This volume is a review on coherent states and some of their applications. The usefulness of the concept of coherent states is illustrated by considering specific examples from the fields of physics and mathematical physics. Particular emphasis is given to a general historical introduction, general continuous representations, generalized coherent states, classical and quantum correspondence, path integrals and canonical formalism. Applications are considered in quantum mechanics, optics, quantum chemistry, atomic physics, statistical physics, nuclear physics, particle physics and cosmology. A selection of original papers is reprinted.
Contents:
- The Action Option and a Feynman Quantization of Spinor Fields in Terms of Ordinary c-Numbers (J Klauder)
- Photon Correlations (R Glauber)
- New “Coherent” States Associated with Non-Compact Groups (A Barut & L Girardello)
- On Intelligent Spin States (C Aragone et al.)
- Quasi-Coherent States for Unitary Groups (B Skagerstam)
- Coherent States and the Number-Phase Uncertainty Relation (P Carruthers & M Nieto)
- Coherent States for General Potentials (M Nieto & L Simmons)
- Coherent States of Fermi Operators and the Path Integral (Y Ohnuki & T Kashiwa)
- Theory of Superfluidity (F Cummings & R Johnston)
- Spin Coherent State Representation in Non-Equilibrium Statistical Mechanics (Y Takahashi & F Shibata)
- Coherent States and Partition Function (M Rasetti)
- Multitime-Correlation Functions and the Atomic Coherent-State Representation (L Narducci et al.)
- Studies of the Ground-State Properties of the Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick Model via the Atomic Coherent States (R Gilmore & D Feng)
- Coherent Quark-Gluon Jets (M Greco et al.)
- Correlations and Fluctuations in Hadronic Multiplicity Distributions: The Meaning of the KNO Scaling (P Carruthers & C C Shih)
- Classical Source Emitting Self-Interacting Bosons (K Eriksson & B Skagerstam)
- and other papers
Readership: High energy physicists, nuclear physicists, condensed matter physicists, atomic physicists, mathematicians and mathematical physicists.
“The book is clear proof of the exceptionally high value, significance and universality of the concept of coherent states. Its reading was a source of much pleasure to the present reviewer. It certainly is a great success. The Reader of the present review will naturally ask: is the book worth having? My answer is: Yes, certainly!”
Journal of Physique (France) 1986