This book traces the evolution of the ideas that eventually resulted in the elementary quantum theory in 1925/26. Further, it discusses the essential differences between the fundamental equations of Quantum Theory derived by Born and Jordan, logically comprising Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Optics, and the traditional view of the development of Quantum Mechanics. Drawing on original publications and letters written by the main protagonists of that time, it shows that Einstein’s contributions from 1905 to 1924 laid the essential foundations for the development of Quantum Theory. Einstein introduced quantization of the radiation field; Born added quantized mechanical behavior. In addition, Born recognized that Quantum Mechanics necessarily required Quantum Optics; his radical concept of truly discontinuous and statistical quantum transitions (“quantum leaps”) was directly based on Einstein’s physical concepts.

Based on lectures for an undergraduate UCLA course in quantum mechanics, this volume focuses on the formulas of quantum mechanics rather than applications. Widely used in both upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses, it offers a broad self-contained survey rather than in-depth treatments. Topics include the dual nature of matter and radiation, state functions and their interpretation, linear momentum, the motion of a free particle, Schrödinger's equation, approximation methods, angular momentum, and many other subjects. In the interests of keeping the mathematics as simple as possible, most of the book is confined to considerations of one-dimensional systems. A selection of 150 problems, many of which require prolonged study, amplify the text's teachings and an appendix contains solutions to 50 representative problems. This edition also includes a new Introduction by Joseph A. Rudnick and Robert Finkelstein.

Written by a pioneer of quantum field theory, this introductory volume explores scalar fields, vector meson fields, quantum electrodynamics, quantization of electron wave field according to exclusion principle. 1949 edition.

Originally published in 1934, this reference guide provides introductory and principle knowledge of the theory of quantum mechanics.

The fundamental conceptions of twentieth-century physics have profoundly influenced almost every field of modern thought and activity. Quantum Theory, Relativity, and the modern ideas on the Structure of Matter have contributed to a deeper understand ing of Nature, and they will probably rank in history among the greatest intellectual achievements of all time. The purpose of our symposium was to review, in historical perspective, the current horizons of the major conceptual structures of the physics of this century. Professors Abdus Salam and Hendrik Casimir, in their remarks at the opening of the symposium, have referred to its origin and planning. Our original plan was to hold a two-week symposium on the different aspects of five principal themes: 1. Space, Time and Geometry (including the structure of the universe and the theory of gravita tion),2. Quantum Theory (including the development of quantum mechanics and quantum field theory), 3. Statistical Description of Nature (including the discussion of equilibrium and non-equilibrium phenomena, and the application of these ideas to the evolution of biological structure), 4. The Structure of Matter (including the discus sion, in a unified perspective, of atoms, molecules, nuclei, elementary particles, and the physics of condensed matter), and finally, 5. Physical Description and Epistemo logy (including the distinction between classical and quantum descriptions, and the epistemological and philosophical problems raised by them).

Aimed at graduate students and researchers, this book covers the key aspects of the modern quantum theory of solids, including up-to-date ideas such as quantum fluctuations and strong electron correlations. It presents in the main concepts of the modern quantum theory of solids, as well as a general description of the essential theoretical methods required when working with these systems. Diverse topics such as general theory of phase transitions, harmonic and anharmonic lattices, Bose condensation and superfluidity, modern aspects of magnetism including resonating valence bonds, electrons in metals, and strong electron correlations are treated using unifying concepts of order and elementary excitations. The main theoretical tools used to treat these problems are introduced and explained in a simple way, and their applications are demonstrated through concrete examples.

Quantum mechanics is a difficult subject for students to learn after years of rigorous training in classical physics. In quantum mechanics they have to abandon what they have laboriously learned and adopt a new system of thinking.In the previous edition of this book, the author reformulated classical mechanics as a classical theory with an undetermined constant. As the constant approaches zero the theory reduces to Newton's exactly, but when set equal to the Planck constant the theory reduces to the Schrödinger representation of quantum mechanics. Thus the new theory, at least in its mathematical form, can be learned without ramifications and complexity. Over the years, the book has shepherded the growth of a generation of physicists.In this expanded edition, a similar trick is applied to introduce matrix mechanics. The matrix formulation presented allows quantum theory to be generalized to new physical systems such as electron spin, which cannot be done by the Schrödinger approach.The result is a textbook which promises to provide a future generation of students a clear, usable and authoritative resource to study the fundamentals of quantum mechanics. Twenty new problems are added to existing chapters.