Book Description
This didactically unrivalled textbook and timeless reference by Nobel Prize Laureate Claude Cohen-Tannoudji separates essential underlying principles of quantum mechanics from specific applications and practical examples and deals with each of them in a different section. Chapters emphasize principles; complementary sections supply applications. The book provides a qualitative introduction to quantum mechanical ideas; a systematic, complete and elaborate presentation of all the mathematical tools and postulates needed, including a discussion of their physical content and applications.
The book is recommended on a regular basis by lecturers of undergraduate courses. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (36)

THE Quantum Mechanics Reference
If you're looking for a one-stop reference for your physics library, this is it. Complements ANY textbook, in fact it stands on its own better than any other quantum mechanics textbook that I've used so far (Including Sakurai, Bransden-Joachain, Gasiorowizc, Griffiths). The notation is convenient and easy, worked out "compliments" show you how to apply concepts and build your problem solving skills. Even as just a casual read on subjects you may not have been exposed to yet/ever, this text is great. I had this text recommended to me by basically every grad student and professor I've talked to, and I can now recommend it myself.

That said, many complaints I've read here have a common thread. This is not meant (at least it shouldn't be meant) as an undergraduate text. It definitely assumes at least a moderate understanding of underlying principles, although you don't have to be a genius either. I would never recommend this to an undergraduate student until you have been exposed to at least 2 semesters of the introductory stuff. Period.

Buy this book if you're looking for a one-stop quantum mechanics reference, for your graduate studies.

The solar-system-wide reference for Quantum Mechanics
Almost no words needs to be said about this masterwork.
And rare are serious students of quantum mechanics who could really afford to ignore it.
Several important techniques and recent developments are omitted, but having grasped the material presented in these two volumes, learning further about quantum mechanics will prove astonishingly straightforward.
A caution remark is in order, though : these books don't really suit to self-study, due to their sometimes rather lengthy, verbose exposition, which could well quickly fade away an initially strong motivation for studying quantum mechanics, if not bolstered by a teacher's or fellow student's incentives.

GOOD BOOK
Very good book for undergraduate or even graduate quantum mechanics.The book is very well organized and gives detailed explanations and examples of key quantum mechanical concepts.I would suggest that all undergraduates give it a try.It balances out importance of detail while maintaining clarity to give students a good understanding of the subject.Though it is a little hard to digest at first, that is just the nature of the subject.Once you become familiar with the basics of quantum mechanics, postulates, bra-ket etc this is a perfect book to learn from, or to go back as reference

Comprehensive
I'll keep this review short, unlike the 2-volume set on QM that I am reviewing here.

I used this text book for a two-semester graduate course in QM.Although lengthy, practically everything is in here.In that respect, it makes it difficult to pick out the key concepts.It is sort of the same problem when you try to learn relativity using Misner Thorne & Wheeler's book.Although I'd say that Cohen-Tannoudji's textbook is better organized.It may help if you read this book alongside a more concise book on the subject.A concise book will pick out the most important concepts for you, as well as help you with the homework problems.A good accompanyment I have in mind is Bransden & Jochain's textbook.Speaking of homework, I do not like how it is arranged in Cohen-Tannoudji.Say a professor decides to give you problems 1, 2 and 3 for a particular homework assignment, from some chapter.You think, "great, only three problems, no sweat, I'll do those a day or two before the due date."Trouble is, every problem has sections a, b, c, etc. and subsections i, ii, iii, etc. and within those sometimes sub-subsections alpha, beta, etc,--very frustrating!But if you sweat it out (managing your time well of course) with this textbook, and do the homework problems yourself instead of relying on the solutions older graduate students might be kind enough to hand down to you, you will get alot out of it.

Very good
I used this two volume set for a one year first course in quantum mechanics. These are from where I learn the subject for the first time. These are very good books intendent for the undergraduate level and very complete. It consists of a total of 14 chapters: 1-Waves and particles, 2-The mathematical tools of quantum mechanics,3-The postulates of Q.M., 4-Application of postulates to simple cases,5-The one dimensional harmonic oscillator,6-General properties of angular momentum in Q.M.,7-Particle in a central potential, the hydrogen atom, 8-An elementary approach to the quantum theory of scattering by a potential, 9-Electron spin, 10-Addition of angular momenta, 11-Stationary perturbation theory, 12-An application of perturbation theory, the fine and hyperfine structure of the hydrogen atom, 13-Approximation methods for time-dependent problems, 14-Systems of identical particles. In addition every chapter is followed by a set of complementary topics that help strengthen and deepen the material treated in the chapter, as you can see these books cover all essential material that should be covered in a first quantum mechanics course and when read, the reader can sense all the mastery of the authors explainig the topics.
The binding, in spite of being paperback, is very good also. I recommend these books to any one who wants to adquire a complete understanding of quantum mechanics at the undergraduate level, all in all, a superb book! ... Read more

Book Description
Atom-Photon Interactions: Basic Processes and Applications allows the reader to master various aspects of the physics of the interaction between light and matter. It is devoted to the study of the interactions between photons and atoms in atomic and molecular physics, quantum optics, and laser physics. The elementary processes in which photons are emitted, absorbed, scattered, or exchanged between atoms are treated in detail and described using diagrammatic representation. The book presents different theoretical approaches, including:
* Perturbative methods
* The resolvent method
* Use of the master equation
* The Langevin equation
* The optical Bloch equations
* The dressed-atom approach

Each method is presented in a self-contained manner so that it may be studied independently. Many applications of these approaches to simple and important physical phenomena are given to illustrate the potential and limitations of each method. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Very useful
Atom Photon Interactions is an excellent text for atomic and optical physics.I refer back to the review material---transition amplitudes, quantum electrodynamic fundamentals, etc--- over and over again. Naturally,these sections are very brief, and the book works best along sideCohen-Tannoudji's more elementary texts Quantum Mechanicsand Photons andAtoms, or their equivalents.

