Quantum Physics for Scientists and Technologists Fundamental Principles and Applications for Biologists, Chemists, Computer Scientists, and Nanotechnologists

by Sanghera, Paul

• ISBN13: 9780470294529
• ISBN10: 0470294523
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-04-12
• Publisher: Wiley-Interscience

Summary

Presenting quantum physics for the non-physicists, Quantum Physics for Scientists and Technologists is a self-contained, cohesive, concise, yet comprehensive, story of quantum physics from the fields of science and technology, including computer science, biology, chemistry, and nanotechnology. The authors explain the concepts and phenomena in a practical fashion with only a minimum amount of math. Examples from, and references to, computer science, biology, chemistry, and nanotechnology throughout the book make the material accessible to biologists, chemists, computer scientists, and non-technologists.

Author Biography

Shows how quantum mechanics explains the periodic table of elements Paul Sanghera, PhD, is an educator, scientist, technologist, and entrepreneur. He has worked at world-class laboratories such as CERN in Europe and Nuclear Lab at Cornell, where he participated in designing and conducting experiments to test the quantum theories and models of subatomic particles. Dr. Sanghera is the author of several bestselling books in the fields of science, technology, and project management as well as the author/coauthor of more than 100 research papers on the subatomic particles of matter published in reputed European and American research journals.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. xv
About the Author	p. xvii
About the Tech Editor	p. xix
Periodic Table of the Elements	p. xxi
Fundamental Physical Constants	p. xxiii
Important Combinations of Physical Constants	p. xxv
Preface: Science, Technology, and Quantum Physics: Mind the Gap	p. xxvii
First, There Was Classical Physics	p. 1
Introduction	p. 2
Physics and Classical Physics	p. 3
The Classical World of Particles	p. 10
Physical Quantities	p. 12
Newton's Laws of Motion	p. 15
Rotational Motion	p. 18
Superposition and Collision of Particles	p. 22
Superposition	p. 22
Collision and Scattering	p. 25
Classical World of Waves	p. 26
Periodic Waves	p. 27
Defining Wave Characteristics	p. 27
Reflection, Refraction, and Scattering	p. 30
Diffraction and Interference	p. 32
Diffraction	p. 32
Interference	p. 34
Equation of Wave Motion	p. 35
Light: Particle or Wave?	p. 38
Understanding Electricity	p. 39
Understanding Magnetism	p. 45
Magnetic Field	p. 45
Magnetic Flux	p. 47
Understanding Electromagnetism	p. 49
Types of Electromagnetic and Other Waves	p. 49
Electromagnetic Spectrum	p. 50
Maxwell's Equations	p. 52
Confinement, Standing Waves, and Wavegroups	p. 55
Confinement	p. 55
Standing Waves	p. 55
Wavegroups	p. 59
Particles and Waves: The Big Picture	p. 62
The Four Fundamental Forces of Nature	p. 63
Gravitational Force	p. 65
Electromagnetic Force	p. 66
Weak and Strong Nuclear Forces	p. 67
Four Fundamental Forces: The Big Picture	p. 68
Unification: A Secret to Scientific and Technological Revolutions	p. 69
Special Theory of Relativity	p. 72
Classical Approach	p. 75
Separation of Particles and Waves: Either It Is a Particle or a Wave	p. 75
Either It Is Here or There: The Certainty	p. 75
The World Is Continuous: Any Value Within a Range Is Possible	p. 76
Common Grounds Among Particles and Waves: A Red Flag	p. 76
Summary	p. 77
Additional Problems	p. 78
Particle Behavior of Waves	p. 80
Introduction	p. 82
The Nature of Light: The Big Picture	p. 82
