Vector potentialIn vector calculus, a vector potential is a vector field whose curl is a given vector field. This is analogous to a scalar potential, which is a scalar field whose gradient is a given vector field. Formally, given a vector field v, a vector potential is a vector field A such that If a vector field v admits a vector potential A, then from the equality (divergence of the curl is zero) one obtains which implies that v must be a solenoidal vector field. Let be a solenoidal vector field which is twice continuously differentiable.
Compact spaceIn mathematics, specifically general topology, compactness is a property that seeks to generalize the notion of a closed and bounded subset of Euclidean space. The idea is that a compact space has no "punctures" or "missing endpoints", i.e., it includes all limiting values of points. For example, the open interval (0,1) would not be compact because it excludes the limiting values of 0 and 1, whereas the closed interval [0,1] would be compact.
Hodge theoryIn mathematics, Hodge theory, named after W. V. D. Hodge, is a method for studying the cohomology groups of a smooth manifold M using partial differential equations. The key observation is that, given a Riemannian metric on M, every cohomology class has a canonical representative, a differential form that vanishes under the Laplacian operator of the metric. Such forms are called harmonic. The theory was developed by Hodge in the 1930s to study algebraic geometry, and it built on the work of Georges de Rham on de Rham cohomology.
Position operatorIn quantum mechanics, the position operator is the operator that corresponds to the position observable of a particle. When the position operator is considered with a wide enough domain (e.g. the space of tempered distributions), its eigenvalues are the possible position vectors of the particle. In one dimension, if by the symbol we denote the unitary eigenvector of the position operator corresponding to the eigenvalue , then, represents the state of the particle in which we know with certainty to find the particle itself at position .
Totally disconnected groupIn mathematics, a totally disconnected group is a topological group that is totally disconnected. Such topological groups are necessarily Hausdorff. Interest centres on locally compact totally disconnected groups (variously referred to as groups of td-type, locally profinite groups, or t.d. groups). The compact case has been heavily studied – these are the profinite groups – but for a long time not much was known about the general case. A theorem of van Dantzig from the 1930s, stating that every such group contains a compact open subgroup, was all that was known.
Dirac operatorIn mathematics and quantum mechanics, a Dirac operator is a differential operator that is a formal square root, or half-iterate, of a second-order operator such as a Laplacian. The original case which concerned Paul Dirac was to factorise formally an operator for Minkowski space, to get a form of quantum theory compatible with special relativity; to get the relevant Laplacian as a product of first-order operators he introduced spinors. It was first published in 1928.
