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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2016/2017

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Physics and Astronomy : Undergraduate (School of Physics and Astronomy)

Undergraduate Course: Quantum Physics (PHYS10043)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Physics and Astronomy CollegeCollege of Science and Engineering
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits10 ECTS Credits5
SummaryIn this course we study practical applications of quantum
mechanics. We begin with a review of the basic ideas of quantum
mechanics and give an elementary introduction to the Hilbert-space
formulation. We then develop time-independent perturbation theory and
consider its extension to degenerate systems. We derive the fine
structure of Hydrogen-like atoms as an example. We study the
ground state and first excited state of the Helium atom.
The Rayleigh-Ritz
variational method is introduced and applied to simple atomic and
molecular systems. We then study time-dependent perturbation theory,
obtain Fermi's Golden Rule, and look at radiative transitions and
selection rules. Subsequently we study scattering in the Born
Approximation. We end by looking at the idea of hidden variables,
the EPR experiment and Bell's inequality.
Course description * Non-degenerate Perturbation Theory
* Degenerate Perturbation Theory
* Hydrogen fine structure
* Identical particles, exchange interaction
* Variational Principle
* Born-Oppenheimer approximation - Covalent bond, H_2+ ion
* Time dependent perturbation theory
* Fermi's Golden Rule
* Interaction radiation with matter
* Scattering, Born approximation
* Entanglement, Bell's theorem
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Students MUST have passed: Quantum Mechanics (PHYS09053) AND ( Fourier Analysis (PHYS09054) OR Fourier Analysis and Statistics (PHYS09055))
Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Students MUST NOT also be taking Principles of Quantum Mechanics (PHYS10094)
Other requirements At least 80 credit points accrued in courses of SCQF Level 9 or 10 drawn from Schedule Q.
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesNone
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2016/17, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  None
Course Start Semester 2
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 100 ( Lecture Hours 22, Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 20, Summative Assessment Hours 2, Revision Session Hours 4, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 50 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 80 %, Coursework 20 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Feedback Not entered
Exam Information
Exam Diet Paper Name Hours & Minutes
Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May)Quantum Physics2:00
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Upon successful completion of this course it is intended that a student will be able to:
    1)state and explain the basic postulates of quantum mechanics
    2)understand the ideas of compatible and incompatible observables and explain the concept of good quantum numbers
    3)define and apply matrix representations of spin operators
    4)derive the effects of a time-independent perturbation on the energy eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of a quantum system and apply the results to a range of physical problems
    5)discuss the fine structure of Hydrogen
    6)explain the Rayleigh-Ritz variational method and demonstrate its use for bounding the energy of various systems
    7)understand the concept of a transition probability and apply perturbation theory to time-dependent problems
    8)discuss the interaction of radiation with quantum systems and explain the concept of selection rules
    9) describe two particle interactions of bosons and fermions, explain the Born approximation and bound states for simple central potentials.
    10) understand the Einstein-Podulsky-Rosen "paradox" and the concept of non-locality.
Reading List
None
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
KeywordsQuaPh
Contacts
Course organiserProf Arjun Berera
Tel: (0131 6)50 5246
Email: ab@ph.ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Yolanda Zapata-Perez
Tel: (0131 6)51 7067
Email: yolanda.zapata@ed.ac.uk
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