Marilyn E Noz

This book is intended mainly as a teaching tool directed toward those who desire a deeper understanding of group theory in terms of examples applicable to the physical world and/or of the physical world in terms of the symmetry properties which can best be formulated in terms of group theory. Both advanced students and scholars interested in the relationship between group theory and physics will find it instructive. In particular, those engaged in high-energy physics and foundations of quantum mechanics will find this book rich in illustrative examples of relativistic quantum mechanics. This new edition contains four new chapters, two of which are consistent with Dirac's aim to combine the important developments in physics in the twentieth century, namely quantum mechanics and special relativity. Moreover, these new chapters also discuss various aspects of classical and quantum optics that are now understood to be interrelated. Most of the original chapters have been updated, either with new material added or in some instances reinterpretation of the original. The order of the chapters has been rearranged to create a more cohesive presentation. The original purpose of the first edition, namely to present examples to which physics students and researchers can relate, has not been altered.

This book is intended mainly as a teaching tool directed toward those who desire a deeper understanding of group theory in terms of examples applicable to the physical world and/or of the physical world in terms of the symmetry properties which can best be formulated in terms of group theory. Both advanced students and scholars interested in the relationship between group theory and physics will find it instructive. In particular, those engaged in high-energy physics and foundations of quantum mechanics will find this book rich in illustrative examples of relativistic quantum mechanics. This new edition contains four new chapters, two of which are consistent with Dirac's aim to combine the important developments in physics in the twentieth century, namely quantum mechanics and special relativity. Moreover, these new chapters also discuss various aspects of classical and quantum optics that are now understood to be interrelated. Most of the original chapters have been updated, either with new material added or in some instances reinterpretation of the original. The order of the chapters has been rearranged to create a more cohesive presentation. The original purpose of the first edition, namely to present examples to which physics students and researchers can relate, has not been altered.

Einstein's energy-momentum relation is applicable to particles of all speeds, including the particle at rest and the massless particle moving with the speed of light. If one formula or formalism is applicable to all speeds, we say it is 'Lorentz-covariant.' As for the internal space-time symmetries, there does not appear to be a clear way to approach this problem. For a particle at rest, there are three spin degrees of freedom. For a massless particle, there are helicity and gauge degrees of freedom. The aim of this book is to present one Lorentz-covariant picture of these two different space-time symmetries. Using the same mathematical tool, it is possible to give a Lorentz-covariant picture of Gell-Mann's quark model for the proton at rest and Feynman's parton model for the fast-moving proton. The mathematical formalism for these aspects of the Lorentz covariance is based on two-by-two matrices and harmonic oscillators which serve as two basic scientific languages for many different branches of physics. It is pointed out that the formalism presented in this book is applicable to various aspects of optical sciences of current interest.

This book explains the Lorentz mathematical group in a language familiar to physicists. While the three-dimensional rotation group is one of the standard mathematical tools in physics, the Lorentz group of the four-dimensional Minkowski space is still very strange to most present-day physicists. It plays an essential role in understanding particles moving at close to light speed and is becoming the essential language for quantum optics, classical optics, and information science. The book is based on papers and books published by the authors on the representations of the Lorentz group based on harmonic oscillators and their applications to high-energy physics and to Wigner functions applicable to quantum optics. It also covers the two-by-two representations of the Lorentz group applicable to ray optics, including cavity, multilayer and lens optics, as well as representations of the Lorentz group applicable to Stokes parameters and the Poincar sphere on polarization optics.

This book explains the Lorentz mathematical group in a language familiar to physicists. While the three-dimensional rotation group is one of the standard mathematical tools in physics, the Lorentz group of the four-dimensional Minkowski space is still very strange to most present-day physicists. It plays an essential role in understanding particles moving at close to light speed and is becoming the essential language for quantum optics, classical optics, and information science. The book is based on papers and books published by the authors on the representations of the Lorentz group based on harmonic oscillators and their applications to high-energy physics and to Wigner functions applicable to quantum optics. It also covers the two-by-two representations of the Lorentz group applicable to ray optics, including cavity, multilayer and lens optics, as well as representations of the Lorentz group applicable to Stokes parameters and the Poincaré sphere on polarization optics.

