Intermediate Quantum Mechanics (Advanced Book Classics)

Book Description

Graduate students in both theoretical and experimental physics will find this third edition of Intermediate Quantum Mechanics, refined and updated in 1986, indispensable. The first part of the book deals with the theory of atomic structure, while the second and third parts deal with the relativistic wave equations and introduction to field theory. Throughout its nearly thirty-five years in print, Intermediate Quantum Mechanics has consistently offered more complete coverage of applications of quantum mechanics than any other single-volume work on the subject.

Customer Reviews:

very good.......2004-03-03

This is a very useful book, but only for someone with a solid grasp of QM at the undergrad level. The only problem is the terrible type in which the equations are set. Why Addison-Wesley released a new edition without fixing this is beyond me.
(profit, perhaps? No, never on a scholarly textbook.)

A good overview.......2003-01-31

That quantum mechanics must be understood by anyone working in any area of technology is now well accepted. Indeed, semiconductor device physics, proteomics, and computational chemistry are just three of the more modern areas where a through knowledge of quantum mechanics is needed in order to make any kind of significant progress. This book, written by two of the major players in the development of quantum mechanics in the 20th century, is an excellent overview of how to do practical computations in quantum mechanics. The book is addressed primarily to the aspiring atomic physicist and spectroscopist, but it could serve well anyone interested in the applications of quantum mechanics, such as those in the aforementioned fields. Due to space limitations, I will only review the first 8 chapters of the book.

Chapter 1 is a brief overview of elementary quantum mechanics, and the authors set down the notation and units to be followed in the book. They state the main goal of the book, which is to solve the Schrodinger equation for an atom with nuclear charge Ze. This problem for one-electron is straightforwardly solved, but for more than one electron approximation techniques must be used, a few of which they mention. Since spin will have to be dealt with throughout the book, the authors include a description of spin 1/2 particles.

In chapter 2 the authors discuss the use of symmetry principles in quantum many-particle systems, pointing out the origin of exchange degeneracy and the Pauli exclusion principle. The authors also give an interesting discussion of the experimental determination of symmetry, particularly their argument for the absence of hidden variables.

In chapter 3 the authors give an overview of the quantum mechanics of two-electron atoms, pointing out that the calculations give six-figure agreement between theory and experiment. Perturbation and variational methods are used to solve the Schrodinger equation for this system, and show the origin of the triplet and singlet levels for the helium atom.

In chapter 4, the authors introduce another approximation technique, the self-consistent field or "Hartree-Fock" method, in order to calculate the excited states for the two-electron atom more efficiently. This approach involves using a variational trial function, called the determinantal wave function, as an ansatz, which because of orthogonality and parity considerations, results in a set of equations, called the Hartree-Fock equations, for the single electron orbitals. The "exchange term" in these equations is discussed in detail, involving a notion of a "nonlocal" potential. The physical significance of the eigenvalue in these equations is also discussed, and related to the famous Koopman theorem. It is proven also that atoms with closed shells leads to a spherically symmetric theory. The periodic table is shown to be a consequence of the Pauli principle and the Hartree-Fock calculation.

An improvement to Hartree-Fock, the Thomas-Fermi method, which does not include exchange, is discussed in chapter 5. Classified as a "statistical method", this method finds the effective potential energy experienced by a small test charge, along with the electron density around the nucleus. The authors show how exchange effects can be included using a procedure due to P.A.M. Dirac, which uses a concept of effective exchange potential, and one due to W. Lenz, which is a constrained optimization procedure, requiring that the total energy be stationary.

