Calendar and Assigments*
* This is what we will aim for. I've changed the amount of time spent on some topics by up to a week compared to previous semesters, based on student feedback. In the end, we might follow this schedule only loosely.
| Class |
Topic | Reading in Townsend | Problem sets & handouts |
| Wed 23 Jan |
Waves, photoelectric effect | Secs. 1.1, 1.3 | PS 1, Questionnaire |
| Fri 25 Jan |
Compton scattering | Sec. 1.3, App. A | |
| Mon 28 Jan |
Double slit diffraction, qualitative single slit diffraction | Sec. 1.2 | |
| Wed 30 Jan |
Aspect et al. single photon experiments | Secs. 1.4, 1.5 | Rec 1, PS 2 |
| Fri 1 Feb |
Double slit and N-slit diffraction of single photons | Secs. 1.6, 1.7 | Rec 2 |
| Mon 4 Feb |
Two slits of finite width | Class notes | |
| Wed 6 Feb |
Fermat's principle: geometric optics from sum over paths | Sec. 1.8 | PS 3 |
| Fri 8 Feb |
Matter waves, the wavefunction Ψ(x,t) | Secs. 2.1, 2.2 | Rec 3 |
| Mon 11 Feb |
The 1D Schrödinger equation, normalization, expectation | Sec. 2.3 | |
| Wed 13 Feb |
Phase velocity and group velocity (two component superposition) | Sec. 2.7 | PS 4 |
| Fri 15 Feb |
Phase velocity and group velocity (wavepacket) | Sec. 2.6 | Rec 4 |
| Mon 18 Feb |
Fourier transform, position and momentum space wavefunctions, variance of a probability distribution | Sec. 2.8, Class notes | |
| Wed 20 Feb |
Conservation of probability in 1D, probability current | Sec. 2.5 | Rec 5 |
| Fri 22 Feb |
Ehrenfest's theorem | Sec. 2.9 | Exam 1 distributed Cover page |
| Mon 25 Feb |
Stationary states of the time-independent Schrödinger Eq. | Sec. 3.1 | |
| Wed 27 Feb |
Stationary states for a particle in a box | Sec. 3.2 | PS 5, hints |
| Fri 1 Mar |
Superposition of two energy eigenstates: sloshing in a 1D box | Sec. 3.2 | Rec 6, Exam 1 due |
| Mon 4 Mar |
Energy eigenfunctions as an orthonormal basis, vector space analogy |
Sec. 3.3 | |
| Wed 6 Mar |
The Hamiltonian operator, eigenfunctions and eigenvalues | Sec. 3.4 | PS 6, Rec 7 |
| Fri 8 Mar |
Catch up | Class notes | Midsemester Questionnaire |
| Mon 18 Mar |
Finite square well (Part I) | Sec. 4.1 | |
| Wed 20 Mar |
Finite square well (Part II) | Sec. 4.1 | PS 7, Rec 8 |
| Thu 21 Mar |
Finite square well (Part III); rules for qualitative plots | Sec. 4.2, F&T handout | |
| Fri 22 Mar |
Art class — a day qualitative wavefunction sketches | Sec. 4.2, F&T handout | Wavefunction sketches: 2013, 2010 |
| Thu 28 Mar |
The harmonic oscillator | Sec. 4.3, F&T handout | Rec 9 |
| Fri 29 Mar |
Dirac delta function potential | Sec. 4.4, Handout | Exam 2 distributed |
| Wed 3 April |
Bound versus continuum states, scattering from a step potential for E > V0 |
Sec. 4.6 | |
| Thu 4 Apr |
Transmission and reflection amplitudes and coefficients | Secs. 4.6, 4.7, Notes | PS 8,, hints, Rec 10 |
| Fri 5 Apr |
Scattering from a step potential for E < V0, scattering from a potential barrier, tunnelling |
Sec. 4.7 | Exam 2 due |
| Mon 8 Apr |
Energy estimation using the uncertainty principle | Sec. 4.3, Notes | |
| Wed 10 Apr |
Observables and Hermitian operators | Sec. 5.2 | PS 9, hints |
| Fri 12 Apr |
Commuting and noncommuting operators, the uncertainty principle |
Secs. 5.3, 5.4 | Rec 11 |
| Mon 15 Apr |
Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) paradox | Sec. 5.6 | |
| Wed 17 Apr |
Schrödinger's cat | Sec. 5.6 | PS 10, Mathematica file |
| Fri 19 Apr |
The Bohr model of the single electron atom or ion | Class notes | Rec 12 |
| Mon 22 Apr |
Quantum mechanics in 3D; the angular equation and spherical harmonics |
Sec. 6.2 Notes | |
| Wed 24 Apr |
Properties of spherical harmonics (counting of angular nodes), complex basis versus real basis (px, py, pz orbitals) |
Class notes, handout | Exam 3 Study Guide |
| Fri 26 Apr |
The hydrogen atom | Sec. 6.3 | Exam 3 distributed |
| Mon 29 Apr |
The Zeeman effect; spin | Secs. 6.4, 6.5 | |
| Wed 1 May |
The Stern Gerlach experiment | Sec. 6.5 | |
| Fri 3 May |
Wrap up, something fun | Exam 3 due |
