An Introduction To Macroscopic Quantum Phenomena And Quantum Dissipation

Reviewing macroscopic quantum phenomena and quantum dissipation, from the phenomenology of magnetism and superconductivity to the presentation of alternative models for quantum dissipation, this book develops the basic material necessary to understand the quantum dynamics of macroscopic variables. Macroscopic quantum phenomena are presented through several examples in magnetism and superconductivity, developed from general phenomenological approaches to each area. Dissipation naturally plays an important role in these phenomena, and therefore semi-empirical models for quantum dissipation are introduced and applied to the study of a few important quantum mechanical effects. The book also discusses the relevance of macroscopic quantum phenomena to the control of meso- or nanoscopic devices, particularly those with potential applications in quantum computation or quantum information. It is ideal for graduate students and researchers.

Develops the basic material necessary to understand the quantum dynamics of macroscopic variables. Ideal for graduate students and researchers.

Exploring the Quantum/Classical Frontier - Recent Advances in Macroscopic Quantum Phenomena

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 OCo originally published in 1990 and republished in 1999 as an enlarged second edition OCo 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. Sample Chapter(s). Introduction (262 KB). Contents: General Theory of Open Quantum Systems; Few Sample Applications; Quantum Statistical Decay; The Dissipative Two-State System; The Dissipative Multi-State System. Readership: Advanced undergraduate and graduate students as well as researchers in quantum-statistical and condensed matter physics, quantum/classical mechanics, quantum information and computation, and quantum optics."

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.

A coherent and self-contained account of macroscopic quantum phenomena for graduate students and researchers.

This is an introduction to the quantum theory of light and its broad implications and applications. A significant part of the book covers material with direct relevance to current basic and applied research, such as quantum fluctuations and their role in laser physics and the theory of forces between macroscopic bodies (Casimir effects). The book includes numerous historical sidelights throughout, and approximately seventy exercises. The book provides detailed expositions of the theory with emphasis on general physical principles. Foundational topics in classical and quantum electrodynamics are addressed in the first half of the book, including the semiclassical theory of atom-field interactions, the quantization of the electromagnetic field in dispersive and dissipative media, uncertainty relations, and spontaneous emission. The second half begins with a chapter on the Jaynes-Cummings model, dressed states, and some distinctly quantum-mechanical features of atom-field interactions, and includes discussion of entanglement, the no-cloning theorem, von Neumann's proof concerning hidden variable theories, Bell's theorem, and tests of Bell inequalities. The last two chapters focus on quantum fluctuations and fluctuation-dissipation relations, beginning with Brownian motion, the Fokker-Planck equation, and classical and quantum Langevin equations. Detailed calculations are presented for the laser linewidth, spontaneous emission noise, photon statistics of linear amplifiers and attenuators, and other phenomena. Van der Waals interactions, Casimir forces, the Lifshitz theory of molecular forces between macroscopic media, and the many-body theory of such forces based on dyadic Green functions are analyzed from the perspective of Langevin noise, vacuum field fluctuations, and zero-point energy.

This book provides a comprehensive and up-to-date description of the Josephson effect, a topic of never-ending interest in both fundamental and applied physics. In this volume, world-renowned experts present the unique aspects of the physics of the Josephson effect, resulting from the use of new materials, of hybrid architectures and from the possibility of realizing nanoscale junctions. These new experimental capabilities lead to systems where novel coherent phenomena and transport processes emerge. All this is of great relevance and impact, especially when combined with the didactic approach of the book. The reader will benefit from a general and modern view of coherent phenomena in weakly-coupled superconductors on a macroscopic scale. Topics that have been only recently discussed in specialized papers and in short reviews are described here for the first time and organized in a general framework. An important section of the book is also devoted to applications, with focus on long-term, future applications. In addition to a significant number of illustrations, the book includes numerous tables for comparative studies on technical aspects.

This book collects research and review articles covering some recent trends in nonrelativistic quantum electrodynamics, specifically the interaction of atoms or molecules within the quantum electromagnetic radiation field and the related physical effects. Specific topics covered are: two- and three-body dispersion interactions between atoms and molecules, both in the nonretarded van der Waals and the retarded Casimir–Polder regime; vacuum field fluctuations of the electromagnetic field and their effect in atomic systems; dispersion interactions between uniformly accelerating atoms and relation with the Fulling–Davies–Unruh effect; dynamics of atomic systems under strong electromagnetic fields; symmetries in quantum electrodynamics; and open quantum systems.

The increasing emphasis and importance of mesoscopic systems for tomorrow's high-tech electronics industry as well as a growing research interest in the subject has given rise to the need for a modern introductory text at the graduate level. This book aims to provide the necessary theory and tools to carry out research into the various aspects of the subject. It starts with a chapter on the theory of quantum transport giving a survey of the basic theory used in transport phenomena including scattering, linear response theory, weak localization, conductance fluctuations and the Landauer-B?ttiker formalism. Various aspects of chaos in quantum systems as well as dissipative quantum systems are discussed. Other topics of importance such as single electron tunneling, driven bistable systems, quantized transport and electron liquids are also covered in detail. Graduate students as well as newcomers to this exciting and expanding field will find this work useful to adopt the necessary theory and overview required to go deeper into the original literature and to carry out research.