Quantum Mechanics Volume 2

The treatment of time in quantum mechanics is still an important and challenging open question in the foundation of the quantum theory. This multi-authored book, written as an introductory guide for newcomers to the subject, as well as a useful source of information for the expert, covers many of the open questions. The book describes the problems, and the attempts and achievements in defining, formalizing and measuring different time quantities in quantum theory.

This new edition of the unrivalled textbook introduces the fundamental concepts of quantum mechanics such as waves, particles and probability before explaining the postulates of quantum mechanics in detail. In the proven didactic manner, the textbook then covers the classical scope of introductory quantum mechanics, namely simple two-level systems, the one-dimensional harmonic oscillator, the quantized angular momentum and particles in a central potential. The entire book has been revised to take into account new developments in quantum mechanics curricula. The textbook retains its typical style also in the new edition: it explains the fundamental concepts in chapters which are elaborated in accompanying complements that provide more detailed discussions, examples and applications. * The quantum mechanics classic in a new edition: written by 1997 Nobel laureate Claude Cohen-Tannoudji and his colleagues Bernard Diu and Franck Laloë * As easily comprehensible as possible: all steps of the physical background and its mathematical representation are spelled out explicitly * Comprehensive: in addition to the fundamentals themselves, the book contains more than 350 worked examples plus exercises Claude Cohen-Tannoudji was a researcher at the Kastler-Brossel laboratory of the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris where he also studied and received his PhD in 1962. In 1973 he became Professor of atomic and molecular physics at the Collège des France. His main research interests were optical pumping, quantum optics and atom-photon interactions. In 1997, Claude Cohen-Tannoudji, together with Steven Chu and William D. Phillips, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his research on laser cooling and trapping of neutral atoms. Bernard Diu was Professor at the Denis Diderot University (Paris VII). He was engaged in research at the Laboratory of Theoretical Physics and High Energy where his focus was on strong interactions physics and statistical mechanics. Franck Laloë was a researcher at the Kastler-Brossel laboratory of the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris. His first assignment was with the University of Paris VI before he was appointed to the CNRS, the French National Research Center. His research was focused on optical pumping, statistical mechanics of quantum gases, musical acoustics and the foundations of quantum mechanics.

This new edition of the unrivalled textbook introduces concepts such as the quantum theory of scattering by a potential, special and general cases of adding angular momenta, time-independent and time-dependent perturbation theory, and systems of identical particles. The entire book has been revised to take into account new developments in quantum mechanics curricula. The textbook retains its typical style also in the new edition: it explains the fundamental concepts in chapters which are elaborated in accompanying complements that provide more detailed discussions, examples and applications. * The quantum mechanics classic in a new edition: written by 1997 Nobel laureate Claude Cohen-Tannoudji and his colleagues Bernard Diu and Franck Laloë * As easily comprehensible as possible: all steps of the physical background and its mathematical representation are spelled out explicitly * Comprehensive: in addition to the fundamentals themselves, the book contains more than 170 worked examples plus exercises Claude Cohen-Tannoudji was a researcher at the Kastler-Brossel laboratory of the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris where he also studied and received his PhD in 1962. In 1973 he became Professor of atomic and molecular physics at the Collège des France. His main research interests were optical pumping, quantum optics and atom-photon interactions. In 1997, Claude Cohen-Tannoudji, together with Steven Chu and William D. Phillips, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his research on laser cooling and trapping of neutral atoms. Bernard Diu was Professor at the Denis Diderot University (Paris VII). He was engaged in research at the Laboratory of Theoretical Physics and High Energy where his focus was on strong interactions physics and statistical mechanics. Franck Laloë was a researcher at the Kastler-Brossel laboratory of the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris. His first assignment was with the University of Paris VI before he was appointed to the CNRS, the French National Research Center. His research was focused on optical pumping, statistical mechanics of quantum gases, musical acoustics and the foundations of quantum mechanics.

Eugene D. Commins takes an experimentalist's approach to quantum mechanics, preferring to use concrete physical explanations over formal, abstract descriptions to address the needs and interests of a diverse group of students. Keeping physics at the foreground and explaining difficult concepts in straightforward language, Commins examines the many modern developments in quantum physics, including Bell's inequalities, locality, photon polarization correlations, the stability of matter, Casimir forces, geometric phases, Aharonov–Bohm and Aharonov–Casher effects, magnetic monopoles, neutrino oscillations, neutron interferometry, the Higgs mechanism, and the electroweak standard model. The text is self-contained, covering the necessary background on atomic and molecular structure in addition to the traditional topics. Developed from the author's well-regarded course notes for his popular first-year graduate course at the University of California, Berkeley, instruction is supported by over 160 challenging problems to illustrate concepts and provide students with ample opportunity to test their knowledge and understanding.

Subjects include formalism and its interpretation, analysis of simple systems, symmetries and invariance, methods of approximation, elements of relativistic quantum mechanics, much more. "Strongly recommended." -- "American Journal of Physics."

A complete explanation of quantum mechanics, from its early non-relativistic formulation to the complex field theories used so extensively in modern theoretical research, this volume assumes no specialized knowledge of the subject. It stresses relativistic quantum mechanics, since this subject plays such an important role in research, explaining the principles clearly and imparting an accurate understanding of abstract concepts. This text deals with quantum mechanics from its earliest developments, covering both the quantum mechanics of wave fields and the older quantum theory of particles. The final chapter culminates with the author's presentation of his revolutionary theory of fundamental length--a concept designed to meet many of quantum theory's longstanding basic difficulties.

This book offers a detailed introduction into the field of quantum mechanics applied to nuclear structure, and is intended for as a primer for nuclear physics graduate students and postgraduate students seeking a solid foundation in the subject.