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Self-adjoint Operator
In mathematics, a self-adjoint operator on a complex vector space ''V'' with inner product \langle\cdot,\cdot\rangle is a linear map ''A'' (from ''V'' to itself) that is its own adjoint. That is, \langle Ax,y \rangle = \langle x,Ay \rangle for all x, y ∊ ''V''. If ''V'' is finite-dimensional with a given orthonormal basis, this is equivalent to the condition that the matrix of ''A'' is a Hermitian matrix, i.e., equal to its conjugate transpose ''A''. By the finite-dimensional spectral theorem, ''V'' has an orthonormal basis such that the matrix of ''A'' relative to this basis is a diagonal matrix with entries in the real numbers. This article deals with applying generalizations of this concept to operators on Hilbert spaces of arbitrary dimension. Self-adjoint operators are used in functional analysis and quantum mechanics. In quantum mechanics their importance lies in the Dirac–von Neumann formulation of quantum mechanics, in which physical observables such as position, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mathematics
Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many areas of mathematics, which include number theory (the study of numbers), algebra (the study of formulas and related structures), geometry (the study of shapes and spaces that contain them), Mathematical analysis, analysis (the study of continuous changes), and set theory (presently used as a foundation for all mathematics). Mathematics involves the description and manipulation of mathematical object, abstract objects that consist of either abstraction (mathematics), abstractions from nature orin modern mathematicspurely abstract entities that are stipulated to have certain properties, called axioms. Mathematics uses pure reason to proof (mathematics), prove properties of objects, a ''proof'' consisting of a succession of applications of in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Observable
In physics, an observable is a physical property or physical quantity that can be measured. In classical mechanics, an observable is a real-valued "function" on the set of all possible system states, e.g., position and momentum. In quantum mechanics, an observable is an operator, or gauge, where the property of the quantum state can be determined by some sequence of operations. For example, these operations might involve submitting the system to various electromagnetic fields and eventually reading a value. Physically meaningful observables must also satisfy transformation laws that relate observations performed by different observers in different frames of reference. These transformation laws are automorphisms of the state space, that is bijective transformations that preserve certain mathematical properties of the space in question. Quantum mechanics In quantum mechanics, observables manifest as self-adjoint operators on a separable complex Hilbert space ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dense Set
In topology and related areas of mathematics, a subset ''A'' of a topological space ''X'' is said to be dense in ''X'' if every point of ''X'' either belongs to ''A'' or else is arbitrarily "close" to a member of ''A'' — for instance, the rational numbers are a dense subset of the real numbers because every real number either is a rational number or has a rational number arbitrarily close to it (see Diophantine approximation). Formally, A is dense in X if the smallest closed subset of X containing A is X itself. The of a topological space X is the least cardinality of a dense subset of X. Definition A subset A of a topological space X is said to be a of X if any of the following equivalent conditions are satisfied: The smallest closed subset of X containing A is X itself. The closure of A in X is equal to X. That is, \operatorname_X A = X. The interior of the complement of A is empty. That is, \operatorname_X (X \setminus A) = \varnothing. Every point in X eith ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Linear Operator
In mathematics, and more specifically in linear algebra, a linear map (also called a linear mapping, linear transformation, vector space homomorphism, or in some contexts linear function) is a mapping V \to W between two vector spaces that preserves the operations of vector addition and scalar multiplication. The same names and the same definition are also used for the more general case of modules over a ring; see Module homomorphism. If a linear map is a bijection then it is called a . In the case where V = W, a linear map is called a linear endomorphism. Sometimes the term refers to this case, but the term "linear operator" can have different meanings for different conventions: for example, it can be used to emphasize that V and W are real vector spaces (not necessarily with V = W), or it can be used to emphasize that V is a function space, which is a common convention in functional analysis. Sometimes the term ''linear function'' has the same meaning as ''linear map' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Multiplication Operator
In operator theory, a multiplication operator is a linear operator defined on some vector space of functions and whose value at a function is given by multiplication by a fixed function . That is, T_f\varphi(x) = f(x) \varphi (x) \quad for all in the domain of , and all in the domain of (which is the same as the domain of ). Multiplication operators generalize the notion of operator given by a diagonal matrix. More precisely, one of the results of operator theory is a spectral theorem that states that every self-adjoint operator on a Hilbert space is unitarily equivalent to a multiplication operator on an ''L''''2'' space. These operators are often contrasted with composition operators, which are similarly induced by any fixed function . They are also closely related to Toeplitz operators, which are compressions of multiplication operators on the circle to the Hardy space. Properties * A multiplication operator T_f on L^2(X), where is \sigma-finite, is bounded i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Unitary Operator
In functional analysis, a unitary operator is a surjective bounded operator on a Hilbert space that preserves the inner product. Non-trivial examples include rotations, reflections, and the Fourier operator. Unitary operators generalize unitary matrices. Unitary operators are usually taken as operating ''on'' a Hilbert space, but the same notion serves to define the concept of isomorphism ''between'' Hilbert spaces. Definition Definition 1. A ''unitary operator'' is a bounded linear operator on a Hilbert space that satisfies , where is the adjoint of , and is the identity operator. The weaker condition defines an ''isometry''. The other weaker condition, , defines a ''coisometry''. Thus a unitary operator is a bounded linear operator that is both an isometry and a coisometry, or, equivalently, a surjective isometry. An equivalent definition is the following: Definition 2. A ''unitary operator'' is a bounded linear operator on a Hilbert space for which the followi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Unbounded Operator