In order to remove the degeneracy in the atomic shells due to the Hartree-Fock approximation, the authors view it as a perturbation expansion in chapter 6, with the unperturbed Hamiltonian being the Hartree-Fock central field Hamiltonian, and the perturbation being the electrostatic interaction of the electrons minus a suitable average of it. The search for proper linear combinations of zero-order degenerate eigenfunctions to make the total Hamiltonian diagonal entails the use of the total orbital and spim angular momentum of all the electrons in the atom. Hence the authors outline in detail how to perform the addition of angular momenta in this chapter. The reader can see clearly the origin of the famous Clebsch-Gordon coefficients. This program is carried out in more detail in chapter 7, wherein the authors considers and atom which has an electron configuration distributed over several complete and one incomplete shell. The incomplete shell gives several different degenerate solutions, and this degeneracy can be removed by the assignment of angular momentum and spin quantum numbers to the orbitals in the shell. This chapter is characterized by a considerable amount of arithmetic in computing matrix elements, which can readily be handled by modern symbolic computation packages.

The contribution of the spin-orbit interaction to the level structure of atoms, ignored in the previous two chapters, is studied in chapter 8. The authors also consider the interaction of the electron configuration with an external field, such as a magnetic field. The spin-orbit interaction is not considered in a relativistic framework, but instead is given a "pseudo-derivation", in the words of the authors. The (correct) Dirac theory for spin-orbit interaction is given later in chapter 22. And here again, the matrix elements, and reduced matrix elements, considered in this chapter can best be handled by symbolic computation packages. This is particularly true for matrix elements of vector operators between states of different angular momentum, which the authors shy away from. The reader though can see the origin of the famous Wigner-Eckart theorem in the context of these computations. The Zeeman effect, resulting from the interaction of an electron with a homogeneous magnetic field, is discussed, along with the Paschen-Back effect, which results from the external magnetic field being strong enough to allow the Zeeman term in the Hamiltonian to dominate the spin-orbit interaction. Also discussed is the Stark effect, which results when an atom is placed in an external electric field. The authors show how to compute the energy shifts in this case, using, but not proving, some formulas due to Condon and Shortly.

Learn to apply your quantum mechanics.......1998-08-19

The "Intermediate" of the title means that you are supposed to have learned your basic QM in a book such as Griffiths' "Introduction to Quantum Mechanics" . Bethe's text then leads you to those parts of QM most successful in applications, especially in atomic structure. The treatment of perturbation theory is very clean, simple and effective. The semi-classical theory of radiation is excellently described and then, in perhaps the best part of the book, is used to review Einstein's derivation of Planck's equilibrium distribution of radiation, explaining the need for spontaneous emmission and motivating the treatment of quantum electrodynamics, outlined at the end of the text. This is a great book. What else could one expect from Hans Bethe, the man who discovered how the Sun produces its energy?

Average customer rating:

Good introduction to many-body quantum theory
OK intro

Elements of Advanced Quantum Theory
J. M. Ziman
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Quantum Mechanics (Physics)

ASIN: 0521074584

Book Description

This is a textbook of advanced quantum theory for graduate students and research workers which gives a connected mathematical derivation of the important results, concentrating on the central ideas without burdening the exposition with elaborate detail or unnecessary rigour, and explains, in the simplest possible terms, the symbols and concepts which frequently confront the active research worker in solid state, nuclear and high-energy physics, and in theoretical chemistry. Professor Ziman brings to his task the sympathetic guidance of a lecturer who has not forgotten the difficulties that he himself had to surmount in mastering his subject.

Customer Reviews:

Good introduction to many-body quantum theory.......2003-02-15

For the reader interested in a modern introduction to quantum field theory using the latest mathematical tools and one that will take one to the frontiers of research, this would not be an appropriate book to begin from. One might describe it as "the old quantum field theory", as it approaches the subject from the standpoint of what was being done in the sixties and seventies. That is not to say however that it could not be used by someone interested in going into the field of condensed matter physics for example. The many-body quantum physics used in that field is detailed very effectively in this book. Readers who are interesting in high energy physics though should perhaps select another book.

