Studying Advanced quantum mechanics in high-energy theory/cosmology

[spaghetti3451]

I would like to know which chapters from the Advanced Quantum Mechanics textbook by Sakurai are most relevant to research work in high-energy theoretical physics.

The kind of research topics that I have in mind pertain to work in string/brane cosmology, cosmological perturbations, dark matter theories, inflationary models of the early universe, topological defects, etc. and all kinds of research work in quantum gravity and string theory.

My goal is to read only those chapters from Sakurai which are most relevant to work in these research topics. In the past, I have spent too much time learning subjects such as atomic and molecular physics, solid state physics, etc. and now I end up having no use for these. So, I would like to know which chapters you consider to be most relevant to research work in cosmology, quantum gravity and string theory.

 

[Dishsoap]

What is your background in QM?

 

[spaghetti3451]

I took two courses in Quantum Mechanics at the level of Griffiths.

The first course covered the first half of the textbook and I am fairly adept at basic QM.

The second course covered the second half of the textbook, but I am not adept at material such as WKB, time-dependent perturbations, variational principle, scattering, etc.