Density matrix theory and applications. (Q545830)

This book under review is of introductory nature being very useful and forming an effective foundation on the powerful density matrix formalism that was originally introduced by von Neumann to describe certain statistical concepts in the then (1927) fashionable quantum mechanics. The density matrix methods and connected techniques are now widely utilized in various vital areas of science and applications thereof. The text is divided into 3 main parts, the first covering Basic Concepts, General Density Matrix Theory and Coupled Systems. The second part is devoted to applications of the Irreducible Tensor Method in Density Matrix Theory, Radiation from Polarized Atoms and Quantum Beats. A good deal of applications are covered: Theory of Electron -- Photon Angular Correlations, Steady-State Excitation, Effect of Weak Magnetic Field, Influence of Electric Fields and some related ideas. The last part deals with? (i) the Role of Orientation and Alignment in Molecular Processes and (ii) Quantum Theory of Relaxation. There are 10 explanatory Appendices in this 343-page work with 32 figures, 152 references, 2 tables and 784 equations. Index is in 3 pages. The third edition of the book has in particular the important section on Nonseparatability, Entanglement and Correlations, thereby exploring efficiently some of the most puzzling aspects of Modern Quantum Mechanics. The author's worthy efforts in bringing out the latest edition are quite commendable, as the work would definitely help much in the study and research in the atomic and molecular processes as well as interactions.