Quantum mechanics: theory and applications. (Q1886061)

This is a textbook addressed to students at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. It has evolved from lectures given by the authors to students of physics and engineering. As it is claimed in the Preface ``This book makes an attempt to present the basic concepts in quantum mechanics with emphasis on application in other areas like nuclear physics, astrophysics, solid state physics, quantum optics, etc.'' Indeed, each chapter is followed by a number well-selected problems with solutions. The problems and solutions occupy about 25\% between theory and exercises are very helpful for students to become familiar with methods explained in the chapter for solving problems. After a brief, but important recall of the Quantum Mechanics History and Mathematical Preliminaries (Chapters 1 and 2) the authors pass to the Basic Quantum Mechanics. Chapters 4--8 contain a standard introduction to (essentially) one-dimensional Schödinger formalism: from Particles and Waves and Schödinger Equation to the ``\dots one of the most fascinating problems in quantum mechanics'', which is the harmonic oscillator, and further to the one-dimensional barrier transmission as an example of the continuous spectrum problem. The angular momentum problems are presented in Chapters 9,13,15,18 and the Hydrogen atom together with the three-dimensional harmonic oscillator are discussed in Chapter 10. Meanwhile the Dirac ``bra''-``ket'' formalism is introduced in Chapter 11 and is used to revise the harmonic oscillator in Chapter 12. Chapter 14 contains a description of the Stern-Gerlach experiment motivating an original discussion of foundations of quantum mechanics, in particular the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Paradox and Bell's inequalities. Chapter 16 presents the double-well problem and the Kroning-Penney model, which then naturally is continued by the Chapter 17 with a detailed account of the JWKB approximation method. Time independent perturbation theory is presented in Chapter 19, that prepares discussion of the magnetic field effects, the variational method and the Helium atom (Chapters 20--22). In Chapter 23 (``Some Select Topics'') the authors give a short, but very comprehensive explanation of the tunneling life-time, the space-periodic potential problem, the versatile matrix method, and the Thomas-Fermi atom. Elementary theory of the scattering, which is naturally related to the time dependent perturbation theory and to the semi-classical theory of radiation including the radiation-matter interaction, is the subject of Chapters 24--27. The last Chapter 28 is dedicated to a standard introduction to the relativistic quantum mechanics: the Klein-Gordon and the Dirac equations, the Hydrogen atom. Appendices A-P contain information indispensable for the smooth reading and for the solution of the problems.