Quantum Dissipative Systems (Third Edition)

Quantum Dissipative Systems (Third Edition)

Author: Weiss Ulrich

Publisher: World Scientific

Published: 2008-03-04

Total Pages: 528

ISBN-13: 9814471852

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Major advances in the quantum theory of macroscopic systems, in combination with stunning experimental achievements, have brightened the field and brought it to the attention of the general community in natural sciences. Today, working knowledge of dissipative quantum mechanics is an essential tool for many physicists. This book — originally published in 1990 and republished in 1999 as an enlarged second edition — delves much deeper than ever before into the fundamental concepts, methods, and applications of quantum dissipative systems, including the most recent developments.In this third edition, 26 chapters from the second edition contain additional material and several chapters are completely rewritten. It deals with the phenomena and theory of decoherence, relaxation, and dissipation in quantum mechanics that arise from the interaction with the environment. In so doing, a general path integral description of equilibrium thermodynamics and nonequilibrium dynamics is developed.


Book Synopsis Quantum Dissipative Systems (Third Edition) by : Weiss Ulrich

Download or read book Quantum Dissipative Systems (Third Edition) written by Weiss Ulrich and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2008-03-04 with total page 528 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Major advances in the quantum theory of macroscopic systems, in combination with stunning experimental achievements, have brightened the field and brought it to the attention of the general community in natural sciences. Today, working knowledge of dissipative quantum mechanics is an essential tool for many physicists. This book — originally published in 1990 and republished in 1999 as an enlarged second edition — delves much deeper than ever before into the fundamental concepts, methods, and applications of quantum dissipative systems, including the most recent developments.In this third edition, 26 chapters from the second edition contain additional material and several chapters are completely rewritten. It deals with the phenomena and theory of decoherence, relaxation, and dissipation in quantum mechanics that arise from the interaction with the environment. In so doing, a general path integral description of equilibrium thermodynamics and nonequilibrium dynamics is developed.


Quantum Dissipative Systems

Quantum Dissipative Systems

Author: Ulrich Weiss

Publisher: World Scientific

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 468

ISBN-13: 9789810240929

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Recent advances in the quantum theory of macroscopic systems have brightened up the field and brought it into the focus of a general community in natural sciences. The fundamental concepts, methods and applications including the most recent developments, previously covered for the most part only in the original literature, are presented here in a comprehensive treatment to an audience who is reasonably familiar with quantum-statistical mechanics and has had rudimentary contacts with the path integral formulation. This book deals with the phenomena and theory of decoherence and dissipation in quantum mechanics that arise from the interaction with the environment. A general path integral description of equilibrium thermodynamics and non-equilibrium dynamics is developed. The approach can deal with weak and strong dissipation, and with all kinds of memory effects. Applications to numerous phenomenological and microscopic systems are presented, where emphasis is put on condensed matter and chemical physics. The basic principles and methods of preparation functions, propagating functions, and time correlation functions are described. Special attention is focused on quantum tunneling and quantum coherence phenomena of macroscopic variables. Many illustrative realistic examples are discussed in some detail. The book attempts to provide a broad perspective and to open up this rapidly developing field to interested researchers normally working in different fields. In this enlarged second edition, the nineteen chapters of the first edition have been expanded by about one-third to better meet both the requests of newcomers to the field and of advanced readers, and seven new chapters have beenadded that review the most recent important developments.


Book Synopsis Quantum Dissipative Systems by : Ulrich Weiss

Download or read book Quantum Dissipative Systems written by Ulrich Weiss and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 1999 with total page 468 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recent advances in the quantum theory of macroscopic systems have brightened up the field and brought it into the focus of a general community in natural sciences. The fundamental concepts, methods and applications including the most recent developments, previously covered for the most part only in the original literature, are presented here in a comprehensive treatment to an audience who is reasonably familiar with quantum-statistical mechanics and has had rudimentary contacts with the path integral formulation. This book deals with the phenomena and theory of decoherence and dissipation in quantum mechanics that arise from the interaction with the environment. A general path integral description of equilibrium thermodynamics and non-equilibrium dynamics is developed. The approach can deal with weak and strong dissipation, and with all kinds of memory effects. Applications to numerous phenomenological and microscopic systems are presented, where emphasis is put on condensed matter and chemical physics. The basic principles and methods of preparation functions, propagating functions, and time correlation functions are described. Special attention is focused on quantum tunneling and quantum coherence phenomena of macroscopic variables. Many illustrative realistic examples are discussed in some detail. The book attempts to provide a broad perspective and to open up this rapidly developing field to interested researchers normally working in different fields. In this enlarged second edition, the nineteen chapters of the first edition have been expanded by about one-third to better meet both the requests of newcomers to the field and of advanced readers, and seven new chapters have beenadded that review the most recent important developments.


