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 Schrodinger 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 oscillator potential, simple harmonic oscillator and applications. One-electron atoms, spin, transition rates. Identical particles and quantum statistics. Beyond the Schrodinger equation: variational methods and WKB. Required for Physics majors.
4 hr./wk.
Review of Schrodinger equation, Uncertainty principle. Formalism: Observables, Operators, etc. Application to simple cases: 2-level systems, electron in magnetic field; Angular momentum- Bohr model revisited; Magnetic properties of solids; Time-independent perturbation theory and applications; Time-dependent perturbation theory; Lasers, Masers, etc. Adiabatic processes: Berry's phase, when does phase matter? Quantum entanglement, Bell's theorem and recent experiments. Required for Physics majors.
4 hr./wk.
3 hr./wk.
Theory and application of lasers and masers. Physical principles underlying the design of lasers, coherent optics, and non-linear optics.
3 hr./wk.