Full Description
The treatment of time in quantum mechanics is still an important and challenging open question in the foundation of the theory. This book describes the problems, and the attempts and achievements in defining, formalizing and measuring different time quantities in quantum theory, such as the parametric (clock) time, tunneling times, decay times, dwell times, delay times, arrival times or jump times. This multiauthored book, written as an introductory guide for the non-initiated as well as a useful source of information for the expert, covers many of the open questions. A brief historical overview is to be found in the introduction. It is followed by 12 chapters devoted to conceptual and theoretical investigations as well as experimental issues in quantum-mechanical time measurements. This unique monograph should attract physicists as well as philosophers of science working in the foundations of quantum physics.
Contents
From the contents: Introduction; Characteristic Times in Scattering Theory; The Time Energy Uncertainty Relation; Jump Time and Passage Time: The Duration of a Quantum Transition; Bohm Trajectory Approach to Timing Electrons; Decoherent Histories for Space-Time Domains; Quantum Traversal Time and Path Integrals; Quantum Clocks and Stopwatches; The Local Larmor Clock, Partial Densities of States and Mesoscopic Physics; "Standard" Quantum Mechanical Approach to Times of Arrival; Experimental Issues in Quantum-Mechanical Time Measurement; Microwave Experiments on Tunneling Time; The Two-State Vector Formalism of Quantum Mechanics.