Quantum Dissipative Systems

Quantum Dissipative Systems

Author: Ulrich Weiss

Publisher: World Scientific

Published: 2012-03-05

Total Pages: 588

ISBN-13: 981445298X

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Starting from first principles, this book introduces the fundamental concepts and methods of dissipative quantum mechanics and explores related phenomena in condensed matter systems. Major experimental achievements in cooperation with theoretical advances have brightened the field and brought it to the attention of the general community in natural sciences. Nowadays, working knowledge of dissipative quantum mechanics is an essential tool for many physicists. This book — originally published in 1990 and republished in 1999 and and 2008 as enlarged second and third editions — delves significantly deeper than ever before into the fundamental concepts, methods and applications of quantum dissipative systems. This fourth edition provides a self-contained and updated account of the quantum mechanics of open systems and offers important new material including the most recent developments. The subject matter has been expanded by about fifteen percent. Many chapters have been completely rewritten to better cater to both the needs of newcomers to the field and the requests of the advanced readership. Two chapters have been added that account for recent progress in the field. This book should be accessible to all graduate students in physics. Researchers will find this a rich and stimulating source. Contents:IntroductionGeneral Theory of Open Quantum Systems:Diverse Limited Approaches: A Brief SurveySystem-Plus-Reservoir ModelsImaginary-Time Approach and Equilibrium DynamicsReal-Time Path Integrals and Nonequilibrium DynamicsMiscellaneous Applications:Damped Linear Quantum Mechanical OscillatorQuantum Brownian Free MotionThe Thermodynamic Variational ApproachSuppression of Quantum CoherenceQuantum Statistical Decay:IntroductionClassical Rate Theory: A Brief OverviewQuantum Rate Theory: Basic Methods Multidimensional Quantum Rate TheoryCrossover From Thermal to Quantum DecayThermally Activated DecayThe Crossover RegionDissipative Quantum TunnelingThe Dissipative Two-State System:IntroductionThermodynamicsElectron Transfer and Incoherent TunnelingTwo-State Dynamics: Basics and MethodsTwo-State Dynamics: Sundry TopicsThe Driven Two-State SystemThe Dissipative Multi-State System:Quantum Brownian Particle in a Washboard PotentialMulti-State DynamicsDuality SymmetryTwisted Partition Function and Nonlinear MobilityCharge Transport in Quantum Impurity SystemsQuantum Transport for Sub- and Super-Ohmic Friction Readership: Advanced undergraduate and graduate students; researchers in quantum statistical and condensed matter physics, in quantum/classical mechanics, in quantum information and quantum state engineering, in quantum optics, and in Bose-condensed systems. Keywords:Quantum System;Quantum Tunneling;Quantum Mechanics;Thermodynamics


