The Genesis of Feynman Diagrams (eBook)

Adrian Wüthrich (Autor)

eBook Download: PDF

2010 | 2011
XVIII, 210 Seiten
Springer Netherland (Verlag)
978-90-481-9228-1 (ISBN)

Infos

In a detailed reconstruction of the genesis of Feynman diagrams the author reveals that their development was constantly driven by the attempt to resolve fundamental problems concerning the uninterpretable infinities that arose in quantum as well as classical theories of electrodynamic phenomena. Accordingly, as a comparison with the graphical representations that were in use before Feynman diagrams shows, the resulting theory of quantum electrodynamics, featuring Feynman diagrams, differed significantly from earlier versions of the theory in the way in which the relevant phenomena were conceptualized and modelled. The author traces the development of Feynman diagrams from Feynman's 'struggle with the Dirac equation' in unpublished manuscripts to the two of Freeman Dyson's publications which put Feynman diagrams into a field theoretic context. The author brings to the fore that Feynman and Dyson not only created a powerful computational device but, above all, a new conceptual framework in which the uninterpretable infinities that had arisen in the old form of the theory could be precisely identified and subsequently removed in a justifiable manner.

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In a detailed reconstruction of the genesis of Feynman diagrams the author reveals that their development was constantly driven by the attempt to resolve fundamental problems concerning the uninterpretable infinities that arose in quantum as well as classical theories of electrodynamic phenomena. Accordingly, as a comparison with the graphical representations that were in use before Feynman diagrams shows, the resulting theory of quantum electrodynamics, featuring Feynman diagrams, differed significantly from earlier versions of the theory in the way in which the relevant phenomena were conceptualized and modelled. The author traces the development of Feynman diagrams from Feynman's "e;struggle with the Dirac equation"e; in unpublished manuscripts to the two of Freeman Dyson's publications which put Feynman diagrams into a field theoretic context. The author brings to the fore that Feynman and Dyson not only created a powerful computational device but, above all, a new conceptual framework in which the uninterpretable infinities that had arisen in the old form of the theory could be precisely identified and subsequently removed in a justifiable manner.

Inhalt

ContentsAcknowledgements1. Origin, use and interpretation of Feynman diagrams2 Quantum electrodynamics without Feynman diagrams3 Quantum mechanics without a Hamiltonian operator4 The Dirac equation: Feynman’s great struggle.5 Free propagation and successive scattering.6 The ?eld theoretical systematization of Feynman’s theory7 The development of a new means of representation.Appendix A Diagrammatic inductionAppendix B Synopsis of manuscripts and principal publicationsList of figuresBibliography

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 24.9.2010
• Reihe/Serie: Archimedes
• Reihe/Serie: Archimedes
• Zusatzinfo: XVIII, 210 p.
• Verlagsort: Dordrecht
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Philosophie ► Erkenntnistheorie / Wissenschaftstheorie
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Physik / Astronomie ► Allgemeines / Lexika
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Physik / Astronomie ► Astronomie / Astrophysik
• Themenwelt: Technik
• Schlagworte: Diagrammatic induction • Dirac equation • Dyson • elementary particles • Feynman diagrams • Feynman's Theory • Freeman • Free propagation • hamiltonian • History of physics • quantum electrodynamics • quantum mechanics • renormalizati • renormalization • Richard P. Feynman • succesive scattering
• ISBN-10: 90-481-9228-5 / 9048192285
• ISBN-13: 978-90-481-9228-1 / 9789048192281