Contents

Preface 1 Probability and probability amplitudes

1.1 The laws of probability Expectation values 4 x 1 3 5 7

1.4 Measurement Problems

1.2 Probability amplitudes Two-slit interference 6 Matter waves? 7 1.3 Quantum states Quantum amplitudes and measurements 7 Complete sets of amplitudes 8 Dirac notation 8 Vector spaces and their adjoints 9 The energy representation 11 Orientation of a spin-half particle 12 Polarisation of photons 13

15 15 17 17 21 24

2 Operators, measurement and time evolution

2.1 Operators Functions of operators 20 Commutators 20 2.2 Evolution in time Evolution of expectation values 23

2.3 The position representation Hamiltonian of a particle 26 Wavefunction for well dened momentum 27 The uncertainty principle 28 Dynamics of a free particle 29 Back to two-slit interference 31 Generalisation to three dimensions 31 Probability current 32 The virial theorem 33 Problems

34 37 37 41 45

3 Harmonic oscillators and magnetic elds

3.1 Stationary states of a harmonic oscillator 3.2 Dynamics of oscillators Anharmonic oscillators 42

3.3 Motion in a magnetic eld Gauge transformations 46 Landau Levels 47 Displacement of the gyrocentre 49 Aharonov-Bohm effect 51 Problems

52 57 57

4 Transformations & Observables

4.1 Transforming kets Translating kets 58 Continuous transformations

vi and generators 59 The rotation operator 61 Discrete transformations 61

Contents

4.2 Transformations of operators 4.4 The Heisenberg picture

63 67 68 70 71 74 74

4.3 Symmetries and conservation laws 4.5 What is the essence of quantum mechanics? Problems

5 Motion in step potentials

5.1 Square potential well Limiting cases 76 (a) Innitely deep well 76 (b) Innitely narrow well 77 5.2 A pair of square wells Ammonia 80 The ammonia maser 81

78 83

5.3 Scattering of free particles The scattering cross section 85 Tunnelling through a potential barrier 86 Scattering by a classically allowed region 87 Resonant scattering 89 The BreitWigner cross section 91 5.4 How applicable are our results? 5.5 What we have learnt Problems

94 96 97 102 103

6 Composite systems
6.1 Composite systems Collapse of the wavefunction 106 Operators for composite systems 107 Development of entanglement 108 EinsteinPodolskiRosen experiment 109 Bells inequality 111 6.2 Quantum computing 6.3 The density operator Reduced density operators 123 6.4 Thermodynamics 6.5 Measurement Problems Shannon entropy 125

114 119 127 130 133 137

2

7 Angular Momentum
7.1 Eigenvalues of Jz and J Rotation spectra of diatomic molecules 140

137 142

7.3 Three-dimensional harmonic oscillator

7.2 Orbital angular momentum L as the generator of circular translations 144 Spectra of L2 and Lz 145 Orbital angular momentum eigenfunctions 145 Orbital angular momentum and parity 149 Orbital angular momentum and kinetic energy 149 Legendre polynomials 151

152

7.4 Spin angular momentum 156 Spin and orientation 157 Spin-half systems 158 The SternGerlach experiment 159 Spin-one systems 161 The classical limit 163 Precession in a magnetic eld 165

7.5 Addition of angular momenta 167 Case of two spin-half systems 170 Case of spin one and spin half 172 The classical limit 172 Problems 173

Contents

vii 177 178

8 Hydrogen
8.1 Gross structure of hydrogen Emission-line spectra 181 Radial eigenfunctions 182 Shielding 186 Expectation values for rk 188

8.2 Fine structure and beyond Spin-orbit coupling 189 Hyperne structure 193 Problems

189 194 197 197

9 Perturbation theory
9.1 Time-independent perturbations Quadratic Stark eect 199 Linear Stark eect and degenerate perturbation theory 200 Eect of an external magnetic eld 202 PaschenBack eect 204 Zeeman eect 204 9.2 Variational principle 9.3 Time-dependent perturbation theory Fermi golden rule 208 Radiative transition rates 209 Selection rules 212 Problems

206 207

214 218 218

10 Helium and the periodic table

10.1 Identical particles Generalisation to the case of N identical particles 219 Pauli exclusion principle 219 Electron pairs 221

10.2 Gross structure of helium Gross structure from perturbation theory 223 Application of the variational principle to helium 224 Excited states of helium 225 Electronic congurations and spectroscopic terms 228 Spectrum of helium 229 10.3 The periodic table From lithium to argon 229 ods 233 Problems

222

229 The fourth and fth peri234 236 237 238 240 241 242 Molecular dynamics 244 245 247 249 249 253

11 Adiabatic principle
11.1 Derivation of the adiabatic principle 11.2 Application to kinetic theory 11.3 Application to thermodynamics 11.4 The compressibility of condensed matter 11.5 Covalent bonding A model of a covalent bond 242 Dissociation of molecules 245 11.6 The WKBJ approximation Problems

12 Scattering Theory
12.1 The scattering operator Perturbative treatment of the scattering operator 251

12.2 The S-matrix The i prescription 253 Expanding the S-matrix 255 The scattering amplitude 257

viii 12.3 Cross-sections and scattering experiments The optical theorem 261

Contents 259 263 265 270 Radioactive decay 272 274

12.4 Scattering electrons o hydrogen 12.5 Partial wave expansions Scattering at low energy 268

12.6 Resonant scattering BreitWigner resonances 272 Problems

Appendices
A B C D E F G H Cartesian tensors Fourier series and transforms Operators in classical statistical mechanics Lorentz covariant equations Thomas precession Matrix elements for a dipole-dipole interaction Selection rule for j Restrictions on scattering potentials 277 279 280 282 284 286 287 288

Index

290