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0) Administrative Affairs: Instructor: Sebastian Wüster, IISER Bhopal, 2018

This document outlines the syllabus for a quantum physics course. It provides administrative details for the instructor including contact information and office hours. It lists recommended textbooks and describes the assessment structure including online quizzes, a midterm exam, and a final exam. It provides an outline of the course topics which will cover the dawn of quantum physics, waves and particles, atomic physics, and many particle quantum problems. It directs students to watch introductory videos on quantum physics and notifies them of an upcoming online quiz related to the videos.

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Hussain Mahammad Habib 19142
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94 views

0) Administrative Affairs: Instructor: Sebastian Wüster, IISER Bhopal, 2018

This document outlines the syllabus for a quantum physics course. It provides administrative details for the instructor including contact information and office hours. It lists recommended textbooks and describes the assessment structure including online quizzes, a midterm exam, and a final exam. It provides an outline of the course topics which will cover the dawn of quantum physics, waves and particles, atomic physics, and many particle quantum problems. It directs students to watch introductory videos on quantum physics and notifies them of an upcoming online quiz related to the videos.

Uploaded by

Hussain Mahammad Habib 19142
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Week 1 PHY 106 Quantum Physics

Instructor: Sebastian Wüster, IISER Bhopal, 2018


These notes are provided for the students of the class above only.
There is no warranty for correctness, please contact me if you spot a mistake.

0) Administrative Affairs
(i) Office: AB1 - 014

Phone: 1213

Email: [email protected]

Office hours: Wed 2 p.m - 5 p.m.

webpage: http://home.iiserb.ac.in/∼sebastian/teaching.html
(ii) Literature:
• Beiser, Concepts of Modern Physics.
• French, Vibrations and waves
• Eisberg and Resnick, Quantum Physics of atoms and etc. 

• H. C. Verma, Quantum Physics. 

• R. P. Feynman, et al., The Feynman Lecture of Physics Vol 3. 

• H. S. Mani and G. K. Mehta: Introduction to Modern Physics. 

• R. Shankar, Fundamentals of Physics II
(iii) Assessment:
• 20% Online Quizzes after each one/two weeks using

“Examineer:” https://examineer.in/quiz/#/, provided by our
CREATES
• 30% Mid-Sem Exam
• 50% End-Sem Exam

The purpose of the Quizzes is to motivate you to follow the


material continuously, not only for exam revision. You should
have no problem answering the questions, while referring to the
book or the notes.

(iv) Tutorials:
• In the tutorial class, please form team of 3-6 students to
work together on the questions provided. There will be TA’s
to assist.
• The exams will be designed such that you will not be able
to score high in them without regular attendance of the
tutorials, and active participation in your team.

(v) Assignments:
• Assignment sheets will be provided online each week.
These are meant for your self assessment and exam
preparation, but they will not be graded.
• You will not be able to score high in the exam without
regularly working through the assignment sheets yourself.
• There will be too many assignment question for you to try
to work through all of them in the last moment before the
exams.
• Solutions will be provided online after some time.
(1) ASK QUESTIONS!!!!

(2) ASK ME TO TALK


S. L. O. W. L. Y. !!!!

(3) ASK QUESTIONS!!!!


Further reading
(iii) Tentative course outline:

(1) Motivation: The dawn of Quantum Physics


week 1: Motivation movies on YouTube
How was quantum mechanics invented? Why does it challenge our everyday
intuition?

week 2: Dawn of Quantum Physics, problems with classical theory


What is “quantum physics” / “modern physics” as opposed to classical physics?
Where is quantum mechanics at work around us?
Mechanics/ oscillator: French, chapter 4, or textbook PHY101
(2) Waves and Particles
week 3: Introduction to wave mechanics French, chapter 7
What are waves? How do we describe them mathematically?

week 4: Particle properties of waves: [longer than a week (;] Beiser, chapter 2
Where does classical wave theory reach its limitations?
French, chapter 7
week 5: Wave packets Beiser, section 3.4
What if we combine multiple different waves? How fast does the combination move?

week 6: Wave properties of particles: [longer than a week (;] Beiser, chapter 3
Where does classical particle theory reach its limitations?
(3) Atomic Physics and quantum mechanics

week 7: Structure of the atom


Why can the atom not be explained classically?

week 8 : Introduction to Quantum Mechanics


Brief historical overview. How can we work with QM
mathematically?

(roughly here: mid-term exam)

week 9 : Quantum problems in one dimension


What does a quantum atom do, if we trap it in a box?

week 10: Hydrogen atom


Our first really important quantum mechanical calculation.
And one of very few that can be done exactly.
(4) Many Particle Quantum Problems

week 11: Many electron systems


Why do two electrons not like each other?

week 12: Molecules and Chemistry


Why is quantum mechanics essential for chemistry?

(5) Current Research Frontier in Quantum Physics

week 13: Outlook on advanced topics (time permitting)


How come everything around us “looks classical”? How can
quantum physics provide technologies that look like magic? Is
quantum physics even important for biology?
1) Motivation: the dawn of quantum physics
1.1) Motivation
Please watch these movies online, in this order:

Powers of 10, 9 min:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fKBhvDjuy0
The Secrets Of Quantum Physics, 59 min:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISdBAf-ysI0
Quantum Theory Made Easy, part 1, 31 min:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=e5_V78SWGF0
Quantum Theory Made Easy, part 2, 35 min:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlIrgE5T_g0
Many explanations in these movies are too
fast and others too basic. However they
communicate that quantum physics is exciting
and mind-boggling. We will go through all
effects discussed in the movies in much more
detail.
The first online quiz regarding these movies
will be open the first week of the semester
(31.12.2018 - 6.1.2019). You can login and
out multiple times, and thus answer questions
“while” watching. (The most efficient method
will be to watch only after having read the quiz
questions !)

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