Physics 341 Graduate Quantum Mechanics I
Location & Time: KPTC 120, T-Th
11 - 12:20
Office Hours: Tuesdays 4-5
Graders: Aurora Ireland, Jonah Kudler-Flam, Lavanya Taneja
Tutors: Nina Coyle, Kris Mackewicz
Course Outline:
This is the first quarter of
a two quarter sequence covering graduate quantum mechanics.
It is
aimed primarily at first year graduate students (and perhaps a few
adventurous sufficiently
advanced undergraduates).
This quarter will be devoted
to foundational topics in quantum mechanics. The topics
to be considered will be chosen from a list that includes:
- Principles of Quantization
- Symmetry
- Quantum Information & Computation
- Angular Momentum & Spin
- Perturbation Theory
- Path-integrals
In terms of course administration, there will be regular problem
sets (~40%), a
mid-term (~25%) and a final examination (~35%).
Final: Thursday Dec 9,
10-12 KPTC 106
References:
There are many good texts on
quantum mechanics. Many of them now seem a little dated but here
are a few that might
be worth perusing.
Modern
Quantum Mechanics by J. J. Sakurai
Quantum Mechanics by K.
Gottfried
Lectures on Quantum Mechanics by S. Weinberg
During the course, we
will encounter symmetries and symmetry groups. A more detailed
discussion of
group theory and symmetries can be found in the following
three links (these files are fairly large. They
constitute the material for an independent course):
groups1
groups2
groups3
Some of you might be interested in the collapse of the
wavefunction and the issue of measurement
in quantum mechanics. Here is a link to a beautiful lecture by the late
Sidney Coleman on
"Quantum Mechanics in Your Face."
Enjoy.
Problem
Sets:
Assignment
1
Solutions 1
Assignment
2
Solutions
2
Assignment 3
Solutions 3
Assignment 4
Solutions
4
Midterm solutions
Assignment 5
Solutions 5
Assignment 6
Solutions 6
Assignment 7
Solutions 7
Final
solutions