This book takes a very practical approach to radiation protection and presents very readable information for anyone working in the radiation field or with radioactive material. Offering information rarely found elsewhere, the authors describe in detail both the basic principles and practical implementation recommendations of radiation protection. Each chapter includes self-assessment review questions and problems, with answers provided, to help readers master important information. Coupled with a teacher's manual, this book is highly suitable as an undergraduate text for students preparing for careers as X-ray, radiation oncology, or nuclear medicine technologists. It can also be used as a reference for residents in radiology and radiation oncology, medical personnel, or anyone working with radioactive materials such as those involved in homeland security/emergency services, or employed at a nuclear power plant.

This book takes a very practical approach to radiation protection and presents very readable information for anyone working in the radiation field or with radioactive material. Offering information rarely found elsewhere, the authors describe in detail both the basic principles and practical implementation recommendations of radiation protection. Each chapter includes self-assessment review questions and problems, with answers provided, to help readers master important information. Coupled with a teacher's manual, this book is highly suitable as an undergraduate text for students preparing for careers as X-ray, radiation oncology, or nuclear medicine technologists. It can also be used as a reference for residents in radiology and radiation oncology, medical personnel, or anyone working with radioactive materials such as those involved in homeland security/emergency services, or employed at a nuclear power plant.

This book takes a very practical approach to presenting a readable source of radiation protection material for anyone working in the areas of radiological and health sciences. It is a suitable text on the subject for students preparing for careers as radiologic and nuclear medicine technologists, for residents, and for medical health physicists. It is an good reference guide for anyone using radiation in the health field, including physicians. The first seven chapters consist of radiation protection principles which have general application. These include a discussion of instruments used in the field of radiation protection both for area and personnel monitoring which is rarely found elsewhere. Additionally, a description is given of SI units for radioactivity, exposure, absorbed dose, kerma and effective/equivalent dose as well as risk assessment and the current recommendations of the International Commission on Radiation Protection (ICRP) and the United States National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP). The basic radiation protection principles of time, distance and shielding are also discussed here. The next three chapters are concerned with the practical implementation in the workplace of the principles discussed earlier, including a chapter on specific recommendations for the safe use of common sources of radiation, the laws governing the use of these sources and the calculation of shielding required for these various sources of radiation. The last two chapters detail the methods of calculating absorbed dose from internally deposited radionuclides (including a very lucid discussion of the method proposed by the Medical Internal Radiation Dose (MIRD) Committee of the Society of Nuclear Medicine) and external radiation (including a discussion of the Bragg-Gray method). Each chapter has self-assessment review questions and problems as a useful aid to retaining important information. The four appendices discuss the current status of the units and their current and former usage as well as the concepts of logarithms. A complete glossary and set of references are also included. Answers to the problems are provided at the end of the book.

This book covers the theory and applications of the Wigner phase space distribution function and its symmetry properties. The book explains why the phase space picture of quantum mechanics is needed, in addition to the conventional Schrödinger or Heisenberg picture. It is shown that the uncertainty relation can be represented more accurately in this picture. In addition, the phase space picture is shown to be the natural representation of quantum mechanics for modern optics and relativistic quantum mechanics of extended objects.

This book covers the theory and applications of the Wigner phase space distribution function and its symmetry properties. The book explains why the phase space picture of quantum mechanics is needed, in addition to the conventional Schrödinger or Heisenberg picture. It is shown that the uncertainty relation can be represented more accurately in this picture. In addition, the phase space picture is shown to be the natural representation of quantum mechanics for modern optics and relativistic quantum mechanics of extended objects.