Updated  11-17-09
Note:   No midterm exam has a grade above 100 (that is, nobody has benefit from answering more than
           5 questions.) I have implemented the proper corrections. So, be sure the rules were followed.
           Neither, no one should result being  penalized for having graded any arbitrary 5 questions
           (in case you answered more than 5.)  You should not have answered more than 5, but, this time,
           I will not penalize you for that.  If you consider you have been penalized for this I will review your,
           exam and make the proper corrections.
           To avoid misunderstandings, in the final exam please  answer only the number of questions you
            are asked for.
__________________________________________________________________________________________

                             Physics 411/511  
INTRODUCTION TO QUANTUM MECHANICS 

Fall-2009                                                                                                    Dr. Andres La Rosa
Room CH-325                                                                                       Office: SB-2-Room 108
T & Th 16:40 - 18:30                                                                  Ph:725-8397   andres@pdx.edu
                                                                                             Office Hours: T & Th 18:30-19:30  
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Syllabus: QM-2009

Textbook:        

The course is being developed towards a self sustained lecture notes (see below), but I am not  there
yet. The contents from my current lectures notes have mainly followed Richard Feynman, “The
Feynman Lectures on Physics,” Volume III, Addison Wesley, 1989. Physics majors typically have
this book. I have placed one copy of this book in the Library Reserve Room.) Another good complementary
reference is R. Eisberg and R. Resnick, “Quantum Physics,” 2nd Edition, Wiley, 1985 (although
I have not used it as much as the Feynman book.). This book fits well the interest of both engineering
and physics majors. A copy is also available in the Library Reserve Room.

Students should be able to follow this course with any standard Quantum Mechanics textbook (plus the
lecture notes). But if you decided to purchase a textbook for your own I would suggest: "Introduction
to Quantum Mechanics" by David Griffiths; 2nd Edition, Pearson Prentice Hall.

Grading:      Homework   30%     To be assigned regularly

                     1st Exam       30%    Thursday, November 5th.   Time 16:40 - 18:30   
 

                     Final exam  40%    Tuesday, December 8th.   Time   17:30 - 19:20  

 

90-100  A        85-89  A-          80-84 B+            75-79 B

70-74    B-       65-69 C+         60-64  C             55-59 C-          50-54  D


                 Homework 1   
                 Homework-2   
              Homework-3   
                     Homework-4   
                 Homework-5    Due on Thursday  11-19-2009

                 Homework 6     


LECTURE NOTES: 
   CHAPTER-1   INTRODUCTION                    
 
   CHAPTER-2   CLASSICAL PHYSICS: ELECTROMAGNETISM and RELATIVITY
                          (Review)                               
                      Reading references:
                                            Richard Feynman, “The Feynman Lectures on Physics,” Volume I, Chapter 15, 16, 17
                                            Note: Five copies ( 24h loan period ) and 1 copy (2 hour loan period) of   Volume I
                                                      have been placed in the Library Reserve Room

    CHAPTER-3    THE ORIGINS OF QUANTUM PHYSICS                              
                                  Appendix-1  Symmetry of the Physics Laws at the miicro-scale / Kirchoff Law
                                  Appendix-2  Emission of Radiation by an accelerated charge
                                  Appendix-3  Light Scattering and Radiation Damping
                                  Complement-B_Chapter-3  Counting electromagnetic modes.
                       Reading references:
                                     R. Eisberg and R. Resnick, “Quantum Physics,” 2nd Ed., Wiley, 1985.   Chapters 1 and 3  
                                               Richard Feynman, “The Feynman Lectures on Physics,” Volume I, Chapter 32

    CHAPTER-4   WAVEPACKETS                             
                            DESCRIPTION OF THE FREE-PARTICLE MOTION
                                   Appendix: Complex variable, Addition of waves by the
                                                        PHASORS method
                                   Reading references:
                                               R. Eisberg and R. Resnick, “Quantum Physics,” 2nd Edition, Wiley, 1985. Chapter 3.
                                               D. Griffiths, "Introduction to Quantum Mechanics"; 2nd Ed., Pearson Prentice Hall. Chapter 2.
        
    CHAPTER-5    QUANTUM BEHAVIOR of PARTICLES and the HEISENBERG's UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLE
                                   Reading references:
                                                Richard Feynman, “The Feynman Lectures on Physics,” Volume III, Chapter 1
        
      CHAPTER-6  THE AMLITUDE PROBABILITY     
                                   Appendix-1: The Fermat's principle                                                      
                                   Appendix-2: Amplitude probability and the leat time principle       
                                   Reading references:                                    
                                                Richard Feynman, “The Feynman Lectures on Physics,” Volume III, Chapter 3
                                                R. Eisberg and R. Resnick, “Quantum Physics,” 2nd Edition, Wiley, 1985. Sections 8-1 to 8-3

                                                B. H. Bransdem and C. J. Joachin  " Quantum Mechanics," 2nd Ed. Prentice Hall. Section 1.5

                        
      CHAPTER-7  THE HAMILTONIAN MATRIX. How do states evolve with time?         Updated   11-17-2009
                                   Reading references:                                                      
                                                Richard Feynman, “The Feynman Lectures on Physics,” Volume III, Chapter 8                                                 
    
     CHAPTER-8   From the HAMILTONIAN EQUATIONS to the  SCHRODINGER EQUATION  
                            The case of an electron propagating in a crystal lattice    
                                   Reading references:                                                      
                                                 Richard Feynman, “The Feynman Lectures on Physics,” Volume III, Chapters 13 and 16.                                                 
   
    CHAPTER-9    OBSERVABLES and OPERATORS IN QUANTUM MECHANICS    
                                   Reading references:                                                                                                  
                                                 L. D. Landau and E. M. Lifshitz, “Quantum Mechanics, Non-Relativistic Theory,” Prgamon Press, 1965; 
                                                 Chapter 1, Section 3 (Operators).

      CHAPTER-10  SOLVING the SCHRODINGER EQUATION    
                                    Reading references:                                                        
                                                 D. Griffiths, "Introduction to Quantum Mechanics"; 2nd Ed., Pearson Prentice Hall. Chapter 4.
                                                  B. H. Bransdem and C. J. Joachin  " Quantum Mechanics," 2nd Ed. Prentice Hall. Sections 6.3,
                                                      7.2 and 7.5. (This reference is available in the Library Reserve Room.)

    CHAPTER-11   IDENTICAL PARTICLES