Some of the more unique and interesting discussions in this book that are still relevant today include: 1. The quantization of continuous fields and the treatment of the Rayleigh scattering of phonons. Here one is introducing a point mass into a continuous medium and asking for its effect on the phonon field. The familiar Rayleigh scattering formula is derived, and the author points out that for scattering between modes containing many particles, the transition rate also depends on the state of occupation of the mode into which a phonon is going, which is the familiar stimulated emission. Replacing the point mass by an extended object, such as a grain boundary, and attempting to solve for the phonon scattering is non-trivial and has been the subject of much research. 2. The fermion-boson interaction and the origin of the concept of a "polaron". This arises in the consideration of the interaction of an electron with the optical modes in a polar crystal. The author calculates the self-energy of the fermion in the boson field, and shows it leads to a correction of the relationship between the energy and momentum of the electron, giving the electron an "effective mass". The effective mass is dependent on the mass of the electron and the effective dielectric constant. A polaron is then this "dressed" electron which is "more massive" than the electron because of the electron's interaction with the optical modes. Also, in the context of perturbation theory and the S-matrix, the author eliminates the term in the fermion-boson interaction in order to study purely the properties of the fermion field. This means that the interaction Hamiltonian operates only on the vacuum state for bosons, and thus only excitations of single bosons into and out of the vacuum are considered. This results in an effective interaction between the fermions, due to the exchange of bosons, and this interaction can be attractive or repulsive, depending on the range of momenta. This effective interaction between electrons due to the exchange of virtual phonons is the explanation for superconductivity. The fermion-boson interaction is still of considerable interest in the context of explanations for high-temperature superconductivity. 3. The derivation of the Kubo formula as a first crack at the formulation of transport theory in the quantum realm. The author explains the formula as one that shows that conductivity is an intrinsic property of quantum-mechanical systems, in that the application of a weak electron field will make apparent the time-correlations of the electric current fluctuations in equilibrium. He cautions the reader though that practical calculations may make the use of the Kubo formula problematic. The author returns to the Kubo formula later in his treatment of the spectral representation of the dielectric function, and proves a case of the famous fluctuation-dissipation theorem. A comparison between the Kubo formula shows that dissipation has been expressed in terms of Fourier transform of a two-body time-correlation function which describes the fluctuations in the many-body system. The Kubo formula and its generalizations are still discussed widely in the context of nonequilibrium statistical mechanics, quantum transport theory, and the theory of mesoscopic systems. 4. An illustration of the properties of the time-independent Green's function via the consideration of impurity states in a medal. The author introduces a single impurity atom with delta function potential at a fixed point in the metal, and calculates the Green function of the perturbed system in terms of the unperturbed one. The resulting singularities in the Green function motivate the author to consider the role of the strength of the potential, and he shows that for a certain range of this strength, one obtains a bound state or "localized" level. 5. The treatment of the random phase approximation. The author writes the Hamiltonian for an interacting system of fermions in a way that makes the density fluctuations of various wavelengths manifest. Noting the the commutator of the density part with the Hamiltonian results in an intractable problem, he replaces the operator products by expectation values (or ensemble averages for finite temperature). This results in the off-diagonal terms cancelling one another, due to them being randomly out of phase with each other. He then proceeds to solve for the equations of motion of the system, obtaining a dispersion formula for the frequency of a self-consistent excited mode of the system, which he then views as a pole of an approximation to the inverse dielectric function. He mentions, but does not discuss in detail, what this implies for the theory of an electron gas in a metal, namely the phenomenon of dielectric screening and the existence of plasmons. 6. The brief but informative discussion of (zero-temperature) superconductivity. He accounts for the phenomenon by the use of an effective electron-electron interaction which is attractive when the energy difference of the two electron states is small. This interaction is modeled by a small negative constant for momentum transfers between these types of electrons, and zero otherwise. A perturbation calculation then shows that the effect of this interaction is infinite for any pair of electrons with exactly opposite momenta, and thus one obtains a bound state, the famous Cooper pair. The author then goes on to show the existence of an energy gap for the system, thus showing that a superconducting system does not have excitations of vanishingly small energy.

OK intro.......2000-04-27

This is a decent intro to QFT book, however there are many better ones, such as those by Ryder or Aitchensen & Hey. Not much motivation or rigor is to be found here, and the reader may be left wondering what QFT is at the end of the book.