Book Synopsis Quantum Dissipative Systems by : Ulrich Weiss

Download or read book Quantum Dissipative Systems written by Ulrich Weiss and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2012-03-05 with total page 588 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Starting from first principles, this book introduces the fundamental concepts and methods of dissipative quantum mechanics and explores related phenomena in condensed matter systems. Major experimental achievements in cooperation with theoretical advances have brightened the field and brought it to the attention of the general community in natural sciences. Nowadays, working knowledge of dissipative quantum mechanics is an essential tool for many physicists. This book — originally published in 1990 and republished in 1999 and and 2008 as enlarged second and third editions — delves significantly deeper than ever before into the fundamental concepts, methods and applications of quantum dissipative systems. This fourth edition provides a self-contained and updated account of the quantum mechanics of open systems and offers important new material including the most recent developments. The subject matter has been expanded by about fifteen percent. Many chapters have been completely rewritten to better cater to both the needs of newcomers to the field and the requests of the advanced readership. Two chapters have been added that account for recent progress in the field. This book should be accessible to all graduate students in physics. Researchers will find this a rich and stimulating source. Contents:IntroductionGeneral Theory of Open Quantum Systems:Diverse Limited Approaches: A Brief SurveySystem-Plus-Reservoir ModelsImaginary-Time Approach and Equilibrium DynamicsReal-Time Path Integrals and Nonequilibrium DynamicsMiscellaneous Applications:Damped Linear Quantum Mechanical OscillatorQuantum Brownian Free MotionThe Thermodynamic Variational ApproachSuppression of Quantum CoherenceQuantum Statistical Decay:IntroductionClassical Rate Theory: A Brief OverviewQuantum Rate Theory: Basic Methods Multidimensional Quantum Rate TheoryCrossover From Thermal to Quantum DecayThermally Activated DecayThe Crossover RegionDissipative Quantum TunnelingThe Dissipative Two-State System:IntroductionThermodynamicsElectron Transfer and Incoherent TunnelingTwo-State Dynamics: Basics and MethodsTwo-State Dynamics: Sundry TopicsThe Driven Two-State SystemThe Dissipative Multi-State System:Quantum Brownian Particle in a Washboard PotentialMulti-State DynamicsDuality SymmetryTwisted Partition Function and Nonlinear MobilityCharge Transport in Quantum Impurity SystemsQuantum Transport for Sub- and Super-Ohmic Friction Readership: Advanced undergraduate and graduate students; researchers in quantum statistical and condensed matter physics, in quantum/classical mechanics, in quantum information and quantum state engineering, in quantum optics, and in Bose-condensed systems. Keywords:Quantum System;Quantum Tunneling;Quantum Mechanics;Thermodynamics


Quantum Dissipative Systems (Fifth Edition)

Quantum Dissipative Systems (Fifth Edition)

Author: Ulrich Weiss

Publisher: World Scientific

Published: 2021-09-21

Total Pages: 607

ISBN-13: 9811241511

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This comprehensive textbook provides the fundamental concepts and methods of dissipative quantum mechanics and related issues in condensed matter physics starting from first principles. It deals with the phenomena and theory of decoherence, relaxation and dissipation in quantum mechanics that arise from the random exchange of energy with the environment. Major theoretical advances in combination with stunning experimental achievements and the arising perspective for quantum computing have brightened the field and brought it to the attention of the general community in natural sciences. Expertise in dissipative quantum mechanics is by now beneficial in a broad sphere.This book — originally published in 1992 and republished as enlarged and updated second, third and fourth edition in 1999, 2008, and 2012 — dives even deeper into the fundamental concepts, methods and applications of quantum dissipation. The fifth edition provides a self-contained and updated account of the quantum mechanics and quantum statistics of open systems. The subject matter of the book has been thoroughly revised to better comply with the needs of newcomers and the demands of the advanced readership. Most of the chapters are rewritten to enhance clarity and topicality. Four new chapters covering recent developments in the field have been added. There are about 600 references. This book is intended for use by advanced undergraduate and graduate students in physics, and for researchers active in the field. They will find the monograph as a rich and stimulating source.


Book Synopsis Quantum Dissipative Systems (Fifth Edition) by : Ulrich Weiss

Download or read book Quantum Dissipative Systems (Fifth Edition) written by Ulrich Weiss and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2021-09-21 with total page 607 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This comprehensive textbook provides the fundamental concepts and methods of dissipative quantum mechanics and related issues in condensed matter physics starting from first principles. It deals with the phenomena and theory of decoherence, relaxation and dissipation in quantum mechanics that arise from the random exchange of energy with the environment. Major theoretical advances in combination with stunning experimental achievements and the arising perspective for quantum computing have brightened the field and brought it to the attention of the general community in natural sciences. Expertise in dissipative quantum mechanics is by now beneficial in a broad sphere.This book — originally published in 1992 and republished as enlarged and updated second, third and fourth edition in 1999, 2008, and 2012 — dives even deeper into the fundamental concepts, methods and applications of quantum dissipation. The fifth edition provides a self-contained and updated account of the quantum mechanics and quantum statistics of open systems. The subject matter of the book has been thoroughly revised to better comply with the needs of newcomers and the demands of the advanced readership. Most of the chapters are rewritten to enhance clarity and topicality. Four new chapters covering recent developments in the field have been added. There are about 600 references. This book is intended for use by advanced undergraduate and graduate students in physics, and for researchers active in the field. They will find the monograph as a rich and stimulating source.


