E Anderson London: W B Sounders 1971 pp xi + 430 price £6·20 The book is intended for use at senior undergraduate level in an American university, though the first few chapters deal with material likely to have been included in a more elementary course on modern physics. The author's declared aim is to bridge a gap between the more elementary, descriptive type of course and advanced applications of quantum mechanics at postgraduate level.
E Anderson London: W B Sounders 1971 pp xi + 430 price £6·20 The book is intended for use at senior undergraduate level in an American university, though the first few chapters deal with material likely to have been included in a more elementary course on modern physics. The author's declared aim is to bridge a gap between the more elementary, descriptive type of course and advanced applications of quantum mechanics at postgraduate level.
Although there are many textbooks that deal with the formal apparatus of quantum mechanics (QM) and its application to standard problems, none take into account the developments in the foundations of the subject which have taken place in the last few decades. There are specialized treatises on various aspects of the foundations of QM, but none that integrate those topics with the standard material. This book aims to remove that unfortunate dichotomy, which has divorced the practical aspects of the subject from the interpretation and broader implications of the theory.The book is intended primarily as a graduate level textbook, but it will also be of interest to physicists and philosophers who study the foundations of QM. Parts of it could be used by senior undergraduates too.
The book is designed to serve as an `upper-level one-semester course in Quantum mechanics for students majoring in physics or related topics'. To that purpose the author has organised the contents into roughly six parts, giving first a historical introduction into quanta and matter waves, then the solution of the Schrödinger equations in one, and subsequently in three dimensions; in a fourth part spin and the concept of identical particles are explained, whilst in the next the approximation (perturbation) methods and their application to atomic systems and the creation and transfer of radiations. Finally there are two chapters on molecular and solid state physics. Each chapter is accompanied by a selection of appropriate problems. Appendix, index plus diskette are provided. As the author states, the topics and examples were taken from his other (successful) book, Introduction to Modern Physics . It appears to the reviewer that the present account may indeed serve as a first introduction into the elementary aspects of quantum mechanics, with particular emphasis on explaining the basic concepts (like spin, statistics, even the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox). Addressed are the slightly advanced students of science. The language is clear, the formal apparatus does not overwhelm the reader, and the figures have been carefully selected and drawn. We do recommend the book for the purpose envisaged. It raises the appetite for a more systematic and extended study of the subject.
Abstract This book provides the reader with a contemporary and comprehensive introduction to Quantum Mechanics. It is suitable for beginners as well as for more advanced university students. Quantum mechanics is presented in a pedagogical fashion, with a clear logical organization. The various concepts and methods are introduced first in elementary terms, and later developed into more precise formulations. Systematic studies of approximation methods and the discussion of a wide class of physical applications follow. Part I of the book, together with the opening sections of Part II, provide adequate material for an introductory course of one semester at most universities. The rest of the book might be used in an advanced course on Quantum Mechanics. The basic material is fairly standard, even though some discussions such as those on general systems with time-dependent Hamiltonians, on metastable systems, as well as the discussions in some of the Complement sections, may not be found in other textbooks. The book also contains many original observations or new ways of illustrating even well-known subjects. In fact, the authors wish to convey in this book the sense of wonder in the logical simplicity and at the same time the beauty of subtle and far-reaching consequences of Quantum Mechanics, to young physics students in particular. Problem sets are provided at the end of each chapter, to be solved either analytically or by numerical methods. The solutions to both types of problems are given as separate pdf files or as Mathematica notebooks (there are 88 of them), all together on a CD accompanying the textbook. The presence of such a collection of numerical analyses enriches the main text and is one of the characteristic features of the book. With the many interesting systems discussed, the book will also be a useful reference for researchers and teachers. It provides the reader with a unique, enjoyable and rather complete textbook of Quantum Mechanics, destined to set a new standard for many years to come.
After a short review of some essential concepts of classical physics (with a discussion of the so-called `scientific method', which is rarely found in textbooks of this kind), including the classical description of particles and waves, together with a sketch of statistical thermodynamics, the basics of quantum mechanics are introduced. The third chapter then treats systems of identical particles and their statistics, as well as the statistics of discrete energy levels. This is followed by an extensive presentation of the behaviour of quantum particles in periodic potentials with obvious applications to crystalline materials, including metals, insulators, semiconductors and superconductors. The band structure of some special materials, intrinsic carrier concentrations and electrons in metals are further topics of this main chapter. In most quantum mechanics textbooks the subjects of the fifth chapter, quantum wells, harmonic oscillators and the hydrogen atom, are usually introduced before a discussion of periodic potentials, but the author's exposition makes it quite plausible to place them afterwards. The concept of tunnelling through potential barriers and important application examples, ranging from ohmic contacts to scanning tunnelling microscopy and even radioactivity, make up the next chapter. Some approximation methods, i.e. stationary perturbation theory with applications to coupled wells, and the variational method, are treated in the next chapter. The final chapter dealing with quantum mechanics then is concerned with scattering and collision problems, again, of course, with examples from solid state physics. This last chapter, however, looks somehow merely added on, since it introduces only quite briefly the theory of special relativity -almost certainly in order not to leave out this important revolution of modern physics. Three appendices, on Fermi's Golden Rule, Boltzmann's transport theory and quantum interference devices, round off the contents. The book abounds with links to modern technologies that have evolved out of quantum mechanics (with, of course, the exception of the last chapter on special relativity). To the reviewer this constitutes its outstanding value as a textbook on quantum mechanics for engineering students. In addition, about 100 solved numerical examples in the text illustrate very lucidly some of the more abstract concepts, and at the end of the chapters altogether 200 further problems are posed. Although some of the concepts and results of quantum mechanics are introduced in a seemingly ad hoc manner, nevertheless the book as a whole certainly represents a valuable teaching tool at engineering schools; even physics majors may profit from the wealth of technical applications not usually found in their textbooks on quantum mechanics.
Designed for a two-semester advanced undergraduate or graduate level course, this distinctive and modern textbook provides students with the physical intuition and mathematical skills to tackle even complex problems in quantum mechanics with ease and fluency. Beginning with a detailed introduction to quantum states and Dirac notation, the book then develops the overarching theoretical framework of quantum mechanics, before explaining physical quantum mechanical properties such as angular momentum and spin. Symmetries and groups in quantum mechanics, important components of current research, are covered at length. The second part of the text focuses on applications, and includes a detailed chapter on quantum entanglement, one of the most exciting modern applications of quantum mechanics, and of key importance in quantum information and computation. Numerous exercises are interspersed throughout the text, expanding upon key concepts and further developing students' understanding. A fully worked solutions manual and lecture slides are available for instructors.
Designed for a two-semester advanced undergraduate or graduate level course, this distinctive and modern textbook provides students with the physical intuition and mathematical skills to tackle even complex problems in quantum mechanics with ease and fluency. Beginning with a detailed introduction to quantum states and Dirac notation, the book then develops the overarching theoretical framework of quantum mechanics, before explaining physical quantum mechanical properties such as angular momentum and spin. Symmetries and groups in quantum mechanics, important components of current research, are covered at length. The second part of the text focuses on applications, and includes a detailed chapter on quantum entanglement, one of the most exciting modern applications of quantum mechanics, and of key importance in quantum information and computation. Numerous exercises are interspersed throughout the text, expanding upon key concepts and further developing students' understanding. A fully worked solutions manual and lecture slides are available for instructors.