Table of Contents

Waves, Electromagnetism, and the Limits of Classical Physics: The Physics and Mathematics of Waves. Maxwell's Equation and Electromagnetic Waves. Particle Mechanics, Relativity, and Photons. The Early Development of Quantum Mechanics. Elementary Wave Mechanics: The One-Dimensional Schrodinger Equations. The Three-Dimensional Schrodinger Equations. Formal Foundations: The Basic Postulates of Quantum Mechanics. Angular Momentum I. Angular Momentum II. Time-Independent Perturbation Theory and the Variational Principle. Extensions and Approximation Schemes: Time Dependence. Scattering. Many-Particle Systems. Relativity and Quantum Mechanics. Advanced Topics: Quantum Information. The Conceptual Problems of Quantum Mechanics.

About the Author

Alastair I.M. Rae retired as a reader in quantum physics from the University of Birmingham. He first taught quantum mechanics in the 1970s, which led to the publication of the first edition of this book. He has conducted research in many areas of condensed matter physics, including superconductivity and its high temperature manifestations. Jim Napolitano is a professor of physics at Temple University. His research field is experimental nuclear and particle physics, focusing primarily on studies of fundamental interactions. He also is interested in modern instructional techniques and has published two textbooks on advanced topics in physics.

Reviews

"The sixth edition of Alastair Rae’s Quantum Mechanics (co-authored by Jim Napolitano) is a valid undergraduate-level introductory text. Well suited for students in Chemistry, Materials Science, and Engineering…now the book is divided into 5 conceptual "Parts", which helps teachers in selecting only the topics which are more suitable for the background of their students… Chapter 15, indeed, provides an accessible introduction to present-day "hot" research areas (quantum cryptography, quantum computing, teleportation), even working out some simple but intriguing examples, likely to stimulate further interest in Quantum Mechanics…the last chapter of the book deals with conceptual problems in Quantum Mechanics. Here authors present a beautiful, in-depth analysis of the concept of quantum measurement, analyzing consequences also at the philosophical level."
—Francesco Montalenti, Università di Milano Bicocca, in Il Nuovo Saggiatore, Vol 33, anno 2017, no. 3-4"This is a great introductory text to quantum mechanics with thorough explanations of the derivations. Several introductory chapters are especially useful to students with a weak background in physics. The material is well presented and contains numerous worked out problems and application examples. This can be a good reference book for modern physics laboratory classes as well."
—Professor V.F. Mitrovic, Brown University"I expect this book will become a very popular and valuable text for students and instructors alike in undergraduate quantum mechanics. In part one, the authors give a helpful review of the physics—from classical waves to special relativity—that provides the necessary foundations for learning quantum mechanics. Together, parts two, three, and four then offer well-structured, splendidly written, and comprehensive coverage of undergraduate quantum mechanics, from the Schrödinger equation and its various applications, through the postulates and the formalism, to spin, perturbation theory, many-particle systems, and a very nice introduction on relativistic quantum theory. Part four provides a unique and enjoyable tour of selected advanced topics, including quantum computing and conceptual issues within quantum theory. Along the way, the authors incorporate a good number of worked examples. The end-of-chapter problems are well chosen to help with student learning. … both students and instructors will greatly appreciate this instructive, comprehensive, and gorgeously written text."
—Tim Gorringe, Professor of Physics, University of Kentucky"This text provides an updated treatment of quantum mechanics, suitable for the standard senior-level undergraduate course at U.S. colleges and universities. The text has many worked examples and a full topic coverage, including Maxwell’s equations (which is a topic often left out of competing textbooks). Notable features are the section on indistinguishable particles, applications such as MRI and superconductivity, and scattering (which students often have difficulty with)."
—Dr. Pete Markowitz, Professor, Department of Physics, Florida International University"The new sixth edition of this well-known textbook should be thought of as one of the best options available for undergraduate quantum mechanics courses, among a very large class of introductory books. New sections, which review the physics of waves, electricity and magnetism, and special relativity, lay the groundwork for the following chapters, which span the range from traditional quantum mechanics topics (the 1D time-independent Schrödinger equation, hydrogenic atoms, angular momentum theory, and time-independent and time-dependent perturbation theory) to more advanced topics, including scattering theory, the Dirac equation, and new topics in quantum information theory. Detailed worked examples and asides on associated applications of the principles discussed (including the physical basis of magnetic resonance imaging, electron microscopy, and scanning tunneling microscopy) enhance the educational aspects of this book."
—Aaron Lindenberg, Associate Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering/Photon Science, Stanford University/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory"There are many excellent quantum mechanics textbooks on the market. The book by Rae and Napolitano distinguishes itself with a unique approach by including more materials on practical applications of the theoretical concepts detailed in the text. This book can be a great choice of textbook for upper class undergraduate students in physics or students entering graduate studies in engineering schools."
—Professor Chunhui Chen, Iowa State University"This is a very versatile textbook, which could be used in a variety of courses ranging from an ‘honors’ introductory course to a challenging undergraduate upper-class course. Concise but very readable reviews of classical waves, electromagnetism, and relativity are provided. The coverage of quantum mechanics spans elementary wave mechanics, formal theory, perturbation theory, and the Dirac equation. The book is divided into parts, making it easy for an instructor to choose the relevant material based on the level of the class."
—Robert Pelcovits, Professor of Physics, Brown