Advanced Field Theory: Micro, Macro, and Thermal Physics

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Advanced Field Theory: Micro, Macro, and Thermal Physics
Hiroomi Umezawa
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1563964562

Book Description

This book describes how modern quantum field theory is capable of treating not only quantum field particles, but also objects with classical and quantum mechanical degrees of freedom, including thermal degrees of freedom. It thus provides a unified overview of many areas of physics on the basis of the concept of macroscopic quantum vacuum.

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Excellent Text - Horrid Print Quality
Good for you...
Out of date, but still could be useful
Horribly terse
Very good introduction to quantum electrodynamics

Advanced Quantum Mechanics
J. J. Sakurai
Manufacturer: Addison Wesley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Textbook Binding

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Modern Quantum Mechanics (2nd Edition)
An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory (Frontiers in Physics)
Classical Electrodynamics Third Edition
Quantum Field Theory
Classical Mechanics (3rd Edition)

ASIN: 0201067102

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Text - Horrid Print Quality.......2007-08-05

The 1 star is only for the condition of the printed text itself, not for any content in the book.

Addison-Wesley has done a grave injustice to this classic with its latest printing. I ordered it a few weeks ago from Amazon, and what arrived was appalling.

The text is not "clean", it looks as though it was poorly photocopied. Every single arrow indicating spin/helicity directions in the diagrams is not clear, and quite a few don't even show up at all. Sub- and super-scripts are very hard to read in many equations and diagrams, due to the poor print quality of the text. Anyone who has read or seen an earlier printing will be sorely disappointed if they order this text now.

Amazon offered to exchange the book for another copy, which I took them up on, but the replacement was just as bad in print quality. It seems as though this is the fault of the publisher. I tried to reach Addison-Wesley for comment, but my email must not have gotten through. I wish to stress that Amazon was fantastic throughout the entire ordeal, and was consistently helpful, swift, and courteous in their responses.

Overall, it's a great book, but I would highly recommend against buying new. If buying used, make sure to ask any seller to provide high-res pictures of Figure 2-3 on page 51 ( you should see THREE gray arrows for the polarization directions), and of Figure 3-9 on page 164, to see if the gray arrows showing the spin direction of the Lambda particle show up clearly. If they do, buy it! If not, it's a bad print copy, and not worth any amount of money.

--John

Good for you..........2003-08-16

If you're reading reviews on advanced QM then I'm sure you'd like this book... as for me, I'm through with physics. Undergrad stuff is a breeze but it's not worth it anymore. Don't you guys have lives other than physics? Christ, I want time to take a vacation now and then and to watch baseball games and movies and follow current events. I'd like to spend some time with members of the opposite sex every now and then also and make better money than a grad student/research professor for doing the same or less amount of work. This advanced [stuff] requires one to study as a full time job. Good book though and it's a great bridge from his basic QM graduate level text to QFT for those who enjoy studying in their free time.

Out of date, but still could be useful.......2002-10-08

This book represents to a large degree an approach to quantum field theory that is now viewed as somewhat out of date. Modern textbooks and monographs in quantum field theory emphasize functional methods, the renormalization group, the operator product expansion, and topological field configurations. In addition, this book was published before the advent of the electroweak theory, and so readers will not get an introduction to this theory, nor to quantum chromodynamics, the gauge theory of the strong interactions. The only gauge theory actually treated in the book is quantum electrodynamics, although the author does not exploit the gauge invariance of this theory to its fullest potential in the book.

For those readers who want learn quantum field theory, this book would probably not suffice, due to the above omissions. However, the book might still be used as a reference, and one that, as stated by the author, emphasizes the physics of quantum field theory. Covariant perturbation theory and Feynmam diagrams are given ample treatment. In addition, the author does not hesitate to employ symmetry considerations in the discussion of the transformation properties of the Dirac wave function and the quantized Dirac field. The spin-statistics theorem is not proven, but some plausible arguments as to its validity are given, dealing with the difficulty in constructing a quantum field theory for the electron that does not obey the Pauli exclusion principle. And, as another example of the avoidance of complicated mathematics, the author chooses to discuss the Moller interaction between two electrons using the (noncovariant) Coulomb gauge. In this strategy, the transverse part of the vector potential is treated dynamically, and the electron interaction consists of the interaction of the transverse electromagnetic field with the Dirac current and the instantaneous Coulomb interaction between charge densities. Only the transverse part of the vector potential is quantized, but interestingly, the nonphysical, longitudinal parts cancell out in the calculation of the amplitude. This approach may be distasteful from a modern gauge-invariant point of view, but it does suffice to bring out the physics of the problem, and it does serve to motivate the modern approach to the calculation of the Moller cross-section.

