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Berezin Integral
In mathematical physics, the Berezin integral, named after Felix Berezin, (also known as Grassmann integral, after Hermann Grassmann), is a way to define integration for functions of Grassmann variables (elements of the exterior algebra). It is not an integral in the Lebesgue sense; the word "integral" is used because the Berezin integral has properties analogous to the Lebesgue integral and because it extends the path integral in physics, where it is used as a sum over histories for fermions. Definition Let \Lambda^n be the exterior algebra of polynomials in anticommuting elements \theta_,\dots,\theta_ over the field of complex numbers. (The ordering of the generators \theta_1,\dots,\theta_n is fixed and defines the orientation of the exterior algebra.) One variable The ''Berezin integral'' over the sole Grassmann variable \theta = \theta_1 is defined to be a linear functional : \int f(\theta)+bg(\theta)\, d\theta = a\int f(\theta) \, d\theta + b\int g(\theta) \, d\theta, \ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mathematical Physics
Mathematical physics refers to the development of mathematics, mathematical methods for application to problems in physics. The ''Journal of Mathematical Physics'' defines the field as "the application of mathematics to problems in physics and the development of mathematical methods suitable for such applications and for the formulation of physical theories". An alternative definition would also include those mathematics that are inspired by physics (also known as physical mathematics). Scope There are several distinct branches of mathematical physics, and these roughly correspond to particular historical periods. Classical mechanics The rigorous, abstract and advanced reformulation of Newtonian mechanics adopting the Lagrangian mechanics and the Hamiltonian mechanics even in the presence of constraints. Both formulations are embodied in analytical mechanics and lead to understanding the deep interplay of the notions of symmetry (physics), symmetry and conservation law, con ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pfaffian
In mathematics, the determinant of a skew-symmetric matrix can always be written as the square of a polynomial in the matrix entries, a polynomial with integer coefficients that only depend on the size of the matrix. The value of this polynomial, when applied to the coefficients of a skew-symmetric matrix, is called the Pfaffian of that matrix. The term Pfaffian was introduced by who indirectly named them after Johann Friedrich Pfaff. The Pfaffian (considered as a polynomial) is nonvanishing only for 2''n'' × 2''n'' skew-symmetric matrices, in which case it is a polynomial of degree ''n''. Explicitly, for a skew-symmetric matrix A, : \operatorname(A)^2=\det(A), which was first proved by , who cites Carl Gustav Jacob Jacobi, Jacobi for introducing these polynomials in work on Pfaffian system, Pfaffian systems of differential equations. Caley obtains this relation by specialising a more general result on matrices which deviate from skew symmetry only in the first row and the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mathematical Physics
Mathematical physics refers to the development of mathematics, mathematical methods for application to problems in physics. The ''Journal of Mathematical Physics'' defines the field as "the application of mathematics to problems in physics and the development of mathematical methods suitable for such applications and for the formulation of physical theories". An alternative definition would also include those mathematics that are inspired by physics (also known as physical mathematics). Scope There are several distinct branches of mathematical physics, and these roughly correspond to particular historical periods. Classical mechanics The rigorous, abstract and advanced reformulation of Newtonian mechanics adopting the Lagrangian mechanics and the Hamiltonian mechanics even in the presence of constraints. Both formulations are embodied in analytical mechanics and lead to understanding the deep interplay of the notions of symmetry (physics), symmetry and conservation law, con ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Integral Calculus
In mathematics, an integral assigns numbers to Function (mathematics), functions in a way that describes Displacement (geometry), displacement, area, volume, and other concepts that arise by combining infinitesimal data. The process of finding integrals is called integration. Along with Derivative, differentiation, integration is a fundamental, essential operation of calculus,Integral calculus is a very well established mathematical discipline for which there are many sources. See and , for example. and serves as a tool to solve problems in mathematics and physics involving the area of an arbitrary shape, the length of a curve, and the volume of a solid, among others. The integrals enumerated here are those termed definite integrals, which can be interpreted as the signed area of the region in the plane that is bounded by the Graph of a function, graph of a given function between two points in the real line. Conventionally, areas above the horizontal axis of the plane are posi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Differential Forms
In mathematics, differential forms provide a unified approach to define integrands over curves, surfaces, solids, and higher-dimensional manifolds. The modern notion of differential forms was pioneered by Élie Cartan. It has many applications, especially in geometry, topology and physics. For instance, the expression is an example of a -form, and can be integrated over an interval contained in the domain of : :\int_a^b f(x)\,dx. Similarly, the expression is a -form that can be integrated over a surface : :\int_S (f(x,y,z)\,dx\wedge dy + g(x,y,z)\,dz\wedge dx + h(x,y,z)\,dy\wedge dz). The symbol denotes the exterior product, sometimes called the ''wedge product'', of two differential forms. Likewise, a -form represents a volume element that can be integrated over a region of space. In general, a -form is an object that may be integrated over a -dimensional manifold, and is homogeneous of degree in the coordinate differentials dx, dy, \ldots. On an -dimensional manifold, t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Multilinear Algebra