"The sixth edition of Alastair Rae’s Quantum Mechanics (co-authored by Jim Napolitano) is a valid undergraduate-level introductory text. Well suited for students in Chemistry, Materials Science, and Engineering…now the book is divided into 5 conceptual "Parts", which helps teachers in selecting only the topics which are more suitable for the background of their students… Chapter 15, indeed, provides an accessible introduction to present-day "hot" research areas (quantum cryptography, quantum computing, teleportation), even working out some simple but intriguing examples, likely to stimulate further interest in Quantum Mechanics…the last chapter of the book deals with conceptual problems in Quantum Mechanics. Here authors present a beautiful, in-depth analysis of the concept of quantum measurement, analyzing consequences also at the philosophical level."
—Francesco Montalenti, Università di Milano Bicocca, in Il Nuovo Saggiatore, Vol 33, anno 2017, no. 3-4"This is a great introductory text to quantum mechanics with thorough explanations of the derivations. Several introductory chapters are especially useful to students with a weak background in physics. The material is well presented and contains numerous worked out problems and application examples. This can be a good reference book for modern physics laboratory classes as well."
—Professor V.F. Mitrovic, Brown University"I expect this book will become a very popular and valuable text for students and instructors alike in undergraduate quantum mechanics. In part one, the authors give a helpful review of the physics—from classical waves to special relativity—that provides the necessary foundations for learning quantum mechanics. Together, parts two, three, and four then offer well-structured, splendidly written, and comprehensive coverage of undergraduate quantum mechanics, from the Schrödinger equation and its various applications, through the postulates and the formalism, to spin, perturbation theory, many-particle systems, and a very nice introduction on relativistic quantum theory. Part four provides a unique and enjoyable tour of selected advanced topics, including quantum computing and conceptual issues within quantum theory. Along the way, the authors incorporate a good number of worked examples. The end-of-chapter problems are well chosen to help with student learning. … both students and instructors will greatly appreciate this instructive, comprehensive, and gorgeously written text."
—Tim Gorringe, Professor of Physics, University of Kentucky"This text provides an updated treatment of quantum mechanics, suitable for the standard senior-level undergraduate course at U.S. colleges and universities. The text has many worked examples and a full topic coverage, including Maxwell’s equations (which is a topic often left out of competing textbooks). Notable features are the section on indistinguishable particles, applications such as MRI and superconductivity, and scattering (which students often have difficulty with)."
—Dr. Pete Markowitz, Professor, Department of Physics, Florida International University"The new sixth edition of this well-known textbook should be thought of as one of the best options available for undergraduate quantum mechanics courses, among a very large class of introductory books. New sections, which review the physics of waves, electricity and magnetism, and special relativity, lay the groundwork for the following chapters, which span the range from traditional quantum mechanics topics (the 1D time-independent Schrödinger equation, hydrogenic atoms, angular momentum theory, and time-independent and time-dependent perturbation theory) to more advanced topics, including scattering theory, the Dirac equation, and new topics in quantum information theory. Detailed worked examples and asides on associated applications of the principles discussed (including the physical basis of magnetic resonance imaging, electron microscopy, and scanning tunneling microscopy) enhance the educational aspects of this book."
—Aaron Lindenberg, Associate Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering/Photon Science, Stanford University/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory"There are many excellent quantum mechanics textbooks on the market. The book by Rae and Napolitano distinguishes itself with a unique approach by including more materials on practical applications of the theoretical concepts detailed in the text. This book can be a great choice of textbook for upper class undergraduate students in physics or students entering graduate studies in engineering schools."
—Professor Chunhui Chen, Iowa State University"This is a very versatile textbook, which could be used in a variety of courses ranging from an ‘honors’ introductory course to a challenging undergraduate upper-class course. Concise but very readable reviews of classical waves, electromagnetism, and relativity are provided. The coverage of quantum mechanics spans elementary wave mechanics, formal theory, perturbation theory, and the Dirac equation. The book is divided into parts, making it easy for an instructor to choose the relevant material based on the level of the class."
—Robert Pelcovits, Professor of Physics, Brown University