The later chapters are rich in techniquesand intuition applicable to atom-trapping, spectroscopy, laser theory, etc. Cohen-Tannoudji covers a lot of material, and manages to link it all to afew basic fundamental principles.The book is extremely well-organized,with bite-sized sections and appendices to each chapter. An excellentcollection of exercises with solutions is included in the back. Unfortunately, the text does not prompt the reader to try working theseproblems at appropriate times (sadly, I didn't realize the exercises werethere until I'd been using the book for some time).LikePhotons andAtoms, this is primarily a book for theorists; its one weakness, I feel, isthat the principles, however clear, never seem connected to the actualnumbers that an experimentalist or system designer can relate to. ... Read more

Book Description
This is a book about laser cooling, a new research field with many potential applications. The authors present an original approach, using the tools and concepts of statistical physics. A new understanding of laser cooling, both intuitive and quantitative, is obtained. The volume also comprises a case study allowing non-Gaussian (Lévy) statistics, a technique being used more frequently in many different fields. ... Read more

Book Description
Presentspapers from the last 40 years covering various physical effects which canbe observed on atoms interacting with electromagnetic fields. Discussesatoms in intense laser fields, photon correlations, quantum jumps, andmore. Previous edition: c1994. Hardcover, softcover available. ... Read more

Book Description
Photons and Atoms
Photons and Atoms: Introduction to Quantum Electrodynamics provides the necessary background to understand the various physical processes associated with photon-atom interactions. It starts with elementary quantum theory and classical electrodynamics and progresses to more advanced approaches. A critical comparison is made between these different, although equivalent, formulations of quantum electrodynamics.
Using this format, the reader is offered a gradual, yet flexible introduction to quantum electrodynamics, avoiding formal discussions and excessive shortcuts. Complementing each chapter are numerous examples and exercises that can be used independently from the rest of the book to extend each chapter in many disciplines depending on the interests and needs of the reader. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

concise but inspiring
The subjects are laied out according to logical progression with rich exercises which are quite helpful to review my own understanding. However some subjects treated as complinent shoud be a part of the main text in my opinion, since I must have left the main text some time to read through the compliment.

My only physics book
Although I am a physicist and possess many books, for a long time my collection contained onlya single book related to physics: Photons and Atoms. It is the most pedagogical text to be found on the fundamentalaspects of the quantized interaction of matter with light. It's concise,clear, and convincing. The reader is never left mystified about anytechnical detail: no assumptions or approximations areleft unexplained orswept under the rug. Yet, in spite of the high technical level the text isfull of insights and simple intuitive pictures as well.Worth mentioningare also the exercises in each Chapter, which are remarkably useful andrewarding,Moreover, the solutions are given anddisplay the same clarityof style and insightful remarks as the main text. The main emphasis of thebook is on the nonrelativistic formulation of QED, but, of course, there isalso a chapter devoted to the relativistic version that includes adescription of how to take in a proper fashion the non-relativistic limit.Also questions of gauge, such as concerning the often confusing choicebetween"p.A" and "r.E" are treated, and it is, e.g.,explicitly shown how in numerical problems the two are not alwaysequivalent, as approximations made are not necessarily gauge invariant. Isthere anything bad to say about this book? Almost not: for a while I hadthe impression that this book was the only one without any typographicalerrors, but in the meantime I have discovered 2. To be a bit more serious,maybe there is something: the book focuses on fundamental issues and,hence, if you expect ---especially given the title of the book---to readabout problems such as spontaneous emission or laser-induced ionization ofatoms, thenyou will be disappointed. In that case, you will have to checkout the companion volume: atom-photon interactions. But hey, that's notsuch a bad book either. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Introduction to Quantum Mechanics for physicists
This is an excellent introduction by Nobel-Prize winning Claude Cohen-Tannoudji. The aim of this book (two volumes!) is to explain quantum mechanics on a mathematically adequate level (Hilbert, Dirac, Fourier andco.). Read this book if you have the necessary mathematical background orif you are willing to get into it - but still: this is primarily a book forphysicists and mathematicians, not for laymen! If you prefer a more"biological" (i.e more hand-waving, less math) introduction toquantum mechanics refer to e.g. the third volume by Richard Feynman.

Notethat this is some kind of must-know book for quantum mechanics - at leastover here in Europe. Many professors base their lectures on this book andrecommend reading it for a better understanding of quantum mechanicsbecause they don't have time to cover all the subjects covered in thebook... ... Read more

Product Description
The translation of this well-known French textbook introduces physics students to the field of quantum mechanics. The work is now being published in its third edition.Each chapter consists of two parts. In the first part, the fundamental postulates and concepts are introduced. In the second part, the basic knowledge of quantum mechanics is conveyed by means of numerous applications. The work is a both a textbook and a workbook, and is also suited as a reference work for professionals in the field.- Translation of the well-known and timeless work by Nobel Prize winner Cohen-Tannoudji and his co-authors.- Unique two-part chapter structure, with part one consisting of basic concepts, and part two consisting of exercises and an explanation of applications within the field of physics ... Read more