Quantum mechanics is a highly successful yet mysterious theory. Quantum Mechanics for Beginners provides an accessible introduction to this fascinating subject for those with only a high school background in physics and mathematics. This book is entirely algebra-based, except for the last chapter on the Schrodinger equation. A major advantage of this book is that it provides an introduction to the fields of quantum communication and quantum computing.
Topics covered include wave-particle duality, Heisenberg uncertainty relation, Bohr's principle of complementarity, quantum superposition and entanglement, Schrodinger's cat, Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox, Bell theorem, quantum no-cloning theorem and quantum copying, quantum eraser and delayed choice, quantum teleportation, quantum key distribution protocols such as BB-84 and B-92, counterfactual communication, quantum money, quantum Fourier transform, quantum computing protocols including Shor and Grover algorithms, quantum dense coding, and quantum tunneling. All these topics and more are explained fully, but using only elementary mathematics. Each chapter is followed by exercises and a short list of references.
This book is meant for beginning college students as well as advanced high school students, and can be used as a text for a one-semester course at the undergraduate level. It can also be useful for those who want to learn some of the fascinating recent and ongoing developments in areas related to the foundations of quantum mechanics and its applications to areas like quantum communication and quantum computing.
Industry Reviews
The real attraction of Zubairy's book, which I think makes it unique, is the immensely readable introduction to the modern applications of quantum mechanics that derive from entanglement, such as quantum communication and computing, action at a distance, quantum encryption, Bell inequalities and all that. For someone, who has been used to employ quantum mechanics as the standard tool for the time-honored applications mentioned above, this is a wonderful book to update his or her understandings of these developments, which have pushed the foundations and the mystery of quantum mechanics again to the forefront of physics research. The book reminds one a lot of Feynman's approach to teaching quantum mechanics to undergraduates. It will make all these recent developments accessible to first-year students. It may persuade many a young student to personally partake in this exciting field of research. * Wilhelm Becker, Max Born Institute Berlin *
The objectives of this book are two-fold. On one hand, the foundation of quantum mechanics and the laws of quantum theory are discussed. On the other hand, novel applications of these ideas to modern and evolving fields of quantum communication and quantum computing are presented, with as little mathematics as possible. The target audience is clearly undergraduate students in physics. But anyone curious about contemporary subjects in quantum physics (cryptography, teleportation, computing) will profit from reading this book. * Christian Brosseau, Optics and Photonics News *
The illustrations and brief explanations are wonderfully easy to think about, and compact and accurate. A freshman student might not actually "learn" QM from taking a course based on this book, but he/she would be excellently prepared to go into it in a serious way at the next level, without distortions or mistaken impressions conveyed by a weaker text. The book is a true success. * Center for Coherence and Quantum Optics, University of Rochester *
