From the pion cloud of Tomonaga to the electron pairs of Schrieffer: many body wave functions from nuclear physics to condensed matter physics

TL;DR

This paper explores the historical development of many-body wave functions, highlighting how ideas from nuclear physics, specifically Tomonaga's pion cloud model, influenced the formulation of BCS theory in condensed matter physics.

Contribution

It uncovers the overlooked connection between quantum field theory models in nuclear physics and the development of BCS theory for superconductivity.

Findings

Historical link between pion cloud models and BCS theory

Quantum field theory concepts applied across physics disciplines

Unconventional perspective on the evolution of many-body wave functions

Abstract

It is well known that diverse pieces of models and physical ideas coming from different areas of physics converged in the BCS theory of superconductivity. On the contrary it is little known that the formalism developed in the Tomonaga quantum field theory of the pion-nucleon system was an important ingredient for the development of BCS theory. We discuss the evolution of these ideas in quantum field theory providing an unconventional historical perspective.