This compact but exhaustive textbook, now in its significantly revised and expanded second edition, provides an essential introduction to the field quantization of light and matter with applications to atomic physics and strongly correlated systems. Following an initial review of the origins of special relativity and quantum mechanics, individual chapters are devoted to the second quantization of the electromagnetic field and the consequences of light field quantization for the description of electromagnetic transitions. The spin of the electron is then analyzed, with particular attention to its derivation from the Dirac equation. Subsequent topics include the effects of external electric and magnetic fields on the atomic spectra and the properties of systems composed of many interacting identical particles. The book also provides a detailed explanation of the second quantization of the non-relativistic matter field, i.e., the Schrödinger field, which offers a powerful tool for the investigation of many-body problems, and of atomic quantum optics and entanglement. Finally, two new chapters introduce the finite-temperature functional integration of bosonic and fermionic fields for the study of macroscopic quantum phenomena: superfluidity and superconductivity. Several solved problems are included at the end of each chapter, helping readers put into practice all that they have learned.

The book gives an introduction to the field quantization (second quantization) of light and matter with applications to atomic physics. The first chapter briefly reviews the origins of special relativity and quantum mechanics and the basic notions of quantum information theory and quantum statistical mechanics. The second chapter is devoted to the second quantization of the electromagnetic field, while the third chapter shows the consequences of the light field quantization in the description of electromagnetic transitions. In the fourth chapter it is analyzed the spin of the electron, and in particular its derivation from the Dirac equation, while the fifth chapter investigates the effects of external electric and magnetic fields on the atomic spectra (Stark and Zeeman effects). The sixth chapter describes the properties of systems composed by many interacting identical particles by introducing the Hartree-Fock variational method, the density functional theory and the Born-Oppenheimer approximation. Finally, in the seventh chapter it is explained the second quantization of the non-relativistic matter field, i.e. the Schrodinger field, which gives a powerful tool for the investigation of many-body problems and also atomic quantum optics. At the end of each chapter there are several solved problems which can help the students to put into practice the things they learned.

Celebrated for his brilliantly quirky insights into the physical world, Nobel laureate Richard Feynman also possessed an extraordinary talent for explaining difficult concepts to the general public. Here Feynman provides a classic and definitive introduction to QED (namely, quantum electrodynamics), that part of quantum field theory describing the interactions of light with charged particles. Using everyday language, spatial concepts, visualizations, and his renowned "Feynman diagrams" instead of advanced mathematics, Feynman clearly and humorously communicates both the substance and spirit of QED to the layperson. A. Zee's introduction places Feynman’s book and his seminal contribution to QED in historical context and further highlights Feynman’s uniquely appealing and illuminating style.

Dieser Band fasst systematisch alle Begriffe und Konzepte zusammen, die das Fundament der Atom- und Molekülforschung, Optik und Technik bilden: Atome, zweiatomige Moleküle, Atome und Moleküle in statischen und elektromagnetischen Feldern, nichtlineare Optik. Physikalische und mathematische Definitionen, ausführliche Tabellen und ein Überblick über die Tensoralgebra wurden der besseren Lesbarkeit des Haupttextes halber in umfangreiche Anhänge ausgelagert. Jedes Kapitel schließt mit Übungsaufgaben und Angaben zur weiterführenden Literatur ab.

This third edition, like its two predecessors, provides a detailed account of the basic theory needed to understand the properties of light and its interactions with atoms, in particular the many nonclassical effects that have now been observed in quantum-optical experiments. The earlier chapters describe the quantum mechanics of various optical processes, leading from the classical representation of the electromagnetic field to the quantum theory of light. The later chapters develop the theoretical descriptions of some of the key experiments in quantum optics. Over half of the material in this third edition is new. It includes topics that have come into prominence over the last two decades, such as the beamsplitter theory, squeezed light, two-photon interference, balanced homodyne detection, travelling-wave attenuation and amplification, quantum jumps, and the ranges of nonliner optical processes important in the generation of nonclassical light. The book is written as a textbook, with the treatment as a whole appropriate for graduate or postgraduate students, while earlier chapters are also suitable for final- year undergraduates. Over 100 problems help to intensify the understanding of the material presented.

Light-matter interaction is pervasive throughout the disciplines of optical and atomic physics, condensed matter physics, electrical engineering, and now increasingly in biology and medicine with frequency and length scales extending over many orders of magnitude. Deep earth and sea communications use frequencies of a few tens of Hz, and X-ray imaging requires sources oscillating at hundreds of petaHz. This book provides advanced undergraduates, graduate students and researchers from diverse disciplines with the principal tools required to understand and contribute to rapidly advancing developments in light-matter interaction, centred at optical frequencies and length scales from a few hundred nanometres to a few hundredths of a nanometre. This book deploys an arsenal of powerful analytic tools to render this multidisciplinary subject in unique form, not encountered in standard Physics or Electrical Engineering text books. This new edition has been substantially expanded with almost 200 pages of new material. Several new and extended chapters treat momentum flow between fields and matter, metamaterials, and atom-optical forces applied to atomic and molecular cooling and trapping.