Syllabus of PHY5646 Quantum Mechanics B, Spring 2004
Description and Goals for the Course: This is the second semester
of a two-semester graduate level sequence on the fundamental concepts and
applications of modern quantum mechanics; three graduate credit hours. Quantum
Mechanics is the foundation of all branches of modern physics. The ultimate
goal of this course is to introduce its central ideas and methodology to
the students, and get them prepared for more advanced and specialized courses,
and in particular, thesis research in both experimental and theoretical
physics. In the meantime there are still a number of fundamental questions
about Quantum Mechanics itself that remain unanswered and are the subject
of active current research; the students will also be exposed to some of
these problems.
Course Objectives: By the end of the second semester the students
are expected to have learned to use a number approximation schemes to solve
quantum mechanical problems that are not exactly soluble, and appreciated
the importance of symmetry considerations in the solutions of quantum mechanical
problems, either exact or approximate. They will also be introduced to the
relativistic quantum mechanics which is the form of one-particle quantum
mechanics that is compatible with special relativity, and its inadequacies;
in attempting to fix these inadequacies one is eventually led to quantum
field theory, which is the modern quantum theory of infinitely many interacting
degrees of freedom that describes all fundamental particles and their interactions.
Prerequisites: PHY5645.
Textbook (required): J. J. Sakurai, Modern Quantum
Mechanics, revised edition, Addison-Wesley, 1994. We will cover
most parts of the last four chapters of this book this semester. Supplemental
materials will be distributed on Relativistic Quantum Mechanics, which
is an important part of this course but not included in the textbook.
Grading: Final: 30%; Two Midterm Exams: 40%; Homework/Class Attendance:
30%. Tentative Grade Dividing Lines: A/A-: 80; A-/B+: 75; B+/B: 70; B/B-:
60; B-/C+: 55; C+/C: 50; C/D: 40.
Student Responsibilities: Active student participation is crucial
to the success of this course. Specifically, they are expected to:
- Attend lectures on time, and contribute to class discussions.
- Finish and submit home works in time. Unless approved by the instructor
in advance, late home works will not be accepted.
- Participate in the midterm and final exams. Unless approved by the
instructor in advance or in case of unforeseeable emergency, missed exams
cannot be made up.
ADA Statement: Students with disabilities needing academic accommodation
should: (1) register with and provide documentation to the Student Disability
Resource Center; (2) bring a letter to the instructor indicating the need
for accommodation and what type. Please do this during the first week of
classes.
Honor Code: Students are expected to uphold the Academic Honor Code
published in the Florida State University Bulletin and the Student Handbook.
The Academic Honor Systems of Florida State University is based on the premise
that each student has the responsibility to (1) uphold the highest standards
of academic integrity in the student's own work, (2) refuse to tolerate
violations of academic integrity in the university community, and (3) foster
a high sense of integrity and social responsibility on the part of the university
community.
Course Topics:
- Symmetry in Quantum Mechanics: Symmetries, conservation laws
and degeneracies; Discrete symmetries: parity, lattice translation, time-reversal,
etc. (~ 3 lectures)
- Approximation Methods: Time-independent perturbation theory;
Variational methods; Time-dependent perturbation theory. (~ 6 lectures)
- Identical Particles: Permutation symmetry; Symmetrization
postulates; Two-electron systems, etc. ( ~ 2 lectures)
- Scattering Theory: The Lippman-Schwinger equation; The Born
approximation; Optical theorem; Eikonal approximation; Method of partial
waves; Time-dependent formulation of scattering, etc. (~ 8
lectures)
- Relativistic Quantum Mechanics: The Klein-Gorden Equation;
The Dirac Equation; Plane-wave solutions; Relativistic covariance; The
hydrogen atom, etc. (~ 6 lectures)
Logistic Information:
- Lectures: Tu., Th. 11:00--12:15, UPL 110.
- Lecturer: Kun
Yang; Office: 404 Keen and A306 Magnet Lab; Tel.: 4-5373
(magnet lab); 4-5208 (physics department); Homepage: magnet.fsu.edu/~kunyang; E-mail:
kunyang@magnet.fsu.edu
- Office hours: Tu., Th. 9:00 am - 10:45 am, and by appointment.
I am usually available on Tu. and Th. in my Keen Building office and in
my Maglab office on other days. The students are strongly encouraged use
the office hours to discuss issues that are related to the course, or physics
in general, with the instructor.
- Course home page:www.physics.fsu.edu/courses/spring04/phy5646.
Announcements related to the course, homework assignments, exams and their
solutions will be posted here.
- TA (grader of homework): Ms. Muslema Pervin; Office:
202 Keen Buiding; Phone: 4-1257; Email: muslema@bose.physics.fsu.edu
- Home Work: Weekly, due in class on Thursdays. Problem sets
and solutions will be available for pick up on Thursdays in class, and
also on the course webpage.
- Midterm Exams: There will be two midterm exams during
class time, to be scheduled in mid-February and late-March (exact date
will be given at least two weeks in advance).
- Final Exam: Monday, April 26th, 5:30 pm - 7:30
pm.
Suggested Further Reading (not required): The textbook
provides all the materials that will be covered this semester except for
the part on Relativistic Quantum Mechanics. Materials on this part will
be distributed to the students by the instructor. The following are some
other books that may be useful:
- J. D. Bjorken and S. D. Drell, Relativistic Quantum Mechanics,
McGraw-Hill (1964). This is a standard reference on the subject which will
be covered this semester.
- E. Merzbacher, Quantum Mechanics, Third Edition (1997). The
discussion on scattering theory and identical particles of this book complements
that of the textbook.