Physics 522 Fall 2003

University of New Mexico

Department of Physics and Astronomy

 

Quantum Mechanics II

 

Eugene Wigner

 

Link to: Physics 521 Quantum Mechanics I, Fall 2002


 

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General Information

Syllabus

Lecture Schedule

Problem Sets

 


General Information

 

Lecture: Physics and Astronomy, Room 5, 11:00-12:15

 

Instructor: Prof. Ivan Deutsch

Phys/Astro Room 24, Phone: 277-1502

email: ideutsch@info.phys.unm.edu

Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday: 2:00-3:00 (or by appointment)

 

Teaching Assistant: Andrew Silberfarb

email: drews@unm.edu

Problem Session: To be determined

 

Grading:

Problem Sets: 25-33%

Problem sets will be distributed once a week and due on Fridays, to be placed in the grader's mailbox by 3:00 PM.

Two Take-Home "Midterms" 50-66%

Exam I Mar. 10-12, Exam II Apr. 28-30

Final Exam (optional oral) 25%

"Recommended" Texts:

We will not be following any text directly. Copies of my lecture note will be available. The are many good texts out there; you should pick the one(s) that work best for you. Relevant material from the following recommended texts with be referenced throughout the course.

o Quantum Mechanics , vol. II, by C. Cohen-Tannoudji, B. Diu, and F. Laloë.

Vol II of this text is not quite as good vol. I. It is a bit elementary for this course, but has some very good material, especially on atomic physics.

o Modern Quantum Mechanics, by J. J. Sakurai

Good advanced text with a modern perspective. It's somewhat terse, are there are few examples.

o Quantum Mechanics 3rd Edition, by E. Merzbacher

Everything is here but the organization is difficult. This is a new edition and contains many contemporary topics.

 

Other texts:

o Quantum Mechanics, by L. I. Schiff

The old advanced classic. Still a good reference. Somewhat old fashion

o Quantum Mechanics, vol. I and II, by A. Messiah

Another older classic and good reference

Quantum Mechanics , vol. I, by K. Gottfried.

Recently republished. Contains a reasonable coverage of measurements theory.

 


Tentative Syllabus

I. Review (1/2 week)

 

II. Time-Independent Perturbation Theory (3 weeks)

A. Nondegenerate theory - examples from atomic/molecular spectra.

B. Degenerate theory - examples: quadratic stark effect, band structure in solids, relation to symmetries.

 

III. Symmetries and Groups (4 weeks)

A. Symmetries and group theory in quantum mechanics.

B. SU(2) and irreducible representations.

C. General theory of addition of angular momentum.

D. Tensor operators, Wigner-Eckart theorem, multipole selection rules.

E. Identical particles, spin, and permutation symmetry - application to multielectron atoms.

 

V. Scattering Theory (3-3.5 weeks)

A. Time-independent formulation: Cross-sections, scattering amplitudes, Lipmann-Schwinger equation, T-matrix, Green's functions.

B. Born approximation and optical theorem.

C. Partial waves expansions.

D. Resonances and bound-states.

E. Time-dependent formulation: The S-matrix. Møller operators, and propagator in the interaction picture.

 

VI. Time-Dependent Perturbations and Open Quantum Systems (3-3.5 weeks)

A. Transition Probabilities

B. Coherent Rabi Flopping

C. Fermi's Golden rule

D. System-reservoir theory: Exponential decay

E. Spontaneous emission

 



Tentative Schedule of Lectures

Date

 Topic

 Notes

Jan. 22

 Review 521: Foundations of quantum theory.

Three important problems- SHO, Angular momentum, Hydrogen atom.

 Download 1

Download 2

Jan. 27

Time independent nodegenerate perturbation theory (TINPT)

Download 3

Jan. 29

Applications of TINPT - Quadratic Stark effect.

Download 4

Feb. 3

Time independent degenerate perturbation theory (TIDPT)

Linear Stark effect.

 Download 5

Feb. 5

Anticrossings and TIDPT

 Download 6a

Feb. 10

Application of TIDPT:

Relativitistic effects - Fine Structure in Hydrogen

 Feb. 12

Application of TIDPT:

Hyperfine Structure and the Zeeman effect

Feb. 17

Wigner's theory of symmetries, groups, and representations

Supplemental notes on antiuntary operators by Prof. Caves

Download 8

Feb. 19

Rotation group, SU(2),

Addition of angular momentum: Clebsch-Gordan coefficients

Dirac "Belt trick"

Supplement on SU(2) vs. SO(3)

Feb. 24 

Formal theory of angular momentum coupling.

Irreducible representations of SU(2)

 Download 10

Feb. 26

Tensor Operators

Mar. 3 

Wigner-Eckart Theorem

Dipole Selection Rules

Special Lectures Notes from UCB

Download 12

Mar. 5

More on irreducible tensors:

General multipoles and selection rules

Download 13 

Mar. 10

Permutation symmetry:

Identical particles, spin, and statistics.

 Download 14

Mar. 12

No Lecture

 

Mar. 16-22

Spring Break

 

Make up

Exchange degeneracy, singlets and triplets

Download 15 

Mar. 24

Multielectron atoms, multiplets, spectroscopy.

Variational method: Helium

Download 16

Mar. 26

Introduction to scattering - Time-independent vs. time-dependent formulation, cross-section, scattering amplitudes.

Download 17

 Mar. 31

Time Independent Picture:

First Born-Approximation, Born Series, Green's Function.

Download 18

Apr. 2

Formal Theory of Scattering -

Green's Operator, Lippmann-Schwinger Equation, S-matrix

Download 19

Apr. 7

Spherical symmetry and partial waves

Download 20

Apr. 9

Scattering eigenstates and phase shifts

Download 21

Apr. 14

Examples: Hard-sphere scattering, high and low energy limits.

Scattering resonances and bound states

Download 22

Download22a

Apr. 16

Time dependent perturbation - The interaction picture

Download 23

Apr. 21

Transition Probabilities:

Absorption and Emission. Resonance.

 Apr. 23

Transition Probabilities Continued:

Time-energy uncertainty. Second-order perturbation theory - virtual transitions.

 

Apr. 28

Resonant sinusoidal perturbation - Rabi Flopping

 Download 25

Apr. 30

Coherent evolution vs. rate equations - Fermi's Golden Rule

Download 26

May. 5

Exponential decay; Introduction to System-Reservoir Interaction

Download 27

May. 6

Introduction to the Quantized Electromagnetic Field

Vacuum Fluctuations as a Reservoir - Spontaneous emission

 


Problem Sets and Exams

Problem Set #1

Due Jan. 31

Problem Set #6

Due Mar. 10

 Problem Set #2

Due Feb. 7

 Problem Set #7

Due Apr. 7

Problem Set #3

Due Feb. 16

Problem Set #8

Due Apr. 16

Problem Set #4

Due Feb. 21

 Problem Set #9

Due Apr. 23

 Problem Set #5

Due Mar. 03

Problem Set #10

Due May 2

 

Exam 1

Due Feb. 28

  • Questions
  • Solutions

Exam 2

Due May 9

  • Questions
  • Solutions