Lecturer: Dr. M.P. Fry
Date: 1996-97
Groups: JS Theoretical Physics, optional JS and SS Mathematics
Prerequisites: 241
Duration: 21 weeks.
Lectures per week: 3
Assessment: Weekly problems
Examinations: One 3-hour examination
The course begins with a survey of the foundations of quantum mechanics, using Dirac notation. It then proceeds to illustrative solutions of Schrödinger's equation, including bound-state problems, periodic potentials and scattering theory. This is followed by a study of symmetries, including displacements in time, spatial translations, rotations and angular momentum, reflections in space, and time reversal. Following this, stationary state and time-dependent perturbation theory are developed. Time permitting, Feynman's path-integral formulation of quantum mechanics will be discussed.
Objectives: The course aims to present the principles of quantum mechanics and to apply them to the physical world with the aid of weekly problem sets.
Textbooks: E. Merzbacher, Quantum Mechanics, recommended
among others.