| dc.description.abstract | This book is based on junior and senior level undergraduate courses that I have
given at both New York University and the University of Michigan. You might ask,
in heavens name, why anyone would want to write yet another introductory text
on quantum mechanics. And you would not be far off base with this assessment.
There are many excellent introductory quantum mechanics texts. Moreover, with the
material available on the internet, you can access almost any topic of your choosing.
Therefore, I must agree that there are probably no compelling reasons to publish this
text. I have undertaken this task mainly at the urging of my students, who felt that it
would be helpful to students studying quantum mechanics.
For the most part, the approach taken is a traditional one. I have tried to
emphasize the relationship of the quantum results with those of classical mechanics
and classical electromagnetism. In this manner, I hope that students will be able
to gain physical insight into the nature of the quantum results. For example, in the
study of angular momentum, you will see that the absolute squares of the spherical
harmonics can be given a relatively simple physical interpretation. Moreover, by
using the effective potential in solving problems with spherical symmetry, I am
able to provide a physical interpretation of the probability distributions associated
with the eigenfunctions of such problems and to interpret the structures seen in
scattering cross sections. I also try to stress the time-dependent aspects of problems
in quantum mechanics, rather than focus simply on the calculation of eigenvalues
and eigenfunctions.
The book is intended to be used in a year-long introductory course. Chapters 1–
13 or 1–14 can serve as the basis for a one-semester course. I do not introduce
Dirac notation until Chap. 11. I do this so students can try to master the wave
function approach and its implications before engaging in the more abstract
Dirac formalism. Dirac notation is developed in the context of a more general
approach in which different representations, such as the position and momentum
representations, appear on an equal footing. Most topics are treated at a level
appropriate to an undergraduate course. Some topics, however, such as the hyperfine
interactions described in the appendix of Chap. 21, are at a more advanced level.
These are included for reference purposes, since they are not typically included in undergraduate (or graduate) texts. There is a web site for this book, http://wwwpersonal.
umich.edu/~pberman/qmbook.html, that contains an Errata, Mathematica
subroutines, and some additional material.
The problems form an integral part of the book. Many are standard problems, but
there are a few that might be unique to this text. Quantum mechanics is a difficult
subject for beginning students. I often tell them that falling behind in a course such
as this is a disease from which it is difficult to recover. In writing this book, my
foremost task has been to keep the students in mind. On the other hand, I know
that no textbook is a substitute for a dedicated instructor who guides, excites, and
motivates students to understand the material.
I would like to thank Bill Ford, Aaron Leanhardt, Peter Milonni,Michael Revzen,
Alberto Rojo, and Robin Shakeshaft for their insightful comments. I would also like
to acknowledge the many discussions I had with Duncan Steel on topics contained
in this book. Finally, I am indebted to my students for their encouragement and
positive (as well as negative) feedback over the years. I am especially grateful to
the Fulbright foundation for having provided the support that allowed me to offer a
course in quantum mechanics to students at the College of Science and Technology
at the University of Rwanda. My interactions with these students will always remain
an indelible chapter of my life. | en_US |