Quantum Dissipative Systems

Quantum Dissipative Systems

Author: Ulrich Weiss

Publisher: World Scientific

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 587

ISBN-13: 981437492X

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Starting from first principles, this book introduces the fundamental concepts and methods of dissipative quantum mechanics and explores related phenomena in condensed matter systems. Major experimental achievements in cooperation with theoretical advances have brightened the field and brought it to the attention of the general community in natural sciences. Nowadays, working knowledge of dissipative quantum mechanics is an essential tool for many physicists. This book OCo originally published in 1990 and republished in 1999 and and 2008 as enlarged second and third editions OCo delves significantly deeper than ever before into the fundamental concepts, methods and applications of quantum dissipative systems. This fourth edition provides a self-contained and updated account of the quantum mechanics of open systems and offers important new material including the most recent developments. The subject matter has been expanded by about fifteen percent. Many chapters have been completely rewritten to better cater to both the needs of newcomers to the field and the requests of the advanced readership. Two chapters have been added that account for recent progress in the field. This book should be accessible to all graduate students in physics. Researchers will find this a rich and stimulating source."


Book Synopsis Quantum Dissipative Systems by : Ulrich Weiss

Download or read book Quantum Dissipative Systems written by Ulrich Weiss and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2012 with total page 587 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Starting from first principles, this book introduces the fundamental concepts and methods of dissipative quantum mechanics and explores related phenomena in condensed matter systems. Major experimental achievements in cooperation with theoretical advances have brightened the field and brought it to the attention of the general community in natural sciences. Nowadays, working knowledge of dissipative quantum mechanics is an essential tool for many physicists. This book OCo originally published in 1990 and republished in 1999 and and 2008 as enlarged second and third editions OCo delves significantly deeper than ever before into the fundamental concepts, methods and applications of quantum dissipative systems. This fourth edition provides a self-contained and updated account of the quantum mechanics of open systems and offers important new material including the most recent developments. The subject matter has been expanded by about fifteen percent. Many chapters have been completely rewritten to better cater to both the needs of newcomers to the field and the requests of the advanced readership. Two chapters have been added that account for recent progress in the field. This book should be accessible to all graduate students in physics. Researchers will find this a rich and stimulating source."


Classical And Quantum Dissipative Systems (Second Edition)

Classical And Quantum Dissipative Systems (Second Edition)

Author: Razavy Mohsen

Publisher: World Scientific

Published: 2017-02-27

Total Pages: 592

ISBN-13: 9813207930

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Dissipative forces play an important role in problems of classical as well as quantum mechanics. Since these forces are not among the basic forces of nature, it is essential to consider whether they should be treated as phenomenological interactions used in the equations of motion, or they should be derived from other conservative forces. In this book we discuss both approaches in detail starting with the Stoke's law of motion in a viscous fluid and ending with a rather detailed review of the recent attempts to understand the nature of the drag forces originating from the motion of a plane or a sphere in vacuum caused by the variations in the zero-point energy. In the classical formulation, mathematical techniques for construction of Lagrangian and Hamiltonian for the variational formulation of non-conservative systems are discussed at length. Various physical systems of interest including the problem of radiating electron, theory of natural line width, spin-boson problem, scattering and trapping of heavy ions and optical potential models of nuclear reactions are considered and solved.


