Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Group Theory in Quantum Mechanics: An Introduction to Its Present Usage
    Group Theory in Quantum Mechanics: An Introduction to Its Present Usage
    Group Theory in Quantum Mechanics: An Introduction to Its Present Usage
    Ebook428 pages9 hours

    Group Theory in Quantum Mechanics: An Introduction to Its Present Usage

    By Volker Heine and D. Ter Haar

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Group Theory in Quantum Mechanics: An Introduction to its Present Usage introduces the reader to the three main uses of group theory in quantum mechanics: to label energy levels and the corresponding eigenstates; to discuss qualitatively the splitting of energy levels as one starts from an approximate Hamiltonian and adds correction terms; and to aid in the evaluation of matrix elements of all kinds, and in particular to provide general selection rules for the non-zero ones. The theme is to show how all this is achieved by considering the symmetry properties of the Hamiltonian and the way in which these symmetries are reflected in the wave functions. This book is comprised of eight chapters and begins with an overview of the necessary mathematical concepts, including representations and vector spaces and their relevance to quantum mechanics. The uses of symmetry properties and mathematical expression of symmetry operations are also outlined, along with symmetry transformations of the Hamiltonian. The next chapter describes the three uses of group theory, with particular reference to the theory of atomic energy levels and transitions. The following chapters deal with the theory of free atoms and ions; representations of finite groups; the electronic structure and vibrations of molecules; solid state physics; and relativistic quantum mechanics. Nuclear physics is also discussed, with emphasis on the isotopic spin formalism, nuclear forces, and the reactions that arise when the nuclei take part in time-dependent processes. This monograph will be of interest to physicists and mathematicians.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherElsevier Science
    Release dateMay 15, 2014
    ISBN9781483152004
    Group Theory in Quantum Mechanics: An Introduction to Its Present Usage

    Related to Group Theory in Quantum Mechanics

    Related ebooks

    Science & Mathematics For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      When Gravity Breaks Down

      Feb 15, 2019

      When Gravity Breaks Down
      5 min read

    • Article

      Math’s Beautiful Monsters: How a destructive idea paved the way for modern math.

      Apr 3, 2014

      Much like its creator, Karl Weierstrass’ monster came from nowhere. After four years at university spent drinking and fencing, Weierstrass had left empty handed. He eventually took a teaching course and spent most of the 1850s as a schoolteacher in B

      10 min read

    • Article

      How the Universe Remembers Information

      Feb 28, 2019

      It was one of the great missed connections of physics. In 1965 a particle theorist derived a formula for the collision of elementary particles. Twenty years later two gravitation theorists, using completely different techniques, derived a formula for

      6 min read

    • Article

      Why Mathematicians Should Stop Naming Things After Each Other

      Sep 2, 2020

      Any student of modern math must know what it feels like to drown in a well of telescoping terminology. For a high-profile example, let’s take the Calabi-Yau manifold, made famous by string theory. A Calabi-Yau manifold is a compact, complex Kähler ma

      6 min read

    • Article

      Physicists Attack Math’s $1,000,000 Question

      Apr 4, 2017

      Physicists are attempting to map the distribution of the prime numbers to the energy levels of a particular quantum system.

      4 min read

    • Article

      The Disappearing Physicist and His Elusive Particle

      Jul 25, 2019

      The members of the physics institute at Via Panisperna were in the habit of giving themselves jocular nicknames: Enrico Fermi was “The Pope,” Orso Corbino was “God the Almighty,” and Franco Rasetti was “The Cardinal Vicar.” It was 1930, and the Itali

      11 min read

    • Article

      Secrets Of The SYNCHROTRON

      Jan 21, 2021

      Secrets Of The SYNCHROTRON
      8 min read

    • Article

      The Universe Began With a Big Melt, Not a Big Bang

      Oct 5, 2017

      There are two tantalizing mysteries about our universe, one dealing with its final fate and the other with its beginning, that have intrigued cosmologists for decades. The community has always believed these to be independent problems—but what if the

      10 min read

    • Article

      Fine Tuning Is Just Fine

      Sep 20, 2018

      It is hard to overstate the anticipation that preceded the opening of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) 10 years ago. Smashing protons together at energies well above those produced at any previous particle accelerator, the LHC seemed capable of vindic

      9 min read

    • Article

      Why The Holographic Principle Is So Exciting

      Mar 13, 2018

      One of the most cutting-edge theories in theoretical physics, the holographic principle, holds holds that the universe is 3D image projected off a 2D surface, much like a hologram emerges from a sheet of photographic film. “In my view, the discovery

      4 min read

    • Article

      Fusion Breakthrough Explained: What Are Quarks Again?

      Dec 11, 2017

      Physicists have confirmed the existence of a doubly charmed baryon, opening the door to an entirely new kind of fusion, known as quark fusion.

      3 min read

    • Article

      The Inconceivable Density Of A Nucleus

      Sep 30, 2020

      6,200,000,000 CARS Packing 6.2 billion cars into a 30cm cube… 4 The atomic nucleus is so densely packed that it corresponds to fitting 6.2 billion cars with an average weight of 2 tonnes each into a box that measures 30 x 30 x 30 cm. NEUTRON Radius:

      1 min read

    • Article

      W Boson: Is About To Break Physics?

      May 11, 2022

      W Boson: Is About To Break Physics?
      3 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Group Theory in Quantum Mechanics

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Group Theory in Quantum Mechanics - Volker Heine

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1