Quantum Physics for Beginners

The textbook covers the background theory of various effects discussed from first principles, as clearly as possible, to introduce students to the main ideas of quantum physics and to teach the basic mathematical methods and techniques used in the fields of advanced quantum physics, atomic physics, laser physics, nanotechnology, quantum chemistry, and theoretical mathematics. Many of the predictions of quantum physics appear to be contrary to our intuitive perceptions, and the student will learn how it comes about that microscopic objects (particles) behave in unusual ways that are called quantum effects, what we mean by quantum, and where this idea came from. The textbook is supplemented with Problems and Solutions in Quantum Physics, which contains a wide range of tutorial problems from simple confidence builders to fairly challenging problems that provide adequate understanding of the basic concepts of quantum physics.

Zbigniew Ficek is professor of quantum optics and quantum information at the National Centre for Applied Physics, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), Saudi Arabia. He received his PhD from Adam Mickiewicz University, Poland, in 1985. He is particularly well known for his contributions to the fields of multi-atom effects, spectroscopy with squeezed light, quantum interference, multichromatic spectroscopy, and entanglement.