Book Synopsis Classical And Quantum Dissipative Systems (Second Edition) by : Razavy Mohsen

Download or read book Classical And Quantum Dissipative Systems (Second Edition) written by Razavy Mohsen and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2017-02-27 with total page 592 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dissipative forces play an important role in problems of classical as well as quantum mechanics. Since these forces are not among the basic forces of nature, it is essential to consider whether they should be treated as phenomenological interactions used in the equations of motion, or they should be derived from other conservative forces. In this book we discuss both approaches in detail starting with the Stoke's law of motion in a viscous fluid and ending with a rather detailed review of the recent attempts to understand the nature of the drag forces originating from the motion of a plane or a sphere in vacuum caused by the variations in the zero-point energy. In the classical formulation, mathematical techniques for construction of Lagrangian and Hamiltonian for the variational formulation of non-conservative systems are discussed at length. Various physical systems of interest including the problem of radiating electron, theory of natural line width, spin-boson problem, scattering and trapping of heavy ions and optical potential models of nuclear reactions are considered and solved.


Quantum Dissipative Systems (Second Edition)

Quantum Dissipative Systems (Second Edition)

Author: Ulrich Weiss

Publisher: World Scientific

Published: 1999-10-27

Total Pages: 466

ISBN-13: 9814494216

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Recent advances in the quantum theory of macroscopic systems have brightened up the field and brought it into the focus of a general community in natural sciences. The fundamental concepts, methods and applications including the most recent developments, previously covered for the most part only in the original literature, are presented here in a comprehensive treatment to an audience who is reasonably familiar with quantum-statistical mechanics and has had rudimentary contacts with the path integral formulation.This book deals with the phenomena and theory of decoherence and dissipation in quantum mechanics that arise from the interaction with the environment. A general path integral description of equilibrium thermodynamics and non-equilibrium dynamics is developed. The approach can deal with weak and strong dissipation, and with all kinds of memory effects. Applications to numerous phenomenological and microscopic systems are presented, where emphasis is put on condensed matter and chemical physics. The basic principles and methods of preparation functions, propagating functions, and time correlation functions are described. Special attention is focused on quantum tunneling and quantum coherence phenomena of macroscopic variables. Many illustrative realistic examples are discussed in some detail. The book attempts to provide a broad perspective and to open up this rapidly developing field to interested researchers normally working in different fields.In this enlarged second edition, the nineteen chapters of the first edition have been expanded by about one-third to better meet both the requests of newcomers to the field and of advanced readers, and seven new chapters have been added that review the most recent important developments.


Book Synopsis Quantum Dissipative Systems (Second Edition) by : Ulrich Weiss

Download or read book Quantum Dissipative Systems (Second Edition) written by Ulrich Weiss and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 1999-10-27 with total page 466 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recent advances in the quantum theory of macroscopic systems have brightened up the field and brought it into the focus of a general community in natural sciences. The fundamental concepts, methods and applications including the most recent developments, previously covered for the most part only in the original literature, are presented here in a comprehensive treatment to an audience who is reasonably familiar with quantum-statistical mechanics and has had rudimentary contacts with the path integral formulation.This book deals with the phenomena and theory of decoherence and dissipation in quantum mechanics that arise from the interaction with the environment. A general path integral description of equilibrium thermodynamics and non-equilibrium dynamics is developed. The approach can deal with weak and strong dissipation, and with all kinds of memory effects. Applications to numerous phenomenological and microscopic systems are presented, where emphasis is put on condensed matter and chemical physics. The basic principles and methods of preparation functions, propagating functions, and time correlation functions are described. Special attention is focused on quantum tunneling and quantum coherence phenomena of macroscopic variables. Many illustrative realistic examples are discussed in some detail. The book attempts to provide a broad perspective and to open up this rapidly developing field to interested researchers normally working in different fields.In this enlarged second edition, the nineteen chapters of the first edition have been expanded by about one-third to better meet both the requests of newcomers to the field and of advanced readers, and seven new chapters have been added that review the most recent important developments.


Nonequilibrium Statistical Physics

Nonequilibrium Statistical Physics

Author: Noëlle Pottier

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 512

ISBN-13: 0199556881

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This book presents a united approach to the statistical physics of systems near equilibrium: it brings out the profound unity of the laws which govern them and gathers together results usually fragmented in the literature. It will be useful both as a textbook about irreversible phenomena and as a reference book for researchers.


