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 1/15 1A - the need for QM I R 1/17 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 1/22 2A - recap : Lagrangian mechanics & conjugate momentum - Hamiltonian mechanics R 1/24 2B - Liouville's theorem : proof - old QM : correspondence principle + quantization rules - 1925 : old QM → new QM → wave mechanics 2d - the wavefunction & probability ============================================================================ 3read T 1/29 3A - development of wave mechanics I R 1/31 3B - development of wave mechanics II 3d - axioms of wave mechanics - Ehrenfest's Theorem 3h * homework 3 due MONDAY 2/11 @ 1 pm ============================================================================ 4read T 2/05 4A - expectation values - eigenstates of an operator Q (a.k.a. states of determinate Q) - plane waves cannot be normalized R 2/07 4B - wave packets : CAN be normalized! - wave packets : dispersion relation 4d - wave packets for free particles - the celebrated Gaussian Wave Packet 4h * HOMEWORK 4 hard deadline : MONDAY 2/18 @ 8 pm ============================================================================ 5read T 2/12 5A - wave packets : phase vs group velocity R 2/14 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 2/19 6A - zero-point energy - Inner Product Spaces 1 R 2/21 6B - Inner Product Spaces 2 - Dirac orthonormality 6d - Dirac delta-function - delta-function barrier & well 6h * homework 6 due MONDAY 3/4 @ 8 pm ============================================================================ 7read T 2/26 7A <<<<< MIDTERM 1 >>>>> R 2/28 7B - IPS concept : Dual Space - Hilbert Space = an IPS without unphysical holes - Axioms of QM refined : Shankar's Four - Hermitian Operators : defining properties 7d - Hermitian Operators : more properties - Commutators 7h * homework 7 due MONDAY 3/11 @ 8 pm ============================================================================ 8read T 3/05 8A - Hermitian Ops : e-functions are complete - Hermition Ops : commuting ops have common e-functions - Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle : general form R 3/07 8B - the Canonical Commutators : [A,B] of x,y,z,px,py,pz 8d - the Harmonic Oscillator ============================================================================ 9read T 3/12 9A - measurement process : "collapse" of wavefunction - degenerate eigenvalues / eigenstates R 3/14 9B - other-space wavefunctions ψα(q) = ⟨eq|α⟩ 9d - successive measurements 9h * Homework 9 due MONDAY 4/01 @ 8 pm ============================================================================ M 3/18 SPRING BREAK ============================================================================ 10read J:6.3 ; G:4.1-2 / J:7.2,12.1,12.3 T 3/26 10A - probability current - 3D Schrödinger Equation : Cartesian separation - 3D Schrödinger Equation : Spherical separation R 3/28 10B - the angular equation : spherical harmonics - the radial equation : infinite well - the radial equation : hydrogen atom 10d - 3D infinte box 10h * HOMEWORK 10 hard deadline WEDNESDAY 4/10 @ 8 pm ============================================================================ 11read T 4/02 11A R 4/04 11B 11d 11h * NO HOMEWORK 11 → study ============================================================================ 12read T 4/09 12A R 4/11 12B 12d 12h * Homework 12 due WEDNESDAY 4/24 @ 8 pm ============================================================================ 13read T 4/16 13A <<<<< MIDTERM 2 >>>>> R 4/18 13B 13d 13h * Homework 13 due WEDNESDAY 5/01 @ 8 pm ============================================================================ 14read T 4/23 14A R 4/25 14B 14d ============================================================================ 15read T 4/30 15A R 5/02 -- <<<<< READING DAY >>>>> ============================================================================ 16 <<<<< FINAL EXAM: TBA >>>>> <<<<< room: TBA >>>>> • 486 Course Explorer pageRegistrar's Final Exam site