Asymptotic Time Decay in Quantum Physics

Time decays form the basis of a multitude of important and interesting phenomena in quantum physics that range from spectral properties, resonances, return and approach to equilibrium, to quantum mixing, dynamical stability properties and irreversibility and the “arrow of time”.

This monograph is devoted to a clear and precise, yet pedagogical account of the associated concepts and methods.

Contents:

• Introduction: A Summary of Mathematical and Physical Background for One-Particle Quantum Mechanics
• Spreading and Asymptotic Decay of Free Wave Packets: The Method of Stationary Phase and van der Corput's Approach
• The Relation Between Time-Like Decay and Spectral Properties
• Time Decay for a Class of Models with Sparse Potentials
• Resonances and Quasi-exponential Decay
• Aspects of the Connection Between Quantum Mechanics and Classical Mechanics: Quantum Systems with Infinite Number of Degrees of Freedom

Readership: Students and researchers in mathematical physics or quantum theory.
Key Features:

• The book concentrates on exotic spectra which have not been treated in the classic references
• Systems with infinite number of degrees of freedom are analyzed with existing soluble models for the approach to equilibrium, and elaborated on the important property of mixing, as well as on the problem of irreversibility and the “arrow of time”
• This book is the first treatment of the mentioned topics in comprehensive (textbook) form