Syllabus for Quantum Mechanics, Advanced Course

Kvantmekanik

A revised version of the syllabus is available.

Syllabus

  • 10 credits
  • Course code: 1FA352
  • Education cycle: Second cycle
  • Main field(s) of study and in-depth level: Physics A1N, Quantum Technology A1N

    Explanation of codes

    The code indicates the education cycle and in-depth level of the course in relation to other courses within the same main field of study according to the requirements for general degrees:

    First cycle

    • G1N: has only upper-secondary level entry requirements
    • G1F: has less than 60 credits in first-cycle course/s as entry requirements
    • G1E: contains specially designed degree project for Higher Education Diploma
    • G2F: has at least 60 credits in first-cycle course/s as entry requirements
    • G2E: has at least 60 credits in first-cycle course/s as entry requirements, contains degree project for Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science
    • GXX: in-depth level of the course cannot be classified

    Second cycle

    • A1N: has only first-cycle course/s as entry requirements
    • A1F: has second-cycle course/s as entry requirements
    • A1E: contains degree project for Master of Arts/Master of Science (60 credits)
    • A2E: contains degree project for Master of Arts/Master of Science (120 credits)
    • AXX: in-depth level of the course cannot be classified

  • Grading system: Fail (U), Pass (3), Pass with credit (4), Pass with distinction (5)
  • Established: 2010-03-18
  • Established by:
  • Revised: 2019-10-24
  • Revised by: The Faculty Board of Science and Technology
  • Applies from: Spring 2020
  • Entry requirements:

    120 credits with Mechanics III and Quantum Physics/Quantum Physics for Engineering, Linear Algebra and Multidimensional Analysis.

  • Responsible department: Department of Physics and Astronomy

Learning outcomes

On completion of the course, the student should be able to:

  • perform theoretical studies and calculations with applications on atomic and subatomic phenomena.
  • evaluate experimental results in terms of quantum mechanics
  • account for its potential applications in emerging technologies

Content

Advanced study in quantum mechanics based on the Dirac formalism with bra and ket vectors, operators and observables. Position and momentum space representations. Schrödinger and Heisenberg pictures. The harmonic oscillator with creation and annihilation operators. Operators for translation, time evolution and rotation. Quantisation and addition of angular momenta. Tensor operators. Symmetries and gauge transformations.

Time-independent and time-dependent perturbation theory. Basic scattering theory. Applications in nuclear and particle physics, and in neutron and synchrotron light scattering and its importance for modern materials analysis. Basic interpretation of quantum mechanics with its experimental verification via Bell's inequality and violation against Einstein's local realism and theories with hidden variables. Entangled states. Quantum technology now and in the the future, quantum information and quantum optics (qubits, quantum computers and algorithms).

Laboratory exercises / miniprojects within for example:

1. Spectroscopy on molecules (for example with ESCA).

2. Simulation and graphical visualisation with MATLAB of scattering processes.

3. Quantum technology.

4. Numerical solution of atomic radial wave functions with MATLAB.

Instruction

Lectures and classes. Guest lectures on quantum mechanics in emerging technologies.

Lab exercises in connection to above theoretical parts.

Assessment

Written exam at end of course with theory and calculation problems. To pass the course also requires accepted laboratory exercises / projects.

If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the disability coordinator of the university.

Syllabus Revisions

Reading list

Reading list

Applies from: Spring 2020

Some titles may be available electronically through the University library.

  • Sakurai, J. J.; Napolitano, Jim Modern quantum mechanics

    2. ed.: Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley, cop. 2011

    Find in the library

    Mandatory

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