This page is http://wuphys.wustl.edu/~wimd/index471-16.html
Last updated 2016-Dec-12
The course meets on MWF from 10-11am in Crow 206. Class will start on Monday, August 29.
Instructor: |
Willem
Dickhoff Office: Compton 371; Phone: 5-4169; Email: wimd@wuphys.wustl.edu Office hours: Wednesday 2-3:30 and by appointment |
| TA: | Kamal Pangeni Office: Compton 375 ; Email: kamalpangeni@go.wustl.edu Office hours: Thursday 1-3 in Crow 305 and by appointment |
| Course Textbooks: | Introduction to Quantum Mechanics:
Fundamentals (Pearson Prentice Hall;
2nd edition) (2004) by Griffiths. We will cover a substantial fraction of the material in this book during the semester. Note that some material will be from other texts listed below. |
| Other useful books: | Additional books that you should consult once in a while in
the library are: Messiah Bransden & Joachain Cohen-Tannoudji et al. Vols. 1 and 2 Merzbacher Feynman (Lectures Vol. 3) Pauli (Lectures Vol. 5) Landau & Lifshitz Baym Dirac Sakurai and Napolitano (all are on reserve in the physics library) |
The course is defined by the material discussed in the lectures and reviewed in the problem sets. A preliminary schedule is given below with references to the Griffiths' and other books. The list includes the covered material, the subject, date of class, and the homework schedule.
| Lecture | Subject material | meeting date | Hwk | |
| #1 | Review classical Hamiltonian | Reminder of wave mechanics and classical mechanics | 8/29/2016 | |
| #2 | Ch. 1.1
Sakurai |
Stern-Gerlach analysis | 8/31/2016 | |
| #3 | Ch. 1.2 Sakurai Ch. 3.6 Griffiths |
Hilbert space; Dirac notation | 9/2/2016 | Problem Set 1 |
| Labor day | no class | 9/5/2016 | ||
| #4 | Ch. 1.3 Sakurai |
Basis states and representations |
9/7/2016 | |
| #5 | Ch. 1.4 Sakurai Ch. 4.4 Griffiths |
Application to spin-1/2 | 9/9/2016 | Homework due Set 1 Problem Set 2 |
| #6 | Ch. 1.4 Sakurai Ch. 3.4 Griffiths |
Measurement postulates |
9/12/2016 | |
| #7 | Ch. 1.5 Sakurai | Relevant linear algebra | 9/14/2016 | |
| #8 | Ch.
1.5 Sakurai |
Commuting observables | 9/16/2016 | Homework
due Set 2 Problem Set 3 |
| #9 | Ch.
1.6 Sakurai Ch. 1.7 Sakurai |
Wave functions Connection with wave mechanics |
9/19/2016 | |
| #10 | Ch. 1.7 Sakurai | Coordinate space representation | 9/21/2016 | |
| #11 | Ch. 4.1 Griffiths Ch. 2.1 Griffiths Ch. 4.4.2 Griffiths |
Hamitonian; Quantization; Schroedinger eq. Stationary states Spin-1/2 and time-dependent problems |
9/23/2016 | Homework
due Set 3 Problem Set 4 |
| #12 | Ch. 3.5 Griffiths | Uncertainty relations; spins | 9/26/2016 | |
| #13 | Ch. 3.5 Griffiths Ch. 4.3 Griffiths |
Uncertainty relations Angular momentum algebra |
9/28/2016 | |
| #14 | Ch. 4.3 Griffiths | Spectrum and eigenstates of angular momentum | 9/30/2016 | Homework
due Set
4 Problem Set 5 |
| #15 | Ch. 4.4 Griffiths | Spin-1/2 and spinors | 10/3/2016 | |
| #16 | Ch. 4.3 Griffiths | Orbital angular momentum and spherical harmonics | 10/5/2016 | |
| #17 | Ch. 4.1 Griffiths | Continued; preparation for problems with spherical symmetry; Schroedinger eq. 3D | 10/7/2016 | Homework
