Physics 4307
Introduction to Quantum Mechanics
Course Outline
Fall Semester 1997
Instructor: Thomas L. Gibson Office: Sc 27 Office Hours: 9:00-11:00
and 2:00-3:00 (TTh)
Text: Understanding Quantum Physics: A User's Manual, by Michael A.
Morrison
- What's It All About? A Qualitative Review
- Classical versus Quantum Points of View
- Waves versus Particles
- Duality and the Double Slit
- Starting from Scratch
- The State Function and Its Interpretation
- Introduction to the Mathematics of Dirac Bra and Ket Notation
- Wave Packets in One Dimension
- A Quantum Equation of Motion: The Time-Dependent Schrödinger Equation
- The Time-Independent Schrödinger Equation
- Examples, Examples, Examples
- States of a Particle in One Dimension I: Piecewise-Constant Potentials
- Bound versus Unbound States
- Tunnelling for Fun and Profit
- Bound States of the Finite Square Well
- States of a Particle in One Dimension II: Continuous Potentials
- Curvature is the Key
- The Stationary States of an Arbitrary Potential
- The Quantum Simple Harmonic Oscillator
- The Incredible Sloshing Oscillator
- Tools of the Trade: More Formalism
- Operators in Quantum Mechanics I: The Importance of Being Hermitian
- Mathematics of Quantum-Mechanical Operators
- All About Eigenvalue Equations
- Consequences of Hermiticity
- Operators in Quantum Mechanics II: To Commute or not to Commute
- Simultaneous Eigenstates and the Commutator
- Matrix Representations of Operators
- Commutators and Uncertainty Principles
- Constants of the Motion in Classical and Quantum Physics
- Eigenfunction Expansions: How to Solve Any Problem in Quantum Mechanics
- Altered States: The Great Measurement Mystery
- Final Topics
- The Hydrogen Atom
- An Introduction to Perturbation Theory
- Why You Need a Second Semester of Quantum Mechanics
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Page last modified 8/10/97
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