Last edit March 28, 2007: 11:30Am C. Thompson

Links:

FUNDAMENTAL CONSTANTS:   http://physics.nist.gov/cuu/Constants/index.html

 

Interesting life advice for researchers: You and your research: given by  Richard W. Hamming at MRE on March 7, 1986.

 

Humor before business: (mathematical, physics, and academic jokes, mostly pretty clean) 

http://www.markjoshi.com/Ashland/Jokes.html

http://www.math.ualberta.ca/%7Erunde/jokes.html

http://www.utc.edu/Academic/PhysicsGeologyAstronomy/physicshum1.html

http://www.utc.edu/Academic/PhysicsGeologyAstronomy/physicshum2.html

http://www.utc.edu/Academic/PhysicsGeologyAstronomy/physicshum3.html

 

University of Tennessee has an interesting ‘web’ based Graduate Quantum course so it is at a high level compared to many web pages (and it has a lot of java applets!) at:

http://electron6.phys.utk.edu/qm1/

 

Lots of demonstrations (java applets) for Quantum Mechanics. (Site also has many demos for other topics in physics)

http://www.upscale.utoronto.ca/GeneralInterest/QM.html

 

Interactive Physics (not so much for graduate quantum, but may help provide demonstrations and some fun things for other courses)

http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/sci_edu/physites.html

 

Hyperphysics (collection of examples and explanations by topic.) This site covers many areas of physics in helpful and succinct manner.

 http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/quacon.html#quacon

 

TEXTBOOKS:

If you find copies of any of these for cheap, or can borrow copies from Professors or other students, they may come in handy. Ordered alphabetically.

 

Note that Schiff is the text that was prevalent in many  universities during Professor Thompson’s graduate days. Looking at the comments below, maybe that is why she is not into any ‘excessive angst’ over the ‘airy-fairy’ parts of QM.

 

(comments, when included are excerpted from http://www.faqs.org/faqs/physics-faq/part1/  and http://sps.nus.edu.sg/%7Engjiaton/revquant.htm )

 

Cohen-Tannoudji, "Quantum Mechanics I & II", 1977.

introductory to intermediate.

 

Eisberg and Resnick "Quantum Physics of Atoms, Molecules, Solids, Nuclei, and Particles", 2nd ed., 1985.

This is a basic intro. to QM, and it is excellent for

undergrads. It is not thorough with math, but fills in a lot

of the  intuitive stuff that most textbooks do not present.

 

Griffiths, D., “Introduction to Quantum Mechanics” (2nd Ed.)

Standard undergraduate text for a first module in QM in the US. Concise and very easy to read. Introduces concepts very well, though mathematically-wise not so impressive. I would suggest that all physics major take at least a look at this once in his undergrad life. This ubiquitous textbook has just recently been updated. Worth a look.

 

Liboff, “Introductory Quantum Mechanics”, 2nd ed., 1992

elementary level. Makes a few mistakes. (4th ed In the earlier scenes of Spiderman 2, Peter Parker is seen dropping his books on his way to his classes. This textbook is one of the two Quantum Mechanics textbooks which he dropped. The other one is Quantum Physics (3rd Ed.) by Stephen Gasiorowicz.)

 

Mertzbacher, E., “Quantum Mechanics”, 3d edition

 

Messiah, A., “Quantum Mechanics”, 1961

 

Sakurai, J, “Modern Quantum Mechanics”, 1985

 

Schiff, Leonard, L: “Quantum Mechanics”, 3rd ed., 1968

A little old. Not much emphasis on airy-fairy things like many worlds

or excessive angst over Heisenberg UP. Straight up QM for people

who want to do calculations. Introductory gradauate level. Mostly

Schrod. eqn. Spin included, but only in an adjunct to Schrod. Not

much emphasis on things like Dirac eqn., etc.

 

Shankar, R., “Principles of Quantum Mechanics” (2nd Ed.)

The introductory chapter on linear algebra is very good. Rather comprehensive book.

 

 

Go to homepage for Professor C. Thompson

Email to cthompson@niu.edu

Go to homepage for NIU physics department

Go to Northen Illinois University libraries

Go to homepage for Northern Illinois University

Go to homepage for SPS

 

Caution:

Many resources exist on the web, but be aware that much of what is available in java applets and wiki pages may be geared for introductory and superficial treatments. Quantum Mechanics are made by thinking critically while working problems, thinking critically while reading the text, and working some more problems.

 

At the bottom of this webpage are listings of other textbooks that may be more helpful for readings.  It will be very helpful to have a text available that is at the advanced undergraduate level.

 

With non-traditional backgrounds, (e.g., non-physics undergraduate degree), and with no prior experience at the level of a course similar to the NIU Phys 460 (typical texts would used would be Eisberg and Resnick or Griffiths or Liboff) please enroll in Phys 460 and Phys 461 before tackling Phys 560. Physics programs go in spirals. Introductory modern physics courses at the introductory level (e.g. Phys 283 (formerly known as Phys 260) using typical texts such as Halliday and Resnick, Giancola, Tipler, Serway, Beiser...) are NOT EQUIVALENT to Phys 460.