The problem of irreversibility is ubiquitous in physics and chemistry. The present book attempts to present a unified theoretical and conceptual framework for the description of various irreversible phenomena in quantum mechanics. In a sense, this book supplements conventional textbooks on quantum mechanics by including the theory of irreversibilities. However, the content and style of this book are more appropriate for a monograph than a textbook. We have tried to arrange the material so that, as far as possible, the reader need not continually refer elsewhere. The references to the literature make no pretense of completeness. The book is by no means a survey of present theoretical work. We have tried to highlight the basic principles and their results, while the attention has been mainly paid to the problems in which the author himself has been involved. The book as a whole is designed for the reader with knowledge of theoretical physics (especially quantum mechanics) at university level. This book is based on the courses of lectures given at the Chemistry Department of Tel-Aviv University.

Inhalt

Foreword. Introduction. I. Quantum-Theoretical Basis. Density Matrix. II. Quantum Theory of Relaxation Processes. III. Interaction with Photons and Molecular Vibrations. IV. Interaction with Photons. V. Memory Effects in Relaxation Processes. Exact Solutions. VI. Quantum Measurement and Irreversibility. Concluding Remarks. References. Index.