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Course Syllabus

PHY4605 Introduction to Quantum Mechanics 2

Spring 2023

 

Lectures

Lectures will take place every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from January 9 through April 23 except January 16 (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day), February 15, 17 (exchange for Feb 22 evening midterm), March 6, 10 (exchange for Mar 29 evening midterm), and March 13–17 (spring break). Classes will be held Period 5 (11:45 AM - 12:35 PM) in NPB 1220, except for February 13 and March 8 when I am at conferences and the classes will be online via zoom at https://ufl.zoom.us/j/8605138592.

Instructor

Xiaoguang Zhang
Office: NPB 2332
Phone 352-392-6971
email: xgz@ufl.edu

Office Hours: Thu 9:35 a.m.–10:25 a.m. or by appointment. To make an appointment please email me at xgz@ufl.edu

Grader

John Koptur-Palenchar
Office: B166
email: jjpalenchar@ufl.edu

Course Overview

PHY 4605 is the second course of the two-semester introductory quantum mechanics sequence PHY 4604–4605. The course introduces the basic concepts of wave mechanics, the formalism of quantum mechanics, and applications to atomic, molecular, and condensed matter physics. The material covered is central to much of contemporary research in physics, in other sciences, and in engineering.

Textbook

QM.jpg 

The course text is Introduction to Quantum Mechanics by David J. Griffiths and D.F. Shroeter (3rd ed., Cambridge University Press, 2018). The text is required, meaning that you will be assumed to have access to it to complete reading and homework assignments.

 

There are many other useful textbooks on quantum mechanics. You are encouraged to explore alternatives. Here are four that have often been recommended by colleagues who taught the course in the past:
    - R. Shankar "Principles of Quantum Mechanics", 2d edition, Springer 1994.
    - L.E. Ballentine "Quantum Mechanics, A Modern Development", World Scientific 1998.
    - M. Belloni, W. Christian and A.J. Cox "Physlet Quantum Mechanics", Pearson Prentice Hall 2006.
    - S. Gasiorowicz "Quantum Physics", J. Wiley, 1974.

 

Prerequisites

PHY4604 Introduction to Quantum Mechanics 1, is a prerequisite for this course. For mathematics, you should have familiarity with such linear algebra concepts as eigenstates and eigenvalues. Students who do not know linear algebra tend to do poorly in this course. So you are encouraged to at least read the appendix of Griffiths textbook and go through all of the problems in the appendix to prepare for the course.

Homework

There will be 11 homework sets, due before the start of class on 1/23, 1/30, 2/6, 2/13, 2/27, 3/8, 3/27, 4/3, 4/10, 4/17, and 4/24 (due dates subject to changes). The homework is your best opportunity to learn the material in depth. If at all possible, do the homework entirely on your own. Only if you are hopelessly stuck it is alright to seek help from the instructor or other students. Any help must be explicitly acknowledged at the end of the corresponding problem. In that case you will not be penalized for having received help.

Exams

Exam 1 will be on Wed, Feb. 22, 8pm-10pm in NPB 1220

Exam 2 will be on Wed, Mar. 29, 8pm-10pm in NPB 1220

Exam 3 will be on Wed, Apr. 26, 8pm-10pm in NPB 1220.

Grades and grade points

The final grade will be based on:

Homework 25%
Exam 1 25%
Exam 2 25%
Exam 3 25%

 

Tentative grading scheme (subject to change):

A
100%
to 90%
A-
< 90%
to 85%
B+
< 85%
to 80%
B
< 80%
to 75%
B-
< 75%
to 70%
C+
< 70%
to 65%
C
< 65%
to 60%
C-
< 60%
to 50%
D+
< 50%
to 40%
D
< 40%
to 30%
D-
< 30%
to 20%
E
< 20%
to 0%

For information on current UF policies for assigning grade points, see https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/regulations/info/grades.aspx (Links to an external site.)

 

Attendance requirement

Requirements for class attendance and make-up exams, assignments, and other work in this course are consistent with university policies that can be found at: https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/regulations/info/attendance.aspx (Links to an external site.).

Students with disabilities requesting accommodations should first register with the Disability Resource Center (352-392-8565,  www.dso.ufl.edu/drc/) by providing appropriate documentation. Once registered, students will receive an accommodation letter which must be presented to the instructor when requesting accommodation. Students with disabilities should follow this procedure as early as possible in the semester.

 

Online course evaluation

Student assessment of instruction is an important part of efforts to improve teaching and learning. At the end of the semester, students are expected to provide feedback on the quality of instruction in this course using a standard set of university and college criteria. These evaluations are conducted online at https://evaluations.ufl.edu (Links to an external site.). Evaluations are typically open for students to complete during the last two or three weeks of the semester; students will be notified of the specific times when they are open. Summary results of these assessments are available to students at https://evaluations.ufl.edu/results (Links to an external site.).

 

Academic honesty

As a student at the University of Florida, you have committed yourself to uphold the Honor Code, which includes the following pledge:  “We, the members of the University of Florida community, pledge to hold ourselves and our peers to the highest standards of honesty and integrity.”  You are expected to exhibit behavior consistent with this commitment to the UF academic community, and on all work submitted for credit at the University of Florida, the following pledge is either required or implied: "On my honor, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment."  

