An Introduction to Quantum Theory

F. S. Levin received his undergraduate degree from The Johns Hopkins University and his Ph.D. from University of Maryland. Following post-doctoral positions at Rice University, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Author-ity, he accepted an appointment in the Physics Department at Brown University, where he remained for 31 years until his retirement in 1998.

'… [a] sound reliable text, suitable for students with the appropriate abilities and background.' Alastair Rae, The Times Higher Education Supplement

• Preface; Part I. Introductory: 1. The need for a non-classical description of microscopic phenomena; 2. Classical concepts and quantal inequivalencies; 3. Introducing quantum mechanics: a comparison of the classical stretched string and the quantal box; 4. Mathematical background; Part II. The Central Concepts: 5. The postulates of quantum mechanics; 6. Applications of the postulates: bound states in one dimension; 7. Applications of the postulates: continuum states in one dimension; 8. Quantal/classical connections; 9. Commuting operators, quantum numbers, symmetry properties; Part III. Systems with Few Degrees of Freedom: 10. Orbital angular momentum; 11. Two-particle systems, potential-well bound state problems; 12. Electromagnetic fields; 13. Intrinsic spin, two-state systems; 14. Generalized angular momentum and the coupling of angular momenta; 15. Three-dimensional continuum states/scattering; Part IV. Complex Systems: 16. Time-dependent approximation methods; 17. Time-independent approximation methods; 18. Many degrees of freedom: atoms and molecules; Appendix A. Elements of probability theory; Appendix B. Fourier series and integrals; Appendix C. Solution of Legendre's equation; Appendix D. Fundamental and derived quantities, conversion factors; References.