This introduction to quantum mechanics is intended for undergraduate students of physics, chemistry, and engineering with some previous exposure to quantum ideas. Following in Heisenberg’s and Dirac’s footsteps, this book is centered on the concept of the quantum state as an embodiment of all experimentally available information about a system, and its representation as a vector in an abstract Hilbert space. This conceptual framework and formalism are introduced immediately, and developed throughout the first four chapters, while the standard Schrödinger equation does not appear until Chapter 5. The book grew out of lecture notes developed by the author over fifteen years of teaching at the undergraduate level. In response to numerous requests by students, material is presented with an unprecedented level of detail in both derivation of technical results and discussion of their physical significance. The book is written for students to enjoy reading it, rather than to use only as a source of formulas and examples. The colloquial and personal writing style makes it easier for readers to connect with the material. Additionally, readers will find short, relatable snippets about the “founding fathers” of quantum theory, their difficult historical circumstances, personal failings and triumphs, and often tragic fate. This textbook, complete with extensive original end-of-chapter exercises, is recommended for use in one- or two-semester courses for upper level undergraduate and beginning graduate students in physics, chemistry, or engineering.

In this updated and expanded second edition of a well-received and invaluable textbook, Prof. Dick emphasizes the importance of advanced quantum mechanics for materials science and all experimental techniques which employ photon absorption, emission, or scattering. Important aspects of introductory quantum mechanics are covered in the first seven chapters to make the subject self-contained and accessible for a wide audience. Advanced Quantum Mechanics, Materials and Photons can therefore be used for advanced undergraduate courses and introductory graduate courses which are targeted towards students with diverse academic backgrounds from the Natural Sciences or Engineering. To enhance this inclusive aspect of making the subject as accessible as possible Appendices A and B also provide introductions to Lagrangian mechanics and the covariant formulation of electrodynamics. This second edition includes an additional 62 new problems as well as expanded sections on relativistic quantum fields and applications of quantum electrodynamics. Other special features include an introduction to Lagrangian field theory and an integrated discussion of transition amplitudes with discrete or continuous initial or final states. Once students have acquired an understanding of basic quantum mechanics and classical field theory, canonical field quantization is easy. Furthermore, the integrated discussion of transition amplitudes naturally leads to the notions of transition probabilities, decay rates, absorption cross sections and scattering cross sections, which are important for all experimental techniques that use photon probes.

This book provides a coherent introduction to Gutzwiller’s trace formula accessible to well-prepared science, mathematics, and engineering students who have taken introductory courses in linear algebra, classical, and quantum mechanics. In addition to providing an enrichment of the undergraduate curriculum, this book may serve as the primary text for graduate courses on semiclassical methods. Since periodic-orbit expansions may be used to solve all types of wave systems that typically occur in mathematics, phyics, and engineering, this book is attractice for professional scientists and engineers as well. Following a thorough review of elementary concepts in classical and quantum mechanics the reader is introduced to the idea of classical periodic orbits, the foundation of Gutzwiller’s approach to quantum spectra. The trace formula itself is derived following an introduction to Feynman’s path integrals. Numerous applications, including the exact solutions of “unsolvable” one-dimensional quantum problems, illustrate the power of Gutzwiller’s method. Worked examples throughout the text illustrate the material and provide immediate “hands-on” demonstrations of tools and concepts just learned. Problems at the end of each section invite the reader to consolidate the acquired knowledge.

