Physics 606: Introduction to Quantum Mechanics
Instructor: Roland E. Allen
1-979-845-4341, Room 519 Engineering/Physics Building
allen@tamu.edu, http://faculty.physics.tamu.edu/allen/Phys606.html
Office hours: 4:00-5:00 p.m. Monday in Room 426
3:00-4:00 p.m. Tuesday
3:00-4:00 p.m. Thursday, or by appointment.
This course will meet at 11:30 - 12:20 MWF and 12:40 - 13:30 Monday.
Textbook: Lectures on Quantum Mechanics, by Gordon Baym. This book was chosen out of the many excellent textbooks on quantum mechanics because it contains very physical and clear discussions of the central topics. The present course will essentially consist of the material in Chapters 3-7, 9, and 11-12 of this textbook, with only a few changes in notation and emphasis, and a few extra topics. The book is so well-written that it is easy to underestimate its depth, and how the main principles of quantum mechanics are covered in the clearest and most economical way. You may want to bring your copy of the textbook to class for easier note-taking.
Evaluation:
Homework 35%
2 exams 40%
final exam (comprehensive) 25%
Homework is due at the beginning of class each Wednesday. Homework late by < 48 hours, 1/2 credit. Homework late by > 48 hours, no credit.
The exams will be on Thursdays at night (from 7:00-10:00 p.m.): October 9, November 20.
Here are copies of some old exams, to illustrate the format only. The content of the exams for this semester will be quite different, of course.
An optional 10 minute talk can be given for extra credit equal to one homework set (i.e. 100 homework points).
Time: 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, December 2, in Room 202.
HOMEWORK:
S means Sakurai (but distributed in class)
September 3: 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.6, 3.7
September 10: 3.8, 3.9, 3.10, 3.11, 3.12
September 17: 4.13, 4.14, 4.15 (a) & (b); S 2.4, S 2.36
September 24: S 2.6, S 2.15, S 2.17
October 1: 5.1, 5.2 (a) & (b), 5.2 (c) and (d), 5.3, 5.4 (a) and (b)
October 8: 5.4 (c), 5.4 (d), 5.5 (a), 5.5 (b), 5.6 (a)
October 15: 6.1 first sentence only, 6.2 (a), 6.2 (b), 6.2 (c), 6.3
October 22: 6.5 (a) & (b), 7.1 (a), 7.1 (b), 7.2, 7.3 (a)
October 29: 7.3 (b) ground state (of hydrogen atom) only, 7.3 (c), 7.4 (a), 7.4 (b) (for extra credit), 7.4 (c)
November 5: 9.2, HW 10.1 below, HW 10.2 below, S 7.1, S 7.2
November 12: S 5.2, 5.7, 5.11
November 19: 11.3, 11.7; S 5.20; 12.4 (a)
November 26: S 5.23; 12.4 (b) (first part, not very slow case), 12.2 (but neglect nuclear recoil); HW 13.1 below, HW 13.2 below