Thus, this might still serve to build insight into the physics of quantum field theory. Too often modern texts emphasize the mathematical formalism, the latter becoming more and more formidable as the years go on. The chapter on covariant perturbation theory is definitely worth some amount of time because of this. The reader can then move on to the magnificent fortresses built by the theoreticians of quantum field theory since this book was published. Quantum field theory is definitely still a very active subject, and there are lots of things in the theory that remain unsolved to this day.

Horribly terse.......2002-05-19

This book is great - until you try to do the problems. I'm slightly peeved, having spent upwards of 30 hours (working with other grad students!) and not 'completely' got any of the 6 assigned problems from the back of Chapter 2.

Oh, this book fills a gap between quantum and QFT to be sure. And it's one of the only books (the only?) that does it. What this means is that if you don't understand it here there aren't any other books you can look up. Gordon Baym comes close, but falls short and is out of print.

Over the past 30 (non-continuous) hours, I've come to greatly detest Sakurai's style (even more than when we were using 'Modern QM' for the beginning of this sequence). For some 'simple' problems, it's 'fun' that he doesn't fill in all the steps so you have to read the book in detail and re-derive the relevant steps. But as the problems get more involved and you still 'don't get it' after reading the chapter 4 or 5 times, the whole thing just ceases to be entertaining.

While the *mathematical* tools to do the problems are probably all in the text somewhere, Sakurai simply does not provide the 'cut through the mathematical [stuff] and get to the physics' insights that are necessary to truly understand and utilise the material. This is not to say that the treatment isn't 'physical' at times and in homeopathic quantities, but Sakurai doesn't do much to tie different ideas together andgive one the big picture.

Bottom line: Mr. Sakurai, paper is cheap. Use more words. Please.

Very good introduction to quantum electrodynamics.......2001-02-13

This is a very fine book on quantum electrodynamics and should not be confused with Modern Quantum Mechanics, which is a postumous text on quantum mechanics, too formal to my taste. Advanced Quantum Mechanics, on the other hand, is quite the opposite. The treatment of field quantization is very intuitive, based on Fermi's ideas, and Physics is always kept to the forefront. Calculations (there are plenty of them; this is not a couch book) are very detailed and, alas, must be redone with much attention, for typos are quite frequent. I believe this to be still the book to be recommended for a beginner. She should, after all, know the physics, and be able to do a back-of-envelope estimative of the size of Lamb shift, by Bethe's method. The book teaches you that.

Mathematical Foundations of Quantum Mechanics

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.. and try to read everything else JvN wrote, too!
Hilbert Space Formulation of QM
Has Strengths and Weaknesses
a classic
Very nice historical approach

Mathematical Foundations of Quantum Mechanics
John von Neumann
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Lectures on Quantum Mechanics
The Principles of Quantum Mechanics (International Series of Monographs on Physics)
Mathematical Foundations of Quantum Mechanics (Dover Books on Mathematics)
Physical Principles of the Quantum Theory
Feynman's Thesis: A New Approach to Quantum Theory

ASIN: 0691028931

Book Description

Mathematical Foundations of Quantum Mechanics was a revolutionary book that caused a sea change in theoretical physics. Here, John von Neumann, one of the leading mathematicians of the twentieth century, shows that great insights in quantum physics can be obtained by exploring the mathematical structure of quantum mechanics. He begins by presenting the theory of Hermitean operators and Hilbert spaces. These provide the framework for transformation theory, which von Neumann regards as the definitive form of quantum mechanics. Using this theory, he attacks with mathematical rigor some of the general problems of quantum theory, such as quantum statistical mechanics as well as measurement processes. Regarded as a tour de force at the time of publication, this book is still indispensable for those interested in the fundamental issues of quantum mechanics.

