PHYSICS 501 - QUANTUM MECHANICS

BOOK LIST

Principal (required) text

Principles of Quantum Mechanics (2nd Edition), by R. Shankar.

Sorry, it's a heavy book, but I find it to be the best choice overall.

Other recommended books

Modern Quantum Mechanics, 2nd Edition, by J.J. Sakurai and J. Napolitano

This is probably the best single alternative textbook for this course. I prefer Shankar because it is more complete, but you may wish to purchase this book as a second text and consult it from time to time.

Modern Quantum Mechanics, by J.J. Sakurai.

This is an older version of the above. It is missing some useful additions, such as the new Ch. 8 on relativistic quantum mechanics and the Dirac theory.

Quantum Mechanics, by E. Merzbacher.

An old standby.

Lectures on Quantum Mechanics, S. Weinberg

Some interesting material, e.g, a good historical background in Ch. 1, and a treatment of entanglement and quantum computation in Ch. 12. However, it has some ideosyncrasies, such as the avoidance of the usual Dirac bra-ket notation.

Quantum Mechanics, by A.S. Davydov.

The only text I know of that has a decent description of linear-response theory (Ch. XII).

Quantum Mechanics, A Modern Development, by L.E. Ballentine.

This is a slightly revised (1998) version of the original Ballentine text published in 1990. It has a good discussion of some topics related to the foundations of quantum mechanics such as Bell's Theorem.

The Quantum Challenge: Modern Research on the Foundations of Quantum Mechanics, by G. Greenstein and A.G. Zajonc.

It has sections on quantum measurement, quantum entanglement, Bell's inequalities, and quantum computation.

Quantum Mechanics and Experience, by D.A. Albert.

This book explores the various different philosophical interpretations of quantum mechanics that have been proposed over the years, addressing questions such as the interpretation of the measurement process and the connection with human consciousness.