Advanced Quantum Mechanics: Materials and Photons is a textbook which emphasizes the importance of advanced quantum mechanics for materials science and all experimental techniques which employ photon absorption, emission, or scattering. Important aspects of introductory quantum mechanics are covered in the first seven chapters to make the subject self-contained and accessible for a wide audience. The textbook can therefore be used for advanced undergraduate courses and introductory graduate courses which are targeted towards students with diverse academic backgrounds from the Natural Sciences or Engineering. To enhance this inclusive aspect of making the subject as accessible as possible, Appendices A and B also provide introductions to Lagrangian mechanics and the covariant formulation of electrodynamics. Other special features include an introduction to Lagrangian field theory and an integrated discussion of transition amplitudes with discrete or continuous initial or final states. Once students have acquired an understanding of basic quantum mechanics and classical field theory, canonical field quantization is easy. Furthermore, the integrated discussion of transition amplitudes naturally leads to the notions of transition probabilities, decay rates, absorption cross sections and scattering cross sections, which are important for all experimental techniques that use photon probes. Quantization is first discussed for the Schrödinger field before the relativistic Maxwell, Klein-Gordon and Dirac fields are quantized. Quantized Schrödinger field theory is not only important for condensed matter physics and materials science, but also provides the easiest avenue to general field quantization and is therefore also useful for students with an interest in nuclear and particle physics. The quantization of the Maxwell field is performed in Coulomb gauge. This is the appropriate and practically most useful quantization procedure in condensed matter physics, chemistry, and materials science because it naturally separates the effects of Coulomb interactions, exchange interactions, and photon scattering. The appendices contain additional material that is usually not found in standard quantum mechanics textbooks, including a completeness proof of eigenfunctions of one-dimensional Sturm-Liouville problems, logarithms of matrices, and Green's functions in different dimensions.

Quantum physics and special relativity theory were two of the greatest breakthroughs in physics during the twentieth century and contributed to paradigm shifts in physics. This book combines these two discoveries to provide a complete description of the fundamentals of relativistic quantum physics, guiding the reader effortlessly from relativistic quantum mechanics to basic quantum field theory. The book gives a thorough and detailed treatment of the subject, beginning with the classification of particles, the Klein–Gordon equation and the Dirac equation. It then moves on to the canonical quantization procedure of the Klein–Gordon, Dirac and electromagnetic fields. Classical Yang–Mills theory, the LSZ formalism, perturbation theory, elementary processes in QED are introduced, and regularization, renormalization and radiative corrections are explored. With exercises scattered through the text and problems at the end of most chapters, the book is ideal for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in theoretical physics.

Quantum mechanics is one of the most successful theories in science, and is relevant to nearly all modern topics of scientific research. This textbook moves beyond the introductory and intermediate principles of quantum mechanics frequently covered in undergraduate and graduate courses, presenting in-depth coverage of many more exciting and advanced topics. The author provides a clearly structured text for advanced students, graduates and researchers looking to deepen their knowledge of theoretical quantum mechanics. The book opens with a brief introduction covering key concepts and mathematical tools, followed by a detailed description of the Wentzel–Kramers–Brillouin (WKB) method. Two alternative formulations of quantum mechanics are then presented: Wigner's phase space formulation and Feynman's path integral formulation. The text concludes with a chapter examining metastable states and resonances. Step-by-step derivations, worked examples and physical applications are included throughout.

Inspired by Richard Feynman and J.J. Sakurai, A Modern Approach to Quantum Mechanics allows lecturers to expose their undergraduates to Feynman's approach to quantum mechanics while simultaneously giving them a textbook that is well-ordered, logical and pedagogically sound. This book covers all the topics that are typically presented in a standard upper-level course in quantum mechanics, but its teaching approach is new. Rather than organizing his book according to the historical development of the field and jumping into a mathematical discussion of wave mechanics, Townsend begins his book with the quantum mechanics of spin. Thus, the first five chapters of the book succeed in laying out the fundamentals of quantum mechanics with little or no wave mechanics, so the physics is not obscured by mathematics. Starting with spin systems it gives students straightfoward examples of the structure of quantum mechanics. When wave mechanics is introduced later, students should perceive it correctly as only one aspect of quantum mechanics and not the core of the subject.

An Introduction to Advanced Quantum Physics presents important concepts from classical mechanics, electricity and magnetism, statistical physics, and quantum physics brought together to discuss the interaction of radiation and matter, selection rules, symmetries and conservation laws, scattering, relativistic quantum mechanics, apparent paradoxes, elementary quantum field theory, electromagnetic and weak interactions, and much more. This book consists of two parts: Part 1 comprises the material suitable for a second course in quantum physics and covers: Electromagnetic Radiation and Matter Scattering Symmetries and Conservation Laws Relativistic Quantum Physics Special Topics Part 2 presents elementary quantum field theory and discusses: Second Quantization of Spin 1/2 and Spin 1 Fields Covariant Perturbation Theory and Applications Quantum Electrodynamics Each chapter concludes with problems to challenge the students’ understanding of the material. This text is intended for graduate and ambitious undergraduate students in physics, material sciences, and related disciplines.