Customer Reviews:

.. and try to read everything else JvN wrote, too!.......2005-11-19

von Neumann's account of why he uses the mathematics he does and his critique of the Dirac formalism is worth the price of admission. Those who deride him for avoiding the delta formalism seem to have been seduced by its meretricious computational facility. von Neumann anticipated - actually began in this book and his work on continuous geometry - the modern approach via non-commutative geometry to physics (see Alain Connes), and M-theory.

Hilbert Space Formulation of QM.......2003-04-10

The ultimate source of Hilbert Space applied to Quantum Mechanics. John von Neumann was the first to systematically formulate QM in such a powerful and elegant vector space. If this is the Bible of QM in HS, Hughes is the missioner! Get the book as well -- The Structure and Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics.

Has Strengths and Weaknesses.......2002-07-30

First the strengths:
(1) The author gives a rigorous proof of the incompatibility of the two theories of quantum mechanics, that is, the evolution of the state vector as determined by Schrodinger's equation and the collapse of the state vector by means of an observation. He does this by the concept of entropy.
(2) He gives a thorough treatment of the "consciousness school" of interpretation, which makes for an interesting,if not entirely convincing read.

The weaknesses:
(1) the font is a pain to read; it looks like it came off an old typewriter. I wonder why the publishers couldn't put it into a more modern readable form.
(2) Von Neumann writes this book , in part, with the intention to dispel the mathematical nonsense, as he perceives it, of the Dirac delta function. Therefore he casts everything into the unwieldy formalism required to do without the distribution. Indoubtedly he was trying to change the dirac formalism in use in quantum mechanics at the time but was fortunately unsucessful in persuading physicists to use his alternative language.

Summary: I recommend this book for anyone wishing to deepen his or her understanding of the foundations, conceptual and mathematical of quantum theory.

a classic.......2000-08-23

As an undergrad, I am sorry that I cannot share the perspectives of professionals as expressed below. After initial introductory courses, I got fascinated by certain untold conceptual issues. And one of the textbooks (probably Griffiths) suggested von Neumann had tried to prove mathematically that the classical formulation is just the furthest the formalism can go and we don't have to worry about underlying complexities. Later, Bohm created a formalism which von Neumann "proves" to be mathematically impossible in this book. I bought this book just to find out how the proof goes. But I got stuck with some tedious proofs on Hilbert space (which he calls a "digression"). This part isn't essential but as the braket notation is not used you need to consult this part. I think at least a strong background in linear algebra is required. Definitly not an introductory textbook. Most useful for those who study history of physics.

Very nice historical approach.......2000-02-01

This is not the kind of book I would recommend to a novice person in the area, but it does give a very interesting view of how was quantum mechanics born. It begins with a thorough discussion about the mathematics of Hilbert spaces and operator theory to later merge Heisenberg's and Schrodinger's theories in one rigorous mathematical theory. It makes some remarks that allows the reader to see how was the 'new' quantum theory born and developed, since it briefly discusses the theories of Heisenberg and Schrodinger in the way they originally stated them. Maybe the most disturbing issue would be the notation since in 1932 dirac had still not developed the bracket formalism.

Quantum Electrodynamics (Advanced Book Classics)

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feynmans way
The first great Feynman classic
Question
Once More
QED IN NUTSHELL !

