The propagator for the step potential using the path decomposition expansion

We present a direct path integral derivation of the propagator in the presence of a step potential. The derivation makes use of the Path Decomposition Expansion (PDX), and also of the definition of the propagator as a limit of lattice paths.Comment: To appear in DICE 2008 conference proceeding

Aspects of Time in Quantum Theory

We consider a number of aspects of the problem of defining time observables in quantum theory. Time observables are interesting quantities in quantum theory because they often cannot be associated with self-adjoint operators. Their definition therefore touches on foundational issues in quantum theory. Various operational approaches to defining time observables have been proposed in the past. Two of the most common are those based on pulsed measurements in the form of strings of projection operators and continuous measurements in the form of complex potentials. One of the major achievements of this thesis is to prove that these two operational approaches are equivalent. However operational approaches are somewhat unsatisfying by themselves. To provide a definition of time observables which is not linked to a particular measurement scheme we employ the decoherent, or consistent, histories approach to quantum theory. We focus on the arrival time, one particular example of a time observable, and we use the relationship between pulsed and continuous measurements to relate the decoherent histories approach to one based on complex potentials. This lets us compute the arrival time probability distribution in decoherent histories and we show that it agrees with semiclassical expectations in the right limit. We do this both for a free particle and for a particle coupled to an environment. Finally, we consider how the results discussed in this thesis relate to those derived by coupling a particle to a model clock. We show that for a general class of clock models the probabilities thus measured can be simply related to the ideal ones computed via decoherent histories

A literature review analysing current research into undergraduate interprofessional learning in the health and social care context

This literature review analyses current health and social care literature regarding interprofessional learning in undergraduate curricula. It is based on search of academic data bases for published research written in English over the last ten years. It also includes review of government policy documents regarding interprofessional learning in undergraduate curricula of health and social care students. The literature reviewed suggests that interprofessional learning is received most positively by undergraduates when introduced later in the undergraduate experience, during practice placements and with a clear link to assessment, be this formative or summative

Genuflect to Progress: Islam, Modernity, & Time

The so-called dilemma confronting “Islam and the West,” however justified, is currently the topic of much debate and speculation. This paper examines “Western” conceptions of time, juxtaposing them with their “Islamic” counterparts as elucidated by several contemporary Muslim theologians and scholars. Through a careful analysis of the contemporary dynamics of modernity and the challenges it poses, this paper seeks to develop an understanding of the framework within which many Muslims have encountered Western thought, with particular emphasis on the difficult reconciliation of past and present, and the varied responses that it engenders