Read more
An introduction to the fascinating subject of quantum mechanics. Almost entirely algebra-based, this book is accessible to those with only a high school background in physics and mathematics. In addition to the foundations of quantum mechanics, it also provides an introduction to the fields of quantum communication and quantum computing.
List of contents
- 1: What is this book about?
- I Introductory Topics
- 2: Mathematical background
- 3: Particle dynamics
- 4: Wave theory
- II Fundamentals of quantum mechanics
- 5: Fundamentals of quantum mechanics
- 6: Birth of quantum mechanics - Planck, Einstein, Bohr
- 7: de Broglie waves: Are electrons waves or particles?
- 8: Quantum interference -- wave-particle duality
- 9: Simplest quantum devices: Polarizers and beam splitters
- 10: Quantum superposition and entanglement
- 11: No-cloning theorem
- 12: EPR and Bell theorem
- III Quantum communication
- 13: Quantum secure communication
- 14: Quantum communication with invisible photons
- IV Quantum computing
- 15: Quantum computing I
- 16: Quantum computing II
- V Schrodinger equation
- 17: Demise of Newtonian dynamics: Schrodinger equation
About the author
Prof. Zubairy is a University Distinguished Professor and the holder of the Munnerlyn-Heep Chair in Quantum Optics at Texas A&M University. He has made many pioneering contributions in the fields of quantum optics and quantum information. He is co-author (with Marlan Scully) of a classic textbook on Quantum Optics. Prof. Zubairy has received many honors including the Willis E. Lamb Award for Laser Science and Quantum Optics, Alexander von Humboldt Research Prize for Distinguished Scientists, and the George H. W. Bush Award for Excellence in International Research. He is Fellow of Pakistan Academy of Sciences, American Physical Society, and Optical Society of America.
Summary
Quantum mechanics is a highly successful yet mysterious theory. Quantum Mechanics for Beginners provides an accessible introduction to this fascinating subject for those with only a high school background in physics and mathematics. This book is entirely algebra-based, except for the last chapter on the Schrodinger equation. A major advantage of this book is that it provides an introduction to the fields of quantum communication and quantum computing.
Topics covered include wave-particle duality, Heisenberg uncertainty relation, Bohr's principle of complementarity, quantum superposition and entanglement, Schrodinger's cat, Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox, Bell theorem, quantum no-cloning theorem and quantum copying, quantum eraser and delayed choice, quantum teleportation, quantum key distribution protocols such as BB-84 and B-92, counterfactual communication, quantum money, quantum Fourier transform, quantum computing protocols including Shor and Grover algorithms, quantum dense coding, and quantum tunneling. All these topics and more are explained fully, but using only elementary mathematics. Each chapter is followed by exercises and a short list of references.
This book is meant for beginning college students as well as advanced high school students, and can be used as a text for a one-semester course at the undergraduate level. It can also be useful for those who want to learn some of the fascinating recent and ongoing developments in areas related to the foundations of quantum mechanics and its applications to areas like quantum communication and quantum computing.
Additional text
The illustrations and brief explanations are wonderfully easy to think about, and compact and accurate. A freshman student might not actually "learn" QM from taking a course based on this book, but he/she would be excellently prepared to go into it in a serious way at the next level, without distortions or mistaken impressions conveyed by a weaker text. The book is a true success.