Black-Body Radiation	p. 84
The Classical Collapse	p. 85
The Quantum Rescue	p. 89
The Photoelectric Effect	p. 93
The Photoelectric Effect: The Experiment	p. 93
The Classical Collapse	p. 95
The Quantum Rescue	p. 98
X-Ray Diffraction	p. 103
The Compton Effect	p. 106
Living in the Quantum World	p. 110
Using Black-Body Radiation	p. 110
Using the Photoelectric Effect	p. 111
Using Compton Scattering	p. 113
Summary	p. 114
Additional Problems	p. 115
Wave Behavior of Particles	p. 117
Introduction	p. 118
Particles and Waves: The Big Picture	p. 118
The de Broglie Hypothesis	p. 120
Measuring the Wavelength of Electrons	p. 125
Quantum Confinement	p. 129
The Uncertainty Principle	p. 133
Understanding Particle Waves	p. 133
Understanding the Uncertainty Principle	p. 136
Another Form of the Uncertainty Principle	p. 140
Wave-Particle Duality of Nature	p. 141
Living in the Quantum World	p. 143
Seeing the Nanoworld with Electron Waves	p. 143
Seeing Nanostructures with the Diffraction of Particle Waves	p. 145
Using Atomic Waves to Navigate Your Way	p. 147
Summary	p. 147
Additional Problems	p. 148
Anatomy of an Atom	p. 150
Introduction	p. 151
Quantum Mechanics of an Atom: The Big Picture	p. 152
Dalton's Atomic Theory	p. 153
The Structure of an Atom	p. 154
The Classical Collapse of an Atom	p. 157
The Quantum Rescue	p. 161
Bohr's Model	p. 161
The Bohr Model Meets the Spectral Series	p. 165
Limitations of the Bohr Model	p. 171
Quantum Mechanics of an Atomic Structure	p. 171
Principle Energy Levels	p. 172
Sublevels	p. 173
Electron Orbitals	p. 173
Classical Physics or Quantum Physics: Which One Is the True Physics?	p. 175
Living in the Quantum World	p. 178
Free Electron Model for Pi Bonding	p. 178
Summary	p. 180
Additional Problems	p. 180
Principles and Formalism of Quantum Mechanics	p. 182
Introduction	p. 183
Here Comes Quantum Mechanics	p. 184
Wave Function: The Basic Building Block of Quantum Mechanics	p. 185
It Is All about Information	p. 186
Introducing Probability in Science	p. 186
Operators: The Information Extractors	p. 189
Predicting the Measurements	p. 189
Expectation Values	p. 191
Operators	p. 193
Put It All into an Equation	p. 196
Eigenfunctions and Eigenvalues	p. 198
Double Slit Experiment Revisited	p. 200
Double Slit Experiment for Particles	p. 201
Chasing the Electron	p. 202
The Quantum Reality	p. 204
Living in the Quantum World	p. 206
Summary	p. 208
Additional Problems	p. 209
The Anatomy and Physiology of an Equation	p. 210
Introduction	p. 211
The Schrödinger Wave Equation	p. 211
The Schrödinger Equation for a Free Particle	p. 217
Schrödinger Equal ion for a Particle in a Box	p. 219
Setting Up and Solving the Schrödinger Equation	p. 220
Here Comes the Energy Quantization	p. 221
Exploring the Solutions of the Schrödinger Equation	p. 224
The Uncertainty and Correspondence Principles: Revisited	p. 226
Quantum Mechanical Tunneling	p. 228
A Particle in a Three-Dimensional Box	p. 232
Harmonic Oscillator	p. 234
Understanding Harmonic Motion	p. 234
Harmonic Motion in Quantum Mechanics	p. 238
Understanding the Wave Functions of a Harmonic Oscillator	p. 243
Comparing Quantum Mechanical Oscillator with Classical Oscillator	p. 247
Living in the Quantum World	p. 250
Summary	p. 252
Additional Problems	p. 252
Quantum Mechanics of an Atom	p. 254
Introduction	p. 255
Applying the Schrödinger Equation to the Hydrogen Atom	p. 257
Solving the Schrödinger Equation for the Hydrogen Atom	p. 260
Separating the Variables in the Schrödinger Equation	p. 260
Solution of the Azimuthal Equation	p. 262
Solutions of the Angular Equation	p. 264
