Modern Quantum Mechanics 3rd Ed: J. J. Sakurai & Jim Napolitano Review

[Vectronix]

Is Modern Quantum Mechanics, 3rd Edition, by J. J. Sakurai and Jim Napolitano a good book to learn quantum mechanics from?

 

[PeroK]

Is Modern Quantum Mechanics, 3rd Edition, by J. J. Sakurai and Jim Napolitano a good book to learn quantum mechanics from?

It is excellent, but it's quite an advanced treatment - perhaps better for senior undergraduates.

 

[Vectronix]

It is excellent, but it's quite an advanced treatment - perhaps better for senior undergraduates.

Thank you!

 

[vanhees71]

Skip the chapter on "relativistic quantum mechanics" and read a good introductory textbook on relativistic quantum field theory instead. Otherwise it's an excellent textbook about non-relativistic quantum theory.

 

[Vectronix]

Skip the chapter on "relativistic quantum mechanics" and read a good introductory textbook on relativistic quantum field theory instead. Otherwise it's an excellent textbook about non-relativistic quantum theory.

Thank you for the advice!

 

[Fakhrul Islam]

Is Modern Quantum Mechanics, 3rd Edition, by J. J. Sakurai and Jim Napolitano a good book to learn quantum mechanics from?

It's an Advance book
If you want to start with modern approach of Quantum Mechanics then it will be better to start with Townsend Books on Quantum mechanics.
https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Approach-Quantum-Mechanics/dp/1891389785?tag=pfamazon01-20

 

[PhDeezNutz]

It's an Advance book
If you want to start with modern approach of Quantum Mechanics then it will be better to start with Townsend Books on Quantum mechanics.
https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Approach-Quantum-Mechanics/dp/1891389785?tag=pfamazon01-20

Interesting that he starts with spin. Might have to pick up a copy for myself.

 

[MidgetDwarf]

I’m very fond of Shankar’s book. I have only skimmed Sakurai, since I mainly focus on Mathematics nowadays, but Sakurai, from what I read, was very good. Provided you have the physics background…

 

[DavidW]

I'm studying Sakurai now to keep my mind busy during the summer. It is not an introductory book. He assumes you've already completed a course in quantum mechanics. His intention is to show you that a linear algebra-based approach can provide a deeper understanding of QM. He assumes (explicitly stated!) that the reader has already seen the Schrödinger equation, Heisenberg uncertainty principle, etc., etc. He also assumes that you're already well-versed in Hamiltonian mechanics (not just what a Hamiltonian is, but actively compares to deeper results that require completing a good classical mechanics class). It is a textbook that would serve well for grad students, but would be an awful choice as an introduction. I don't even think the reader would appreciate the elegance and point of what he is doing if they had not already slogged through the wave mechanics approach.

 

[weirdoguy]

It is a textbook that would serve well for grad students

A little OT, but it's interesting how different parts of the world/universities have different apprach to studying physics. I studied at Warsaw University, and this:

that the reader has already seen the Schrödinger equation, Heisenberg uncertainty principle, etc., etc. (...) Hamiltonian mechanics (not just what a Hamiltonian is, but actively compares to deeper results that require completing a good classical mechanics class

we already learnt by the end of 2nd year of undergrad/bachelor studies. We had proper QM lectures (using linear algebra and all that) in the first semester of 3rd yeard. It makes me appreciate my alma mater even more

 

[TensorCalculus]

I haven't heard of it, but the posts above suggest it's for more advanced learners.

If you want something more basic, and you're not intending to dive very deep into what's going on, then Young and Freedman have 2 chapters which introduce QM and I found them very approachable as someone whose physics knowledge goes little beyond what was covered in the rest of the book (the sort of things you would encounter in 1st year of Undergrad I think: but don't quote me on that)

Alternatively, I've heard that A. I. Lvovsky, Quantum Physics: An Introduction Based on Photons is quite good: I'm planning on studying it in November as part of a programme run by Oxford University to teach curious Pre-Uni students QM. The prerequisites for taking the course aren't much, just a knowledge of some basic maths and physics:
Good knowledge of school math and physics is required, including the basics of:

• trigonometry
• general problem-solving skills
• theory of probabilities (including the notions of expectation value and variance)

From this I think it's safe to infer that it's probably a fairly approachable book.