In mathematics, more specifically functional analysis and operator theory, the notion of unbounded operator provides an abstract framework for dealing with differential operators, unbounded observables in quantum mechanics, and other cases. The term "unbounded operator" can be misleading, since * "unbounded" should sometimes be understood as "not necessarily bounded"; * "operator" should be understood as "linear operator" (as in the case of "bounded operator"); * the domain of the operator is a linear subspace, not necessarily the whole space; * this linear subspace is not necessarily closed; often (but not always) it is assumed to be dense; * in the special case of a bounded operator, still, the domain is usually assumed to be the whole space. In contrast to bounded operators, unbounded operators on a given space do not form an algebra, nor even a linear space, because each one is defined on its own domain. The term "operator" often means "bounded linear operator", but in the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Differential Operator
In mathematics, a differential operator is an operator defined as a function of the differentiation operator. It is helpful, as a matter of notation first, to consider differentiation as an abstract operation that accepts a function and returns another function (in the style of a higher-order function in computer science). This article considers mainly linear differential operators, which are the most common type. However, non-linear differential operators also exist, such as the Schwarzian derivative. Definition Given a nonnegative integer ''m'', an order-m linear differential operator is a map P from a function space \mathcal_1 on \mathbb^n to another function space \mathcal_2 that can be written as: P = \sum_a_\alpha(x) D^\alpha\ , where \alpha = (\alpha_1,\alpha_2,\cdots,\alpha_n) is a multi-index of non-negative integers, , \alpha, = \alpha_1 + \alpha_2 + \cdots + \alpha_n, and for each \alpha, a_\alpha(x) is a function on some open domain in ''n''-dimensional space ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scalar Potential
In mathematical physics, scalar potential describes the situation where the difference in the potential energies of an object in two different positions depends only on the positions, not upon the path taken by the object in traveling from one position to the other. It is a scalar field in three-space: a directionless value ( scalar) that depends only on its location. A familiar example is potential energy due to gravity. A ''scalar potential'' is a fundamental concept in vector analysis and physics (the adjective ''scalar'' is frequently omitted if there is no danger of confusion with '' vector potential''). The scalar potential is an example of a scalar field. Given a vector field , the scalar potential is defined such that: \mathbf = -\nabla P = - \left( \frac, \frac, \frac \right), where is the gradient of and the second part of the equation is minus the gradient for a function of the Cartesian coordinates . In some cases, mathematicians may use a positive sign ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Energy
Energy () is the physical quantity, quantitative physical property, property that is transferred to a physical body, body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of Work (thermodynamics), work and in the form of heat and light. Energy is a Conservation law, conserved quantity—the law of conservation of energy states that energy can be Energy transformation, converted in form, but not created or destroyed. The unit of measurement for energy in the International System of Units (SI) is the joule (J). Forms of energy include the kinetic energy of a moving object, the potential energy stored by an object (for instance due to its position in a Classical field theory, field), the elastic energy stored in a solid object, chemical energy associated with chemical reactions, the radiant energy carried by electromagnetic radiation, the internal energy contained within a thermodynamic system, and rest energy associated with an object's rest mass. These are not mutual ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hamiltonian (quantum Mechanics)
In quantum mechanics, the Hamiltonian of a system is an operator corresponding to the total energy of that system, including both kinetic energy and potential energy. Its spectrum, the system's ''energy spectrum'' or its set of ''energy eigenvalues'', is the set of possible outcomes obtainable from a measurement of the system's total energy. Due to its close relation to the energy spectrum and time-evolution of a system, it is of fundamental importance in most formulations of quantum theory. The Hamiltonian is named after William Rowan Hamilton, who developed a revolutionary reformulation of Newtonian mechanics, known as Hamiltonian mechanics, which was historically important to the development of quantum physics. Similar to vector notation, it is typically denoted by \hat, where the hat indicates that it is an operator. It can also be written as H or \check. Introduction The Hamiltonian of a system represents the total energy of the system; that is, the sum of the kine ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spin (physics)
Spin is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic form of angular momentum carried by elementary particles, and thus by List of particles#Composite particles, composite particles such as hadrons, atomic nucleus, atomic nuclei, and atoms. Spin is quantized, and accurate models for the interaction with spin require relativistic quantum mechanics or quantum field theory. The existence of electron spin angular momentum is inferred from experiments, such as the Stern–Gerlach experiment, in which silver atoms were observed to possess two possible discrete angular momenta despite having no orbital angular momentum. The relativistic spin–statistics theorem connects electron spin quantization to the Pauli exclusion principle: observations of exclusion imply half-integer spin, and observations of half-integer spin imply exclusion. Spin is described mathematically as a vector for some particles such as photons, and as a spinor or bispinor for other particles such as electrons. Sp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