Quantum Electrodynamics (Advanced Book Classics)
Richard Phillips Feynman , and Feynman
Manufacturer: Westview Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Statistical Mechanics: A Set of Lectures (Advanced Book Classics)
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Quantum Electrodynamics, Second Edition: Volume 4

ASIN: 0201360756

Customer Reviews:

feynmans way.......2001-04-25

I think this is a good supplemental book. it's like his course on physics; you cant learn from it alone; but with a canonical text it adds wonderful insight on a subject. His theory of fundamental processes is out of date (way before tau neutrinos, and there are mistakes in parts); so i would avoid that one. this one I find to be about the level of sophistication of his lectures on gravitation, but explaining field theory. Feynman naturally has a slightly more functional approach than other books of this era. I think it's a good book to keep next to something like peskin and schroeder in ones personal library

The first great Feynman classic.......2001-02-13

This book collects a set of lectures by Feynman on quantum electrodynamics and a few reprints of his papers on the subject.Nowadays it would be a (hard) graduate course. At its time it was written for Feynman's peers. At that time the method developped by him, though he had total control of it, was not complete as far as derivations are concerned. However, each topic was solidly grounded on the basis of specific arguments. This is how things are done. Usually you have a hundred incomplete arguments which, put together, are, so to speak, stronger than a formal demonstration. And, what arguments! What insight this (then) young guy had already!This book is for pleasure! You probably should read it together with some modern text, like Veltman's "Diagrammatica", to get the modern perspective and also to see how little, after all, was changed. A companion book, called "Theory of Fundamental Processes" is also a sterling lecture, for the same reasons. Perhaps even more so.

Question.......2000-08-24

I know two kinds of books on the Quantum Electrodynamics by Richard P. Feynman; "Q.E.D." and this title "Quantum Electrodynamics". Once I owned both. But by my mistake I lost "Quantum Elec...". Rubendoz's review looks like one for "Q.E.D.", a good book for the Physics Student who begins to learn Q.E.D., but also good for the laymen who wants to understand the perspect of the theory.
Now my question: Tell me - since Rubendoz's review confuses me - if this book is a renamed version of the easier - if it is - book, "Q.E.D.", or the formula-prone book, "Quantum Electrodynamics" , to say, the harder book. I wish there were the publisher's review which would make this point clear.
Thanks.

Once More.......2000-05-23

I only had the opportunity to browse around this book. However, I imediately realized that this one was worth reading calmly. Once more Fayman explains this generally abstract subject with his grace and knowledge, making it easier to digest the material. If you have read any of Fayman's book, you know his ways of explaining things are just superb. So, without further explanations, this book it is worth every penny, it worked for me, a Physics student, and it will work for anyone who's interested in this matter.

QED IN NUTSHELL !.......1999-01-05

People reading this book must be safely assumed to be physics oriented guys esp the ones in particle physics. The book is a good introduction for an amateur who is not necessarily a good mathematician cuz this book has surprisingly NO glamorous formulae associated with QED.It doesn't give you in-depth scrutiny of the high-energy world yet it gives you enough to keep you interested all the way. The title can be mis-leading cuz it doesn't really cover extensive knowledge about the field, should've been introductory QED or something on those lines. Anyways should be fun to read iff you want to know the nuances of matter !

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It's everything you've ever wanted to know about quantum.
An Easy and comprehansive introduction to the subject
numerical methods for particles in a box?

Advanced Quantum Mechanics
Franz Schwabl
Manufacturer: Springer
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 3540259015

Book Description

Advanced Quantum Mechanics, the second volume on quantum mechanics by Franz Schwabl, discusses nonrelativistic multi-particle systems, relativistic wave equations and relativistic fields. Characteristic of Schwabl’s work, this volume features a compelling mathematical presentation in which all intermediate steps are derived and where numerous examples for application and exercises help the reader to gain a thorough working knowledge of the subject. The treatment of relativistic wave equations and their symmetries and the fundamentals of quantum field theory lay the foundations for advanced studies in solid-state physics, nuclear and elementary particle physics. This text extends and complements Schwabl’s introductory Quantum Mechanics, which covers nonrelativistic quantum mechanics and offers a short treatment of the quantization of the radiation field. New material has been added to this third edition of Advanced Quantum Mechanics on Bose gases, the Lorentz covariance of the Dirac equation, and the ‘hole theory’ in the chapter "Physical Interpretation of the Solutions to the Dirac Equation."