Solutions of the Radial Equation	p. 264
Solutions of the Schrödinger Equation for the Hydrogen Atom: Putting It All Together	p. 267
Finding the Electron	p. 270
Understanding the Quantum Numbers	p. 273
The Principal Quantum Number and Energy Radiations	p. 273
The Orbital Quantum Number	p. 276
Magnetic Quantum Number	p. 280
The Significance of Hydrogen	p. 282
Living in the Quantum World	p. 282
Summary	p. 284
Additional Problems	p. 286
Quantum Mechanics of Many-Electron Atoms	p. 287
Introduction	p. 288
Two Challenges to Quantum Mechanics: The Periodic Table and the Zeeman Effect	p. 289
The Periodic Table of Elements	p. 290
The Split Spectral Lines and the Zeeman Effect	p. 291
Introducing the Electron Spin	p. 292
Exclusion Principle	p. 295
Understanding the Atomic Structure	p. 298
Understanding Shells, Subshells, and Orbitals	p. 298
Understanding the Electron Configuration of Atoms	p. 301
Understanding the Physical Basis of the Periodic Table	p. 307
General Trends Across Groups and Periods	p. 310
Alkalis and Alkaline Earths	p. 312
Transition Metals	p. 312
Inert Gases	p. 313
Halogens	p. 313
Lanthanides and Actinides	p. 314
Completing the Story of Angular Momentum	p. 314
Understanding the Zeeman Effect	p. 317
Living in the Quantum World	p. 319
Summary	p. 321
Additional Problems	p. 322
Quantum Mechanics of Molecules	p. 324
Introduction	p. 325
A System of Molecules in Motion	p. 327
Bond: The Atomic Bond	p. 329
Diatomic Molecules	p. 334
Rotational States of Molecules	p. 336
Vibrational States of Molecules	p. 340
Combination of Rotations and Vibrations	p. 344
Electronic States of Molecules	p. 350
Living in the Quantum World	p. 351
Summary	p. 353
Additional Problems	p. 354
Statistical Quantum Mechanics	p. 356
Introduction	p. 357
Statistical Distributions	p. 358
Maxwell-Boltzmann Distribution	p. 360
Molecular Systems with Quantum States	p. 369
Distribution of Vibrational Energies	p. 371
Vibrational Energy	p. 372
Population Probability of Vibrational States	p. 373
Correspondence with Classical Mechanics	p. 376
Distribution of Rotational Energies	p. 378
Rotational Energy	p. 378
Population Probability of Rotational States	p. 378
Correspondence with Classical Mechanics	p. 380
Distribution of Translational Energies	p. 381
Quantum Statistics of Distinguishable Particles: Putting It Together	p. 384
Quantum Statistics of Indistinguishable Particles	p. 386
Planck's Radiation Formula	p. 391
Absorption, Emission, and Lasers	p. 394
Bose-Einstein Condensation	p. 396
Living in the Quantum World	p. 399
Summary	p. 400
Additional Problems	p. 402
Quantum Mechanics: A Thread Runs through It all	p. 405
Introduction	p. 406
Nanoscience and Nanotechnology	p. 407
Sciences behind Nanoscience	p. 407
You Need to See Them before You Could Control Them	p. 410
Nanoscale Quantum Confinement of Matter	p. 415
Buckyballs	p. 415
Carbon Nanotubes	p. 419
Nanocrystals	p. 420
Quantum Dots	p. 421
Quantum Mechanics for Nanostructures	p. 423
Favoring Balls and Tubes	p. 425
Fruits of Quantum Confinement	p. 425
Quick Overview of Microelectronics	p. 426
Microelectronics: A Hindsight	p. 426
Basics of Microchips	p. 428
Quantum Computing	p. 432
Quantum Biology	p. 434
Four Fundamental Nanostructures of Life	p. 435
Central Dogma of Molecular Biology	p. 441
Sizes of Biological Particles	p. 442
Diving Deeper into the Cell with Quantum Mechanics	p. 444
Exploring the Interface of classical Mechanics and Quantum Mechanics	p. 449
Living in the Quantum World	p. 449
Summary	p. 451
Additional Problems	p. 451
Bibliography	p. 453
Index	p. 455
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