PHYS - 440. Quantum Physics

The development of quantum mechanics and special relativity in the early part of the 20th century revolutionized how humanity viewed reality. Quantum mechanics threw out the determinism that had guided the previous 2000 years of scientific thought in favor of a statistical interpretation of nature which called into question what it even means to make a measurement. This course develops the mathematical foundations underpinning quantum theories and shows how these lead to counter intuitive yet testable predictions which are validated by countless precision measurements. The course covers a broad range of topics, including the basic postulates of quantum mechanics; wave-particle duality; the Heisenberg uncertainty principle; the Schrodinger equation and its solution for one-dimensional systems; the hydrogen atom; and perturbation theory.

Prerequisite(s): MATH 230 , MATH 260 , PHYS 220  (MATH 230 may be taken concurrently.)
Attribute: LAS, PHYS