Second Year Quantum Mechanics Course Summary - First Semester 2011 Lecturer and Tutor: Ian McArthur Assessment:

30% assignments, 70% on written examination examination period. assignment

expectation values of observables, eigenfunctions and eigenstates.

Lecture 7. Separation of variables, 1-D timeindependent Schrdinger equation, energy eigeno based on performance in states the basis of a three hour during the rst semester Lecture 8. Energy eigenstates as stationary There will be a weekly states, physically acceptable energy eigenfunctions. Lecture 9. (Handout on solution of dierential equations). Solution of the 1-D time independent Schrdinger equation: free particle, innite squareo well potential, comparison with classical case, zero-point energy and the uncertainty principle. Lecture 10. The nite square-well potential: classical case, parity of energy eigenfunctions, quantum mechanical energy eigenstates, penetration into the classically forbidden region. Heuristic explanation of reason for energy quantization, bound states and energy quantization.

YOU MAY DISCUSS ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS WITH OTHER CLASS MEMBERS. HOWEVER, YOUR SUBMITTED SOLUTION MUST BE YOUR OWN WORKING. IF TWO OR MORE PEOPLE SUBMIT A SOLUTION TO A QUESTION IN WHICH IT IS CLEAR THAT COPYING HAS TAKEN PLACE, THIS IS ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT, AND ALL PARTIES WILL RECEIVE A MARK OF ZERO FOR THE WHOLE ASSIGNMENT.

Reading: There is no text. However, I will place Lecture 11. The step potential: classical case, relevant recommended reading material in closed quantum mechanical case, penetration into classically forbidden region, reection and transmission reserve. coecients. Proposed Lecture Content Lecture 1. Revision of classical waves, superposition, phase and group velocities, classical electromagnetism. Failure of classical mechanics: experimental evidence for photons, evidence that all particles exhibit wavelike properties. The de-Broglie postulate. Lecture 12. The barrier potential: classical case, quantum mechanical energy eigenfunctions, tunneling, reection and transmission coecients. Lecture 13. Similarity of scattering problems to classical waves. The scanning tunnelling microscope as an application of quantum mechanics.

The one-dimensional harmonic Lecture 2. Feynmans thought experiments, Lecture 14. oscillator: classical case, energy eigenfunctions probability amplitudes, the uncertainty principle. using raising and lowering operators, Hermite Lecture 3. de-Broglie waves and the wavefunction, polynomials, zero-point energy, relation to systems Borns interpretation, nonrelativistic particles in with a stable equilibrium. one dimension: classical motion in a potential, the Lecture 15. Quantum mechanics in three dione-dimensional Schrdinger equation. o mensions: review of the 1-D formalism extending Lecture 4. Solution of 1D SE for free particle it to 3-D. with denite momentum, states and their time Lecture 16. Central potentials, spherical poevolution, superposition principle. lar coordinates, Laplacian in spherical polar Lecture 5. Free particle solution to 1-D Schrdinger coordinates. (Handout on spherical polar coordio equation: states of denite momentum, box nor- nates). malization, wavepackets by superposition, group Energy eigenfunctions in central velocity and phase velocity for wavepacket, uncer- Lecture 17. potentials: the 3-D time-independent Schrdinger o tainty principle. equation, solution of angular equation in terms of Lecture 6. Observables, association of opera- spherical polar coordinates, polar plots of spherical tors with observables (position, momentum and harmonics. Hamiltonian operators), correspondence principle, 1

Lecture 18. Conservation of angular momentum for classical particle in central potential, orbital angular momentum in quantum mechanics, angular momentum operators, interpretation of azimuthal quantum number l and magnetic quantum number m, quantization of orbital angular momentum, vector model of orbital angular momentum. Lecture 19. Energy quantization in single electron atoms: asymptotic form of solution of radial wave equation for Coulomb potential, series solution, quantization of energy, principal quantum number n. Lecture 20. Degeneracy in single electron atoms, spectroscopic notation, form of the radial wavefunctions, radial probability density. Lecture 21. Maps of full probability distribution and shell structure, physical signicance of polar axis in spherical harmonics, expectation values of radial observables for the hydrogen atom, relation to radial probability density. Lecture 22. Calculation of expectation values of observables in one electron atoms. Observables and operators, eigenvalues of operators as results of measurements, commutators of operators. Lecture 23. Compatible observables, condition for compatibility of observables, simultaneous eigenstates, uncertainty relations for incompatible observables ( French and Taylor p448 (handout)) Lecture 24. simultaneous eigenstates of L2 and Lz , application to energy eigenstates of hydrogen atom. ( French and Taylor p448 (handout)) Lecture 25. Angular momentum and magnetic moments: review of orbital angular momentum and its quantization, reminder about classical magnetic dipole moments, classical orbital magnetic dipole moment of the electron, the quantum orbital magnetic dipole moment and its quantization, interaction with external magnetic eld, the Zeeman eect.