Quantum Mechanics: A Modern Development (2nd Edition) / Edition 2

by Leslie E Ballentine

Overview

Although there are many textbooks that deal with the formal apparatus of quantum mechanics (QM) and its application to standard problems, none take into account the developments in the foundations of the subject which have taken place in the last few decades. There are specialized treatises on various aspects of the foundations of QM, but none that integrate those topics with the standard material. This book aims to remove that unfortunate dichotomy, which has divorced the practical aspects of the subject from the interpretation and broader implications of the theory.In this edition a new chapter on quantum information is added. As the topic is still in a state of rapid development, a comprehensive treatment is not feasible. The emphasis is on the fundamental principles and some key applications, including quantum cryptography, teleportation of states, and quantum computing. The impact of quantum information theory on the foundations of quantum mechanics is discussed. In addition, there are minor revisions to several chapters.The book is intended primarily as a graduate level textbook, but it will also be of interest to physicists and philosophers who study the foundations of QM. Parts of it can be used by senior undergraduates too.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9789814578578
Publisher:	World Scientific Publishing Company, Incorporated
Publication date:	11/05/2014
Edition description:	2nd Revised ed.
Pages:	740
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.70(d)

Editorial Reviews

Written as a graduate-level textbook for a two-semester course, but also of interest to physicists and philosophers who study the foundations of quantum mechanics. Its aim is to integrate the standard material on quantum mechanics with developments of the last few decades. Though not indicated in the title, a first edition was published in 1990 by Prentice Hall; it was among the first texts to include coverage of probability theory, state preparation and state determination, and the Aharonov-Bohm effect, among other topics. This second edition adds a considerable amount of new material, including, but not limited to: Feynman's path integrals, quantum mechanics of rigid bodies, the phase space formulation of quantum mechanics, and a new treatment of the energy-time uncertainty relations. An appendix has solutions to selected problems. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

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