gas
Atoms
More on Identical Bosons.
What's Going On?	173	(18)
The Building Blocks	191	(40)
Particles in Collision, Particles in Decay
Accelerators
Patterns and Regularities
Basic Ingredients
Summary.
Quantum Fields	231	(24)
Free Fields, Free Particles
Interactions
Feynman Diagrams
Virtual Particles
The Standard Model in Diagrams
Again, What's Going On?
Readings	255	(2)
Index	257