due Set 5 Problem Set 6 |
| #18 | Ch. 4.2 Griffiths | Hydrogen atom; radial momentum operator and split of kinetic energy | 10/10/2016 | |
| #19 | Ch. 4.2 Griffiths |
Hydrogen spectrum and radial wave functions by factorization | 10/12/2016 | |
| #20 | Hydrogen and (e,2e) experiment | 10/14/2016 | Homework
due Set 6 Slides Problem Set 7 (Bonus set) |
|
| Fall break |
no class | 10/17/2016 | ||
| #21 | Review |
10/19/2016 | ||
| #22 | Midterm | 9-11 or 10-12 in Compton 241 | 10/21/2016 | |
| #23 | |
Discretization method | 10/24/2016 |
|
| #24 | Ch. 5.2 Griffiths | Atoms | 10/26/2016 | Slides |
| #25 | Ch. 5.1
Griffiths |
Identical particles | 10/28/2016 | Homework
due Set 7 Numerical project |
| #26 | Ch. 4.4.3 Griffiths | Angular momentum addition | 10/31/2016 | |
| #27 | Ch. 2.3 Griffiths | 1D & 3D Harmonic oscillator | 11/2/2016 | |
| #28 | Ch. 2.3 Griffiths | 3D Oscillator and orbital angular momentum | 11/4/2016 | Problem
Set 8 |
| #29 | |
Nuclei and spin-orbit coupling | 11/7/2016 | Slides |
| #30 | Ch. 6.1 Griffiths | Perturbation theory | 11/9/2016 | |
| #31 | Ch. 6.1 and 7.2 Griffiths | Examples | 11/11/2016 | Homework
due Set 8 Problem Set 9 |
| #32 | Ch. 6.2-3 Griffiths |
Degenerate perturbation theory | 11/14/2016 |
|
| #33 | Ch. 4.2 Sakurai |
Discrete symmetries: Parity | 11/16/2016 | |
| #34 | Ch. 4.2 Sakurai |
continued | 11/18/2016 | Homework
due Set 9 Problem Set 10 |
| #35 | Ch. 3.10 Sakurai |
Bell's inequality | 11/21/2016 | Numerical
project due |
| Thanksgiving break | no class | 11/23/2016 | ||
| Thanksgiving break | no class | 11/25/2016 | ||
| #36 | Ch. 3.10 Sakurai |
Bell continued | 11/28/2016 | |
| #37 | Ch. 4.4 Sakurai |
Time reversal | 11/30/2016 | PRL_Sakai |
| #38 | Ch. 4.4 Sakurai |
Time reversal | 12/2/2016 | Solution
to #29 For #28: see Sakurai Ch.7.4 Homework due Set 10 Final due date numerical work Problem Set 11 |
| #39 | Ch. 4.4 Sakurai | Time reversal continued | 12/5/2016 | |
| #40 | C P T invariance | 12/7/2016 | ||
| #41 | Bose-Einstein condensation | 12/9/2016 | Homework due Set 11 | |
| Review in Crow 305 |
10-11 am | 12/14/2016 | ||
| FINAL
in Compton 241 |
10:30AM - 12:30PM | 12/19/2016 |
FORMAT OF COURSE:
COURSE GRADE:
- Three meetings per week in Crow 206
- Try to read appropriate material for each class (either review or preparatory).
- Class participation and presence is beneficial.
- Homework assignment approximately every week to be turned in a week later at the beginning of class. Homework to be graded and returned a week later.
- Most likely 12 homework sets for a total of ~30% of course grade
- Midterm exam for a total of ~30%
- Final exam for a total of ~30%
- Numerical work for a total of ~10%
| Homework: | Students are encouraged to form study groups and discuss the homework with each other, but each student must write his or her own solutions. You may be asked to discuss solution strategies of homework problems during class. |
| Homework solutions | Solution |
During the evaluation period you can supply your evaluation of the course at the course evaluation website.