Eugene P. Wigner – författare

A clear and well-organized review of what is presently known about nuclear structure. Emphasis is less upon mathematical detail than upon the obtaining of a clear perspective which relates the various lines of approach to this complex and rapidly developing field. Particular attention is paid to nuclear models and to the several types of nuclear reactions. Originally published in 1958. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

A clear and well-organized review of what is presently known about nuclear structure. Emphasis is less upon mathematical detail than upon the obtaining of a clear perspective which relates the various lines of approach to this complex and rapidly developing field. Particular attention is paid to nuclear models and to the several types of nuclear reactions. Originally published in 1958. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

A clear and well-organized review of what is presently known about nuclear structure. Emphasis is less upon mathematical detail than upon the obtaining of a clear perspective which relates the various lines of approach to this complex and rapidly developing field. Particular attention is paid to nuclear models and to the several types of nuclear reactions.Originally published in 1958.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Group Theory and its Application to the Quantum Mechanics of Atomic Spectra describes the applications of group theoretical methods to problems of quantum mechanics with particular reference to atomic spectra. The manuscript first takes a look at vectors and matrices, generalizations, and principal axis transformation. Topics include principal axis transformation for unitary and Hermitian matrices; unitary matrices and the scalar product; linear independence of vectors; and real orthogonal and symmetric matrices. The publication also ponders on the elements of quantum mechanics, perturbation theory, and transformation theory and the bases for the statistical interpretation of quantum mechanics. The book discusses abstract group theory and invariant subgroups, including theorems of finite groups, factor group, and isomorphism and homomorphism. The text also reviews the algebra of representation theory, rotation groups, three-dimensional pure rotation group, and characteristics of atomic spectra. Discussions focus on eigenvalues and quantum numbers, spherical harmonics, and representations of the unitary group. The manuscript is a valuable reference for readers interested in the applications of group theoretical methods.

The fourth volume of the Collected Works is devoted to Wigner's contribution to physical chemistry, statistical mechanics and solid-state physics. In his annotation to the first part, N. Balazs clearly points out Wigner's role in early quantum chemistry and applied statistical mechanics. One corner stone was his introducing of what is now called the Wigner function, and his paper on adiabatic perturbations foreshadowed later work on Berry phases. Although few in number, Wigner's articles on solid-state physics laid the ground for the modern theory of the electronic structure of metals. W. Kohn writes about this in his annotation to Part 2 of the book and he also points out Wigner's great influence in the development of solid-state theory.