# Modern Quantum Mechanics by J. J. Sakurai

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## Main Question or Discussion Point

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Contents

1. Fundamental Concepts
1.1 The Stern-Gerlach Experiment
1.2 kets, Bras, and Operators
1.3 Base Kets and Matrix Representations
1.4 Measurement, Observables, and the Uncertainty Relations
1.5 Change of Basis
1.6 Position, Momentum, and Translation
1.7 Wave Function in Position and Momentum Space
Problems

2.Quantum Dynamics
2.1 Time Evolution and the Schrodinger Equations
2.2 The Schrodinger Versus the Heisenberg Picture
2.3 Simple Harmonic Oscillator
2.4 Schrodinger's Wave Equation
2.5 Propagators and Feynman Path Integrals
2.6 Potential and Gauge Transformations
Problems

3.Theory of Angular Momentum
3.1 Rotations and Angular Momentum Commutation Relations
3.2 Spin 1/2 System and Finite Rotations
3.3 SO(3),SU(2),and Euler Rotations
3.4 Density Operators and Pure Versus Mixed Ensembles
3.6 Orbital Angular Momentum
3.8 Schwinger's Oscillator Model of Angular Momentum
3.9 Spin Correlation Measurements and Bell's Inequality
3.10 Tensor Operators
Problems

4.Symmetry in Quantum Mechanics
4.1 Symmetries, Conservation Laws and Degeneracies
4.2 Discrete Symmetries, Parity,or Space Inversion
4.3 Lattice Translation as a Discrete Symmetry
4.4 The Time-Reversal Discrete Symmetry
Problems

5.Approximation Methods
5.1 Time-Independent Perturbation Theory: Nondegenerate Case
5.2 Time-Independent Perturbation Theory: The Degenerate Case
5.3 Hydrogenlike Atoms: Fine Structure and the Zeeman Effect
5.4 Variational Methods
5.5 Time Dependent Potentials: The Interaction Picture
5.6 Time Dependent Perturbation Theory
5.7 Application to Interactions with the Classical Radiation Fields
5.8 Energy Shift and Decay Width
Problems

6.Identical Particles
6.1 Permutation Symmetry
6.2 Symmetrization Postulate
6.3 Two Electron System
6.4 The Helium Atom
6.5 Permutation Symmetry and Young Tableaux
Problems

7.Scattering Theory
7.1 The Lippmann-Schwinger Equation
7.2 The Born Approximation
7.3 Optical Theorem
7.4 Eikonal Approximation
7.5 Free Particle States: Plane Wave Versus Spherical Wave
7.6 Methods of Partial Waves
7.7 Low Energy Scattering and Bound States
7.8 Resonance Scattering
7.9 Identical Particle and Scattering
7.10 Symmetry Consideration in Scattering
7.11 Time Dependent Formulation of Scattering
7.12 Inelastic Electron Atom Scattering
7.13 Coulomb Scattering
Problems.

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Using this book right now, and it's a fantastic book. I actually bought the international edition, which is identical in content to the U.S. version, and the paper quality is surprisingly good. I'd reccomend buying that if you don't mind softcover and have the chance (sorry Jim!).

Anyways, this is how a physics textbook should be written. There's not too much in the way of examples, which is unfourtunate, but all of Quantum Mechanics is built from the ground up starting with a handful of postulates and the experimental results of the Stern-Gerlach experiment. The author(s) shows how you can build up a consistent mathetmical framework to describe the results, and then you explore the theory in more and more depth and complexity.

Fantastic book and a pleasure to read.

G01
Homework Helper
Gold Member
Using this book right now, and it's a fantastic book. I actually bought the international edition, which is identical in content to the U.S. version, and the paper quality is surprisingly good. I'd reccomend buying that if you don't mind softcover and have the chance (sorry Jim!).

Anyways, this is how a physics textbook should be written. There's not too much in the way of examples, which is unfourtunate, but all of Quantum Mechanics is built from the ground up starting with a handful of postulates and the experimental results of the Stern-Gerlach experiment. The author(s) shows how you can build up a consistent mathetmical framework to describe the results, and then you explore the theory in more and more depth and complexity.

Fantastic book and a pleasure to read.
I used the book for my two semester grad quantum mechanics course. Indeed, it's a great text. Chapters 1 ,2, 3, 4, and 6 are extremely well written.

Chapters 5 (especially the time ind. pert. theory section) and Chapter 7 leave a lot to be desired in terms of clarity and readability. They read more like a list of equations rather than a text one is meant to learn from. This is due to the fact that these chapters were pieced together by others after Sakurai had died.

Anyone trying to learn time independent perturbation theory or scattering theory (Chapt. 7) from this book would do well to supplement those sections with another text or detailed lecture notes.

I used the book for my two semester grad quantum mechanics course. Indeed, it's a great text. Chapters 1 ,2, 3, 4, and 6 are extremely well written.

Chapters 5 (especially the time ind. pert. theory section) and Chapter 7 leave a lot to be desired in terms of clarity and readability.
I became curious about this book for these subjects alone. Is it that bad? How does the treatment of scattering and approximation methods in Sakurai compare to Cohen-Tannoudji's?

Very Complete. I first switched between Merzbacher. Powell and Craseman, and Messiah in the late 70's (I kept switching when I did not like the explanation in each of them throughout the course(s). I did like using only Sakurai when I studied QM in the late 80's). I liked Powell and Craseman discussing the need for QM in the early 20th century and photoelectric effect etc. Sakurai exposes the student to a strictly quantum system from the beginning which I do not like as much.