Preface

Quantum Mechanics, the new age science,

Has struck wonder since
With the superposition principle indeed
The cat could be half-alive or half-dead.

One more book on quantum mechanics! There are plenty of excellent textbooks on quantum mechanics in the market. Good lecture
notes are available on the internet. Then, where is the need for another book on quantum mechanics? Every author feels that there is
a lacuna that is not filled by the existing books and believes that his/her book will bridge this gap. Of course, this belief is likely to
remain in the realms of wishful thinking.
This book has been written by a teacher, rather than by an expert on quantum mechanics. The justification for writing this book,
as also its thrust centres on this point. I taught quantum mechanics for M.Sc students at RKM Vivekananda College, Chennai, for
more than two-and-a-half decades. Quantum mechanics is very abstract and mathematical. It requires lengthy articulation on the
part of a teacher to clarify the subtleties of various concepts. Also, many students find it difficult to do all the mathematical
manipulations themselves. During my lectures, I have often been requested by students as well as teachers to suggest a book where
all the calculations can be found in detail. This book makes an attempt to provide all the calculations and explain the subtleties
involved in a student-friendly way. However, learning quantum mechanics is not going to be easy even if one finds a book where all
the calculations have been worked out in detail. The only way for a student to learn quantum mechanics is by working out all the
details himself/herself. There is no shortcut or an alternative method other than working out the details by oneself. The student has
to spend sufficient time to reflect on the nature of quantum mechanical ideas. Yet, students do require some help from the teachers
or books and the degree of such help depends on the level of the student.
This book has been written with the average student in mind, who wants to understand and appreciate quantum mechanics.
Therefore, it may sound too elementary and repetitive at some places. The book presents the mathematical manipulations in full
detail while laying considerable emphasis on the conceptual framework of quantum theory.
I have tried to impress upon the reader that the world view generated by quantum mechanics is drastically different from that of
classical physics. The best way to appreciate the implications of quantum mechanics is to compare it with classical physics. Such
comparisons have been provided throughout the book.
A number of topics such as optical theorem and Kramer’s relation have been presented in more depth than what is generally
covered in a textbook at this level. Though these materials are available from other sources, they are not easily accessible to
students, in general.
The order in which the various topics are discussed is quite conventional. It is better to first get acquainted with Schrödinger
equation and its applications to simple potentials in one dimension. This exposition can be followed by operator formalism. But
even in the case of formalism, it is better to do it in the language of wave mechanics. Introducing Dirac’s abstract state-vector
formalism after the exposure of wave mechanics, helps students to grasp it better.
 Classical physics is reviewed in Chapter 1. The evolution of major concepts of classical physics is presented in this chapter,
without going into the historical accounts, with a view to prepare the reader to get a proper perspective on quantum mechanics.
Feynman’s thought experiment on double slits is portrayed in detail. We use the words ‘particle’ and ‘wave’ to describe the physical
entities in both macroscopic and microscopic world. However, their meanings are different. At the microscopic level, the objects
exhibit non-classical particle and non-classical wave property. It is amazing to see how Feynman’s thought experiment brings out
all the non-classical nature of wave–particle duality and the state of superposition.
In Chapter 2, Schrödinger equation and boundary conditions for the wave functions are developed. The concept of wave packet
in the context of uncertainty relation is presented in detail. In Chapter 3, Schrödinger equations for different one-dimensional
potentials are solved bringing out the consequences of wave nature in the microscopic world. In particular, it delves into the non-
classical aspect of the tunnelling phenomenon.
In Chapter 4, the mathematical background which is required to work on quantum mechanics is provided (in a minimal way). Its
major stress is on the exposition of the Hilbert space structure of quantum mechanics, though it is an elementary account without
any mathematical rigour. Chapter 5 is devoted to the formalism of quantum mechanics. It brings out the significance of
superposition in quantum mechanics and expounds on the uncertainty principle, the concepts of compatible observables and
simultaneous measurements. It elucidates the quantum mechanical postulates and shows how all the postulates together imply a
radical departure of quantum mechanics from classical physics. The contrast between classical and quantum physics is brought out
in detail.
Chapter 6 is on the simple harmonic oscillator. Both wave mechanics and the ladder operator methods are spelt out. The
coherent state is explained in detail. Chapter 7 dwells upon the orbital angular momentum. In Chapter 8, Schrödinger equation is
applied to various three-dimensional potentials. The square-well potential and the hydrogen atom are presented in detail. There are
two appendices: one on associated Laguerre polynomial and another on Kramer’s relation.
Chapter 9 takes a close look at Dirac’s abstract state vector formalism. The second part of this chapter focuses on symmetry and
associated unitary transformation. We choose to work with active transformation. The concept of internal parity is developed at
length. Chapter 10 develops angular momentum and deals at length with Clebsh–Gordan coefficients and their evaluation using
various methods. The tensor operators have been presented at the introductory level. Chapter 11 stresses on the principle of
indistinguishability and the consequences of this principle in statistical mechanics. The density matrix and its properties are
analyzed in detail.
Chapter 12 consists of two parts: In the first part, we consider an electron in the presence of constant magnetic field. Next, we
consider gauge invariance, which plays a major role in elementary particle physics. However, we restrict ourselves to the gauge
invariance of Schrödinger equation only. The Aharonov–Bohm effect is presented. The second part of this chapter deals with two-
state problems. There are a number of systems which are unrelated but their state space is two-dimensional. The fact that their state
space is two-dimensional Hilbert space causes them to share certain common features irrespective of other details. Fluctuations in
ammonia molecule’s configuration, magnetic resonance and neutrino oscillation have been considered here as systems illustrating
the two-state problem.
Chapter 13 deals with approximations for solving time-independent Schrödinger equation. It examines the time-independent
perturbation theory and variational method and describes the WKB approximation and its applications in a detailed manner. Chapter
14 considers various types of approximation to solve the time-dependent Schrödinger equation with stress on the time-dependent
perturbation theory and its applications. It also discusses the adiabatic theorem and the Berry phase at length. Chapter 15 describes
the scattering theory. A major part of this chapter is devoted to partial wave analysis. It also elaborates on the Born approximation.
Chapter 16 is on the relativistic wave equations. It explores Dirac’s negative energy sea at length though this idea has been
superseded by the quantum field theory. The corrections to Bohr energy levels of hydrogen atom have been worked out using both
Klien–Gordan equation and Dirac equation. Solving Dirac equation for hydrogen atom requires considerable manipulations and the
chapter presents all calculations in full detail.
 I am indebted to Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda College, Chennai, where I had taught quantum mechanics for about 25
years. Interactions with my former colleagues of physics department were indeed a pleasant experience. I also benefitted a lot from
the department library. I take this opportunity to thank my colleague, K. Sethusankar, who was very helpful to me all these years. I
am indebted to my former colleagues, R. Sudharsan and J. Segar, who went through the manuscript patiently. Their critical
observations made me rewrite a number of sections with better clarity and rigour. I am grateful to R. Sudharsan for proofreading all
the chapters painstakingly with patience (The clerihew given above is by Sudharsan). I am obliged to Ganesh Rajkumar for helping
me in software-related work. I thank my brothers and sisters for their support. I thank my wife R. G. Shanthi and my daughter M.
Nithya Bharathi for their cooperation while I was writing this book.