Physics 55100

PHYS 55100: QUANTUM PHYSICS I

Introductory material: 2-slit experiment, matter waves and addition of amplitudes–superposition principle; Uncertainty principle, properties of matter waves: Boundary conditions and energy level quantization and Schrödinger interpretation–wave equation, application to one dimensional problems, barrier penetration, Bloch states in solids and how bands form in solids; The universality of the Harmonic potential–Simple Harmonic oscillator and applications; One electron atoms, spin, transition rates; Identical particles and quantum statistics; Beyond the Schrödinger equation: Variational methods and WKB. Prereq.: MATH 39100 and MATH 39200. Pre- or coreq.: PHYS 35100, PHYS 35400 (required for Physics majors). 4 hr./wk.; 4 cr.