It is assumed that you will complete all work independently in each course unless the instructor provides explicit permission for you to collaborate on course tasks (e.g. assignments, papers, quizzes, exams). Furthermore, as part of your obligation to uphold the Honor Code, you should report any condition that facilitates academic misconduct to appropriate personnel. It is your individual responsibility to know and comply with all university policies and procedures regarding academic integrity and the Student Honor Code.  Violations of the Honor Code at the University of Florida will not be tolerated. Violations will be reported to the Dean of Students Office for consideration of disciplinary action. For more information regarding the Student Honor Code, please see: http://www.dso.ufl.edu/sccr/process/student-conduct-honor-code (Links to an external site.)

Student Privacy: There are federal laws protecting your privacy with regards to grades earned in courses and on individual assignments. For more information, please see the Notification to Students of FERPA Rights.

Diversity: Physics is practiced and advanced by a scientific community of individuals with diverse backgrounds and identities and is open and welcoming to everyone. We recognize the value in diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of this course. This includes, but is not limited to differences in race, ethnicity, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, socioeconomic status, religion, and disability. All members of this class are expected to contribute to a respectful, welcoming, and inclusive environment for every other member of the class.

Campus Resources:

Health and Wellness:

U Matter, We Care: If you or a friend is in distress, please contact umatter@ufl.edu or 352 392- 1575 so that a team member can reach out to the student.

Counseling and Wellness Center: counseling.ufl.edu/cwc, and 392-1575; and the University Police Department: 392-1111 or 9-1-1 for emergencies.

Sexual Assault Recovery Services (SARS): Student Health Care Center, 392-1161. University Police Department: at 392-1111 (or 9-1-1 for emergencies), or police.ufl.edu.

Academic Resources:

E-learning technical support: 352-392-4357 (select option 2) or e-mail to Learning- support@ufl.edu.

Career Resource Center: Reitz Union, 392-1601. Career assistance and counseling.
Teaching Center: Broward Hall, 392-2010 or 392-6420. General study skills and tutoring. Writing Studio: 302 Tigert Hall, 846-1138. Help brainstorming, formatting, and writing papers.

Updates: As the course progresses, the syllabus may need updating to enhance the learning opportunity. Any such changes will be announced in class.

 

Course schedule

Lecture 0 M-1/09 Introduction

Lecture 1 W-1/11 Symmetries and conservation laws (textbook 6.1-6.2)

Lecture 2 F-1/13 Translational symmetry (textbook 6.3)

No class M-1/16

Lecture 3 W-1/18 Parity (textbook 6.4)

Lecture 4 F-1/20 Rotational symmetry (textbook 6.5)

Lecture 5 M-1/23 Degeneracy (textbook 6.6-6.7)

Lecture 6 W-1/25 Translations in time (textbook 6.8)

Lecture 7 F-1/27 More on symmetry (further problems on chapter 6)

Lecture 8 M-1/30 Time-independent nondegenerate perturbation theory1 (textbook 7.1)

Lecture 9 W-2/01 Time-independent nondegenerate perturbation theory2 (problem 7.38)

Lecture 10 F-2/03 Degenerate perturbation theory 1 (textbook 7.2.1)

Lecture 11 M-2/06 Degenerate perturbation theory 2 (textbook 7.2.2-7.2.3)

Lecture 12 W-2/08 Degenerate perturbation theory 3 (problems 7.34, 7.40)

Lecture 13 F-2/10 Fine structure of hydrogen; relativistic corrections (textbook 7.3.1)

Lecture 14 (zoom https://ufl.zoom.us/j/8605138592) M-2/13 Spin-orbit coupling (textbook 7.3.2)

Exchange for Exam 1 W-2/15, F-2/17

Lecture 15 M-2/20 Zeeman effect, weak and strong field (textbook 7.4.1-7.4.2)

Lecture 16 W-2/22 Zeeman effect- intermediate-field, hyperfine splitting (textbook 7.4.3-7.5)

Exam 1 W-2/22 8-10 pm

Lecture 17 F-2/24 More on perturbation theory (problems 7.45, 7.57)

Lecture 18 M-2/27 Variational principle (textbook 8.1)

Lecture 19 W-3/01 Trial wave functions (problem 8.4)

Lecture 20 F-3/03 Ground state of helium (textbook 8.2)

Exchange for Midterm 2 M-3/06

Lecture 21 (zoom https://ufl.zoom.us/j/8605138592) W-3/08 LCAO: Linear Combination of Atomic Orbitals (textbook 8.3, 8.4)

Exchange for Exam 2 F-3/10

Spring Break M-3/13, W-3/15, F-3/17

Lecture 22 M-3/20 WKB approximation (textbook 9.1)

Lecture 23 W-3/22 Tunneling (textbook 9.2, 9.3)

Lecture 24 F-3/24 Scattering theory (textbook 10.1)

Lecture 25 M-3/27 Partial waves (textbook 10.2)

Lecture 26 W-3/29 Phase shifts (textbook 10.3)

Exam 2 W-3/29 8-10pm

Lecture 27 F-3/31 Integral form of Schrodinger equation (textbook 10.4.1)

Lecture 28 M-4/03 Born approximation (textbook 10.4.2, 10.4.3)

Lecture 29 W-4/05 More on scattering

Lecture 30 F-4/07 Quantum dynamics of two-level systems

Lecture 31 M-4/10 Time-dependent perturbation theory

Lecture 32 W-4/12 Emission and absorption/spontaneous emission

Lecture 33 F-4/14 More on spontaneous emission

Lecture 34 M-4/17 More on time-dependent perturbation, Fermi’s Golden rule

Lecture 35 W-4/19 Adiabatic approximation

Lecture 36 F-4/21 Decoherence and entanglement

Lecture 37 M-4/24 Review for Exam 3

Exam 3 W-4/26 8-10pm

Course Summary:

Date Details Due