Physics 485 - Tentative Course Syllabus - Fall 2017

Lecture will meet for the first time on Monday, August 28

In addition to prescribed reading, lecture notes will be provided where necessary.

Week

 Date 

Topics

Homework

Reading

1

Aug 28

Aug 30

Introduction; Wave and particle behaviors of light; Photoelectric effect

Quantum Properties of light; single photon interference


 

Townsend 1.1-1.3; 1.4-1.7

Powerpoint Supplement1

2

Sept 4


Sept 6

No Class


Particles as waves – de Broglie, evidence; Schrodinger’s Eq.

Homework 1
Due Sept 13

Solutions
 

 

Townsend  2.1-2.3

3

Sept 11


Sept 13


Sch Eq. II; Free particles, wave packets; Uncertainty principle

Expectation Values, Probabilities, Time-Indep Schr. Eq

Homework 2
Due Sept 20

Solutions

Townsend 2.3-2.7;  2.8, 3.1

Uncertainty Notes

PptSupp2

4

Sept 18


Sept 20


Particle in a box, Philosophy, Time dependence

Born Interpretation, Eigenfunctions and eigenvalues

Homework 3 Due Sep27

Solutions


Townsend 3.1-3.2; 3.3-3.4

5

Sept 25


Sept 27

         Quantum Wells, bound states

Principles of Quantum Mechanice, EPR, Schrodinger’s Cat


 

Townsend 4.1, 4.2; Ch 5.6

6

Oct 2


Oct 4

Mid-term Review

Mid term 1

Solutions

 

 

7

Oct 9


Oct 11

Simple harmonic oscillator

Simple harmonic oscillator; Double wells


Homework 4

Due Oct 18
Solutions

Townsend 4.3; 4.3-4.5

8

Oct 16

Oct 18

Molecular bonding; Scattering – step potential

Tunneling and STM

Homework 5

Due Oct 25

Solutions

Townsend 4.5-4.6; 4.7

9

Oct 23

Oct 25

Schrodinger’s equation in 3D

Spherical coordinates and angular momentum

 

Townsend 6.1; 6.2

10

Oct 30

Nov 1

Hydrogen Atom – Wavefunctions

Zeeman effect – spin

Homework 6   Due Nov 8
Solutions

Townsend 6.3; 6.4, 6.5

11

Nov 6


Nov 8

Spin physics: Quantum computation

Spin physics: MRI

Homework 7
Due Nov 29
Solutions
 

 

12

Nov 13

Nov 15

Mid-term Review 

Mid-term 2

Solutions

 

 

13

Nov 20

Nov 22


Thanksgiving Break

 


 

14

Nov 27

Nov 29

 

         Identical particles

 Pauli’s exclusion, Fermi energy

 

Homework 8; Due Dec 8

Solutions

Townsend 7.1, 7.2; 7.3-7.5

15

Dec 4

 

Dec 6

Solids band structure,  semi-conductors, Neutron stars

Bose-Einstein condensation, lasers, CMBR


 

Townsend 7.6-7.8; 8.1, 8.2

16

Dec 11

Dec 13

Superconductivity

Course Review

 

Townsend 8.3, 8.4

 

Dec 15

Final Exam

8-11am; 103 Transportation Bldg