PHYS 485 :: Physics Illinois :: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

 

Tentative Schedule

 

Week Topic Lecture Assignment Reading
1 24-Aug Introduction; Wave and particle behaviors of light; Photoelectric effect Lecture 1 powerpoint   Townsend 1.1-1.3
26-Aug Quantum Properties of light; single photon interference  Lecture 2 powerpoint   Townsend 1.4-1.7 
2 31-Aug Particles as waves – de Broglie; atomic interferometry; crystal diffraction, Schrodinger Equation  Lecture 3 powerpoint

HW 1 (due Sep11)

HW Solutions

 Townsend 2.1-2.3  D1
2-Sep Sch. Eq. II, free particles, wave packets, uncertainty principle Lecture 4 poweropint   Townsend 2.3-2.7
3 7-Sep Labor Day - Holiday
9-Sep Sch. Eq. II, free particles, wave packets, uncertainty principle (contd)  Lecture 5 powerpoint   Townsend 2.3-2.7 
4 14-Sep Expectation Values, Probabilities, Time-indep Schr. Eq, Particle in a box  Lecture 6 powerpoint   Townsend 2.8, 3.1-3.2 
16-Sep Particle in a box, Philosophy, time dependence, Eigenfunctions and eigenvalues Lecture 7 powerpoint

HW 2 (due Sept 25)

HW Solutions

 Townsend 3.2-3.4
5 21-Sep Quantum Wells, bound states Lecture 8 powerpoint   Townsend 4.1-4.2
23-Sep Simple harmonic oscillator Lecture 9 powerpoint   Townsend 4.3
6 28-Sep Simple harmonic oscillator; Double wells Lecture 10 powerpoint

HW3 (due Oct 9)

HW Solutions

 Townsend 4.3-4.5  
30-Sep

Special Talk on Nuclear Physics (Jordi Salinas)

Interlude: Nuclear Theory Research and its Quantum Nature, Principles of QM, Schrodinger's cat, qubits

Nuclear Theory Reseach and its Quantum Nature

Lecture 11 powerpoint

   Ch5
7 5-Oct  Scattering – step potential and probability current Lecture 12 powerpoint    Townsend 4.5-4.6
7-Oct Tunneling and STM  Lecture 13 powerpoint   Townsend 4.7 
8 12-Oct

Mid-Term Review in class

Midterm Review powerpoint
14-Oct

Mid-Term (no class)  48 Hour Takehome--details will be emailed

Mid-Term Solns
9 19-Oct

Special talk on quantum matter (Varsha Subramanyan)

Interlude: Principles of QM, quantum cats, entanglement (contd)

Introduction to condensed matter physics

Lecture 14 powerpoint

   Townsend Ch 5
21-Oct Schrodinger’s equation in 3D  Lecture 15 powerpoint   Townsend 6.1
10 26-Oct Spherical coordinates and angular momentum  Lecture 16 powerpoint HW4 (due Nov6)
HW Solutions		 Townsend 6.2
28-Oct Hydrogen Atom – Wavefunctions Lecture 17 powerpoint   Townsend 6.3
11 2-Nov Hyrdogen contd.; Zeeman effect – spin  Lecture 18 powerpoint   Townsend 6.4, 6.5
4-Nov Spin physics: MRI Lecture 19 powerpoint    
12 9-Nov Spin Physics, MRI; Identical Particles Lecture 20 powerpoint HW5 (due Nov 20) HW5 Solutions Towndsend 6.4, 65; 7.1, 7.2
11-Nov Identical Particles; Quantum Statistical Mechanics Lecture 21 powerpoint   Townsend 7.1, 7.2
13 16-Nov Bosons, Blackbody radiation, Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation Lecture 22 powerpoint   Townsend 7.6-7.8
18-Nov  Bose-Einstein condensation Lecture 23 powerpoint HW6 (due Dec 8) HW6 Solutions Townsend 7.6-7.5 
14 21-Nov to 29-Nov Fall Break - Thanksgiving
15 30-Nov Pauli’s exclusion, Fermi energy Lecture 24 powerpoint   Townsend 7.3-7.5
2-Dec Fermions: Stellar bodies--whote dwarves, neutron stars; Solids-Bandstructure , Electrical Properties; Semiconductors  Lecture 25 powerpoint   Townsend 8.1-8.3
16 7-Dec Superconductivity     Townsend 8.4
9-Dec Review ---instruction ends      
17 11-Dec to 18-Dec Final Exam