PHYS 451: Quantum Mechanics I (Fall 2014)


Location & Contact Info
Instructor: Sergiy Bubin
Lecture Hours: TR 9:00 AM - 10:15 AM at room 8.317
Recitations: T 12:00 PM - 1:15 PM at room 7.517
Office Hours: TR 14:00-15:00 at room 7.204 (or by appointment)
Phone: +7 (7172) 69 46 63
Email: sergiy.bubin@nu.edu.kz
Course Description
In this course, students learn the basics of non-relativistic quantum mechanics. The course introduces quantum-mechanical operators, wave functions, Hilbert spaces, Heisenberg uncertainty principle, Heisenberg and Schrödinger formulations of quantum mechanics and their interpretation in terms of physical observations. The course further covers the topics of potential wells, potential barriers, quantum harmonic oscillator, and the hydrogen atom. The course will include two lectures per week accompanied by a recitation.
Course Info
Syllabus: syllabussyllabus.pdf
Required Textbook
David J. Griffiths, Introduction to Quantum Mechanics (2nd Edition)
Other Useful References
Many other texts exist on quantum mechanics at the introductory level, some can be found in the library, and can also be very useful in this course. Students are encouraged to explore those. Examples are:
Homework Submission Guidelines
The submission of only answers is not acceptable. Homework must show sufficient proof that a derivation of the solution was carried out. Any student wishing to have the best possible grades on homework returned must:
  • Staple pages together and clearly indicate problem numbers
  • Turn in neat and readable homework as points may be deducted otherwise
  • Show work! Solutions or answers turned in without explanation will not receive full credit
Homework submission in paper form is strongly preferred. However, electronic submissions via email (e.g. a pdf file of scanned pages) are acceptable for those students who are away or must miss a class when the homework is due.
Homework Assignments
Assignment Problems Due Date Solutions
Homework #1 hwhw01.pdf Aug 28 hwhw01s.pdf
Homework #2 hwhw02.pdf Sep 4 hwhw02s.pdf
Homework #3 hwhw03.pdf Sep 11 hwhw03s.pdf
Homework #4 hwhw04.pdf Sep 18 (extended to Sep 23) hwhw04s.pdf
Homework #5 hwhw05.pdf Sep 25 (extended to Oct 2) hwhw05s.pdf
Homework #6 hwhw06.pdf Oct 9 hwhw06s.pdf
Homework #7 hwhw07.pdf Oct 23 hwhw07s.pdf
Homework #8 hwhw08.pdf Oct 30 hwhw08s.pdf
Homework #9 hwhw09.pdf Nov 13 hwhw09s.pdf
Homework #10 hwhw10.pdf Nov 20 hwhw10s.pdf
Homework #11 hwhw11.pdf Dec 2 hwhw11s.pdf
Quizzes
Quiz Date Tasks Solutions
Quiz #1 Sep 2 quizq01.pdf quizq01s.pdf
Quiz #2 Sep 4 quizq02.pdf quizq02s.pdf
Quiz #3 Sep 11 quizq03.pdf quizq03s.pdf
Quiz #4 Oct 7 quizq04.pdf quizq04s.pdf
Quiz #5 Oct 30 quizq05.pdf quizq05s.pdf
Exams
  Exam     Date Problems Solutions
Midterm #1 Sep 25 quizmt1.pdf quizmt1s.pdf
Midterm #2 Nov 18 quizmt2.pdf quizmt2s.pdf
Final Dec 6 quizfin.pdf quizfins.pdf
Lecture Materials
Warning: Lecture materials provided below may be inclomplete and are no substitute for notes taken in class or textbook materials
  Lecture        Date   File Topic
Lecture #1 Aug 19 leclec01.pdf Historical overview and timeline of quantum mechanics. Schrödinger equation and its basic properties.
Lecture #3 Aug 26 leclec03.pdf Uncertainty principle. Uncertainty principle at work in the ground state of hydrogen. Stationary states. Particle in the infinite 1D square well.
Lecture #4 Aug 28 leclec04.pdf Quantum harmonic oscillator (solution with the power series method). Some useful plots can be viewed here.
Lecture #5 Sep 2 leclec05.pdf Commutators. Quantum harmonic oscillator (solution using lowering and raising operators).
Lecture #6 Sep 4 leclec06.pdf Probability current. Free particle in 1D.
Lecture #7 Sep 9 leclec07.pdf Review of the Dirac delta function. Delta function potential well and potential barrier.
Lecture #9 Sep 16 leclec09.pdf Finite square well.
Lecture #10 Sep 23 leclec10.pdf Formalism of quantum mechanics and its postulates.
Lecture #13 Oct 7 leclec13.pdf Dirac (bra-ket) notation.
Lecture #14 Oct 9 leclec14.pdf Schrödinger equation in 3D. Separation of variables for spherically symmetric potentials.
Lecture #15 Oct 21 leclec15.pdf The hydrogen-like atom.
Lecture #16 Oct 23 leclec16.pdf Commutation relations for the angular momentum. The ladder operator method.
Lecture #17 Oct 28 leclec17.pdf Matrix representation of the angular momentum operator.
Lecture #18 Nov 4 leclec18.pdf The rigid rotor.
Lecture #19 Nov 6 leclec19.pdf Addition of angular momenta. Clebsch-Gordan coefficients.
Lecture #20 Nov 11 leclec20.pdf Spin.
Lecture #21 Nov 13 leclec21.pdf Properties of Pauli matrices. Electron in magnetic field. Larmor precession of spin.
Lecture #22 Nov 15 leclec22.pdf Stern-Gerlach experiment.
Lecture #23 Nov 25 leclec23.pdf Many-body problem in quantum mechanics. Identical particles
Lecture #24 Nov 27 leclec24.pdf Exchange interaction. Independent electron approximation for atoms. Shell structure.
Lecture #25 Dec 2 leclec25.pdf Periodic potentials. Band structure.

Found an error on this page or in any of the pdf files? Send an email to the instructor.