Quantum Mechanics with Basic Field Theory [Hardcover]

Bipin R. Desai (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 21, 2009 | ISBN-10: 0521877601 | ISBN-13: 978-0521877602 | Edition: 1

This textbook covers, step-by-step, important topics in quantum mechanics, from traditional subjects like bound states, perturbation theory and scattering, to more current topics such as coherent states, quantum Hall effect, spontaneous symmetry breaking, superconductivity, and basic quantum electrodynamics with radiative corrections. The large number of diverse topics are covered in concise, highly focused chapters, and are explained in simple but mathematically rigorous ways. Derivations of results and formula are carried out from beginning to end, without leaving students to complete them. With over 200 exercises to aid understanding of the subject, this textbook provides a thorough grounding for students planning to enter research in physics. Several exercises are solved in the text, and password-protected solutions for remaining exercises are available to instructors at www.cambridge.org/9780521877602.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Quantum Mechanics with Basic Field Theory is an innovative textbook for a two semester graduate course that provides an excellent coverage of the fundamentals interspersed with their relevance to striking modern discoveries. As an expert quantum theorist, Desai has succeeded in providing a student-friendly exposition that is enhanced by exciting topics such as superconductivity, spontaneous symmetry breaking, and neutrino oscillations."
Vernon Barger, J. H. Van Vleck and Vilas Professor of Physics and Director of the Institute of Elementary Particle Physics, University of Wisconsin

"As a professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering, I found this book amazingly easy and refreshing to read and understand... I believe today's students and teachers will benefit from studying the systematic and well-designed approach in this comprehensive text of quantum mechanics with basic field theory. The diverse subjects are illustrated in a simple but elegant way throughout this book. It is an ideal textbook to learn basic and advanced topics in quantum mechanics. I strongly recommend this book to graduate students and researchers interested in basic and applied research in physics including radiation in coherent and non-coherent states, high energy particles, quantum Hall effects, super conductivity, quantum electrodynamics, and nano-photonics and optoelectronics."
Gee-Kung Chang, Byers Eminent Scholar Chair Professor, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology

"I recommend this outstanding book for the following reasons: It is a theoretical physics graduate textbook for a yearlong course that is concise, clearly written and self-contained."
Barry R. Masters for Optics & Photonics News

Book Description

Students and instructors alike will find this organized, detailed approach to quantum mechanics ideal for a two-semester graduate course. Topics are covered in logical order through concise, highly focused chapters, and over 200 exercises aid understanding of the subject. Password-protected solutions are available to instructors at www.cambridge.org/9780521877602.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 858 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 1 edition (December 21, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521877601
• ISBN-13: 978-0521877602
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #951,144 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Extremely Detailed Mathematics, Everything Derived for You, February 9, 2010

By 

M. Beaumier (Riverside, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Quantum Mechanics with Basic Field Theory (Hardcover)

As a student of Dr. Desai's, I've had first-hand experience with working through this textbook, in the context of the author's own lectures. This book is extremely good for working through derivations of various quantum mechanics concepts, and mathematically, is quite rigorous. I think this book would be most useful for the graduate student theorist, who is perhaps not as interested in experimental application of quantum mechanics as an experimentalist.

The end of chapter problems are at times esoteric and mathematical, applying linear algebra to deconstruct an operator with no quantum mechanical context, however, often, the mathematics from these problems appear far ahead in the text. I would recommend the student also use another textbook to gain a more 'experimentalist' perspective on quantum mechanics.

This book contains some errors (it is only in its first edition). At times the errors are minor, but other times they can be more significant. The most common error seems to be false equation references, or a missing 'h-bar' and factors of 'c'. Very occasionally (I have seen one or two within the first 300 pages) there is a serious error, such as using an angular momentum vector instead of a magnetic field vector.

I think this book is an excellent resource, and is almost completely self contained. It will teach you the tools and mathematical back-bone of quantum mechanics, but leaves rigorous applications of the subject to the student's imagination.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars My two cents, January 13, 2011

By 

giskard - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Quantum Mechanics with Basic Field Theory (Hardcover)

I used this textbook for a series of 3 graduate classes in Quantum Mechanics, in which we basically cover the first 26 chapters.

I think the textbook is easy to follow, one can learn with it the mathematical tools of QM. The one thing I don't like about the book is that is not a reliable reference book (in the sense that unless I went through the whole derivation of the equations I can't be sure that the equation is not missing an h bar, c or a minus), however you must consider that this is the first edition of the book.

Pros

- Covers most of the topics relevant for a physics graduate student.
- Step by Step mathematical derivations

Cons

- Lots of typos
- No solutions to selected problems

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Pleasant level of rigor, but fails to explain motivations., July 15, 2011

By 

Lancashire McGee - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Quantum Mechanics with Basic Field Theory (Hardcover)

B. Desai's book on Quantum Mechanics is well-written, but the book lacks structure. Rather than introducing the necessity for a topic, and its physical motivations, the book leaps into derivations of various phenomena, without giving any attention to why the steps in the proof are being taken. Consequently, I think this book is not particularly well-suited to self-teaching; it simply doesn't stand on its own. That being said, it makes an excellent supplement to another work. Whenever derivations or explanations have confused me in other books, Desai usually has a section dedicated to the topic at hand. If buying, I would recommend doing so in conjunction with R. Shankar's Quantum Mechanics. My other minor problem with the text is that it's very dry. Because there are so few explanations as to the motivation for the mathematics, the unending proofs quickly become tiresome.