Gonzalo Muga

Time in Quantum Mechanics - Lecture Notes in Physics Gonzalo Muga Softcover Reprint of Hardcover 2nd Ed. 2008 edition

Jacket Description/Back: The treatment of time in quantum mechanics is still an important and challenging open question in the foundation of the quantum theory. This book describes the problems, and the attempts and achievements in defining, formalizing and measuring different time quantities in quantum theory, such as the parametric (clock) time, tunneling times, decay times, dwell times, delay times, arrival times or jump times. This multi-authored book, written as an introductory guide for newcomers to the subject, as well as a useful source of information for the expert, covers many of the open questions. After the brief historical overview in the introduction, 12 contributions are devoted to conceptual and theoretical investigations as well as experimental issues in quantum-mechanical time measurements. This novel monograph should attract physicists as well as philosophers of science working in the foundations of quantum physics. For this revised second edition, all chapters have been updated and extended where appropriate. From the reviews of the first edition: "Beginning with a clear introduction to the perplexing issue of the nature of time in quantum mechanics, the reader then undertakes a stimulating excursion through a sequence of chapters written by leading researchers. Theory and experiment are nicely balanced, and extensive lists of references accompany each chapter. [ ] Furthermore, the book is enlightening from a sociological perspective to see how 'sides' of these controversies developed and later reconciled as unified approaches [ ]." The Physicist, 39/5 (2002) "Table of Contents: Characteristic Times in One-Dimensional Scattering.- The Time Energy Uncertainty Relation.- Jump Time and Passage Time: The Duration ofs a Quantum Transition.- Bohm Trajectory Approach to Timing Electrons.- Decoherent Histories for Space Time Domains.- Quantum Traversal Time, Path Integrals and Superluminal Tunnelling.- Quantum Clocks and Stopwatches.- The Local Larmor Clock, Partial Densities of States, and Mesoscopic Physics.- Standard Quantum Mechanical Approach to Times of Arrival.- Experimental Issues in Quantum Mechanical Time Measurement.- Microwave Experiments on Tunneling Time.- The Two-State Vector Formalism: An Updated Review."Marc Notes: v. 1.; Includes bibliographical references and index. Publisher Marketing: Time and quantum mechanics are, by and unto themselves, words of such force and attraction that the ?rst edition of this book quite rapidly went out of print. The idea of bringing out a second edition became, thus, more compellingastime (indeed)?ewon. Amongthedi?erentpossiblities(awholly new text, a mere reprinting) we ?nally settled on a middle way, namely that each of the contributors has decided to what extent their respective chapters needed updating. One of the reasons for this decision is that the ?eld has indeed been evolving, and the increase in editions of the TQM workshops held inLa LagunaandBilbao has providedus with quite a number ofpossible contributorsfor preparing, in addition to this secondedition, a secondvolume with entirely new chapters. But more important is that the results and texts of the authors have withstood the passage of time and have weathered very well its ravages. All chapters have been updated, however, in order to include new results and bibliography. We hope that this new edition meets with as much success as its pre- cessor and, as we write this, that in the future we can provide the interested reader with more contributions of other participants in our TQM workshops. We are grateful to R. F. Snider and G. N. Flemming for pointing out several typos and errors of the ?rst edition. We also acknowledge additional support from Ministerio de Educaci on y Ciencia (Grants BFM2003-01003, FIS2006-10268-C03-01andFIS2004/05687), GobiernoAuton omodeCanarias (PI2004/025), and UPV-EHU (Grant 00039. 310-15968/2004). Bilbao - La Laguna, J."