The World According to Quantum Mechanics

Apart from providing a lucid introduction to the mathematical formalism and conceptual foundations of quantum mechanics, we explain why the laws of physics have the form that they do. In addition, we present a new and unique look at the quantum world, steering clear of two common errors: the error of the ψ-ontologists, who reify a calculational tool; and the error of the anti-realists, for whom physical theories are simply devices for expressing regularities among observations.

The new edition of this acclaimed text adds around 200 pages on a variety of topics, such as how the founders sought to make sense of quantum mechanics, Kant's theory of science, QBism, Everettian quantum mechanics, de Broglie–Bohm theory, environmental decoherence, contextuality, nonlocality, and the paradox of subjectivity — the curious fact that the world seems to exist twice, once for us, in our minds, and once by itself, independently of us.

Contents:Overview:Probability: Basic Concepts and TheoremsA Brief History of the 'Old' TheoryThe 'New' TheoryThe Feynman Route to Schrödinger (Stage 1)Special Relativity in a NutshellThe Feynman Route to Schrödinger (Stage 2)A Closer Look:Quantum Mechanics: A Probability CalculusThe Classical Forces: EffectsThe Classical Forces: CausesQuantum Mechanics ResumedSpin 1/2Angular Momentum and the Hydrogen AtomComposite SystemsContextuality, Locality, Realism, and All ThatQuantum StatisticsRelativistic ParticlesMaking Sense:How the Founders Sought to Make Sense of Quantum MechanicsQuantum Mechanics and ConsciousnessQBismψ-OntologyEnvironment-Induced DecoherenceSpace, Time, and the MacroworldQuestions of SubstanceManifestationWhy the Laws of Physics are Just SoConsciousness and the Physical WorldQuanta and VedantaAppendix A: Some Mathematical ToolsAppendix B: Solutions to Selected Problems
Readership: Students, lecturers in university undergraduate physics courses related to quantum mechanics.
Key Features:Presents the formalism of quantum mechanics in a clear and compelling mannerUseful to both students (undergraduate as well as graduate) and teachers (including higher secondary)Serves as the missing link between the popular literature on quantum mechanics and the academic literature