Lectures on Quantum Mechanics: With Problems, Exercises and their Solutions

Description

Beautifully illustrated and engagingly written, Twelve Lectures in Quantum Mechanics presents theoretical physics with a breathtaking array of examples and anecdotes. Basdevant’s style is clear and stimulating, in the manner of a brisk lecture that can be followed with ease and enjoyment. Here is a sample of the book’s style, from the opening of Chapter 1: "If one were to ask a passer-by to quote a great formula of physics, chances are that the answer would be ‘E = mc2’…. There is no way around it: all physics is quantum, from elementary particles, to stellar physics and the Big Bang, not to mention semiconductors and solar cells." Front Matter....Pages i-xvi The Appeal of Physics....Pages 1-13 A Quantum Phenomenon....Pages 15-33 Wave Function, Schrödinger Equation....Pages 35-62 Physical Quantities....Pages 63-82 Energy Quantization....Pages 83-117 Principles of Quantum Mechanics....Pages 119-145 Two-State Systems....Pages 147-182 Algebra of Observables....Pages 183-218 Approximation Methods....Pages 219-228 Angular Momentum....Pages 229-251 The Hydrogen Atom....Pages 253-277 Spin 1/2....Pages 279-311 Addition of Angular Momenta....Pages 313-342 Identical Particles, the Pauli Principle....Pages 343-384 Lagrangian and Hamiltonian, Lorentz Force in Quantum Mechanics....Pages 385-401 The Evolution of Systems....Pages 403-431 Entangled States. The Way of Paradoxes....Pages 433-457 Solutions to the Exercises....Pages 459-494 Back Matter....Pages 495-501