PHYS 487 :: Physics Illinois :: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

PHYS 487 :: Physics Illinois :: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

 

Schedule

The reading assignments refer to chapters in Griffiths, Introduction to Quantum Mechanics, 3rd Ed. Exact lecture dates for the topics may shift as we go through the course. Computational assignments are found here.

Lecture notes for each week's lectures will be posted Wednesday or Thursday. They are provided as a help in looking back what was covered, not to replace reading, or taking your own notes during lecture. Use them at your own risk; they may contain typos.

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Week Date Lecture Discussion Homework Reading
1 08/25 Review of Phys486 No Discussion    
08/27 Symmetries and Transformations in Quantum Mechanics 6.1, 6.2
2 09/01 Labor Day

Discussion 1
Solution

HW1 (due 9/9)

solutions

 
09/03 Symmetries and conservation laws 6.3--6.5
3 09/08 Symmetries and conservation laws

Discussion 2
Solution

HW2 (due 9/16)

solutions

6.6, 6.8

4.4.3

09/10

Addition of angular momentum

4 09/15

Addition of angular momentum 

Discussion 3
Solution

HW3 (due 9/23)

solutions

4.4.3

09/17 Time-independent perturbation theory I 7.1, 7.2
5 09/22 Time-independent perturbation theory II

Discussion 4
Solution

HW4 (due 10/7)

solutions

Practice problems for MT 1

7.1, 7.2
09/24 Degenerate perturbation theory 7.2
6 09/29

Synthesis and review

Clebsch-Gordan tables

computational

HW work session

Computational

HW 1: Perturbation

Theory (due 10/31)

 
10/1

Midterm 1, solutions

7 10/06 Relativistic effects in the hydrogen atom

Discussion 5
Solution

HW5 (due 10/14)

solutions

7.3.1
10/08 Spin-orbit coupling 7.3.2
8 10/13 Zeeman effect 

Discussion 6

solutions

HW6 (due 10/21)

solutions

7.4
10/15 The variational principle 8.1,8.2
9 10/20 The hydrogen ion and the helium atom

Discussion 7

solutions

HW7 (due 10/28)

solutions

8.3, 8.4
10/22 Time dependent Hamiltonians 11.1
10 10/27 Time-dependent perturbation theory

Discussion 8

solutions

HW8 (due 11/4)

solutions

11.1, 11.2
10/29 Emission and absortion of radiation 11.2, 11.3
11 11/3 Spontaneous emission and Fermi's golden Rule

Discussion 9

solutions

HW 9 (due 11/18)

solutions

11.4
11/5 Adiabatic approximation 11.5
12 11/10

Midterm 2, solutions

computational

HW work session

Computational HW

2: Rabi Oscillations

(due 12/10)

11.5
11/12 Adiabatic theorem 
13 11/17 Geometric phase

Discussion 10

solutions

HW 10 (due 12/2)

solutions

4.5
11/19 coupling to EM fields 4.5
14 11/25 Thanksgiving break      
11/27 Thanksgiving break
15 12/1 Aharanov-Bohm and landau levels 

Discussion 11

solutions

HW 11 (due 12/9)

solutions

5.3.1
12/3 Aharanov-Bohm continued Landau levels 5.3.2
16 12/08   Discussion 12 none  
12/10  
  12/11   Reading Day

 

 
  12/18

Final exam: 1:30-4:30