Multilinear algebra is a subfield of mathematics that extends the methods of linear algebra. Just as linear algebra is built on the concept of a vector and develops the theory of vector spaces, multilinear algebra builds on the concepts of ''p''-vectors and multivectors with Grassmann algebras. Origin In a vector space of dimension ''n'', normally only vectors are used. However, according to Hermann Grassmann and others, this presumption misses the complexity of considering the structures of pairs, triplets, and general multi-vectors. With several combinatorial possibilities, the space of multi-vectors has 2''n'' dimensions. The abstract formulation of the determinant is the most immediate application. Multilinear algebra also has applications in the mechanical study of material response to stress and strain with various moduli of elasticity. This practical reference led to the use of the word tensor, to describe the elements of the multilinear space. The extra structure in a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Supermanifold
In physics and mathematics, supermanifolds are generalizations of the manifold concept based on ideas coming from supersymmetry. Several definitions are in use, some of which are described below. Informal definition An informal definition is commonly used in physics textbooks and introductory lectures. It defines a supermanifold as a manifold with both bosonic and fermionic coordinates. Locally, it is composed of coordinate charts that make it look like a "flat", "Euclidean" superspace. These local coordinates are often denoted by :(x,\theta,\bar) where ''x'' is the ( real-number-valued) spacetime coordinate, and \theta\, and \bar are Grassmann-valued spatial "directions". The physical interpretation of the Grassmann-valued coordinates are the subject of debate; explicit experimental searches for supersymmetry have not yielded any positive results. However, the use of Grassmann variables allow for the tremendous simplification of a number of important mathematical results. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David John Candlin
David John Candlin (1928 in Croydon, Surrey – 4 December 2019) was an English physicist. He was known for developing the path integral formulation of the Fermionic field, inventing Grassmann integration for this purpose. He received his PhD from Cambridge University in 1955, and wrote his influential paper on Grassmann integration shortly thereafter. He was later appointed a lecturer at the University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ... and retired from this post in 1995. He was at one time involved in collaborative work related to CERN. In 1955 he married Rosemary Shaw, crystallographer and later computer scientist.''The Times'', 6 Sep 1955, p1 References {{DEFAULTSORT:Candlin, David John 1928 births Institute for Advanced Study visit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Partition Function (mathematics)
The partition function or configuration integral, as used in probability theory, information theory and dynamical systems, is a generalization of the definition of a partition function in statistical mechanics. It is a special case of a normalizing constant in probability theory, for the Boltzmann distribution. The partition function occurs in many problems of probability theory because, in situations where there is a natural symmetry, its associated probability measure, the Gibbs measure, has the Markov property. This means that the partition function occurs not only in physical systems with translation symmetry, but also in such varied settings as neural networks (the Hopfield network), and applications such as genomics, corpus linguistics and artificial intelligence, which employ Markov networks, and Markov logic networks. The Gibbs measure is also the unique measure that has the property of maximizing the entropy for a fixed expectation value of the energy; this underlies the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Quantum Field Theory
In theoretical physics, quantum field theory (QFT) is a theoretical framework that combines classical field theory, special relativity, and quantum mechanics. QFT is used in particle physics to construct physical models of subatomic particles and in condensed matter physics to construct models of quasiparticles. QFT treats particles as excited states (also called Quantum, quanta) of their underlying quantum field (physics), fields, which are more fundamental than the particles. The equation of motion of the particle is determined by minimization of the Lagrangian, a functional of fields associated with the particle. Interactions between particles are described by interaction terms in the Lagrangian (field theory), Lagrangian involving their corresponding quantum fields. Each interaction can be visually represented by Feynman diagrams according to perturbation theory (quantum mechanics), perturbation theory in quantum mechanics. History Quantum field theory emerged from the wo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Felix Berezin
Felix Alexandrovich Berezin (russian: Фе́ликс Алекса́ндрович Бере́зин; 25 April 1931 – 14 July 1980) was a Soviet Russian mathematician and physicist known for his contributions to the theory of supersymmetry and supermanifolds as well as to the path integral formulation of quantum field theory. Berezin studied at the Moscow State University, but was not allowed to do his graduate studies there on account of his Jewish origin (his mother was Jewish). For the next three years Berezin taught at Moscow high schools. He continued to study mathematical physics under direction of Israel Gelfand. After Khrushchev's liberalization, he joined the Department of Mathematics at the Moscow State University at the age of 25. The Berezin integral over anticommuting Grassmann variables is named for him, as is the closely related construction of the Berezinian which may be regarded as the " super"-analog of the determinant. Berezin drowned during a summer trip i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Berezinian
In mathematics and theoretical physics, the Berezinian or superdeterminant is a generalization of the determinant to the case of supermatrices. The name is for Felix Berezin. The Berezinian plays a role analogous to the determinant when considering coordinate changes for integration on a supermanifold. Definition The Berezinian is uniquely determined by two defining properties: *\operatorname(XY) = \operatorname(X)\operatorname(Y) *\operatorname(e^X) = e^\, where str(''X'') denotes the supertrace of ''X''. Unlike the classical determinant, the Berezinian is defined only for invertible supermatrices. The simplest case to consider is the Berezinian of a supermatrix with entries in a field ''K''. Such supermatrices represent linear transformations of a super vector space over ''K''. A particular even supermatrix is a block matrix of the form :X = \beginA & 0 \\ 0 & D\end Such a matrix is invertible if and only if both ''A'' and ''D'' are invertible matrices over ''K''. The Berezin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
