Peter R. Holland is an English

theoretical A theory is a rational type of abstract thinking about a phenomenon, or the results of such thinking. The process of contemplative and rational thinking is often associated with such processes as observational study or research. Theories may be ...

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...

, known for his work on foundational problems in quantum physics and in particular his book on the

pilot wave theory In theoretical physics, the pilot wave theory, also known as Bohmian mechanics, was the first known example of a hidden-variable theory, presented by Louis de Broglie in 1927. Its more modern version, the de Broglie–Bohm theory, interprets quan ...

and the de Broglie-Bohm causal interpretation of quantum mechanics. Holland was educated at Hazelwick Comprehensive School in Crawley, West Sussex and at Imperial College. He did his Ph.D. on algebraic topological methods in physics under

David Bohm David Joseph Bohm (; 20 December 1917 – 27 October 1992) was an American-Brazilian-British scientist who has been described as one of the most significant theoretical physicists of the 20th centuryPeat 1997, pp. 316-317 and who contributed ...

at Birkbeck College. Holland has worked at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

, Universite Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris), Bristol UWE and the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

. He is an editor of

Physics Letters A ''Physics Letters'' was a scientific journal published from 1962 to 1966, when it split in two series now published by Elsevier: *''Physics Letters A'': condensed matter physics, theoretical physics, nonlinear science, statistical physics, mathema ...

.Peter Holland
Quantum physics homepage In 1993, Holland published his book “The Quantum Theory of Motion’’ in which he presented a comprehensive account of the causal interpretation of quantum mechanics initiated by

Louis de Broglie Louis Victor Pierre Raymond, 7th Duc de Broglie (, also , or ; 15 August 1892 – 19 March 1987) was a French physicist and aristocrat who made groundbreaking contributions to Old quantum theory, quantum theory. In his 1924 PhD thesis, he pos ...

and, in a more complete form, by

. ;Recent work Drawing upon numerical trajectory-based methods for solving the

Schrödinger equation The Schrödinger equation is a linear partial differential equation that governs the wave function of a quantum-mechanical system. It is a key result in quantum mechanics, and its discovery was a significant landmark in the development of th ...

, and upon methods of hydrodynamics, Holland showed in 2004 how the time evolution of the

wavefunction A wave function in quantum physics is a mathematical description of the quantum state of an isolated quantum system. The wave function is a complex-valued probability amplitude, and the probabilities for the possible results of measurements ...

could be derived exactly from the dynamical evolution of a congruence of spacetime trajectories. The method achieves the same result as

Richard Feynman Richard Phillips Feynman (; May 11, 1918 – February 15, 1988) was an American theoretical physicist, known for his work in the path integral formulation of quantum mechanics, the theory of quantum electrodynamics, the physics of the superfl ...

path integral formulation The path integral formulation is a description in quantum mechanics that generalizes the action principle of classical mechanics. It replaces the classical notion of a single, unique classical trajectory for a system with a sum, or functional i ...

(the mapping of the initial wavefunction through time) but, instead of using Feynman's 'all possible paths' between two points, it employs at most one path. This is a considerable conceptual advantage in understanding quantum motion and is potentially a computational benefit too. Another difference with Feynman is that, while the trajectories do the job of evolving the quantum system in time, the initial wavefunction is integral to the trajectory dynamical equations, as it provides the initial density and the initial velocity. Using Riemannian geometry Holland formulated this method in very general terms that include as special cases quantum many-particle systems and spin. He has applied it to other field theories, such as electromagnetism and second-order wave equations. Holland has published many peer-reviewed articles on the

foundations of physics ''Foundations of Physics'' is a monthly journal "devoted to the conceptual bases and fundamental theories of modern physics and cosmology, emphasizing the logical, methodological, and philosophical premises of modern physical theories and procedur ...

including the quantum potential,

quantum hydrodynamics In condensed matter physics, quantum hydrodynamics is most generally the study of hydrodynamic-like systems which demonstrate quantum mechanical behavior. They arise in semiclassical mechanics in the study of metal and semiconductor devices, in wh ...

, quantum field theory,

symmetries Symmetry (from grc, συμμετρία "agreement in dimensions, due proportion, arrangement") in everyday language refers to a sense of harmonious and beautiful proportion and balance. In mathematics, "symmetry" has a more precise definiti ...

, hidden-variables theories, quantum back-reaction, quantum Hamilton-Jacobi theory, classical-like quantum systems, and the

history of physics Physics is a branch of science whose primary objects of study are matter and energy. Discoveries of physics find applications throughout the natural sciences and in technology. Physics today may be divided loosely into classical physics and mode ...

