A Course in Mathematical Physics: Volume 4: Quantum Mechanics of Large Systems

ISBN-13: 9783709175286 / Angielski / Miękka / 2012 / 290 str.

Walter Thirring; E. M. Harrell

Opis

In this final volume I have tried to present the subject of statistical mechanics in accordance with the basic principles of the series. The effort again entailed following Gustav Mahler's maxim, Tradition = Schlamperei (i.e., filth) and clearing away a large portion of this tradition-laden area. The result is a book with little in common with most other books on the subject. The ordinary perturbation-theoretic calculations are not very useful in this field. Those methods have never led to propositions of much substance. Even when perturbation series, which for the most part never converge, can be given some asymptotic meaning, it cannot be determined how close the nth order approximation comes to the exact result. Since analytic solutions of nontrivial problems are beyond human capabilities, for better or worse we must settle for sharp bounds on the quantities of interest, and can at most strive to make the degree of accuracy satisfactory.

Spis treści

1 Systems with Many Particles.- 2 Thermostatics.- 3 Thermodynamics.- 4 Physical Systems.

O autorze

Univ.-Prof. Dr. Walter Thirring, geb. 1927. 1953/54 Member of the Princeton Institute for Advanced Studies. 1956/57 Visiting Professor am M.I.T., Cambridge, anschließend University of Washington, Seattle. Dann Lehrtätigkeit in Bern und Wien. 1968-71 Direktor des Theoretical Department CERN. Über 200 wissenschaftliche Publikationen, zahlreiche internationale Auszeichnungen, u. a. Eötvös-Medaille 1967, Erwin-Schrödinger-Preis, Max-Planck-Medaille, Ehrendoktorat der Comenius-Universität Bratislava, Henri-Poincare-Preis der Int. Association of Mathematical Physics. Thirrings große Liebe gilt der Musik, und hier besonders der Orgel und der Komposition.