Second Quantization

Abstract

In this first part, we shall consider nonrelativistic systems consisting of a large number of identical particles. In order to treat these, we will introduce a particularly efficient formalism, namely, the method of second quantization. Nature has given us two types of particle, bosons and fermions. These have states that are, respectively, completely symmetric and completely antisymmetric. Fermions possess half-integer spin values, whereas boson spins have integer values. This connection between spin and symmetry (statistics) is proved within relativistic quantum field theory (the spin-statistics theorem). An important consequence in many-particle physics is the existence of Fermi—Dirac statistics and Bose—Einstein statistics. We shall begin in Sect. 1.1 with some preliminary remarks which follow on from Chap. 13 of Quantum Mechanics¹. For the later sections, only the first part, Sect. 1.1.1, is essential.