Pitt Seal University of Pittsburgh

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Physics 1371: Introduction to Quantum Mechanics II

Spring 2009

Course description

This course is a continuation of the material covered in Physics 1370 with special emphasis on applications of quantum mechanics. Topics to be covered are: multi-particle systems, time-independent perturbation theory and its application to the fine-structure and hyperfine structure of atoms, time-dependent perturbation theory and its application to the absorption and emission of light, and other approximation methods.

Homework

Homework is an essential part of learning the material of this course. Homework will be assigned each week on Monday and collected next week on Monday. You are encouraged to discuss the homework problems with each other after you have tried them to the best of your ability because you can learn a lot from each other. The homework assignments and solutions will be available for download on CourseWeb.

Projects

Besides homework, additional insight can be gained from working on specific problems of quantum mechanics in greater depth. For this reason I will assign small projects on which you can work in a group of 3-4 students. I will provide a list of possible project topics during the first week of class. You may express your preferences and form groups on your own account. Study material will be provided for each project topic, but you are strongly encouraged to do your own literature research in addition. The results of your projects should be presented in a 20 min. presentation in front of the class at the end of the term.

Concept tests

To support your understanding of the underlying concepts of quantum mechanics, I will occasionally interrupt the class during lectures to pose a conceptual question. You are asked to think about the question by yourself, then discuss it with your neighbor. Then I will have you record your answers on paper forms and collect them to see how many of you obtained the correct answer. It is important that you take the peer discussion seriously because you can learn a lot from your peers. Moreover, the questions will help you understand that the goal of this course is NOT the memorization of definitions and formulas but rather to train your ability to interpret theoretical concepts and make connections between various examples.

Grading scheme

There will be four quizzes (or small mid-term exames) and one comprehensive final exam. The quizzes will be held during regular class hours. Each will take about 25 min. and will be announced about one week earlier. The final grade will be determined by the homework (20%), projects (10%), quizzes (30%), and final exam (40%). You can earn up to 5 bonus points towards to final grade by answering the conceptual questions posed during the lecture.