The discussion revolves around the challenges of understanding Cohen-Tannoudji's book "Photons and Atoms" and the prerequisites needed for it. Participants explore various foundational texts in quantum mechanics and optics, as well as the mathematical concepts involved, particularly Fourier transformations in electrodynamics.
Participants generally agree on the need for a solid foundation in quantum mechanics and electrodynamics to understand Cohen's book, but there are multiple competing views on which specific texts are most suitable as prerequisites. The discussion about Fourier transformations and their treatment in textbooks remains unresolved, with differing opinions on the availability of suitable resources.
Participants express varying levels of familiarity with the mathematical concepts involved, particularly Fourier transformations, and there is uncertainty about which textbooks adequately cover these topics in relation to Maxwell's equations.
I am not surprised.thaiqi said:It is hard to understand for me now.
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.thaiqi said: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?
But seems like Cohen's book is fundamentally theoretical while Grynberg's book is more like its application(about light-matter interaction)?DrClaude said: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 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 said: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
Thanks. I am now reading Susskind's Special Relativity and Classical Field Theory and feel it is of good help.vanhees71 said: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).
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?Baluncore said: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?
I am not aware of such a book. Does Jackson's book talk about it? Can you name some of them? Thanks.vanhees71 said:The Fourier transform should be contained in any textbook about electrodynamics, if that's what's meant by "reciprocal space".
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 said: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.
Thanks. Any book about the Fourier transformations on Maxwell's equations? I need some treatment on it, not to deduce it by myself.vanhees71 said: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.
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.thaiqi said:Thanks. Any book about the Fourier transformations on Maxwell's equations? I need some treatment on it, not to deduce it by myself.
That's the book I suggested above.thaiqi said: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.
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.DrClaude said: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 read your reply on :vanhees71 said: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.
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.vanhees71 said: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.