Product Description

Continuing the exceptional tradition of the previous editions, "Quantum Mechanics, Fourth Edition" provides essential information about atomic and subatomic systems and covers some modern applications of the field. Supported by a Web page that contains a bibliography, color versions of some of the illustrations, and links to other relevant sites, the book shows how cutting-edge research topics of quantum mechanics have been applied to various disciplines. It first demonstrates how to obtain a wave equation whose solutions determine the energy levels of bound systems. The theory is then made more general and applied to a number of physical examples. Later chapters describe the connection between relativity and quantum mechanics, give some examples of how quantum mechanics has been used in information processing, and, finally, discuss the conceptual and philosophical implications of the subject.New to the fourth edition: a chapter on quantum information processing that includes applications to the encryption and de-encryption of coded messages; a chapter on relativistic quantum mechanics and introductory quantum field theory; updated material on the conceptual foundations of quantum physics containing discussions of non-locality, hidden variables, and parallel universes; and, expanded information on tunneling microscopy and the Bose-Einstein condensate. Presenting up-to-date information on the conceptual and philosophical aspects of quantum mechanics, this revised edition is suitable both for undergraduates studying physics, chemistry, or mathematics and for researchers involved in quantum physics.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #392380 in Books
• Published on: 2002-05-20
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Review
The addition of this new material has added a further dimension to what was already an excellent undergraduate text. The material is very well written, logically presented and illustrated with relevant contemporary examples wherever appropriate. . . In summary, this is a first-rate and relatively inexpensive book that would be an extremely useful text for anyone studying or teaching quantum physics at the tertiary level. It would also be a valuable refrence for postgraduate students needing a reasonably solid understanding of quantum mechanics for their research in other fields.

From the Publisher
Key Features:

· UNDERGRADUATE TEXTBOOK
· New edition of best-selling textbook first published over 20 years ago, for a first course on quantum mechanics for physics, chemistry undergraduates.
· New chapters have been added on Relativistic Quantum Theory and Quantum Information; the latter includes discussions of quantum cryptography, quantum teleportation and quantum computing all of which have been front-line research topics during the last few years.
· The first edition was unusual for including a chapter on the conceptual and philosophical aspects of the subject. This has been largely re-written for the present edition so as to present an up-to-date account of work in this fascinating field.
· Earlier editions acquired a reputation for exceptional level of clarity of presentation. This has been maintained and extended in the present version with a more gradual introduction to the basic postulates and the inclusion of Dirac notation.
· Ideas are illustrated by up-to-date examples including scanning tunnelling microscopy, and the direct observation of the Bose-Einstein condensate.
· The book will be supported by a web page containing an up-to-date bibliography, colour versions of some of the illustrations and links to other relevant sites.
· Previous editions have sold around 1200 copies per year. The book is used widely for QM courses.

From the Author
Misprints corrected
A number of misprints got into the text when the third edition was set up. All we know about have been corrected in the latest reprinting. I am currently working on a fourth edition and would be very grateful for information about any outstanding mistakes and for suggestions to improve the book generally. Please e-mail comments to a.i.m.rae@bham.ac.uk

Customer Reviews

I've done the lecture course given by Rae at Birmingham Uni.
I've given this book a 4 star rating because I used it heavily for exam revision and successfully learned the required material from it. Bear in mind though, that the book was designed for my course and was given by the author. There are two problems I have with the book. One is the amount of typographical errors in equations. This is bad, considering the book is in its 3rd revision and is meant to have been proof read by collegues. Consequently, I would not recommend using it where you do not have access to lecturers who can check any queries, unless you are a first class student who can confidently discern the errors. Secondly, Dr Rae swaps notation for angular momentum in a way that could be confusing. To put it as simply as I can, people reading the book who have some previous knowledge of the J=L+S relationship, may be confused when he uses L as TOTAL angular momentum in the earlier parts of the book, where one does not "officially" know about intrinsic spin and spin-orbit coupling etc. This leaves the reader wondering if another glaring error has been made. A consistent approach with J being used early would be best, with a note at the beginning giving a brief explanation and refering the reader to the more detailed discussion when sufficient groundwork had been completed. Also, Rae is fond of "...and clearly it can be seen that..." statements, which sometimes left me flicking back through the book to find which relationship he was invoking. Overall, this is a good book covering a wide range of undergraduate material at the right level. I think it's best suited to a 3rd year course. For those completely new to QM, it doesn't meet the bible status which I can attribute to "Quantum Physics of Atoms..." by Eisberg and Resnick (Wiley).

An Enjoyable text
This is an informative and enjoyable book which does a good job of introducing the reader to the elegance of quantum mechanics. It is concise and digestible with a good development of the topic from fundamental principles upwards. I think that the previous comment about functional analysis somewhat misses the point that this aims to be an introductory text. Infact I would say that it makes a good precursor to this topic and other more advanced ones.

A brilliant book with updated material
This book is not only fun to read, but contains the latest material on quantum computation, quantum teleportation, and the debate over the concepts of quantum mechanics. The text is clear and sharp. Written for undergraduate students, it can be read by anybody with college math (calculus, etc.). The beauty of quantum mechanics as exposed here will certainly make sure that you will read it nearly cover to cover.