Quantum Mechanics and its Applications to Physical Systems

The book presents a lucid analysis of quantum mechanics, with a strong emphasis on comprehending the fundamentals. Based on Dirac's bra(c)ket notation, the essential mathematical formalism is developed and found to be useful in explaining the latest topics of interest, like Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Stimulated Emission and Absorption of Radiations, Ammonia Maser, Quantum Computing, etc. This book is laden with a rich collection of fully solved examples for focusing on understanding the concepts. One of the chapters presents a thorough formalism of angular momentum algebra. This formalism is tested specifically to determine the spin-orbit coupling interaction, which in turn plays an important role in establishing the atomic as well as nuclear shell structure. The author discusses the conventional formalism known as the second quantization technique of many particle systems, which is the backbone of both condensed matter theory and quantum field theory.With its updated and comprehensive coverage, this book meets the requirements of both graduate and research students in the field of physics.

Sham S. Malik is presently an Emeritus professor at the Physics Department of Panjab University, Chandigarh, India. He obtained his PhD degree in theoretical physics from the same institution. After a brief period of post-doctorate study at Institut fur Theoretiche Physik, Giessen (Germany), he joined the G.N.D. (Guru Nanak Dev) University, India as an Assistant Professor in 1992. As a fellow of the Indian National Science Academy, he has worked at the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee. He has been working in the fields of Nuclear Structure and Reaction Dynamics for the last forty years and has published more than seventy research papers in various international journals of repute. He has guided over a dozen PhD students to get their degrees. His straightforward methods for resolving the fundamental issues in complex nuclear phenomena have earned him recognition. He is an excellent speaker and has delivered lecture series in various workshops/ conferences/summer schools. Also, he consistently strives to create a challenging environment in which students become life-long scholars and learners.