The Quantum Vacuum: An Introduction to Quantum Electrodynamics

by Peter W. Milonni

Overview

In modern physics, the classical vacuum of tranquil nothingness has been replaced by a quantum vacuum with fluctuations of measurable consequence. In The Quantum Vacuum, Peter Milonni describes the concept of the vacuum in quantum physics with an emphasis on quantum electrodynamics. He elucidates in depth and detail the role of the vacuum electromagnetic field in spontaneous emission, the Lamb shift, van der Waals, and Casimir forces, and a variety of other phenomena, some of which are of technological as well as purely scientific importance.
This informative text also provides an introduction based on fundamental vacuum processes to the ideas of relativistic quantum electrodynamics and quantum field theory, including renormalization and Feynman diagrams. Experimental as well as theoreticalaspects of the quantum vacuum are described, and in most cases details of mathematical derivations are included.

Chapter 1 of The Quantum Vacuum - published in advance in The American Journal of Physics (1991)-was later selected by readers as one of the Most Memorable papers ever published in the 60-year history of the journal. This chapter provides anexcellent beginning of the book, introducing a wealth of information of historical interest, the results of which are carefully woven into subsequent chapters to form a coherent whole.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780124980808
Publisher:	Elsevier Science
Publication date:	10/19/1993
Pages:	522
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

Table of Contents

Zero-Point Energy in Early Quantum Theory. The Electromagnetic Vacuum. Some QED Vacuum Effects. Nonrelativistic Theory of Atoms in Vacuum. Interlude: Radiation Reaction. The Vacuum in Quantum Optics. Casimirand van der Waals Forces: Prelude. Casimir and van der Waals Forces: Elaborations. The Dirac Equation. Introduction to Quantum Field Theory. Self-Energies and Renormalization. Feynman Diagrams. Appendices: Oscillator Equation and Absorption Rate. Force onan Atom in a Thermal Field. Derivation of Equation (2.28). Electric Field of Radiation Reaction. Photodetection and Normal Ordering. Transverse and Longitudinal Delta Functions. Lorentz-Invariant Measure. Index.

Editorial Reviews

"A survey of some of the most important ideas about the always fluctuating quantum vacuum along with a description, based on fundamental vacuum processes, of the physical concepts of quantum electrodynamics." —SCI TECHBOOK NEWS, 1994

"The Quantum Vacuum [is] an informative and very readable introduction to quantum electrodynamics. It is a remarkable idea that a book on this topic should be a 'page turner but I found it difficult to put down....I have not come across a better introduction to this subject than Milonnis text. All serious students of quantum theory will benefit from reading it and I have already recommended it to my students. I am looking forward to finishing working through the later chapters once I get the book back from the aforementioned students!" —JOURNAL OF MODERN OPTICS (1994, vol. 41, no. 5, 1051-1052)

From the Publisher

A survey of some of the most important ideas about the always fluctuating quantum vacuum along with a description, based on fundamental vacuum processes, of the physical concepts of quantum electrodynamics. Topics include zero-point energy, the Casimir effect, thermal equilibrium, the Lamb shift, Van der Waals forces, Heisenberg equations, the Abraham-Lorentz equation, cavity QED, quantum jumps, force between dielectrics, latent heat, hole theory, the Dirac equation, the Klein paradox, charged scalar field, self- energy of an electron, and Feynman diagrams. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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