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1、June27,200113:47WSPC/143-IJMPE2-h-yang1INTERVIEWOFC.N.YANGFORTHEC.N.YANGARCHIVETHECHINESEUNIVERSITYOFHONGKONGKersonHuang(January3,2001)Huang:ThisisKersonHuang.ItisJuly29,2000.WeareinProfessorYangChen-Ning'soceattheChineseUniversityofHongKong.Iaminterviewinghimonthesubjectofstatisticalmechanic
2、s.Huang:Chen-Ning,doyouthinkergodictheorygivesususefulinsightintothefoundationofstatisticalmechanics?Yang:Idon'tthinkso.Itistruethatintheearlydaysofstatisticalmechanics,therewasmuchdiscussionaboutergodictheory.Inparticular,itwasveryusefulformathematicianstolaunchintothissubject;butinthe20thcen
3、tury,statisticalmechanicsmostlydevelopedintheareaofequilibriumstatisticalmechanics,andithastakeno reallywithoutmuchreferencetoergodictheory.Thisdoesnotmeanthatergodictheoryshouldnotbepursuedinthefuture,butIdoubtthatinthe21stcenturyergodictheorywouldhavemuchinfluenceonthedevelopmentofstatistical
4、mechanics.Huang:Asyouknow,there'sthisBoltzmannfactore− H;whereisoneoverBoltzmann'sconstanttimesthetemperature.Itturnsintothequantum-mechanicaltime-translationoperatore−itH;ifwemakethetemperaturepureimaginarybysetting=it.Doyouthinkthisisjustamathematicalcoincidence?Yang:Ithinkitisacoincidence.I
5、myselfdonotseeadeeperphysicaloriginofthiscoincidence,"asyoucallit.Butthisisofcourseadeepsubject.ThepathintegralformalismofFeynman,whichIregardasoneofthegreatcontributionstophysics,indicatesthattheintegralofthephasefactor
6、thatis,withthei
7、underliesthetruemeaningofquantummechanics.Itwasnottheway
8、quantummechanicswasdeveloped,butIthinktounderstandwhatquantummechanicsisallabout,thedeepestwayisthroughthepathintegralformalism,whichdeeply1June27,200113:47WSPC/143-IJMPE2-h-yang12entanglesthisexponentialphasefactor.Howthathappenstobe,inaformalisticway,relatedtothepartitionfunctionexpression.I
9、donotseeeitheraphysicalormathematicalsigni cance,ordeepmeaning.Itisofcourseveryimportant,onceonerecognizesthisrelationship,toborrowfromeachother.It'saverydeepsubject.Huang:Doyouthinkwewillsomedayhaveatheoryofso-calledcomplexity"compara
