Don't Be Afraid of Physics: Quantum Mechanics, Relativity And Cosmology For Everyone

This book is devoted to recent developments in quantum mechanics. The book will be of interest to graduate and Ph.D students as well as scientists from various backgrounds who are concerned with quantum effects.

This is a treatise devoted to the foundations of quantum physics and the role that causality plays in the microscopic world governed by the laws of quantum mechanics. There is no sharp dividing line between physics and philosophy of physics.

This book presents a new approach to understanding the foundation of quantum physics through the "quantum wave model" hypothesis. It addresses some of the key challenges in the current quantum theory, including the conflict between quantum mechanics and relativity, and offers a comprehensive solution to many of the existing mysteries in the field. By proposing that the vacuum is a dielectric medium and quantum particles are quantized excitation waves of the vacuum, the book provides a clear physical interpretation of wave-particle duality and explains the physical basis of energy, momentum, and mass.

In this third volume of A Course in Mathematical Physics I have attempted not simply to introduce axioms and derive quantum mechanics from them, but also to progress to relevant applications. Reading the axiomatic litera­ ture often gives one the impression that it largely consists of making refined axioms, thereby freeing physics from any trace of down-to-earth residue and cutting it off from simpler ways of thinking. The goal pursued here, however, is to come up with concrete results that can be compared with experimental facts. Everything else should be regarded only as a side issue, and has been chosen for pragmatic reasons.

The focus of the present work is nonrelativistic and relativistic quantum mechanics with standard applications to the hydrogen atom. The author has aimed at presenting quantum mechanics in a comprehensive yet accessible for mathematicians and other non-physicists. The genesis of quantum mechanics, its applications to basic quantum phenomena, and detailed explanations of the corresponding mathematical methods are presented. The exposition is formalized (whenever possible) on the basis of the coupled Schroedinger, Dirac and Maxwell equations. Aimed at upper graduate and graduate students in mathematical and physical science studies.