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It is notoriously difficult to come up with a new quantum-mechanical problem that would be solvable with a pencil and paper within a finite amount of time and that would provide a useful insight into the fascinating world of quantum physics. Any person who has taught quantum mechanics is certainly aware that there is a lack of such solvable problems in quantum mechanics. In fact, it is exactly this deficit of illuminating examples and practical exercises that make learning and teaching quantum physics so complicated. It is very difficult to understand fundamentally new concepts without real-life examples. Despite this difficulty, Exploring Quantum Mechanics remarkably presents some 700+ problems in quantum mechanics together with solutions. They are 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. Karnakov. Finally, the translator Prof. Victor Galitski, Jr, has edited the material for the modern English-speaking audience and extended it with new problems particularly relevant to modern science.
Preface
1: Operators in Quantum Mechanics
2: One-Dimensional Motion
3: Orbital Angular Momentum
4: Motion in Central Field
5: Spin
6: Time-Dependent Quantum Mechanics
7: Motion in a Magnetic Field
8: Perturbation Theory - Variational Method - Sudden and Adiabatic Action
9: Quasi-Classical Approximation and 1/N-Expansion in Quantum Mechanics
10: Particle Identity - Second Quantization
11: Atoms and Molecules
12: Atomic Nucleus
13: Particle Collisions
14: Quantum Radiation Theory
15: Relativistic Wave Equations
16: Appendix
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 translator 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.
"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
"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
