Photons and Atoms: Introduction to Quantum Electrodynamics (Wiley Professional) [Paperback]

Claude Cohen-Tannoudji (Author), Jacques Dupont-Roc (Author), Gilbert Grynberg (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471184330 | ISBN-13: 978-0471184331 | Publication Date: February 1997

Photons and Atoms

Photons and Atoms: Introduction to Quantum Electrodynamics provides the necessary background to understand the various physical processes associated with photon-atom interactions. It starts with elementary quantum theory and classical electrodynamics and progresses to more advanced approaches. A critical comparison is made between these different, although equivalent, formulations of quantum electrodynamics.

Using this format, the reader is offered a gradual, yet flexible introduction to quantum electrodynamics, avoiding formal discussions and excessive shortcuts. Complementing each chapter are numerous examples and exercises that can be used independently from the rest of the book to extend each chapter in many disciplines depending on the interests and needs of the reader.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, French (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Inside Flap

The phenomenal growth of new sources of electromagnetic radiation covering a wide range of frequencies has given rise to a wealth of new methods for investigating the structure and the dynamics of atoms and molecules, for probing their environment and for controlling their internal and translational degrees of freedom. These developments have stimulated considerable interest for the various physical processes associated with photon-atom interactions. Photons and Atoms: Introduction to Quantum Electrodynamics provides the necessary background to understand this area of research, starting with elementary quantum theory and classical electrodynamics and progressing through more advanced approaches. A critical comparison is made between these different, although equivalent, formulations of quantum electrodynamics. Using this format, the reader is offered a gradual, yet flexible introduction to quantum electrodynamics, avoiding formal discussions and excessive shortcuts. Complementing each chapter are numerous examples and exercises that can be used independently from the rest of the book to extend each chapter in many directions depending on the interests and needs of the reader. Photons and Atoms incorporates numerous features which distinguish it from other texts, including:
* a presentation of Maxwell equations in Fourier space, providing new insight into electromagnetism
* a discussion of the wave particle duality for light in the framework of the quantum theory of radiation
* a justification of the nonrelativistic description of particles, starting from the full relativistic quantum electrodynamics theory
Photons and Atoms: Introduction to Quantum Electrodynamics teaches graduate students in physics how basic concepts arise-such as photons, vacuum fluctuations, and wave-particle duality-and how interactions between particles and photons must be described. It fills the gap between ordinary quantum mechanics courses and general quantum field theory. At the same time, physicists interested in the interaction between light and matter will get a sound theoretical description of the different ways electromagnetic fields can be quantized, starting from the simplest straightforward approach and continuing through covariant quantization. Photons and Atoms thoroughly explores the physical significance of the theory, the difficulties that arise, and the pitfalls to be avoided, and also balances differing viewpoints carefully and equally. No other book has ever included such a comprehensive discussion of this field. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 486 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-VCH (February 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471184330
• ISBN-13: 978-0471184331
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,104,715 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My only physics book, April 21, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Photons and Atoms: Introduction to Quantum Electrodynamics (Wiley Professional) (Paperback)

Although I am a physicist and possess many books, for a long time my collection contained only a single book related to physics: Photons and Atoms. It is the most pedagogical text to be found on the fundamental aspects of the quantized interaction of matter with light. It's concise, clear, and convincing. The reader is never left mystified about any technical detail: no assumptions or approximations are left unexplained or swept under the rug. Yet, in spite of the high technical level the text is full of insights and simple intuitive pictures as well. Worth mentioning are also the exercises in each Chapter, which are remarkably useful and rewarding, Moreover, the solutions are given and display the same clarity of style and insightful remarks as the main text. The main emphasis of the book is on the nonrelativistic formulation of QED, but, of course, there is also a chapter devoted to the relativistic version that includes a description of how to take in a proper fashion the non-relativistic limit. Also questions of gauge, such as concerning the often confusing choice between "p.A" and "r.E" are treated, and it is, e.g., explicitly shown how in numerical problems the two are not always equivalent, as approximations made are not necessarily gauge invariant. Is there anything bad to say about this book? Almost not: for a while I had the impression that this book was the only one without any typographical errors, but in the meantime I have discovered 2. To be a bit more serious, maybe there is something: the book focuses on fundamental issues and, hence, if you expect ---especially given the title of the book---to read about problems such as spontaneous emission or laser-induced ionization of atoms, then you will be disappointed. In that case, you will have to check out the companion volume: atom-photon interactions. But hey, that's not such a bad book either.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars concise but inspiring, January 18, 2007

By 

Naoki Kuribara - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Photons and Atoms: Introduction to Quantum Electrodynamics (Wiley Professional) (Paperback)

The subjects are laied out according to logical progression with rich exercises which are quite helpful to review my own understanding. However some subjects treated as complinent shoud be a part of the main text in my opinion, since I must have left the main text some time to read through the compliment.