Here are some other books that you may find useful for basic background:
1. Basic Training in Mathematics: A Fitness Program for Science Students by R. Shankar. [Call number = QA300.S4315 1995 -- on 3-day reserve] This book will be helpful if you are finding the mathematics that we use in PH205 to be difficult. Chapters 8 and 9 on "Matrices and Determinants" and "Linear Vector Spaces" are good supplements to Shankar's Principles of Quantum Mechanics. The notation, as you might expect, is very similar in the two books. And there is much else of value between the covers.
2. Feynman Lectures on Physics, Vol. III by Feynman, Leighton, and Sands. [Call number = 1-SIZE QC23.F45 (1964).] In this famous set of lectures, Feynman introduces quantum mechanics from his own unique viewpoint. The "bra" and "ket" notation is used right away. Feynman's terrific physical intuition makes these lectures great fun to read.
3. Introduction to Quantum Mechanics by
David J. Griffiths (Prentice-Hall 1995).
An exceptionally well-written undergraduate level textbook. Highly
recommended.
Here are some intermediate textbooks that are classics:
1. Landau and Lifshitz: Quantum Mechanics. Old fashioned approach, lots of detailed discussions, particularly good on second quantization.
2. J.J. Sakurai: Modern Quantum Mechanics. Good discussion of basic formulation of quantum mechanics, particularly strong on symmetry transformations.
3. K. Gottfried: Quantum Physics. About
the same level as Baym and Shankar with a more detailed description of
various topics. Very strong in scattering theory.
Here are some advanced books that I recommend to you for further exploration:
1. PCT, Spin and Statistics, and All That, by R. F. Streater and A. S. Wightman. This is a classic, sophisticated, mathematical treatment of quantum theory. One of its highpoints is the proof of the "spin-statistics theorem" which we will discuss in class later in the semester, but will not attempt to prove. The second chapter, "Some Mathematical Tools," is a concise summary of key definitions and theorems. The distinction between Hermitian and Self-Adjoint operators is discussed briefly on page 89.
2. Black-Body Theory and the Quantum Discontinuity, 1894-1912, by Thomas Kuhn. A detailed study of the early history of quantum mechanics, focusing mainly on Planck's work, and its relationship to the then-new field of statistical mechanics.
3. Selected Papers on Quantum Electrodynamics
edited by Julian Schwinger. Key papers are collected here.
You'll find Dirac's "The Lagrangian in Quantum Mechanics" that set Feynman
off to understand what Dirac meant by "correspond."
For the philosophically inclined, here's an excellent new book:
1. Seeing Double: Shared Identities in Physics, Philosophy, and Literature, by Peter Pesic (MIT Press, 2002). From the Prologue: "Imagine a winter evening with snowflakes falling. Each snowflake is unique, an irreplaceable individual, or so one has heard since childhood. But is it really true? This book will show that each snowflake is composed of beings that are indistinguishable in every observable respect. Electrons and all other species of elementary particles exhibit no individuality. The members of each species are identical to a degree that is without parallel in the domain of ordinary human experience. As a consequence, they show a strange interdependence that manifests itself in the peculiar phenomena described by quantum theory. All aspects of chemistry depend crucially on this loss of individuality, as does practically every branch of physics."