Rudolf Haag

Local Quantum Physics

Fields, Particles, Algebras

• Broschiertes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

This book gives a comprehensive account of local quantum physics, understood as the synthesis of quantum theory with the principle of locality. Centered on the algebraic approach it describes both the physical concepts and the mathematical structures, and their consequences. These include the emergence of the particle picture, general collision theory covering the cases of massless particles and infraparticles, the analysis of possible charge structures and exchange symmetries, including braid group statistics. Thermal states of an unbounded medium and local equilibrium are discussed in detail. The author takes care both to describe the ideas and to give a critical assessment of future perspectives. A special chapter deals with formalism and interpretation of quantum theory.

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The new edition provided the opportunity of adding a new chapter entitled "Principles and Lessons of Quantum Physics". It was a tempting challenge to try to sharpen the points at issue in the long lasting debate on the Copenhagen Spirit, to assess the significance of various arguments from our present vantage point, seventy years after the advent of quantum theory, where, after ali, some problems appear in a different light. It includes a section on the assumptions leading to the specific mathematical formalism of quantum theory and a section entitled "The evolutionary picture" describing my personal conclusions. Alto gether the discussion suggests that the conventional language is too narrow and that neither the mathematical nor the conceptual structure are built for eter nity. Future theories will demand radical changes though not in the direction of a return to determinism. Essential lessons taught by Bohr will persist. This chapter is essentially self-contained. Some new material has been added in the last chapter. It concerns the char acterization of specific theories within the general frame and recent progress in quantum field theory on curved space-time manifolds. A few pages on renor malization have been added in Chapter II and some effort has been invested in the search for mistakes and unclear passages in the first edition. The central objective of the book, expressed in the title "Local Quantum Physics", is the synthesis between special relativity and quantum theory to gether with a few other principles of general nature.

Produktdetails

• Texts and Monographs in Physics
• Verlag: Springer, Berlin
• Artikelnr. des Verlages: 978-3-540-61049-6
• 2nd, rev. and enl. ed.
• Seitenzahl: 408
• Erscheinungstermin: 5. August 1996
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 235mm x 155mm x 23mm
• Gewicht: 602g
• ISBN-13: 9783540610496
• ISBN-10: 3540610499
• Artikelnr.: 06634938

Inhaltsangabe

I. Background.- 1. Quantum Mechanics.- 2. The Principle of Locality in Classical Physics and the Relativity Theories.- 3. Poincaré Invariant Quantum Theory.- 4. Action Principle.- 5. Basic Quantum Field Theory.- II. General Quantum Field Theory.- 1. Mathematical Considerations and General Postulates.- 3. Physical Interpretation in Terms of Particles.- 4. General Collision Theory.- 5. Some Consequences of the Postulates.- III. Algebras of Local Observables and Fields.- 1. Review of the Perspective.- 2. Von Neumann Algebras. C*-Algebras. W*-Algebras.- 3. The Net of Algebras of Local Observables.- 4. The Vacuum Sector.- IV. Charges, Global Gauge Groups and Exchange Symmetry.- 1. Charge Superselection Sectors.- 2. The DHR-Analysis.- 3. The Buchholz-Fredenhagen-Analysis.- 4. Global Gauge Group and Charge Carrying Fields.- 5. Low Dimensional Space-Time and Braid Group Statistics.- V. Thermal States and Modular Automorphisms.- 1. Gibbs Ensembles, Thermodynamic Limit, KMS-Condition.- 2. Modular Automorphisms and Modular Conjugation.- 3. Direct Characterization of Equilibrium States.- 4. Modular Automorphisms of Local Algebras.- 5. Phase Space, Nuclearity, Split Property, Local Equilibrium.- 6. The Universal Type of Local Algebras.- VI. Particles. Completeness of the Particle Picture.- 1. Detectors, Coincidence Arrangements, Cross Sections.- 2. The Particle Content.- 3. The Physical State Space of Quantum Electrodynamics.- VII. Principles and Lessons of Quantum Physics. A Review of Interpretations, Mathematical Formalism and Perspectives.- 1. The Copenhagen Spirit. Criticisms, Elaborations.- 2. The Mathematical Formalism.- 3. The Evolutionary Picture.- VIII. Retrospective and Outlook.- 1. Algebraic Approach vs. Euclidean Quantum Field Theory.- 2. Supersymmetry.- 3. TheChallenge from General Relativity.- Author Index and References.

Rezensionen

From the reviews: "This book is by no means the summa of the field of algebraic quantum field theory." Mathematical Reviews "Indeed, both the expert in the field and the novice will enjoy Haag's insightful exposition of the basic physics behind the abstract mathematics, and his unique way of making complicated mathematical theorems plausible without getting bogged down in tedious details." - Physics Today