Physics 3316: Basics of Quantum Mechanics
Probability density plots for some hydrogen wave functions (red=high). Imagine each plot to be rotated about the vertical z-axis.
This course is an introduction to quantum mechanics for undergraduate students. Topics include breakdown of classical concepts in microphysics; light quanta and matter waves; Schroedinger equation and solutions for square well, harmonic oscillator, and the hydrogen atom; wave packets, scattering and tunneling effects, angular momentum, spin, and magnetic moments.
Syllabus
- The experimental basis of quantum mechanics
- Introduction to wave mechanics
- Formalism
- Free particle, uncertainty principle, particle scattering
- Central potentials, Hydrogen atom
Suggested Literature
- An Introduction to Quantum Physics by French and Talyor
- Introduction to Quantum Mechanics, by D.J. Griffiths
- Quantum Physics of Molecules, Solids, Nuclei, and Particles, by R. Eisberg, and R. Resnick
- Quantum Mechanics, Concepts and Applications, by N. Zettili
- Night Thoughts of a Classical Physicist by R. McCormmach (fiction).
Lecture Notes
I do allow my lectures notes, syllabi, and other course materials to be freely shared and distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license; please see below for details.
- Lecture 1: Introduction; double slit experiment
- Lecture 2: Photoelectric effect
- Lecture 3: Compton Effect
- Lecture 4: Blackbody radiation
- Lecture 5: Blackbody radiation, spectral lines
- Lecture 6: Bohr atom
- Lecture 7: de Broglie's particle waves
- Lecture 8: Particle waves, superposition and group velocity
- Lecture 9: Evidence for de Broglie waves; the "old quantum theory"
- Lecture 10: Approach to Schroedinger's Equation
- Lecture 11: Schroedinger's equation, wave function and probability
- Lecture 12: Expectation values e
- Lecture 13: Stationary states
- Lecture 14: Infinite square well
- Lecture 15: Finite square well, part I
- Lecture 16: Boundary conditions
- Lecture 17: Sketching stationary state wave functions
- Lecture 18: Finite well, part II
- Lecture 19: SHO potential
- Lecture 20: Numerical Solution of Schroedinger's equation
- Lecture 21: Formalism I
- Lecture 22: Formalism II
- Lecture 23: Formalism III
- Lecture 24: Dirac notation, 2-state systems
- Lecture 25: Photon polarization states I
- Lecture 26: Photon polarization states II
- Lecture 27: Momentum space wave function
- Lecture 28: Expectation values in momentum space
- Lecture 29: Free particle at t=0; uncertainty principle
- Lecture 30: Heisenberg's uncertainty principle
- Lecture 31: Free particle dynamics
- Lecture 32: Energy-time uncertainty, particle scattering
- Lecture 33: Step-up potential, probability current
- Lecture 34: Probability currents, scattering
- Lecture 35: Tunneling, QM in 3D
- Lecture 36: Separable potentials, central potentials
- Lecture 37: Angular momentum in QM
- Lecture 38: Angular momentum, spherical harmonics
- Lecture 39: Spherical harmonics, spin
- Lecture 40: Hydrogen atom
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Using an electronic ink/ interactive pen display in lecture.