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Appropriate for a junior/senior-level undergraduate course in Quantum Physics; requires a background in freshman and sophomore physics (mechanics, electricity and magnetism, and thermodynamics), and a solid working knowledge of calculus and algebra.
Sharing a passion and wonderment for the field that makes it a real joy to read, this book provides a uniquely engaging, in-depth introduction to the concepts of quantum physics and their practical implementation. Written in an informal yet substantive style, it is filled with clear, thorough explanations that help students develop insight into physical ideas and master techniques of problem-solving using quantum mechanics.
List of contents
(NOTE: All chapters conclude with Final Thoughts, and Exercises and Problems; most also include Annotated Selected Readings.) I. WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT?: A QUALITATIVE INTRODUCTION. 1. Introductory: Why Quantum Physics? 2. Into the Microworld: Duality and the Double Slit. II. STARTING FROM SCRATCH. 3. First Postulates: The State Function and Its Interpretation. 4. An Illustrative Interlude: Wave Packets in One Dimension. 5. Observables in Quantum Physics: A Pragmatist's Approach. 6. A Quantum Equation of Motion: The Schrodinger Equation At Last. 7. Simplifying Matters: The Time-Independent Schrodinger Equation. III. EXAMPLES, EXAMPLES, EXAMPLES. 8. States of a Particle in One Dimension I: Mainly Piecewise-Constant Potentials. 9. States of a Particle in One Dimension II: Mainly Continuous Potentials. IV. TOOLS OF THE TRADE; MORE FORMALISM. 10. Operators in Quantum Mechanics I: The Importance of Being Hermitian. 11. Operators in Quantum Mechanics II: To Commute or Not to Commute. 12. Eigenfunction Expansions: How to Solve Any Problem in Quantum Mechanics. 13. Altered States: The Great Measurement Mystery. Appendixes. A. SI Units (The International System of Units. B. Fundamental Constants in SI (and CGS) Units. C. Order-of-Magnitude Estimates. D. Conversion Tables. E. Prefix Dictionary. F. A User's Guide to Atomic Units. G. The Greek Alphabet. H. Handy Trigonometric identities. I. Integrals You Should Know. J. Integrals Involving the Gaussian Function. K. Review of Complex Numbers. L. The Dirac Delta Function. Bibliography. Index.
