Mathematical And Physical Aspects Of Stochastic Mechanics

This book presents the conceptional line which goes from the observation of physical systems to their modeling and analysis by ordinary differential nonlinear stochastic equations.First, the problems of the mathematical modeling of physical systems are developed. These mathematical models are then classified in terms of ordinary differential stochastic equations from which both qualitative and quantitative results are developed.Each one of the various subjects are methods dealt with ends with an application in mathematical physics or in nonlinear mechanics.

The main theme of the meeting was to illustrate the use of stochastic processes in the study of topological problems in quantum physics and statistical mechanics. Much discussion of current problems was generated and there was a considerable amount of interaction between mathematicians and physicists. The papers presented in the proceedings are essentially of a research nature but some (Lewis, Hudson) are introductions or surveys.

Stochastic mechanics is a theory that holds great promise in resolving the mathematical and interpretational issues encountered in the canonical and path integral formulations of quantum theories. It provides an equivalent formulation of quantum theories, but substantiates it with a mathematically rigorous stochastic interpretation by means of a stochastic quantization prescription. The book builds on recent developments in this theory, and shows that quantum mechanics can be unified with the theory of Brownian motion in a single mathematical framework. Moreover, it discusses the extension of the theory to curved spacetime using second order geometry, and the induced Itô deformations of the spacetime symmetries. The book is self-contained and provides an extensive review of stochastic mechanics of the single spinless particle. The book builds up the theory on a step by step basis. It starts, in chapter 2, with a review of the classical particle subjected to scalar and vector potentials. In chapter 3, the theory is extended to the study of a Brownian motion in any potential, by the introduction of a Gaussian noise. In chapter 4, the Gaussian noise is complexified. The result is a complex diffusion theory that contains both Brownian motion and quantum mechanics as a special limit. In chapters 5, the theory is extended to relativistic diffusion theories. In chapter 6, the theory is further generalized to the context of pseudo-Riemannian geometry. Finally, in chapter 7, some interpretational aspects of the stochastic theory are discussed in more detail. The appendices concisely review relevant notions from probability theory, stochastic processes, stochastic calculus, stochastic differential geometry and stochastic variational calculus. The book is aimed at graduate students and researchers in theoretical physics and applied mathematics with an interest in the foundations of quantum theory and Brownian motion. The book can be used as reference material for courses on and further research in stochastic mechanics, stochastic quantization, diffusion theories on curved spacetimes and quantum gravity.

In October 1998 a conference was held in Lisbon to celebrate Ludwig Streit's 60th birthday. This book collects some of the papers presented at the conference as well as other essays contributed by the many friends and collaborators who wanted to honor Ludwig Streit's scientific career and personality. The contributions cover many aspects of contemporary mathematical physics. Of particular importance are new results on infinite-dimensional stochastic analysis and its applications to a wide range of physical domains. List of Contributors: S Albeverio, T Hida, L Accardi, I Ya Aref'eva, I V Volovich; A Daletskii, Y Kondratiev, W Karwowski, N Asai, I Kubo, H-H Kuo, J Beckers, Ph Blanchard, G F Dell'Antonio, D Gandolfo, M Sirugue-Collin, A Bohm, H Kaldass, D Bollé, G Jongen, G M Shim, J Bornales, C C Bernido, M V Carpio-Bernido, G Burdet, Ph Combe, H Nencka, P Cartier, C DeWitt-Morette, H Ezawa, K Nakamura, K Watanabe, Y Yamanaka, R Figari, F Gesztesy, H Holden, R Gielerak, G A Goldin, Z Haba, M-O Hongler, Y Hu, B Oksendal, A Sulem, J R Klauder, C B Lang, V I Man'ko, H Ouerdiane, J Potthoff, E Smajlovic, M Röckner, E Scacciatelli, J L Silva, J Stochel, F H Szafraniec, L Vázquez, D N Kozakevich, S Jiménez, V R Vieira, P D Sacramento, R Vilela Mendes, D Volný, P Samek. Contents:Some Themes of the Scientific Work of Ludwig Streit (S Albeverio)Nonlinear Lie Algebras in Quantum Physics and Their Interest in Quantum Field Theory (J Beckers)Rigged Hilbert Space Resonances and Time Asymmetric Quantum Mechanics (A Bohm & H Kaldass)The Relativistic Aharonov-Bohm-Coulomb Problem: A Path Integral Solution (J Bornales et al.)Time Dependent and Nonlinear Point Interactions (R Figari)Stochastic Processes and the Feynman Integral (Z Haba)Nonrenormalizability and Nontriviality (J R Klauder)On the Spectrum of Lattice Dirac Operators (C B Lang)External and Internal Geometry on Configuration Spaces (J L Silva)Spinor Description of a General Spin-J System (V R Vieira & P D Sacramento)and other papers Readership: Theoretical physicists, mathematical physicists, mathematicians, computer scientists and economists. Keywords:

This introductory treatment surveys useful stochastic methods and techniques in quantum physics, functional analysis, probability theory, communications, and electrical engineering. Starting with a history of quantum mechanics, it examines both the quantum logic approach and the operational approach, with explorations of random fields and quantum field theory. 1979 edition.

Arising out of the need for Quantum Mechanics (QM) to be part of the common education of mathematics students, this book formulates the mathematical structure of QM in terms of the C*-algebra of observables, which is argued on the basis of the operational definition of measurements and the duality between states and observables.