"The whole thing was basically an experiment," Richard Feynman said late in his career, looking back on the origins of his lectures. The experiment turned out to be hugely successful, spawning publications that have remained definitive and introductory to physics for decades. Ranging from the basic principles of Newtonian physics through such formidable theories as general relativity and quantum mechanics, Feynman's lectures stand as a monument of clear exposition and deep insight.
Timeless and collectible, the lectures are essential reading, not just for students of physics but for anyone seeking an introduction to the field from the inimitable Feynman.
Author(s): Richard P. Feynman, Robert B. Leighton, Matthew Sands
Series: Feynman Lectures on Physics
Edition: New Millennium
Publisher: Basic Books
Year: 2011
Language: English
Commentary: Desktop Edition
Pages: 400
City: New York
Tags: Quantum Physics; Quantum Mechanics; Relation of Wave; Particle Viewpoints; Hamiltonian Matrix
Chapter 1. Quantum Behavior
Atomic mechanics
An experiment with bullets
An experiment with waves
An experiment with electrons
The interference of electron waves
Watching the electrons
First principles of quantum mechanics
The uncertainty principle
Chapter 2. The Relation of Wave and Particle Viewpoints
Probability wave amplitudes
Measurement of position and momentum
Crystal diffraction
The size of an atom
Energy levels
Philosophical implications
Chapter 3. Probability Amplitudes
The laws for combining amplitudes
The two-slit interference pattern
Scattering from a crystal
Identical particles
Chapter 4. Identical Particles
Bose particles and Fermi particles
States with two Bose particles
States with n Bose particles
Emission and absorption of photons
The blackbody spectrum
Liquid helium
The exclusion principle
Chapter 5. Spin One
Filtering atoms with a Stern-Gerlach apparatus
Experiments with filtered atoms
Stern-Gerlach filters in series
Base states
Interfering amplitudes
The machinery of quantum mechanics
Transforming to a different base
Other situations
Chapter 6. Spin One-Half
Transforming amplitudes
Transforming to a rotated coordinate system
Rotations about the z-axis
Rotations of 180 and 90 about y
Rotations about x
Arbitrary rotations
Chapter 7. The Dependence of Amplitudes on Time
Atoms at rest; stationary states
Uniform motion
Potential energy; energy conservation
Forces; the classical limit
The ``precession'' of a spin one-half particle
Chapter 8. The Hamiltonian Matrix
Amplitudes and vectors
Resolving state vectors
What are the base states of the world?
How states change with time
The Hamiltonian matrix
The ammonia molecule
Chapter 9. The Ammonia Maser
The states of an ammonia molecule
The molecule in a static electric field
Transitions in a time-dependent field
Transitions at resonance
Transitions off resonance
The absorption of light
Chapter 10. Other Two-State Systems
The hydrogen molecular ion
Nuclear forces
The hydrogen molecule
The benzene molecule
Dyes
The Hamiltonian of a spin one-half particle in a magnetic field
The spinning electron in a magnetic field
Chapter 11. More Two-State Systems
The Pauli spin matrices
The spin matrices as operators
The solution of the two-state equations
The polarization states of the photon
The neutral K-meson
Generalization to N-state systems
Chapter 12. The Hyperfine Splitting in Hydrogen
Base states for a system with two spin one-half particles
The Hamiltonian for the ground state of hydrogen
The energy levels
The Zeeman splitting
The states in a magnetic field
The projection matrix for spin one
Chapter 13. Propagation in a Crystal Lattice
States for an electron in a one-dimensional lattice
States of definite energy
Time-dependent states
An electron in a three-dimensional lattice
Other states in a lattice
Scattering from imperfections in the lattice
Trapping by a lattice imperfection
Scattering amplitudes and bound states
Chapter 14. Semiconductors
Electrons and holes in semiconductors
Impure semiconductors
The Hall effect
Semiconductor junctions
Rectification at a semiconductor junction
The transistor
Chapter 15. The Independent Particle Approximation
Spin waves
Two spin waves
Independent particles
The benzene molecule
More organic chemistry
Other uses of the approximation
Chapter 16. The Dependence of Amplitudes on Position
Amplitudes on a line
The wave function
States of definite momentum
Normalization of the states in x
The Schrödinger equation
Quantized energy levels
Chapter 17. Symmetry and Conservation Laws
Symmetry
Symmetry and conservation
The conservation laws
Polarized light
The disintegration of the 0
Summary of the rotation matrices
Chapter 18. Angular Momentum
Electric dipole radiation
Light scattering
The annihilation of positronium
Rotation matrix for any spin
Measuring a nuclear spin
Composition of angular momentum
Added Note 1: Derivation of the rotation matrix
Added Note 2: Conservation of parity in photon emission
Chapter 19. The Hydrogen Atom and The Periodic Table
Schrödinger's equation for the hydrogen atom
Spherically symmetric solutions
States with an angular dependence
The general solution for hydrogen
The hydrogen wave functions
The periodic table
Chapter 20. Operators
Operations and operators
Average energies
The average energy of an atom
The position operator
The momentum operator
Angular momentum
The change of averages with time
Chapter 21. The Schrödinger Equation in a Classical Context: A Seminar on Superconductivity
Schrödinger's equation in a magnetic field
The equation of continuity for probabilities
Two kinds of momentum
The meaning of the wave function
Superconductivity
The Meissner effect
Flux quantization
The dynamics of superconductivity
The Josephson junction
Feynman's Epilogue
Appendix
Chapter 34. The Magnetism of Matter
Diamagnetism and paramagnetism
Magnetic moments and angular momentum
The precession of atomic magnets
Diamagnetism
Larmor's theorem
Classical physics gives neither diamagnetism nor paramagnetism
Angular momentum in quantum mechanics
The magnetic energy of atoms
Chapter 35. Paramagnetism and Magnetic Resonance
Quantized magnetic states
The Stern-Gerlach experiment
The Rabi molecular-beam method
The paramagnetism of bulk materials
Cooling by adiabatic demagnetization
Nuclear magnetic resonance
Index
Name Index
List of Symbols
