Exploring Quantum Mechanics

A Collection of 700+ Solved Problems for Students, Lecturers, and Researchers

Victor Galitski, Boris Karnakov, Vladimir Kogan, and Victor Galitski, Jr

Leading book offering problems in quantum mechanics
Contains more than 700 unique problems collected over 60 years
Has a proven record of long-lasting circulation in Russia and France
Emerging wide audience for the book: quantum physics is becoming closer and closer to modern-day technology and interest in the field is increasing
Broad impact: the book is useful for both a beginning student and a practicing theoretical physicist, as it contains unique methods and tricks-of-the-trade not to be found elsewhere

Exploring Quantum Mechanics

A Collection of 700+ Solved Problems for Students, Lecturers, and Researchers

Victor Galitski, Boris Karnakov, Vladimir Kogan, and Victor Galitski, Jr

Description

A series of seminal technological revolutions has led to a new generation of electronic devices miniaturized to such tiny scales where the strange laws of quantum physics come into play. There is no doubt that, unlike scientists and engineers of the past, technology leaders of the future will have to rely on quantum mechanics in their everyday work. This makes teaching and learning the subject of paramount importance for further progress. Mastering quantum physics is a very non-trivial task and its deep understanding can only be achieved through working out real-life problems and examples. It is notoriously difficult to come up with new quantum-mechanical problems that would be solvable with a pencil and paper, and within a finite amount of time. This book remarkably presents some 700+ original problems in quantum mechanics together with detailed solutions covering nearly 1000 pages on all aspects of quantum science. The material is largely new to the English-speaking audience.
The problems have been collected over about 60 years, first by the lead author, the late Prof. Victor Galitski, Sr. Over the years, new problems were added and the material polished by Prof. Boris Karnakov. Finally, Prof. Victor Galitski, Jr., has extended the material with new problems particularly relevant to modern science.

Exploring Quantum Mechanics

A Collection of 700+ Solved Problems for Students, Lecturers, and Researchers

Victor Galitski, Boris Karnakov, Vladimir Kogan, and Victor Galitski, Jr

Preface
1:Operators in Quantum Mechanics
2:One-Dimensional Motion
3:Orbital Angular Momentum
4:Motion in a Spherically-symmetric Potential
5:Spin
6:Time-Dependent Quantum Mechanics
7:Motion in a Magnetic Field
8:Perturbation Theory; Variational Method; Sudden and Adiabatic Theory
9:Quasi-Classical Approximation; 1/N-Expansion in Quantum Mechanics
10:Identical particles; Second quantization
11:Atoms and Molecules
12:Atomic Nucleus
13:Particle Collisions
14:Quantum Radiation Theory
15:Relativistic Wave Equations
16:Appendix

Exploring Quantum Mechanics

A Collection of 700+ Solved Problems for Students, Lecturers, and Researchers

Victor Galitski, Boris Karnakov, Vladimir Kogan, and Victor Galitski, Jr

Author Information

Victor Galitski, Deceased. Former Head of the Theoretical Physics Department,Moscow Engineering Physics Institute, Boris Karnakov, Professor Emeritus, Moscow Engineering Physics Institute, Vladimir Kogan, Professor Emeritus, Moscow Engineering Physics Institute, and Victor Galitski, Jr, Physics Department, University of Maryland

Victor Galitski, Sr, (1924 - 1981) in the course of his 30-year long research career in theoretical physics, co-authored 77 papers in an amazing variety of fields of both nuclear physics and condensed matter physics. His famous results include the derivation of what now is called the Galitski-Feynman equations, the first theory of unconventional superconductivity, and the development of diagrammatic calculation methods in condensed matter physics. From 1961 until his death in 1981, Victor Galitski, Sr, was the head of the Theoretical Physics Department at the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute. From 1972 to 1981 he also was the director of the Nuclear Physics Department at the Kurchatov Institute for Atomic Energy in Moscow.

Dr. Boris Karnakov is a Professor Emeritus at the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute. His research interests include nuclear physics, where he has more than 50 publications.

Dr. Vladimir Kogan is a Professor Emeritus at the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute. His interests are primarily physics education and quantum mechanics. He was the co-author of the first edition of a much shorter problems and solutions book published jointly with Victor Galitski, Sr, in 1956.

Dr. Victor Galitski, Jr, is a grandson of the first author of the book and co-author of the current edition. His research interests include various aspects of theoretical condensed matter physics and cold atoms, with the focus on superconductivity, topological phases of matter, and spin transport. Galitski, Jr, is currently an Associate Professor of Physics at the University of Maryland, College Park. He is a Fellow of the Joint Quantum Institute and a member of the Center of Nanophysics and Advanced Materials there. He is a recipient of the NSF CAREER award.

Exploring Quantum Mechanics

A Collection of 700+ Solved Problems for Students, Lecturers, and Researchers

Victor Galitski, Boris Karnakov, Vladimir Kogan, and Victor Galitski, Jr

Reviews and Awards

"In his Preface, Victor Galitski, Jr. offers something of an apology for preserving an old-school style to the contents. Nice as it is no such apology is called for with such an excellent book. The publisher, OUP, is to be congratulated on the investment of a professional indexer, who has done a good job." - S.W. Lovesey, Contemporary Physics,

"An excellent resource for students and teachers seeking a deep understanding of quantum mechanics" - Dr David Bowler, UCL

"Finally, the reader receives the English translation of this magnificent book, arguably, the best collection of working problems in Quantum Mechanics. My congratulations are going to thousands of students and working physicists who will definitely find here the material for exercises as well as an inspiration in original research." - David Khmelnitskii, Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge

"Most physicists and physics students will affirm that they learned the subject by working the problems. Here is a treasure trove of quantum problems and solutions - a splendid resource for teachers trying to expand the repertoire of their problem sets and for students of all ages trying to deepen their understanding of the heart of modern physics." - William D. Phillips, NIST, Nobel Laureate Physics 1997

"Provides a wide range of opportunities to learn what quantum mechanics does through an impressive collection of solved problems. [...] The result is a gem of old-world craftsmanship, well worth a place alongside the other classic texts of quantum mechanics in any physicist's library." - Physics Today,

"This is a must-have book for anybody who wants to gain working knowledge of quantum mechanics. It gives both fundamental physical understanding and concrete knowledge of specific technical methods and approaches." - Eugene Demler, Harvard University

"A treasure-trove of insightful problems and solutions, 'Exploring Quantum Mechanics' provides a unique and rare perspective on quantum physics. Spanning a broad range of subfields, it is a testament to the mastery of the original authors, Galitski Sr. et al., and the translator, Galitski Jr. Students and specialists of quantum mechanics in the English speaking science world will greatly benefit from this invaluable collection." - Gil Refael, CalTech

"This collection of problems in quantum physics, probably the largest of its kind in the world, gives the reader the unique possibility to learn to feel at home in the world of quantum mechanics. It includes more than seven hundred problems of various difficulty accompanied by detailed solutions, ranging from elementary single-particle quantum mechanics in one dimension to relativistic field theory and advanced aspects of nuclear physics." - Andrey Varlamov, Italian National Research Council