A Modern Approach to Quantum Mechanics, Second Edition

Summary

Using an innovative approach that students find both accessible and exciting, A Modern Approach to Quantum Mechanics, Second Edition lays out the foundations of quantum mechanics through the physics of intrinsic spin. Written to serve as the primary textbook for an upper-division course in quantum mechanics, Townsend’s text gives professors and students a refreshing alternative to the old style of teaching, by allowing the basic physics of spin systems to drive the introduction of concepts such as Dirac notation, operators, eigenstates and eigenvalues, time evolution in quantum mechanics, and entanglement. Chapters 6 through 10 cover the more traditional subjects in wave mechanics—the Schrödinger equation in position space, the harmonic oscillator, orbital angular momentum, and central potentials—but they are motivated by the foundations developed in the earlier chapters. Students using this text will perceive wave mechanics as an important aspect of quantum mechanics, but not necessarily the core of the subject. Subsequent chapters are devoted to perturbation theory, identical particles, scattering, and the interaction of atoms with radiation, and an optional chapter on path integrals is also included. This new edition has been revised throughout to include many more worked examples and end-of-chapter problems, further enabling students to gain a complete mastery of quantum mechanics. It also includes new sections on quantum teleportation, the density operator, coherent states, and cavity quantum electrodynamics.

Ancillaries

• A detailed Instructors’ Manual is available for adopting professors.
• Art from the book may be downloaded by adopting professors.

Resources

List of Adoptions
Preface (PDF)
Proof that Townsend is the coolest Quantum Mechanics text on Earth

Table of Contents

Contents (PDF)

Reviews

“Townsend’s textbook is far superior to its competitors in both content and notation. I am impressed by the way Townsend introduces the subject matter. It is a piece of art! Teaching is some sort of art, either you have or you don’t, and Townsend has it!”
-Abdelkrim Boukahil, University of Wisconsin

“Townsend is the best book I know for advanced undergraduate quantum mechanics. It is clear, contemporary, and compact. My students used it as a wonderful springboard to graduate school.”
-Ralph D. Amado, University of Pennsylvania

“With this second edition, Townsend has succeeded in making a clear and pedagogical textbook on undergraduate quantum mechanics even better.”
-Charles Gale, McGill University

“The 2nd edition of Townsend’s book has added some very nice new features. New sections on contemporary topics and newly added worked examples have further increased my satisfaction with the book.”
-Randall Feenstra, Carnegie Mellon University