QUANTUM MECHANICS
Academic year and teacher
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- Versione italiana
- Academic year
- 2022/2023
- Teacher
- ISABELLA MASINA
- Credits
- 6
- Didactic period
- Primo Semestre
- SSD
- FIS/02
Training objectives
- The course aims to:
1) elaborate some relevant applications of non relativistic quantum mechanics
2) deal with the issue of the foundations of quantum mechanics
3) introduce the relativistic version of quantum mechanics Prerequisites
- The courses of:
Element of Quantum mechanics;
Analytical mechanics;
Electromagnetism. Course programme
- The program, of the course is organized as follows:
- Historical introduction and some relevant experiments: Stern-Gerlach, double slit (5.5 hours)
- Tensor operators, Wigner-Eckart theorem. (2.5 hours)
- Continuous symmetries, discrete symmetries, parity, time reversal (4 hours)
- Quantum dynamics. Neutrino oscillations. Time-Energy indetermination relation. Wave function interpretation and classical limit.
Propagators. Feynman path integrals. Electromagnetic potentials, Landau levels, gauge invariance. Aharonov Bohm and magnetic monopoles. (8 hours)
- Linear potential andand WKB approximation (3.5 hours)
- Time independent perturbation theory (8 hours).
Applications: Stark effect, Zeeman effect, fine structure
- Time dependent perturbation theory (5.5 hours).
Applications: matter radiation interaction, stimulated absorption and emission
- Foundations of quantum mechanics (7.5 hours):
interpretations, indetermination, correlation measurements, Bell inequalities, entanglement. identical particles and permutation symmetry, Pauli principle
- Towards relativistic equations: Klein-Gordon equation and Dirac equation (5.5 hours)
- Scattering theory (2.5 hours)
- Hints on quantum information and quantum computing (1.5 hours) Didactic methods
- Theory lectures and exercises.
Learning assessment procedures
- Oral examination.
The exam consists of two parts:
1) interactive solution of a proposed exercise
2) discussion about two or three topics of the course
In the oral examination the student is required to demonstrate a clear understanding of the theoretical concepts introduced in the course as well as being able to discuss
some of the examples which have been presented. Reference texts
- J.J. Sakurai and J. Napolitano, Modern Quantum Mechanics
Griffiths, Quantum Mechanics
