Syllabus Physics 55200 Fall 2020

PHYSICS 55200-U3600: Quantum Physics II SYLLABUS, Fall 2020Instructor: Alexios Polychronakos, Somewhere in his Hilbert Space apolychronakos@ccny.cuny.edu
Grader: Not assigned yetStructure of Lectures: This course will be conducted fully remotely, using Zoom. Please make sure you have the necessary technological resources.Office hours: Tuesday and Thursday 11am-12pm or, preferably, by appointment on an as-needed basis. Please email to schedule a Zoom, Skype or phone meeting.All students are advised to check their Blackboard and Cunyfirst accounts regularly so that important class material and information can be communicated timely and efficiently. Messages will be sent through the Cunyfirst system to all officially enrolled students. Your email is being kept strictly confidential and your email address will be in the“hidden” field of any collective class mailings. I regret that I will not operate within social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) Material: This course will cover advanced notions and topics in quantum mechanics, including angular momentum and spin, time-independent perturbation theory, the WKB approximation, tunneling, variational methods, time-dependent perturbation theory, adiabatic transport, quantum statistical mechanics, band structure and scattering theory; EM interactions, Landau levels and Bell's inequalities will be covered if time permits.Textbook: Introduction to Quantum Mechanics, David Griffiths (2nd Edition), Pearson/Prentice Hall (required). Supplementary lecture notes may be distributed. Prerequisites: Physics 551 or equivalent; calculus and linear algebra. Structure of lectures: Lectures will cover theory, work out examples and solve problems as needed. There will be no strict separation between “theory” and “recitation” or “problem solving” sessions. The pace of the lectures will adapt to the needs of the class and the actual time needed to cover the material, and will accelerate as the course progresses. No strict timeline will be offered at this time. Here is a tentative list of topics: Review of quantum mechanical formalism Review of Angular Momentum, Spin and Central Potentials Identical Particles and Quantum Statistical Mechanics Time-Independent and Time-Dependent Perturbation Theory The WKB approximation and Tunneling Variational Methods The Adiabatic Approximation and Berry’s phase Scattering Electrons in an EM Field and Landau Levels
Educational Objectives: Upon finishing this course you should
-Have a good grasp of the mathematics of the Hilbert space formalism of QuantumMechanics and its physical interpretation
-Have a good working knowledge and understanding of angular momentum, spin,indistinguishable particles and their quantum statistical mechanics
-Be able to understand and apply approximation methods, such as the WKB method, theadiabatic approximation, time-independent and time-dependent perturbation theory, tophysical problems
-Have a good grasp of scattering theory and be able to apply it in simple physicalsituations and interpret the results
-Have a basic familiarity with the concepts of Landau levels, Berry’s phase and otherspecial topics in quantum mechanics
Study plan: You should attend lectures, solve problems as suggested in class, do the assigned homework and review the necessary material from the book or your notes. This is a hard course that requires your full attention and diligence. Here is some common sense advice, in the first person, which you may disregard at your own peril:
•Ask questions! The only bad question is the one that you did not ask.•Solve problems! Reading and fully understanding the material, but not solving enoughproblems, is making almost no progress at all. Solve the examples given in class or thetextbook and the assigned homework problems, as well as extra problems on your own.•Do not fall behind! Losing contact with the material as lectures progress is tantamountto failing the course. Quantum mechanics is unforgiving to those who do not take itseriously, and cannot be “crammed” in a hurry.If you have serious difficulties or problems arrange to see me! Do this earlier ratherthan later. You cannot afford to stay paralyzed and wait until it is too late for help.
Again, this is a course for devoted and committed aficionados of the material, not intellectual tourists. Come in full fighting gear or stay out! Attendance, Homework: You are strongly advised to attend all lectures. There will be mandatory homework for credit assigned on a weekly basis, due 5pm on Thursday of the week next to the assignment. Homework submitted late will not be accepted for credit. Behavior and Cheating: You are expected to act responsibly and follow the rules of the course as well as those of civility. This includes the courtesy of not talking, funneling in noises from your environment or engaging in extracurricular activitiesduring lectures, and of addressing the lecturer and your fellow students politely. You can have food, quietly, but I discourage alcohol and encourage caffeinated drinks!Cheating during exams, homework or any other circumstance is grounds for failing the course and suffering severe academic consequences.
Exams: Two Midterm exams and one comprehensive Final Exam Structure: Exams are open book: you are permitted to use your books, notes, slide rule, abacus, ouija board or any other passive device you wish. Communication during the exam is strictly forbidden: no talking, exchanging material, laptops, phones and other wireless devices, and interactions with any sentient beings.Exams will be conducted via Zoom. A camera showing clearly your face and your workspace is required. For clarifications on what is being asked use the "raise your hand" feature. No help or hints will be provided on how to answer the questions.An oral follow-up of any exam can be requested of any student without cause.Missing an Exam: For absence due to serious medical or family emergency and documented to be truly unavoidable, a make-up exam could be given that will be no easier than the regular exam. It is to your advantage to be there for the scheduled exam. Special Circumstances: Students who qualify for extra time, a quiet test environment or other special accommodations due to a documented condition should present evidence and notify the instructor, preferably at the beginning of the course and no later than one week prior to any exam, and should make appropriate arrangements with the AccessAbility office whenever needed. Students with religious or other restrictions on the dates they can take exams should communicate them to the instructor at the beginning of the course. Every effort will be made to accommodate them, within the constraints of the schedule and other students’ needs and limitations. Etiquette: Joint on time for the exam. Have your full testing environment ready and conforming to the stated rules. Please take care of your physical needs beforehand. Emergency bathroom visits or other brief absences will automatically trigger an oral follow-up of the exam.Grades: Your letter grade will be based on a numerical score to be computed as follows: Homework 15%, Midterms 40%, Final 45%. No single exam will guarantee your passing the course, so you are strongly advised to participate in all of the above evaluations. NOTA BENE: The above is intended as a guide, and the instructor reserves the right to make changes during the semester as he sees fit. Changes, if any, to the rules and to the schedule will be announced as they occur. It is the students’ responsibility to remain informed about the course and be alert of any new information.