The Quantum Theory of Motion : An Account of the de Broglie-Bohm Causal Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics

P Holland; Peter R Holland
Cambridge University Press
9780521485432
0-521-48543-6

This book presents the first comprehensive exposition of the interpretation of quantum mechanics pioneered by Louis de Broglie and David Bohm. The purpose is to explain how quantum processes may be visualized.

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without ambiguity or confusion in terms of a simple physical model. Developing the theme that a material system such as an electron is a particle guided by a surrounding quantum wave, a detailed examination of the classic phenomena of quantum theory is presented to show how the spacetime orbits of an ensemble of particles can reproduce the statistical quantum predictions. The mathematical and conceptual aspects of the theory are developed carefully from first principles and topics covered include self-interference, tunnelling, the stability of matter, spin 1/2, and nonlocality in many-body systems. The theory provides a novel and satisfactory framework for analysing the classical limit of quantum mechanics and Heisenberg's relations, and implies a theory of measurement without wavefunction collapse. It also suggests a strikingly novel view of relativistic quantum theory, including the Dirac equation, quantum field theory and the wavefunction of the universe. This book provides the first comprehensive technical overview of an approach which brings clarity to a subject notorious for its conceptual difficulties. The book will therefore appeal to all physicists with an interest in the foundations of their subject, and will stimulate all students and research workers in physics who seek an intuitive understanding of the quantum world.