What inspired Dirac's formulation of quantum theory?

In summary, the Heisenberg equation of motion was first written by P.A.M. Dirac, who was inspired by Heisenberg's Helgoland article. Dirac's presentation of quantum theory is considered the best among early papers on the subject and is preferred for its incorporation of Hamiltonian mechanics and Lie-algebra theory.
  • #1
victor94
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"historically the Heinsenberg equation of motion was first written by P. A. M Dirac, who - with his characteristic modesty- called it the Heinsenberg equation of motion."
Modern quantum mechanics/ J.J. Sakurai, page 84

Why dirac did that?, I didn't find any source.

Any information about this will be appreciated
 
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  • #3
I will check Dirac's articles on QM from 1925 and 1926 to see if this is true. I don't have the 1930 (1st) Edition of his QM treatise, the book is so rare...:(
 
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  • #4
I think Dirac was inspired to his formulation of quantum theory in terms of what he then called "q-numbers" by reading Heisenberg's famous Helgoland article, which deeply impressed him. Nevertheless, I think Dirac's presentation of QT is the best of all the early papers on the subject. It's the way, I think, QT should be presented from the very beginning. It's easy for students who have heard a good lecture on Hamiltonian mechanics with Poisson brackets and some good portion of Lie-algebra theory coming naturally with it.
 

1. What is the Heisenberg equation of motion?

The Heisenberg equation of motion is a fundamental equation in quantum mechanics that describes how operators, representing physical observables, evolve over time.

2. How does the Heisenberg equation of motion relate to the Schrödinger equation?

The Heisenberg equation of motion is equivalent to the Schrödinger equation in the Heisenberg picture, which is one of the two main formulations of quantum mechanics.

3. What are the applications of the Heisenberg equation of motion?

The Heisenberg equation of motion is used in many areas of quantum mechanics, such as calculating the time evolution of quantum states and predicting the behavior of quantum systems.

4. How does the Heisenberg equation of motion account for uncertainty in quantum mechanics?

The Heisenberg equation of motion takes into account the uncertainty principle, which states that certain pairs of physical quantities, such as position and momentum, cannot be precisely measured at the same time.

5. Can the Heisenberg equation of motion be extended to include relativistic effects?

Yes, the Heisenberg equation of motion can be extended to include relativistic effects and is part of the framework of relativistic quantum mechanics, known as quantum field theory.

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