The Principles of Quantum Mechanics

The Principles of Quantum Mechanics is an influential monograph on quantum mechanics written by Paul Dirac and first published by Oxford University Press in 1930.[1] Dirac gives an account of quantum mechanics by "demonstrating how to construct a completely new theoretical framework from scratch"; "problems were tackled top-down, by working on the great principles, with the details left to look after themselves".[2] It leaves classical physics behind after the first chapter, presenting the subject with a logical structure. Its 82 sections contain 785 equations with no diagrams.[2]

The Principles of Quantum Mechanics
Title page of the first edition
AuthorPaul Dirac
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
SubjectQuantum mechanics
GenresNon-fiction
PublisherOxford University Press
Publication date
1930
Media typePrint
Pages257

Dirac is credited with developing the subject "particularly in Cambridge and Göttingen between 1925–1927" (Farmelo).[2]

History

The first and second editions of the book were published in 1930 and 1935.[3]

In 1947 the third edition of the book was published, in which the chapter on quantum electrodynamics was rewritten particularly with the inclusion of electron-positron creation.[3]

In the fourth edition, 1958, the same chapter was revised, adding new sections on interpretation and applications. Later a revised fourth edition appeared in 1967.[3]

Beginning with the third edition (1947), the mathematical descriptions of quantum states and operators were changed to use the Bra–ket notation, introduced in 1939 and largely developed by Dirac himself [4]

Laurie Brown wrote an article describing the book's evolution through its different editions,[5] and Helge Kragh surveyed reviews by physicists (including Heisenberg, Pauli, and others) from the time of Dirac's book's publication.[6]

Contents

  • The principle of superposition
  • Dynamical variables and observables
  • Representations
  • The quantum conditions
  • The equations of motion
  • Elementary applications
  • Perturbation theory
  • Collision problems
  • Systems containing several similar particles
  • Theory of radiation
  • Relativistic theory of the electron
  • Quantum electrodynamics

See also

References

  1. "Paul A.M. Dirac – Biography". The Nobel Prize in Physics 1933. Retrieved September 26, 2011. Dirac's publications include ... The Principles of Quantum Mechanics (1930; 3rd ed. 1947).
  2. Farmelo, Graham (June 2, 1995). "Speaking Volumes: The Principles of Quantum Mechanics" (Book review). Times Higher Education Supplement: 20. Retrieved 2011-09-26.
  3. Dalitz, R. H. (1995). The Collected Works of P. A. M. Dirac: Volume 1: 1924–1948. Cambridge University Press. pp. 453–454. ISBN 9780521362313.
  4. PAM Dirac (1939). "A new notation for quantum mechanics". Mathematical Proceedings of the Cambridge Philosophical Society. 35 (3): 416–418. Bibcode:1939PCPS...35..416D. doi:10.1017/S0305004100021162.
  5. Brown, L.M. (2006), "Paul A.M. Dirac's The Principles of Quantum Mechanics" (PDF), Physics in Perspective, 8 (4): 381–407, Bibcode:2006PhP.....8..381B, doi:10.1007/s00016-006-0276-4, S2CID 59431829
  6. Helge Kragh (2013), Paul Dirac and The Principles of Quantum Mechanics, Research and Pedagogy, Studies 2: A History of Quantum Physics through Its Textbooks
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.