Quantum Mechanics
The microscopic world is fundamentally different from the macroscopic one we encounter on a daily basis. The classical view of particles, mass, and even location break down at the smallest scales. The development of quantum mechanics as a field in the 1920s was a fundamental leap forward for our understanding of atomic physics. Countless current technologies and scientific disciplines rely on the principles predicted by the quantum model. Despite this, quantum mechanics is deeply weird. Particles do not exist solely as particles, but also as waves. Fundamental physical properties such as position, momentum, energy, and time are subject to uncertainties that have nothing to do with measurement precision and everything to do with fundamental universal limits. In this course, we will discuss atomic physics, the wave-particle duality, the uncertainty principle, the application of the Schrödinger equation, and quantum mechanical models of atoms.
Textbook: Quantum Physics: A Fundamental Approach to Modern Physics by Townsend
The planned schedule for the course is given below. Note that the “Problem Sets” column will be updated with the most recent problem sets as the term goes on.
| Week of | Topic | Reading | Problem Sets |
| February 17 | Foundations/Waves | Ch. 1.1 | |
| February 24 | Light as Particles & Waves | Ch. 1.2-1.8, 7.6 | Problem Set 1 |
| March 3 | Light as Waves (cont.) + Matter as Waves and Particles | Ch. 2.1 – 2.2 | Problem Set 2 |
| March 10 | The Schrödinger Equation (No Thursday Class) | Ch. 2.3-2.4 | |
| March 17 | Quantization of Matter/The Uncertainty Principle | Ch. 2.4 – 2.10 | Problem Set 3 |
| March 24 | Particle in a Box | Ch. 3.1 – 3.4 | Problem Set 4 |
| March 31 | Particle in a Finite Box (Monday) / Review (Thursday) | Ch. 4.1 | Problem Set 5 |
| April 7 | Midterm Exam (Thursday) (No Class Monday) | ||
| April 14 | One Dimensional Potentials | Ch. 4 | Problem Set 6 |
| April 21 | Steps and the Square Barrier | Ch. 4 | |
| April 28 | Principles of Quantum Mechanics | Ch. 5 | Problem Set 7 |
| May 5 | Quantum Mechanics in 3D | Ch. 6 | |
| May 12 | Quantum Mechanics in 3D | Ch. 6 | Problem Set 8 |
| May 19 | Quantum Mechanics in 3D | Ch. 6 | |
| May 26 | Final Exam (Monday, May 26) |
