Quantum Mechanics For Applied Physics And Engineering

by Albert T. Jr. Fromhold

2012 · Elsevier

Quantum Mechanics for Applied Physics and Engineering is devoted to the use of quantum mechanics in applied physics and engineering. Topics covered include elementary quantum theory, quantum statistics and many-particle systems, and energy bands in crystals. Approximation techniques for the Schrödinger equation are also described. Comprised of seven chapters, this book opens with an overview of basic quantum mechanics and includes a discussion on wave-particle duality, probability current density, and periodic boundary conditions. Quantum statistics is then considered as a prelude to the free-electron theory of metals, along with the use of perturbation theory to evaluate modifications in free-electron theory. The following chapters explore the use of WKB approximation to deduce the transmission coefficient for electron tunneling in solids; the theory of electronic energy bands; and the application of the Schrödinger equation to the problem of the periodic potential of a crystalline solid. Examples from solid-state physics are employed to illustrate specific applications and to demonstrate the principal results that can be deduced by means of quantum theory. This monograph is written primarily for engineers and applied physicists.