All materials are available from the top URL, http://courses.physics.illinois.edu/phys486/ i.e. homework & discussion problems & solutions, lecture blackboards, formula sheets, and INFO files. The ITEM column contains these entries for week n: nread READING for week n = sections from textbooks nA LECTURE #1 = Monday nB LECTURE #2 = Wednesday nd DISCUSSION = Wednesday The READING item gives textbook sections for each week where the letters mean: G Griffiths = the required textbook J Jain = the excellent $2.88 eBook DATE ITEM CONTENT ============================================================================ 1read J:2,3 T 1/21 1A - the need for QM I R 1/23 1B - the need for QM II - the Bohr atom 1d - special relativity review - Compton scattering 1h * NO homework 1 ============================================================================ 2read J:4,5 G:1 T 1/28 2A - recap : Lagrangian mechanics & conjugate momentum - Hamiltonian mechanics R 1/30 2B - Liouville's theorem : proof - old QM : correspondence principle + quantization rules - 1925 : old QM → new QM → wave mechanics 2d - the wavefunction & probability 2h * homework 2 due Friday 2/07 @ 1 pm ============================================================================ 3read T 2/04 3A - development of wave mechanics I R 2/06 3B - development of wave mechanics II 3d - axioms of wave mechanics - Ehrenfest's Theorem 3h * homework 3 due Friday 2/14 @ 1 pm ============================================================================ 4read T 2/11 4A - expectation values - eigenstates of an operator Q (a.k.a. states of determinate Q) - plane waves cannot be normalized R 2/13 4B - wave packets : CAN be normalized! - wave packets : dispersion relation 4d - wave packets for free particles - solving systems with piecewise potentials V(x) 4h * homework 4 due Friday 2/21 @ 1 pm ============================================================================ 5read T 2/18 5A - wave packets : phase vs group velocity R 2/20 5B - solving systems with piecewise potentials V(x) - boundary conditions on wavefunctions 5d - solving systems with piecewise potentials V(x) 5h * no homework, study for midterm1 ============================================================================ 6read T 2/25 6A - zero-point energy - Inner Product Spaces 1 R 2/27 6B - Inner Product Spaces 2 - Dirac orthonormality 6d - Dirac delta-function - delta-function barrier & well 6h * homework 6 due Friday 3/06 @ 1 pm ============================================================================ 7read T 3/03 7A <<<<< MIDTERM 1 >>>>> R 3/05 7B - IPS concept : Dual Space - Hilbert Space = an IPS without unphysical holes - Axioms of QM refined - Hermitian Operators : defining properties 7d - Hermitian Operators : more properties - Commutators 7h * homework 7 due Friday 3/13 @ 1 pm ============================================================================ 8read T 3/10 8A - Hermitian Ops : e-functions are complete - Hermition Ops : commuting ops have common e-functions - Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle : general form R 3/12 8B - the Canonical Commutators : [A,B] of x,y,z,px,py,pz 8d - the Harmonic Oscillator 8h * homework 8 due Friday 3/27 @ 1 pm ============================================================================ M 3/16 SPRING BREAK ============================================================================ 9read T 3/24 9A - measurement process : "collapse" of wavefunction - degenerate eigenvalues / eigenstates R 3/26 9B - other-space wavefunctions ψα(q) = ⟨eq|α⟩ 9d - successive measurements 9h * Homework 9 due Friday 4/03 @ 1 pm ============================================================================ 10read J:6.3 ; G:4.1-2 / J:7.2,12.1,12.3 T 3/31 10A - probability current - 3D Schrödinger Equation : Cartesian separation - 3D Schrödinger Equation : Spherical separation R 4/02 10B - the angular equation : spherical harmonics - the radial equation : infinite well - the radial equation : hydrogen atom 10d - 3D infinte box 10h * Homework 10 due Friday 4/10 @ 11:55 pm ============================================================================ 11read T 4/07 11A R 4/09 11B 11d 11h * Homework 11 due Friday 4/17 @ 11:55 pm ============================================================================ 12read T 4/14 12A R 4/16 12B 12d 12h * NO HOMEWORK 12 → study ============================================================================ 13read T 4/21 13A R 4/23 13B <<<<< MIDTERM 2 >>>>> 13d 13h * Homework 13 due Friday 5/01 @ 1 pm ============================================================================ 14read T 4/28 14A R 4/30 14B 14d ============================================================================ 15read T 4/05 15A R 5/07 -- <<<<< READING DAY >>>>> ============================================================================ 16 <<<<< FINAL EXAM: TBA >>>>> <<<<< room: TBA >>>>> • 486 Course Explorer page • Registrar's Final Exam site