Advanced Quantum Mechanics, the second volume on quantum mechanics by Franz Schwabl, discusses nonrelativistic multi-particle systems, relativistic wave equations and relativistic fields. Characteristic of Schwabl’s work, this volume features a compelling mathematical presentation in which all intermediate steps are derived and where numerous examples for application and exercises help the reader to gain a thorough working knowledge of the subject. The treatment of relativistic wave equations and their symmetries and the fundamentals of quantum field theory lay the foundations for advanced studies in solid-state physics, nuclear and elementary particle physics. This text extends and complements Schwabl’s introductory Quantum Mechanics, which covers nonrelativistic quantum mechanics and offers a short treatment of the quantization of the radiation field. New material has been added to this third edition of Advanced Quantum Mechanics on Bose gases, the Lorentz covariance of the Dirac equation, and the ‘hole theory’ in the chapter "Physical Interpretation of the Solutions to the Dirac Equation."
Students will learn what it means for an electron to be a fermion and how that leads to the Pauli exclusion principle. They will also learn what it means for a photon to be a boson and how that allows us to build radios and lasers. The strange phenomenon of quantum tunneling will lead to an understanding of how nuclei emit alpha particles and how the same effect predicts that cosmological space can “boil.” Finally, the course will delve into the world of quantum field theory and the relation between waves and particles.