Quantum How to grasp Cohen-Tannoudji's Photons and Atoms?

[thaiqi]

I got one book by Cohen-Tannoudji, that is, Photons and Atoms. It is hard to understand for me now. What books are the prerequesites to read for understanding Cohen's this book?

 

[Baluncore]

It is hard to understand for me now.

I am not surprised.
Can you be more specific about what you are having trouble with.
Is it some mathematics in particular, or the physical concepts?

 

[DrClaude]

I got one book by Cohen-Tannoudji, that is, Photons and Atoms. It is hard to understand for me now. What books are the prerequesites to read for understanding Cohen's this book?

It is not an introductory book. Assuming you have the proper level in quantum mechanics, a better place to start is Introduction to Quantum Optics by Greenberg, Aspect, and Fabre.
https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/introduction-to-quantum-optics/F45DCE785DC8226D4156EC15CAD5FA9A

 

[thaiqi]

It is not an introductory book. Assuming you have the proper level in quantum mechanics, a better place to start is Introduction to Quantum Optics by Greenberg, Aspect, and Fabre.
https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/introduction-to-quantum-optics/F45DCE785DC8226D4156EC15CAD5FA9A

But seems like Cohen's book is fundamentally theoretical while Grynberg's book is more like its application(about light-matter interaction)?

 

[vanhees71]

Another very nice book on quantum optics is

J. Garrison and R. Chiao, Quantum optics, Oxford University
Press, New York (2008)
https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198508861.001.0001

 

[thaiqi]

Another very nice book on quantum optics is

J. Garrison and R. Chiao, Quantum optics, Oxford University
Press, New York (2008)
https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198508861.001.0001

But my main purpose is not looking for one quantum optics book. Cohen's book is on QED and is very fundamentally theoretical. It seems so unique that I wonder if there are other books alike?

 

[vanhees71]

I thought Cohen's book is about quantum optics. For QED in the sense of high-energy particle physics are of course tons of good other books. As an introductory book to relativistic QFT and the Standard Model I like

M. D. Schwartz, Quantum field theory and the Standard
Model, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, New York
(2014).

 

[thaiqi]

I thought Cohen's book is about quantum optics. For QED in the sense of high-energy particle physics are of course tons of good other books. As an introductory book to relativistic QFT and the Standard Model I like

M. D. Schwartz, Quantum field theory and the Standard
Model, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, New York
(2014).

Thanks. I am now reading Susskind's Special Relativity and Classical Field Theory and feel it is of good help.

 

[thaiqi]

I am not surprised.
Can you be more specific about what you are having trouble with.
Is it some mathematics in particular, or the physical concepts?

This book's contents are rather new to me. For example, the chapter 1 talks about electrodynamics(Maxwell's equations) in reciprocal space. Are there any books talking about it?

 

[vanhees71]

The Fourier transform should be contained in any textbook about electrodynamics, if that's what's meant by "reciprocal space".

 

[thaiqi]

The Fourier transform should be contained in any textbook about electrodynamics, if that's what's meant by "reciprocal space".

I am not aware of such a book. Does Jackson's book talk about it? Can you name some of them? Thanks.

 

[vanhees71]

Of course, it's hard the think that any textbook on E&M doesn't use at the one or the other point Fourier integrals and/or series, multipole expansion, etc.

 

[thaiqi]

Of course, it's hard the think that any textbook on E&M doesn't use at the one or the other point Fourier integrals and/or series, multipole expansion, etc.

Sorry I can't catch what you said above. I simply feel hard to find such a book/books. Stratton's book ? Can you be more in detail? Thanks.

 

[vanhees71]

I don't know, what you are looking for, but Fourier transformations are really found in any textbook on electromagnetism or more general field theory (including wave mechanics) I'm aware of.

If you look for a specific book on the math of Fourier transforms, I can recommend

M. Lighthill, Introduction to Fourier analysis and generalised functions, Cambridge University Press (1958).

That's precisely what you need for classical and quantum field theory concerning Fourier transformation.

 

[thaiqi]

I don't know, what you are looking for, but Fourier transformations are really found in any textbook on electromagnetism or more general field theory (including wave mechanics) I'm aware of.

If you look for a specific book on the math of Fourier transforms, I can recommend

M. Lighthill, Introduction to Fourier analysis and generalised functions, Cambridge University Press (1958).

That's precisely what you need for classical and quantum field theory concerning Fourier transformation.

Thanks. Any book about the Fourier transformations on Maxwell's equations? I need some treatment on it, not to deduce it by myself.

 

[thaiqi]

Thanks. Any book about the Fourier transformations on Maxwell's equations? I need some treatment on it, not to deduce it by myself.

I found another book by them(Grynberg et. al.) talks some about it: Introduction to Quantum Optics. But still I felt it not very in detail.

 

[DrClaude]

I found another book by them(Grynberg et. al.) talks some about it: Introduction to Quantum Optics. But still I felt it not very in detail.

That's the book I suggested above.

You have to start somewhere. If Photons and Atoms is too high a level, then this one is a good place to start.

 

[thaiqi]

That's the book I suggested above.

You have to start somewhere. If Photons and Atoms is too high a level, then this one is a good place to start.

I browsed Grynberg's book. Its chapter 6 can be a complement. But I felt it more complicated than Cohen's book, Cohen's book is more basic.

 

[vanhees71]

I'm still puzzled about your question concerning Fourier transformations. They are REALLY in any (theoretical) text about classical electrodynamics and also about QED. We really can't help you, if you are not clear in what you want to learn and at which level you want to start.

If it's about quantum optics (which I'd characterize as the physics of the quantized electromagnetic field with atoms, molecules, and condensed matter, which can be treated within non-relativistic quantum mechanics), you need a good grasp of classical electrodynamics (Griffiths's book should be sufficient) and quantum mechanics including QFT ("2nd quantization") (Sakurai). Both topics heavily involve Fourier transformations. You really can't miss it. Then you can start with quantum optics. My favorite intro book is Garrison and Chiao or Scully and Zubairy.

 

[thaiqi]

I'm still puzzled about your question concerning Fourier transformations. They are REALLY in any (theoretical) text about classical electrodynamics and also about QED. We really can't help you, if you are not clear in what you want to learn and at which level you want to start.

If it's about quantum optics (which I'd characterize as the physics of the quantized electromagnetic field with atoms, molecules, and condensed matter, which can be treated within non-relativistic quantum mechanics), you need a good grasp of classical electrodynamics (Griffiths's book should be sufficient) and quantum mechanics including QFT ("2nd quantization") (Sakurai). Both topics heavily involve Fourier transformations. You really can't miss it. Then you can start with quantum optics. My favorite intro book is Garrison and Chiao or Scully and Zubairy.

I read your reply on :
https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/fourier-transform-of-maxwells-equations.992601/
That is what I need. Thank you very much.

 

[vanhees71]

So what's your specific question? I think it's better to be discussed in the other thread, because it's not so much about textbooks. As I said, I'm really not aware of any textbook on fieldtheory, where no Fourier transformations are used.

 

[thaiqi]

So what's your specific question? I think it's better to be discussed in the other thread, because it's not so much about textbooks. As I said, I'm really not aware of any textbook on fieldtheory, where no Fourier transformations are used.

In fact, it is very hard for me to find relative books. I just find in Landau's the Classical Theory of Fields section 51 talks a little about it.