BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Talks.cam//talks.cam.ac.uk//
X-WR-CALNAME:Talks.cam
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Physics of the Impossible #1: The Origin of Quantum Mechanics - Su
 bir Sachdev\, Professor of Physics &amp\; Director of Graduate Studies\, H
 arvard University
DTSTART:20130527T130000Z
DTEND:20130527T150000Z
UID:TALK45538@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Khaled O. Zimmermann
DESCRIPTION:Quantum mechanics was originally developed by Schroedinger and
  Heisenberg as a theory of non-relativistic charged particles interacting 
 via the Coulomb force\, and successfully applied to a simple two-particle 
 system like the hydrogen atom. However\, among its most important applicat
 ions has been the description of 10^23^ particles found in macroscopic mat
 ter. The earliest example of this was the Sommerfeld-Bloch theory of elect
 ronic motion in metals\, and its refined formulation in Landau’s Fermi l
 iquid theory. Although solving Schroedinger’s wave equation for 10^23^ i
 nteracting electrons appears an impossibly daunting task\, Landau outlined
  a powerful strategy\, involving the concept of “quasiparticles”\, whi
 ch allowed an essentially exact description of the low temperature propert
 ies of metals. The quasiparticles have an essentially free electron-like c
 haracter. Although interactions between the electrons do strongly renormal
 ize various parameters in the effective Hamiltonian\, the quantum dynamics
  of the quasiparticles is essentially that of nearly free electrons\, each
  of which can be described independently by single-particle quantum mechan
 ics.
LOCATION:The Cavonius Centre\, Gonville and Caius College\, University of 
 Cambridge
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR