PHY 6646 QUANTUM MECHANICS II - Spring 2021

INSTRUCTOR

Pierre Sikivie
Office: NPB 2063
email: sikivie@phys.ufl.edu
tel: 352.392.1923

CLASS TIMES

MWF, 10:40 - 11:30am, on-line (a zoom link will be provided)

OFFICE HOURS, NPB 2063

MWF, 11:45am - 12:35pm, on-line

GRADER

Kazi Alam
Office: NPB 2157
email: kazi.a.alam@ufl.edu
Office hours: M, 3:00 - 3:50pm

REQUIRED TEXTBOOK

"Principles of Quantum Mechanics" by R. Shankar, 2d edition, Springer 1994. We will cover chapters 13 - 20.

There are many other useful textbooks on quantum mechanics. You are encouraged to explore alternatives. Here are four that are commonly used in graduate level courses:
  • L. Landau and E. Lifchitz, `Quantum Mechanics', Pergamon Press.
  • L.I. Schiff, `Quantum Mechanics', 3d Edition, McGraw-Hill 1968.
  • E. Merzbacher, `Quantum Mechanics', 2d Edition, Wiley 1970.
  • J.J. Sakurai and J. Napolitano, `Modern Quantum Mechanics', 2d Edition, Cambridge University Press 2017.

COURSE OUTLINE

  • The Hydrogen atom (continued)
  • Spin
  • Addition of angular momentum
  • Variational and WKB methods
  • The eikonal approximation
  • Time-independent perturbation theory
  • Time-dependent perturbation theory
  • Motion in a periodic potential
  • Scattering theory
  • The Dirac equation


A course schedule can be found here.

HOMEWORK


There will be one problem set per week, due on Fridays at noon. Please upload legible pdf copies of your homework to the Canvas website for the course. As much as possible, do the homework entirely by yourself. You will learn to the extent that you struggle with the problems on your own.

ANNOUNCEMENTS


The final exam will be on Thursday April 29 from 8:30am till 11:30am. We will use the Honorlock proctoring system. You are allowed a formula sheet. The exam will emphasize the material covered after the midterm (chapters 16-20). However the material covered before the midterm will be assumed known.



GRADING

Your final grade will be based on:
the homework 25%
a mid-term test (February 24)   25%
the final exam (April 29) 50%
 
The current UF policies for assigning grade points may be found at https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/regulations/info/grades.aspx.

CLASS ATTENDANCE

Requirements for class attendance, make-up exams, and other work in this course are consistent with university policies that can be found at https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/regulations/info/attendance.aspx.

ACCOMMODATIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

Students with disabilities requesting accommodations should first register with the Disability Resource Center (352-392-8565, https://www.dso.ufl.edu/drc) by providing appropriate documentation. Once registered, students will receive an accommodations letter which must be presented to the instructor when requesting accommodation. Students with disabilities should follow this procedure as early as possible in the semester.

ADVISING AND COUNSELING

Due to the nature of the environment at a university, it is not uncommon for students to experience stress and/or anxiety. If you find yourself in this situation, you are encouraged to seek confidential counseling. See: http://www.counseling.ufl.edu/cwc/.

COURSE EVALUATIONS

Students are expected to provide feedback on the quality of instruction in this course by completing online evaluations at https://evaluations.ufl.edu. Evaluations are typically open during the last two or three weeks of the semester, but students will be given specific times when they are open. Summary results of these assessments are available to students at https://evaluations.ufl.edu/results.