Physics 130a, Quantum Mechanics 2007

Professor: Ken Intriligator
5234 Mayer Hall
keni@ucsd.edu
Office Hours: Thurs 2-3pm,
or by appointment. 
TA: Randy Kelley
Office: MH4238
rkelley@physics.ucsd.edu
Office Hours: Wednesday, 3 -4 pm
or by appointment. 

Text: Quantum Physics (3rd edition) by Stephen Gasiorowicz. This and other possibly useful texts have been placed on reserves at S&E Library. The topics covered in 130a will come from the first 8 to 10 chapters of Gasiorowicz.

Course Times: Lecture: TTh 11:00-12:20, CSB 001. Discussion: M 6:00-6:50, WLH2206,

Homework: Around 7 problem sets, with about a week to do each. Due in class, at 11:00am (or dropped off earlier). Late HW sets will not be accepted.

Midterm: Will be May 8, during the lecture time. Bring bluebooks.

Final: Tues June 12, 11:30-2:30. No late or early finals, check your schedule now!

Grading: Discretionary = 5%, Homework=20%, Midterm=25%, Final=50%.

Advice: How to do well in this class.      Physics 130a last year

Histograms:       HW1       HW2       HW3       HW4       Midterm       HW5       HW6       HW7

Fun QM links: Many worlds       Bell's theorem        Schrodinger's cat      EPR Paradox


date Topics (and link to lecture notes) Homework
4/3 Introduction (Gas. ch. 1)            
4/5 more history (Gas. ch. 1)  HW 1 (due 4/12)           solutions
4/10 A bit more history, then probability interpretation of QM (Gas. ch. 2)            
4/12 Free particle wavefunctions, superposition. (Gas. ch. 2)  2.4, 2.5, 2.8, 2.9, 2.16, 2.17, 2.18. (Due 4/19)           solutions
4/17 more on position and momentum, and energy and time. (Gas. ch. 2)            
4/19 Schrodinger eqn (Gas. ch. 2, and 3)  HW 3, due 4/26           solutions
4/24 More Schrodinger eqn (Gas. ch. 2 & 3)            
4/26 More particle in box. measurement. (Gas. ch, 3)  HW 4 (due May 3)           solutions
5/1 Solving the S.E.. Reflection and transmission.(Gas. ch, 4)            
5/3 More potentials. Tunneling. Bound states.(Gas. ch. 4)  NO HW.           
5/8 Midterm         solutions   
5/10 Vector spaces and Dirac's bra-ket notation.   HW 5, Due May 17           solutions
5/15 Dirac's bra-ket notation, continued.             
5/17 Dirac's bra-ket notation, continued.   HW 6, Due May 24           solutions
5/22 Harmonic oscillator: creation and annihilation ops.             
5/24 Heisenberg picture. Measurements and [A,B]. Start to discuss L.   HW 7, Due May 31           solutions
5/29 Angular momentum.             
5/31 More angular momentum.   HW 8, Due June 7           solutions
6/5 Decoupled systems (separation of variables). Spherical problems.            
6/7 Hydrogen atom and spherical well