Quantum mechanics demystified

"Now anyone can master the basics of quantum mechanics-without formal training, unlimited time, or a genius IQ. In Quantum Mechanics Demystified, physicist (and student-savvy author) David McMahon provides an effective and illuminating way to learn the essentials of quantum mechanics." "With Quantum Mechanics Demystified, you master the subject one step at a time-at your own speed. This unique self-teaching guide is filled with solved examples throughout, and offers problems to try at the end of each chapter to pinpoint weaknesses. A final exam serves to reinforce concepts covered in the entire book. Book jacket."--BOOK JACKET. Read more... 1. Historical review -- Blackbody radiation and Planck's formula -- The photoelectric effect -- The Bohr theory of the atom -- de Broglie's hypothesis -- Quiz -- 2. Basic developments -- The Schrödinger equation -- Solving the Schrödinger equation -- The probability interpretation and normalization -- Expansion of the wavefunction and finding coefficients -- The phase of a wavefunction -- Operators in quantum mechanics -- Momentum and the uncertainty principle -- The conservation of probability -- Quiz -- 3. The time independent Schrödinger equation -- The free particle -- Bound states and 1-D scattering -- Parity -- Ehrenfest theorem -- Quiz -- 4. An introduction to state space -- Basic definitions -- Hilbert space definitions -- Quiz -- 5. The mathematical structure of quantum mechanics I -- Linear vector spaces -- Basis vectors -- Expanding a vector in terms of a basis -- Orthonormal sets and the Gram-Schmidt procedure -- Dirac algebra with bras and kets -- Finding the expansion coefficients I the representation of bras and kets -- Quiz -- 6. The mathematical structure of quantum mechanics II -- The representation of an operator -- Eigenvalues and eigenvectors -- The Hermitian conjugate of an operator -- The commutator -- Quiz -- 7. The mathematical structure of quantum mechanics III -- Change of basis and unitary transformations -- The generalized uncertainty relation -- Projection operators -- Functions of operators -- Generalization to continuous spaces -- Quiz -- 8. The foundations of quantum mechanics -- The postulates of quantum mechanics -- Spectral decomposition -- Projective measurements -- The completeness relation -- Completely specifying a state with a CSCO -- The Heisenberg versus Schrödinger pictures -- Describing composite systems in quantum mechanics -- The matrix representation of a tensor product -- The tensor product of state vectors -- The density operator -- The density operator for a completely mixed state -- A brief introduction to the Bloch vector -- Quiz -- 9. The harmonic oscillator -- The solution of the harmonic oscillator in the position representation -- The operator method for the harmonic oscillator -- Number states of the harmonic oscillator -- More on the action of the raising and lowering operators -- Quiz -- 10. Angular momentum -- The commutation relations of angular momentum -- The uncertainty relations for angular momentum -- Generalized angular momentum and the ladder operators -- Matrix representations of angular momentum -- Coordinate representation of orbital angular momentum and the spherical harmonics -- Quiz -- 11. Spin-1/2 systems -- The Stern-Gerlach experiment -- The basis states for spin-1/2 systems -- Using the ladder operators to construct Sx, Sy -- Unitary transformations for spin-1/2 systems -- The outer product representation of the spin operators -- The Pauli matrices -- The time evolution of spin-1/2 systems -- Quiz -- 12. Quantum mechanics in three dimensions -- The 2-D square well -- An overview of a particle in a central potential -- An overview of the hydrogen atom -- Quiz -- Final exam -- Answers to quiz and exam questions