The treatment of time in quantum mechanics is still an important and challenging open question in the foundation of the quantum theory. This multi-authored book, written as an introductory guide for newcomers to the subject, as well as a useful source of information for the expert, covers many of the open questions. The book describes the problems, and the attempts and achievements in defining, formalizing and measuring different time quantities in quantum theory.
This new edition of the unrivalled textbook introduces the fundamental concepts of quantum mechanics such as waves, particles and probability before explaining the postulates of quantum mechanics in detail. In the proven didactic manner, the textbook then covers the classical scope of introductory quantum mechanics, namely simple two-level systems, the one-dimensional harmonic oscillator, the quantized angular momentum and particles in a central potential. The entire book has been revised to take into account new developments in quantum mechanics curricula. The textbook retains its typical style also in the new edition: it explains the fundamental concepts in chapters which are elaborated in accompanying complements that provide more detailed discussions, examples and applications. * The quantum mechanics classic in a new edition: written by 1997 Nobel laureate Claude Cohen-Tannoudji and his colleagues Bernard Diu and Franck Laloë * As easily comprehensible as possible: all steps of the physical background and its mathematical representation are spelled out explicitly * Comprehensive: in addition to the fundamentals themselves, the book contains more than 350 worked examples plus exercises Claude Cohen-Tannoudji was a researcher at the Kastler-Brossel laboratory of the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris where he also studied and received his PhD in 1962. In 1973 he became Professor of atomic and molecular physics at the Collège des France. His main research interests were optical pumping, quantum optics and atom-photon interactions. In 1997, Claude Cohen-Tannoudji, together with Steven Chu and William D. Phillips, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his research on laser cooling and trapping of neutral atoms. Bernard Diu was Professor at the Denis Diderot University (Paris VII). He was engaged in research at the Laboratory of Theoretical Physics and High Energy where his focus was on strong interactions physics and statistical mechanics. Franck Laloë was a researcher at the Kastler-Brossel laboratory of the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris. His first assignment was with the University of Paris VI before he was appointed to the CNRS, the French National Research Center. His research was focused on optical pumping, statistical mechanics of quantum gases, musical acoustics and the foundations of quantum mechanics.
Eugene D. Commins takes an experimentalist's approach to quantum mechanics, preferring to use concrete physical explanations over formal, abstract descriptions to address the needs and interests of a diverse group of students. Keeping physics at the foreground and explaining difficult concepts in straightforward language, Commins examines the many modern developments in quantum physics, including Bell's inequalities, locality, photon polarization correlations, the stability of matter, Casimir forces, geometric phases, Aharonov–Bohm and Aharonov–Casher effects, magnetic monopoles, neutrino oscillations, neutron interferometry, the Higgs mechanism, and the electroweak standard model. The text is self-contained, covering the necessary background on atomic and molecular structure in addition to the traditional topics. Developed from the author's well-regarded course notes for his popular first-year graduate course at the University of California, Berkeley, instruction is supported by over 160 challenging problems to illustrate concepts and provide students with ample opportunity to test their knowledge and understanding.
This new, third volume of Cohen-Tannoudji's groundbreaking textbook covers advanced topics of quantum mechanics such as uncorrelated and correlated identical particles, the quantum theory of the electromagnetic field, absorption, emission and scattering of photons by atoms, and quantum entanglement. Written in a didactically unrivalled manner, the textbook explains the fundamental concepts in seven chapters which are elaborated in accompanying complements that provide more detailed discussions, examples and applications. * Completing the success story: the third and final volume of the quantum mechanics textbook written by 1997 Nobel laureate Claude Cohen-Tannoudji and his colleagues Bernard Diu and Franck Laloë * As easily comprehensible as possible: all steps of the physical background and its mathematical representation are spelled out explicitly * Comprehensive: in addition to the fundamentals themselves, the books comes with a wealth of elaborately explained examples and applications Claude Cohen-Tannoudji was a researcher at the Kastler-Brossel laboratory of the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris where he also studied and received his PhD in 1962. In 1973 he became Professor of atomic and molecular physics at the Collège des France. His main research interests were optical pumping, quantum optics and atom-photon interactions. In 1997, Claude Cohen-Tannoudji, together with Steven Chu and William D. Phillips, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his research on laser cooling and trapping of neutral atoms. Bernard Diu was Professor at the Denis Diderot University (Paris VII). He was engaged in research at the Laboratory of Theoretical Physics and High Energy where his focus was on strong interactions physics and statistical mechanics. Franck Laloë was a researcher at the Kastler-Brossel laboratory of the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris. His first assignment was with the University of Paris VI before he was appointed to the CNRS, the French National Research Center. His research was focused on optical pumping, statistical mechanics of quantum gases, musical acoustics and the foundations of quantum mechanics.
Subjects include formalism and its interpretation, analysis of simple systems, symmetries and invariance, methods of approximation, elements of relativistic quantum mechanics, much more. "Strongly recommended." -- "American Journal of Physics."
