Quantum Mechanics An Introduction

This authoritative, advanced introduction provides a complete, modern perspective on quantum mechanics. It clarifies many common misconceptions regarding wave/particle duality and the correct interpretation of measurements. The author develops the text from the ground up, starting from the fundamentals and presenting information at an elementary level, avoiding unnecessarily detailed and complex derivations in favor of simple, clear explanations. He begins in the simplest context of a two-state system and shows why quantum mechanics is inevitable, and what its relationship is to classical mechanics. He also outlines the decoherence approach to interpreting quantum mechanics.

Distinguishing features:

• Provides a thorough grounding in the principles and practice of quantum mechanics, including a core understanding of the behavior of atoms, molecules, solids, and light.
• Utilizes easy-to-follow examples and analogies to illustrate important concepts.
• Helps develop an intuitive sense for the field, by guiding the reader to understand how the correct formulas reduce to the non-relativistic ones.
• Includes numerous worked examples and problems for each chapter.

PREFACE

AUTHOR

Chapter 1 Introduction

Chapter 2 Two State Systems: The Ammonia Molecule

Chapter 3 Quantum Mechanics of Single Particle in One-Dimensional Space I

Chapter 4 Quantum Mechanics of a Single Particle in One-Dimensional Space II

Chapter 5 The Harmonic Oscillator

Chapter 6 Review of Linear Algebra and Dirac Notation

Chapter 7 Rotation Invariance and the Hydrogen Atom

Chapter 8 Scattering Electrons on a Nucleus

Chapter 9 Charged Particles in a Magnetic Field

Chapter 10 The Meaning of Quantum Measurement and the Emergence of a Classical Reality

Chapter 11 Sketch of Atomic, Molecular, and Condensed Matter Physics

Chapter 12 Quantum Statistical Mechanics

Chapter 13 Perturbation Theory: Time Independent

Chapter 14 Perturbation Theory: Time Dependent

Chapter 15 The Adiabatic Approximation, Aharonov–Bohm, and Berry Phases

Chapter 16 Scattering Theory

Chapter 17 The JWKB Approximation

Chapter 18 The Variational Principle

Chapter 19 The Feynman Path Integral

Chapter 20 Quantum Computation?

Chapter 21 L’Envoi: Relativistic Quantum Field Theory

Appendix A Interpretations of Quantum Mechanics

Appendix B The Dirac Delta Function

Appendix C Noether’s Theorem

Appendix D Group Theory

Appendix E Laguerre Polynomials

Appendix F Summary of Dirac Notation and Linear Algebra

Appendix G Answers to Selected Problems

Bibliography

Index

Thomas Banks is a theoretical physicist at University of California, Santa Cruz and a professor at Rutgers University. He earned his PhD in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and has been a visiting scholar at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. Professor Banks is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.