Customer Reviews

Introduction to the Quantum Theory: Third Edition (Dover Books on Physics)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I used this book when I taught upper-level undergraduate quantum mechanics. My students loved it. What makes it unique is that, in addition to the standard sections common to all QM textbooks, Park included at Part II some applications to the theory given in Part I. The applications are not just simple computations to illustrate the theory, but real world situations that showed physicists why QM was in the correct direction. For instance, after reading Chapter 4 (Physics in one dimension), students could use its theory to work the problem of alpha decay (the discovery of quantum tunneling by George Gamow) shown in Part II. I find this book to be a gem. It is, of course, not as detailed and mathematically formal as Cohen-Tannoudji, but it is a great textbook for upper-level undergraduate courses.

I included below the table of contents to give an idea about the book and its applications part.

Part I. Theory
1. Beyond Classical Physics
2. The Physical Content of the Wave Function
3. General Principles
4. Physics in One Dimension
5. Hermitian Operators, Symmetry, and Angular Momentum
6. Systems in Two and Three Dimensions
7. Approximate Methods of Calculation
8. The Theory of Scattering
9. Spin and Isospin
10. Questions of Physical Meaning
11. Electromagnetic Radiation
12. Systems Containing Identical Particles
13. Classical Dynamics and Feynman's Construction
II. Applications
14. The Theory of Alpha Decay
15. Electrons in a Periodic Lattice
16. The Hydrogen Spectrum
17. The Helium Atom
18. Interactive Forces
19. The Neutron-Proton Interaction
20. The Quark Model of Baryons

I found this book very helpful in understanding QM. I am a graduate student and the material covered in this volume worked very well with Shankar. The course uses Shankar, but I have trouble keeping up with him, I easily get lost on the point because he is rather wordy and doesn't skip as many steps. Park's book gets more to the point and I don't get lost on what is going on. I have found that some of his chapters really help to clear my confusion of topics in Shankar. I read this book first, as an introduction, then delve into Shankar. It has helped me immensely.

This textbook treats the standard introductory topics in a conventional way. Solutions to the Schrodinger equation includes quantum wells, the radial equation, the hydrogen atom, and so forth. Spin and angular momentum are given ample space. An introduction to scattering theory is also provided. Hermitian operators are discussed, though not Dirac's bra-ket notation.

Although this book seems to be a suitable introduction for undergraduates, I do not believe that it would be much more difficult for them to read Schiff's Quantum Mechanics. When I was a first year Materials Science graduate student I took the standard two-semester graduate level quantum mechanics course taught by the physics department. My only exposure to quantum physics prior to that course was a junior level modern physics course taught out of McGervey's Introduction to Modern Physics and a senior level solid state physics course taught out of Kittel's Introduction to Solid State Physics Third Edition. At the time I did not find Park to be nearly so useful as Schiff.

This book would be great for somebody brilliant with lots of time or somebody who already knows While QM is hard, it doesn't need to be this hard. For anybody who may decide to write text books, don't change variables or function names mid-stream without telling the reader. I don't care if your publisher has a page limit or if you just like being obtuse, or if you're lazy. Don't do it. It only gratifies your ego, and your readers will never meet you, so it isn't even gratifying.

Park asks that the reader fill in the gaps in his math. If there were no errors, no variable changes, and physics students weren't already busy, it would actually be a nice way to pick all this up. I could even go for 2 of three. Many special topics get covered in this book with lots of explanation, but much of the meat and potatoes like operators get short shrift. On the plus side, it's a Dover edition, so if you want a cheap challenge, knock yourself out. I did.