This 1985 text develops the theory of angular momentum from the viewpoint of a fundamental symmetry in nature and shows how this concept relates to applied areas of research in modern quantum physics.

This book offers a concise introduction to the angular momentum, one of the most fundamental quantities in all of quantum mechanics. Beginning with the quantization of angular momentum, spin angular momentum, and the orbital angular momentum, the author goes on to discuss the Clebsch-Gordan coefficients for a two-component system. After developing the necessary mathematics, specifically spherical tensors and tensor operators, the author then investigates the 3-j, 6-j, and 9-j symbols. Throughout, the author provides practical applications to atomic, molecular, and nuclear physics. These include partial-wave expansions, the emission and absorption of particles, the proton and electron quadrupole moment, matrix element calculation in practice, and the properties of the symmetrical top molecule.

Ch. 1. Elements of vector and tensor theory -- ch. 2. Angular momentum operators -- ch. 3. Irreducible tensors -- ch. 4. Wigner D-functions -- ch. 5. Spherical harmonics -- ch. 6. Spin functions -- ch. 7. Tensor spherical harmonics -- ch. 8. Clebsch-Gordan coefficients and 3jm symbols -- ch. 9. 6j symbols and the Racah coefficients -- ch. 10. 9j and 12j symbols -- ch. 11. The graphical method in angular momentum theory -- ch. 12. Sums involving vector addition and recoupling coefficients -- ch. 13. matrix elements of irreducible tensor operators

A course in angular momentum techniques is essential for quantitative study of problems in atomic physics, molecular physics, nuclear physics and solid state physics. This book has grown out of such a course given to the students of the M. Sc. and M. Phil. degree courses at the University of Madras. An elementary knowledge of quantum mechanics is an essential pre-requisite to undertake this course but no knowledge of group theory is assumed on the part of the readers. Although the subject matter has group-theoretic origin, special efforts have been made to avoid the gro- theoretical language but place emphasis on the algebraic formalism dev- oped by Racah (1942a, 1942b, 1943, 1951). How far I am successful in this project is left to the discerning reader to judge. After the publication of the two classic books, one by Rose and the other by Edmonds on this subject in the year 1957, the application of angular momentum techniques to solve physical problems has become so common that it is found desirable to organize a separate course on this subject to the students of physics. It is to cater to the needs of such students and research workers that this book is written. A large number of questions and problems given at the end of each chapter will enable the reader to have a clearer understanding of the subject.

Informative review considers development of fundamental commutation relations for angular momentum components and vector operators. Additional topics include computation and application of matrix elements of scalar, vector, and tensor operators.

This textbook is intended to accompany a two-semester course on quantum mechanics for physics students. Along with the traditional material covered in such a course (states, operators, Schrödinger equation, hydrogen atom), it offers in-depth discussion of the Hilbert space, the nature of measurement, entanglement, and decoherence – concepts that are crucial for the understanding of quantum physics and its relation to the macroscopic world, but rarely covered in entry-level textbooks. The book uses a mathematically simple physical system – photon polarization – as the visualization tool, permitting the student to see the entangled beauty of the quantum world from the very first pages. The formal concepts of quantum physics are illustrated by examples from the forefront of modern quantum research, such as quantum communication, teleportation and nonlocality. The author adopts a Socratic pedagogy: The student is guided to develop the machinery of quantum physics independently by solving sets of carefully chosen problems. Detailed solutions are provided.

Although ideas from quantum physics play an important role in many parts of modern mathematics, there are few books about quantum mechanics aimed at mathematicians. This book introduces the main ideas of quantum mechanics in language familiar to mathematicians. Readers with little prior exposure to physics will enjoy the book's conversational tone as they delve into such topics as the Hilbert space approach to quantum theory; the Schrödinger equation in one space dimension; the Spectral Theorem for bounded and unbounded self-adjoint operators; the Stone–von Neumann Theorem; the Wentzel–Kramers–Brillouin approximation; the role of Lie groups and Lie algebras in quantum mechanics; and the path-integral approach to quantum mechanics. The numerous exercises at the end of each chapter make the book suitable for both graduate courses and independent study. Most of the text is accessible to graduate students in mathematics who have had a first course in real analysis, covering the basics of L2 spaces and Hilbert spaces. The final chapters introduce readers who are familiar with the theory of manifolds to more advanced topics, including geometric quantization.

After a quarter century of discoveries that rattled the foundations of classical mechanics and electrodynamics, the year 1926 saw the publication of two works intended to provide a theoretical structure to support new quantum explanations of the subatomic world. Heisenberg's matrix mechanics and Schrodinger’s wave mechanics provided compatible but mathematically disparate ways of unifying the discoveries of Planck, Einstein, Bohr and many others. Efforts began immediately to prove the equivalence of these two structures, culminated successfully by John von Neumann’s 1932 volume "Mathematical Foundations of Quantum Mechanics." This forms the springboard for the current effort. We begin with a presentation of a minimal set of von Neumann postulates while introducing language and notation to facilitate subsequent discussion of quantum calculations based in finite dimensional Hilbert spaces. Chapters which follow address two-state quantum systems (with spin one-half as the primary example), entanglement of multiple two-state systems, quantum angular momentum theory and quantum approaches to statistical mechanics. A concluding chapter gives an overview of issues associated with quantum mechanics in continuous infinite-dimensional Hilbert spaces.