Note: The three volumes are not sequential but rather independent of each other and largely self-contained.Basic Matters is a first introduction to quantum mechanics that does not assume any prior knowledge of the subject. The emphasis is on the general structure as the necessary foundation of any understanding. Starting from the simplest quantum phenomenon, the Stern-Gerlach experiment with its choice between two discrete outcomes, and ending with one-dimensional continuous systems, the physical concepts and notions as well as the mathematical formalism of quantum mechanics are developed in successive, manageable steps. The presentation is modern inasmuch as the natural language of the trade - Dirac's kets and bras and so on - is introduced early, and the temporal evolution is dealt with in a picture-free manner, with Schrodinger's and Heisenberg's equations of motion side by side and on equal footing.The reader of Simple Systems is not expected to be familiar with the material in Basic Matters, but should have the minimal knowledge of a standard brief introduction to quantum mechanics with its typical emphasis on one-dimensional position wave functions. The step to Dirac's more abstract and much more powerful formalism is taken immediately, followed by reviews of quantum kinematics and quantum dynamics. The important standard examples (force-free motion, constant force, harmonic oscillator, hydrogen-like atoms) are then treated in considerable detail, whereby a nonstandard perspective is offered wherever it is deemed feasible and useful. A final chapter is devoted to approximation methods, from the Hellmann-Feynman theorem to the WKB quantization rule.Perturbed Evolution has a closer link to Simple Systems than that volume has to Basic Matters, but any reader familiar with the subject matter of a solid introduction to quantum mechanics - such as Dirac's formalism of kets and bras, Schrodinger's and Heisenberg's equations of motion, and the standard examples that can be treated exactly, with harmonic oscillators and hydrogen-like atoms among them - can cope with the somewhat advanced material of this volume. The basics of kinematics and dynamics are reviewed at the outset, including discussions of Bohr's principle of complementarity and Schwinger's quantum action principle. The Born series, the Lippmann-Schwinger equation, and Fermi's golden rule are recurring themes in the treatment of the central subject matter - the evolution in the presence of perturbing interactions for which there are no exact solutions as one has them for the standard examples in Simple Systems. The scattering by a localized potential is regarded as a perturbed evolution of a particular kind and is dealt with accordingly. The unique features of the scattering of indistinguishable quantum objects illustrate the nonclassical properties of bosons and fermions and prepare the groundwork for a discussion of multi-electron atoms."
A complete explanation of quantum mechanics, from its early non-relativistic formulation to the complex field theories used so extensively in modern theoretical research, this volume assumes no specialized knowledge of the subject. It stresses relativistic quantum mechanics, since this subject plays such an important role in research, explaining the principles clearly and imparting an accurate understanding of abstract concepts. This text deals with quantum mechanics from its earliest developments, covering both the quantum mechanics of wave fields and the older quantum theory of particles. The final chapter culminates with the author's presentation of his revolutionary theory of fundamental length--a concept designed to meet many of quantum theory's longstanding basic difficulties.
This book, the first of a two-volume set, provides a comprehensive introduction to quantum mechanics for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students entering the field of nuclear structure studies via two-state systems: both polarized photons and spin-1/2 particles. This leads to the logic behind the physical structure and an axiomatic formulation using linear spaces and operators. The one-dimensional harmonic oscillator is used to illustrate the mechanics of quantized systems, reaching to time dependence and coherent states. Measurement theory is introduced. The transformation theory of space and time leads to wave functions. The role of group theory and rotations then leads to the quantization of angular momentum. Central force problems are handled algebraically. The development is completed with quantization of motion of a charged particle in a magnetic field. Part of IOP Series in Nuclear Spectroscopy and Nuclear Structure.
A comprehensive collection of problems of varying degrees of difficulty in nonrelativistic quantum mechanics, with answers and completely worked-out solutions. An ideal adjunct to any textbook in quantum mechanics.
From the bestselling author of The Theoretical Minimum, a DIY introduction to the math and science of quantum physics First he taught you classical mechanics. Now, physicist Leonard Susskind has teamed up with data engineer Art Friedman to present the theory and associated mathematics of the strange world of quantum mechanics. In this follow-up to The Theoretical Minimum, Susskind and Friedman provide a lively introduction to this famously difficult field, which attempts to understand the behavior of sub-atomic objects through mathematical abstractions. Unlike other popularizations that shy away from quantum mechanics’ weirdness, Quantum Mechanics embraces the utter strangeness of quantum logic. The authors offer crystal-clear explanations of the principles of quantum states, uncertainty and time dependence, entanglement, and particle and wave states, among other topics, and each chapter includes exercises to ensure mastery of each area. Like The Theoretical Minimum, this volume runs parallel to Susskind’s eponymous Stanford University-hosted continuing education course. An approachable yet rigorous introduction to a famously difficult topic, Quantum Mechanics provides a tool kit for amateur scientists to learn physics at their own pace.