Publications

;Book: * Peter R. Holland: ''The Quantum Theory of Motion: An Account of the De Broglie-Bohm Causal Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics'', Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (first published June 25 1993), hardback, paperback, transferred to digital printing 2004 and available as an e-book from 2010 ;Selected recent articles: * P. Holland: ''Quantum potential energy as concealed motion'', Found. Phys. 45 (2015) * P. Holland: ''On systems having Poincaré and Galileo symmetry'', Ann. Phys. (NY) 351, 935 (2014) * P. Holland: ''The roads not taken: empty waves, wavefunction collapse and protective measurement in quantum theory'' in ''Protective Measurement and Quantum Reality'', ed. S. Gao (Cambridge University Press, 2014) * P. Holland: ''Dynamics-dependent symmetries in Newtonian mechanics'', Phys. Scr. 89, 015101 (2014) * P. Holland: ''Symmetries and conservation laws in the Lagrangian picture of quantum hydrodynamics'', in ''Concepts and Methods in Modern Theoretical Chemistry: Statistical Mechanics'', eds. S.K. Ghosh and P.K. Chattaraj (Taylor & Francis/CRC, Boca Raton, 2013) * P. Holland: ''Hydrodynamics, particle relabelling and relativity'', Int. J. Theor. Phys. 51, 667 (2012) ( uant.flu-dyn uant-ph, 18 May 2011 * P. Holland: ''A quantum of history'', Contemp. Phys. 52, 355 (2011) * P. Holland: ''Quantum field dynamics from trajectories'', in ''Quantum Trajectories'', Ed. P. Chattaraj (Taylor & Francis/CRC, Boca Raton, 2010
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* P. Holland: ''Foreword'', in ''Quantum Trajectories'', ed. P. Chattaraj (Taylor & Francis/CRC, Boca Raton, 2010
article
* P. Holland: ''Spin-like current from phase space distributions'', J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 42, 135304 (2009
article
arXiv: * P. Holland: ''Schrödinger dynamics as a two-phase conserved flow: an alternative trajectory construction of quantum propagation'', J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 42, 075307 (2009
article
* P. Holland: ''Hidden variables as computational tools: the construction of a relativistic spinor field'', Found. Phys. 36, 369-384 (2006)
articlefull text preprint
* P. Holland: ''Quantum back-reaction and the particle law of motion'', J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 39, 559 (2006
articleonline 26 October 2005
*P. Holland: ''What’s wrong with Einstein’s 1927 hidden-variable interpretation of quantum mechanics?'', Found. Phys. 35, 177-196 (2005
article
* P. Holland: ''Hydrodynamic construction of the electromagnetic field'', Proc. R. Soc. A 461, 3659-3679 (2005)
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* P. Holland: ''Computing the wavefunction from trajectories: particle and wave pictures in quantum mechanics and their relation'', Ann. Phys. (NY) 315, 505-531 (2005
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( submitted 25 May 2004) * H. R. Brown, P. Holland: ''Dynamical vs. variational symmetries: Understanding Noether’s first theorem'', Mol. Phys. 102, (11-12 Spec. Iss), 1133-1139 (2004) PITT-PHIL-SCI 2194
online
*P. Holland: ''Uniqueness of conserved currents in quantum mechanics'', Ann. Phys. (Leipzig) 12, 446-462 (2003
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* H. R. Brown, P. Holland: ''Simple applications of Noether’s first theorem in quantum mechanics and electromagnetism'', Am. J. Phys. 72 (1), 34-39 (2004)
online
*P. Holland, C. Philippidis: ''Implications of Lorentz covariance for the guidance formula in two-slit quantum interference'', Phys. Rev. A 67, 062105 (2003
article
* P. Holland, H. R. Brown: ''The non-relativistic limit of the Maxwell and Dirac equations: The role of Galilean and gauge invariance'', Stud. Hist. Phil. Mod. Phys. 34, 161-187 (2003
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PITT-PHIL-SCI 999
archive
* P. Holland: ''Hamiltonian theory of wave and particle in quantum mechanics II: Hamilton-Jacobi theory and particle back-reaction'', Nuovo Cimento B 116, 1143-1172 (2001)
bibliographic referencefull text preprint
* P. Holland: ''Hamiltonian theory of wave and particle in quantum mechanics I: Liouville’s theorem and the interpretation of the de Broglie-Bohm theory'', Nuovo Cimento B 116, 1043-1070 (2001)
bibliographic referencefull text preprint

References

External links

Quantum physics homepage of Peter Holland
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holland, Peter R. Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Theoretical physicists Quantum physicists Place of birth missing (living people)