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2: Quantum Mechanical Formalism

  • Page ID
    16518
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    • 2.1: Wave Functions
      At the heart of quantum mechanics is the wave function. Here we see how it fits into the mathematics of Hilbert space.
    • 2.2: Dynamics of Quantum State Vectors
      The quantum state vector doesn't just remain static, unchanging throughout time. Here we examine how it changes, and what governs this change.
    • 2.3: Operations on Wave Functions
      We introduced operators that act on Hilbert space vectors, to affect how they evolve with time. Now we look at what these operations look like in specific bases. The result is different, basis-specific, operators that act on the wave functions.
    • 2.4: Stationary States
      The hamiltonian is an operator that reflects the total energy of the quantum state, and it governs the time evolution of that state. Here we look at a subset of all the quantum states that is particularly useful.
    • 2.5: Observables
      We now look at the bridge between information contained in a quantum state and how that information is observed by experiment.


    This page titled 2: Quantum Mechanical Formalism is shared under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Tom Weideman directly on the LibreTexts platform.

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