Preprint typeset in JHEP style - HYPER VERSION Lent Term, 2017 Applications of Quantum Mechanics University of Cambridge Part II Mathematical Tripos David Tong Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Centre for Mathematical Sciences, Wilberforce Road, Cambridge, CB3 OBA, UK http://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/user/tong/aqm.html
[email protected] { 1 { Recommended Books and Resources There are many good books on quantum mechanics. Here's a selection that I like: • Griffiths, Introduction to Quantum Mechanics An excellent way to ease yourself into quantum mechanics, with uniformly clear expla- nations. For this course, it covers both approximation methods and scattering. • Shankar, Principles of Quantum Mechanics • James Binney and David Skinner, The Physics of Quantum Mechanics • Weinberg, Lectures on Quantum Mechanics These are all good books, giving plenty of detail and covering more advanced topics. Shankar is expansive, Binney and Skinner clear and concise. Weinberg likes his own notation more than you will like his notation, but it's worth persevering. This course also contains topics that cannot be found in traditional quantum text- books. This is especially true for the condensed matter aspects of the course, covered in Sections 3, 4 and 5. Some good books include • Ashcroft and Mermin, Solid State Physics • Kittel, Introduction to Solid State Physics • Steve Simon, Solid State Physics Basics Ashcroft & Mermin and Kittel are the two standard introductions to condensed matter physics, both of which go substantially beyond the material covered in this course. I have a slight preference for the verbosity of Ashcroft and Mermin. The book by Steve Simon covers only the basics, but does so very well.