Book Synopsis Nonequilibrium Statistical Physics by : Noëlle Pottier

Download or read book Nonequilibrium Statistical Physics written by Noëlle Pottier and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2010 with total page 512 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents a united approach to the statistical physics of systems near equilibrium: it brings out the profound unity of the laws which govern them and gathers together results usually fragmented in the literature. It will be useful both as a textbook about irreversible phenomena and as a reference book for researchers.


Introduction to Optical Quantum Information Processing

Introduction to Optical Quantum Information Processing

Author: Pieter Kok

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2010-04-22

Total Pages: 505

ISBN-13: 1139486438

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Quantum information processing offers fundamental improvements over classical information processing, such as computing power, secure communication, and high-precision measurements. However, the best way to create practical devices is not yet known. This textbook describes the techniques that are likely to be used in implementing optical quantum information processors. After developing the fundamental concepts in quantum optics and quantum information theory, the book shows how optical systems can be used to build quantum computers according to the most recent ideas. It discusses implementations based on single photons and linear optics, optically controlled atoms and solid-state systems, atomic ensembles, and optical continuous variables. This book is ideal for graduate students beginning research in optical quantum information processing. It presents the most important techniques of the field using worked examples and over 120 exercises.


Book Synopsis Introduction to Optical Quantum Information Processing by : Pieter Kok

Download or read book Introduction to Optical Quantum Information Processing written by Pieter Kok and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2010-04-22 with total page 505 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Quantum information processing offers fundamental improvements over classical information processing, such as computing power, secure communication, and high-precision measurements. However, the best way to create practical devices is not yet known. This textbook describes the techniques that are likely to be used in implementing optical quantum information processors. After developing the fundamental concepts in quantum optics and quantum information theory, the book shows how optical systems can be used to build quantum computers according to the most recent ideas. It discusses implementations based on single photons and linear optics, optically controlled atoms and solid-state systems, atomic ensembles, and optical continuous variables. This book is ideal for graduate students beginning research in optical quantum information processing. It presents the most important techniques of the field using worked examples and over 120 exercises.


Classical And Quantum Dissipative Systems (Second Edition).

Classical And Quantum Dissipative Systems (Second Edition).

Author: Mohsen Razavy

Publisher:

Published: 2017

Total Pages: 593

ISBN-13: 9789813207929

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"Dissipative forces play an important role in problems of classical as well as quantum mechanics. Since these forces are not among the basic forces of nature, it is essential to consider whether they should be treated as phenomenological interactions used in the equations of motion, or they should be derived from other conservative forces. In this book we discuss both approaches in detail starting with the Stoke's law of motion in a viscous fluid and ending with a rather detailed review of the recent attempts to understand the nature of the drag forces originating from the motion of a plane or a sphere in vacuum caused by the variations in the zero-point energy. In the classical formulation, mathematical techniques for construction of Lagrangian and Hamiltonian for the variational formulation of non-conservative systems are discussed at length. Various physical systems of interest including the problem of radiating electron, theory of natural line width, spin-boson problem, scattering and trapping of heavy ions and optical potentials models of nuclear reactions are considered and solved. Readership: Researchers and graduate students in applied mathematics and theoretical physics"--


Book Synopsis Classical And Quantum Dissipative Systems (Second Edition). by : Mohsen Razavy

Download or read book Classical And Quantum Dissipative Systems (Second Edition). written by Mohsen Razavy and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 593 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Dissipative forces play an important role in problems of classical as well as quantum mechanics. Since these forces are not among the basic forces of nature, it is essential to consider whether they should be treated as phenomenological interactions used in the equations of motion, or they should be derived from other conservative forces. In this book we discuss both approaches in detail starting with the Stoke's law of motion in a viscous fluid and ending with a rather detailed review of the recent attempts to understand the nature of the drag forces originating from the motion of a plane or a sphere in vacuum caused by the variations in the zero-point energy. In the classical formulation, mathematical techniques for construction of Lagrangian and Hamiltonian for the variational formulation of non-conservative systems are discussed at length. Various physical systems of interest including the problem of radiating electron, theory of natural line width, spin-boson problem, scattering and trapping of heavy ions and optical potentials models of nuclear reactions are considered and solved. Readership: Researchers and graduate students in applied mathematics and theoretical physics"--