Customer Reviews:

It's everything you've ever wanted to know about quantum........2006-04-15

This is one of my favorite books. The writing is clear and concise, the mathematics aren't abused, the notation is simple and inviting, and the results are very important. This book is a vast improvement over the first volume, and it can (thankfully) be used completely independently of Volume I. The treatment of multi-particle systems is one of the best I've ever seen. This book is perfect for self-study (and this is good, since I don't usually see many course offerings covering this material).

The book is outstanding but, unfortunately, Springer seems to have committed itself to a perpetual decline in the quality of its books. Every copy of this particular edition that I've come across seems to have a loose binding. I haven't been able to find any differences between this edition and the older editions, so if you need to pick up a copy of this book (and any mathematician or physicist needs this book!) you might pick up an old edition instead (they're still available, new, on Amazon).

An Easy and comprehansive introduction to the subject.......1999-11-05

This book consists of three parts. Part1 begins with an introduction on the many body theory and introducing the idea of second quantization. Part2 focuses on relativistic quantum mechanics through relativistic wave equations. The last part is an introduction to quantum field theory using some results from part2. The simple presentation of the subject and the detailed math involved makes this book a comfortable one for a begginer.

numerical methods for particles in a box?.......1999-09-17

Well to tell you the truth actually , your book is a complete study about quantum mechanics ....

Book Description

This updated and revised fourth edition covers all topics in mechanics from elementary Newtonian mechanics, canonical and rigid body mechanics to relativistic mechanics and nonlinear dynamics.

In particular, symmetries and invariance principles, geometrical structures and continuum mechanics play an important role. Scheck’s Mechanics enables the reader to develop understanding of the general principles from which equations of motions may be derived, to appreciate the importance of symmetries as a basis for quantum mechanics and to get practice in using theoretical tools and concepts that are essential for all branches of physics.

The book contains numerous problems with complete solutions, and some practical examples. This will be appreciated in particular by students using the text to accompany lectures on mechanics. The book ends with some historical remarks on important pioneers in mechanics.

Customer Reviews:

A very complete book.......2006-05-11

Although I agree that one might be scared by the presence of sophisticated chapters like the one devoted to differential geometry, I find that this book is the best for an undergraduate level. It begins with Newtonian mechanics (some knowledge on linear algebra and calculus assumed) and covers all the fundamental points of modern mechanics in a rigorous and straightforward way, including a chapter in special relativity and another on dynamical systems and chaos. As it emphasizes the relevant concepts and formalism of simmetries, it naturally leads to quantum mechanics and can be used by advanced undergrad or graduate students interested in the geometrical foundations of mechanics.
Even though it is certainly not the easiest book available, if you have to buy just one, buy this!

Excellent, but not as a first contact with Mechanics.......2001-11-20

I would agree on the rather high quality of the present
book, as pointed out in the other review.

However, the books seems not appropriate for a first contact
with Newtonian mechanics.

While the book makes every effort to introduce the reader to
modern concepts used in Mechanics, notably its setting in a
differential geometric context and an introduction to nonlinear
dynamical systems, the very basis of vector mechanics receives
only attention from one chapter.

This is clearly inadequate and a thourough understanding of
elementary vector mechanics and a good round of problem solving
is certainly essential before addressing even the simplest
Lagrangian mechanics.

The reason I want to point this out, is that the book is used
at an early level in German universities.

That is scary. I can well imagine people attempting to walk
through tangent spaces, but not able to integrate a simple
dynamics problem in R^2.

Please be careful!

The greatest undergratuate book in Mechanics........1999-11-28

This book is the greatest there is for a study of mechanics on an undergratuate level. This book covers alot of subjects with a unique combination of strictness and easyness. It's a must for all physics and mathematics students. It's index: 1.Elementary Newton Mechanics 2.The Principles of Canonical Mechanics 3.The Mechanics of Rigid Bodies 4.Relativistic Mechanics 5.Geometric Apsects of Mechanics 6.Stability and Chaos 7.Continuous Systems

Classical and Quantum Dynamics: From Classical Paths to Path Integrals (Advanced Texts in Physics)

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Classical and Quantum Dynamics: From Classical Paths to Path Integrals (Advanced Texts in Physics)
Walter Dittrich , and Martin Reuter
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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