| MWF 9-9:50 AM | OPL 107 | http://www.wfu.edu/~natalie/f08phy741/ |
| Instructor: Natalie Holzwarth | Phone:758-5510 | Office:300 OPL | e-mail:natalie@wfu.edu |
This course is the first half of a two semester survey of Quantum Mechanics at the graduate level, using the textbook: Quantum Mechanics in a Nutshell by Gerald D. Mahan (Princeton University Press, 2009)
It is likely that your grade for the course will depend upon the following factors:
|
Problem sets* |
40% |
|
20% |
|
|
Exams |
40% |
*
According to the honor system, all work submitted for grading purposes should represent the student's own best efforts. Students may consult with each other on homework assignments as long as each student contributes to the discussion and works out the results independently. In general, there will a new assignment after each lecture, so that for optimal learning, it would be best to complete each assignment before the the next scheduled lecture. Students are strongly encouraged to consult with the instructor during office hours or other times by appointment. Students should be confident that there is a contingency plan in place for continuing this class in the unlikely event of a major emergency. This plan includes the distribution of course materials by the web or by mail and the appropriate rescheduling of exams.| Date | Text Reading | Topic | Assignment |
| Wed, 8/25/10 | Chap. 1 | Introduction | #1 |
| Fri, 8/27/10 | Chap. 1 | Heisenberg Uncertainty Relations | |
| Mon, 8/30/10 | Chap. 1 | Hermitian Operators | #2 |
| Wed, 9/01/10 | Chap. 2 | One dimensional systems | #3 |
| Fri, 9/03/10 | Chap. 2 | Harmonic Oscillator | #4 |
| Mon, 9/06/10 | Chap. 2 | More one dimensional systems | #5 |
| Wed, 9/08/10 | Chap. 2 | Continuum one-dimensional systems | #6 |
| Fri, 9/10/10 | Chap. 3 | Variational methods | #7 |
| Mon, 9/13/10 | Chap. 3 | WKB methods | #8 |
| Wed, 9/15/10 | Chap. 3 | Numerical methods | |
| Fri, 9/17/10 | Chap. 4 | Angular Momentum | #9 |
| Mon, 9/20/10 | Chap. 4 | Angular Momentum | #10 |
| Wed, 9/22/10 | Chap. 4 | Angular Momentum | |
| Fri, 9/24/10 | Chap. 5 | Central potential in 2 & 3 dimensions | Take Home Exam (begin) |
| Mon, 9/27/10 | Chap. 5 | Central potential in 2 & 3 dimensions | Take Home Exam |
| Wed, 9/29/10 | Chap. 5 | Central potential in 2 & 3 dimensions | Take Home Exam (end) |
| Fri, 10/01/10 | Chap. 5 | Schrödinger Equation for atoms | #11 |
| Mon, 10/04/10 | Chap. 5 | Scattering theory | #12 |
| Wed, 10/06/10 | Chap. 5 | Magnetic field effects | #13 |
| Fri, 10/08/10 | Chap. 5 | Helium atom | #14 |
| Mon, 10/11/10 | Chap. 6 | Perturbation theory | #15 |
| Wed, 10/13/10 | Chap. 6 | Perturbation theory | |
| Fri, 10/15/10 | Fall Break | ||
| Mon, 10/18/10 | Chap. 6 | Perturbation theory | #16 |
| Wed, 10/20/10 | Chap. 6 | Perturbation theory | #17 |
| Fri, 10/22/10 | Chap. 6 | Perturbations due to Magnetic fields | #18 |
| Mon, 10/25/10 | Chap. 6 | Magnetic perturbations | #19 |
| Wed, 10/27/10 | Chap. 7 | Time dependent perturbations | #20 |
| Fri, 10/29/10 | Chap. 7 | Time dependent perturbations | #21 |
| Mon, 11/01/10 | Chap. 7 | Time dependent perturbations | #22 |
| Wed, 11/03/10 | Chap. 10 | Time dependent perturbations | #23 |
| Fri, 11/05/10 | Chap. 10 | Scattering theory | #24 |
| Mon, 11/08/10 | Chap. 10 | Scattering theory | |
| Wed, 11/10/10 | Chap. 10 | Scattering theory | Take Home Exam (begin) |
| Fri, 11/12/10 | Chap. 10 | Scattering theory | Take Home Exam |
| Mon, 11/15/10 | Chap. 9 | Many particle systems | Take Home Exam (end) |
| Wed, 11/17/10 | Chap. 9 | Many particle systems | #25 |
| Fri, 11/19/10 | Chap. 9 | Many particle systems | #26 |
| Mon, 11/22/10 | Chap. 9 | ||
| Wed, 11/24/10 | Thanksgiving | ||
| Fri, 11/26/10 | Thanksgiving | ||
| Mon, 11/29/10 | Chap. 9 | ||
| Wed, 12/01/10 | Presentations | ||
| Fri, 12/03/10 | Presentations | ||
| Mon, 12/06/10 | Take home exam. |