In this thesis we discuss Mori Projected Time Dynamics in a quantum mechanical system. As a precursor to calculating the time derivative of a mixed state of the system we examine the derivation of the Mori-Zwanzig formalism and different ways of calculating the time dynamics of various quantum systems. We consider the exact calculation of the time derivative of a mixed state. We then calculate the same time evolution using Mori Theory and compare the two results. From the general calculation of the Mori Equation we were able to perform a series of simple tests to compare Mori Theory to the known result. We discovered that in each of the three simple cases the Mori Equation and the direct calculation of the derivative give the same result, but in the more complicated situations the two calculations differed. This result leads us to believe that the Mori Equation is an accurate way of calculating the derivative of a mechanical variable in a quantum system.

Creator

• Nasto, Rachel Harte

Contributors

• Phillies, George
• Aravind, Padmanabhan K.
• Iannacchione, Germano S.

Degree

• MS

Unit

• Physics

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Language

• English

Identifier

• etd-043007-113236

Keyword

• Mori
• Projected Dynamics

Advisor

• Phillies, George D.J.

Committee

• Iannacchione, Germano S.
• Aravind, Padmanabhan K.

Defense date

• 2007-04-26

Year

• 2007

Date created

• 2007-04-30

Resource type

• Thesis

Rights statement

• In Copyright