A LIST-PROCESSING APPROACH TO QUANTUM-MECHANICS

On the basis of several earlier papers and in view of the current availability of logic-programming facilities, the authors propose a list-processing approach to the modelling of algebraic quantum field theory methods in which the noncommutative algebra of quantum-mechanical operators is emulated by lists. The processing produces reordered sequences of elements of a ring with a unit commutator and generates dynamic structures which for some initial arrangements correspond to partially ordered graphs characterized by recurrence relations and combinatorial identities. The approach is illustrated by reviewing the simple case of a forced harmonic oscillator. The programming aspects are briefly described.