Quantum Mechanics

This new, third volume of Cohen-Tannoudji's groundbreaking textbook covers advanced topics of quantum mechanics such as uncorrelated and correlated identical particles, the quantum theory of the electromagnetic field, absorption, emission and scattering of photons by atoms, and quantum entanglement. Written in a didactically unrivalled manner, the textbook explains the fundamental concepts in seven chapters which are elaborated in accompanying complements that provide more detailed discussions, examples and applications.* Completing the success story: the third and final volume of the quantum mechanics textbook written by 1997 Nobel laureate Claude Cohen-Tannoudji and his colleagues Bernard Diu and Franck Laloë* As easily comprehensible as possible: all steps of the physical background and its mathematical representation are spelled out explicitly* Comprehensive: in addition to the fundamentals themselves, the books comes with a wealth of elaborately explained examples and applicationsClaude Cohen-Tannoudji was a researcher at the Kastler-Brossel laboratory of the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris where he also studied and received his PhD in 1962. In 1973 he became Professor of atomic and molecular physics at the Collège des France. His main research interests were optical pumping, quantum optics and atom-photon interactions. In 1997, Claude Cohen-Tannoudji, together with Steven Chu and William D. Phillips, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his research on laser cooling and trapping of neutral atoms.Bernard Diu was Professor at the Denis Diderot University (Paris VII). He was engaged in research at the Laboratory of Theoretical Physics and High Energy where his focus was on strong interactions physics and statistical mechanics.Franck Laloë was a researcher at the Kastler-Brossel laboratory of the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris. His first assignment was with the University of Paris VI before he was appointed to the CNRS, the French National Research Center. His research was focused on optical pumping, statistical mechanics of quantum gases, musical acoustics and the foundations of quantum mechanics.

CREATION AND ANNIHILATION OPERATORS FOR IDENTICAL PARTICLESGeneral FormalismOne-Particle Symmetric OperatorsTwo-Particle OperatorsComplementsFIELD OPERATORDefinition of the Field OperatorSymmetric OperatorsTime Evolution of the Field Operator (Heisenberg Point of View)Relation to Field QuantizationComplementsPAIRED STATES OF IDENTICAL PARTICLESCreation and Annihilation Operators of a Pair of ParticlesBuilding Paired StatesProperties of the Kets Characterizing the Paired StatesCorrelations Between Particles, Pair Wave FunctionPaired States as a Quasi-Particle Vacuum; Bogolubov-Valatin TransformationsREVIEW OF CLASSICAL ELECTRODYNAMICSClassical ElectrodynamicsDescribing the Transverse Field as an Ensemble of Harmonic OscillatorsComplementsQUANTIZATION OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATIONQuantization of the Radiation in the Coulomb GaugePhotons, Elementary Excitations of the Free Quantum ¿eldDescription of the InteractionsComplementsABSORPTION, EMISSION AND SCATTERING OF PHOTONS BY ATOMSA Basic Tool: the Evolution OperatorPhoton Absorption Between Two Discrete Atomic LevelsStimulated and Spontaneous EmissionsRole of Correlation Functions in One-Photon ProcessesPhoton Scattering by an AtomComplementsQUANTUM ENTANGLEMENT, MEASUREMENTS, BELL'S INEQUALITIESIntroducing Entanglement, Goals of This ChapterEntangled States of Two Spin-1/2 SystemsEntanglement Between More General SystemsIdeal Measurement and Entangled States"Which Path" Experiment: Can One Determine the Path Followed by the Photon in Young's Double SlitEntanglement, Non-Locality, Bell's TheoremComplementsAPPENDIX: FEYNMAN PATH INTEGRALQuantum Propagator of a ParticleInterpretation in Terms of Classical HistoriesDiscussion. A New Quantization RuleOperatorsAPPENDIX: LAGRANGE MULTIPLIERSFunction of Two VariablesFunction of N VariablesAPPENDIX: BRIEF REVIEW OF QUANTUM STATISTICAL MECHANICSStatistical EnsemblesIntensive or Extensive Physical QuantitiesAPPENDIX: WIGNER TRANSFORMDelta Function of an OperatorWigner Distribution of the Density Operator (Spinless Particle)Wigner Transform of an OperatorGeneralizationsDiscussion: Wigner Distribution and Quantum Effects