Surprises in Theoretical Physics. Based on Lectures Given at U of Wash in Spring 1977 and at Inst De Physique Nucleaire, U De Paris-Sud, Orsay, winter

by Peierls, Rudolf

• ISBN13: 9780691082417
• ISBN10: 0691082413
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1979-06-01
• Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr

Summary

Problems in theoretical physics often lead to paradoxical answers; yet closer reasoning and a more complete analysis invariably lead to the resolution of the paradox and to a deeper understanding of the physics involved. Drawing primarily from his own experience and that of his collaborators, Sir Rudolf Peierls selects examples of such "surprises" from a wide range of physical theory, from quantum mechanical scattering theory to the theory of relativity, from irreversibility in statistical mechanics to the behavior of electrons in solids. By studying such surprises and learning what kind of possibilities to look for, he suggests, scientists may be able to avoid errors in future problems. Book jacket.

Author Biography

Sir Rudolf Peierls is Professor of Physics Emeritus at Oxford University

Table of Contents

Preface
General Quantum Mechanics	p. 3
Born Approximation for Short-Range Interaction	p. 3
Shadow Scattering	p. 6
Waves and Particles	p. 10
Angle Operator	p. 14
The Adiabatic Expansion	p. 17
Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics	p. 23
[gamma]-Ray Microscope	p. 34
Alarm-Clock Paradox	p. 36
Quantum Theory of Atoms	p. 40
Scattering of [gamma]-Rays	p. 40
Limits of the Heitler-London Approximation	p. 44
Ground State of 2n Fermions in One Dimension	p. 48
Statistical Mechanics	p. 51
Pauli Principle in Metals	p. 51
Ionization	p. 53
Perturbation Theory for Statistical Equilibrium	p. 56
Minimum Property of the Free Energy	p. 58
Variation Principle for First N States	p. 61
Influence of Boundary Conditions	p. 64
Specification of Surface Energy	p. 68
Irreversibility	p. 73
Condensed Matter	p. 85
Melting in One, Two, and Three Dimensions	p. 85
Momentum of Phonons	p. 91
Electron Diamagnetism	p. 99
De Haas-Van Alphen Effect	p. 105
Transport Problems	p. 111
Density Expansion of Diffusion Coefficient	p. 111
Thermal Conduction in Non-Metals	p. 115
Perturbation Theory in Transport Problems	p. 121
Many-Body Problems	p. 127
Off-Shell Effects in Multiple Scattering	p. 127
Perturbation Theory in Many-Body Systems	p. 132
Positronium Formation in Metals	p. 137
Nuclear Physics	p. 147
The Shell Model	p. 147
Center-of-Mass Motion	p. 155
Relativity	p. 160
Radiation in Hyperbolic Motion	p. 160
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