Classical and Quantum Dynamics: From Classical Paths to Path Integrals - Softcover

Dittrich, Walter

Softcover

ISBN 10: 3540562451 ISBN 13: 9783540562450

Publisher: Springer-Verlag, 1994

Synopsis

Graduate students wishing to become familiar with advanced computational strategies in classical and quantum dynamics will find in the one source both the fundamentals of a standard course as well as a detailed treatment of the time-dependent oscillator, Chern-Simons mechanics, the Maslov anomaly and the Berry phase, illustrated by many worked examples throughout the text. This second edition has been enlarged with a new chapter on topological phases in planar electrodynamics, and a discussion of the Aharonov-Bohm effect.

About this title

Review

From the reviews of the third edition:

"This book is a brilliant exposition of dynamical systems covering the essential aspects and written in an elegant manner. The book is written in modern language of mathematics and will ideally cater to the requirements of graduate and first year Ph.D. students...a wonderful introduction to any student who wants to do research in any branch of theoretical Physics."

--Indian Journal of Physics

"The point which makes this book really unique is the abundance of detailed well-chosen examples illustrating the action principle, the canonical transformations, the perturbation theory, and the removal of resonances...Numerous explicit examples of direct evaluations of path integrals make this approach particularly clear and attractive. This book will be of interest to both graduate and post-graduate advanced physics students and is warmly recommended in view of its originality and readability."

--Physicalia

"The search of possible connections between classical dynamics and quantum mechanics is an old exciting problem. ... The present book highlights the principle of stationary action as common starting point of both theories. ... This third edition ... is supplemented with chapters on the action principle in classical electrodynamics (an excellent example of working scheme), on the functional derivative approach and on computing traces in the context of WKB propagator. Extensive additions and detailed treatments are also included in the text." (Mircea Crâsmareanu, Zentralblatt MATH, Vol. 990 (15), 2002)

From the Back Cover

Graduate students who want to become familiar with advanced computational strategies in classical and quantum dynamics will find here both the fundamentals of a standard course and a detailed treatment of the time-dependent oscillator, Chern-Simons mechanics, the Maslov anomaly and the Berry phase, together with many worked examples throughout the text. This second edition has been enlarged by a new chapter on topological phases in planar electrodynamics and a discussion of the Aharonov-Bohm effect.

Edition details

• Publisher: Springer-Verlag
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 3540562451
• ISBN 13: 9783540562450
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 372