INTRODUCTION TO QUANTUM MECHANICS
Learning outcomes of the course unit
The course provides an introduction to concepts and methods of quantum mechanics, at the level of undergraduates. The student must be able to solve elementary problems in QM, both exactly and applying some approximation method.
Prerequisites
Elementary calculus
Ordinary differential equations
Elementary differential geometry
Classical Mechanics
Electromagnetism
Waves and Optics
Course contents summary
1. Wave properties of matter, De Broglie equation, equivalence of geometrical optics and classical mechanics, wave packets
2. Schroedinger's equation
3. Elementary solutions of Schroedinger's equation
4. Central field and the spectrum of hydrogen
5. The meaning of the wave function, physical observables, Heisenberg principle
6. Approximation methods: perturbation theory, variational methods, numerical approach
7. The spin of the electron, Pauli principle, the periodic table
8. Elements of potential scattering
Recommended readings
E. Onofri e C. Destri, Istituzioni di Fisica Teorica, Carocci Ed.
Sakurai, Meccanica Quantistica Moderna, Zanichelli
Other standard textbooks, like Messiah, Merzbacher, Schiff
Handout notes are distributed during the course.
Teaching methods
The course consists in a total of 48 hours, including formal lectures and problem solving sessions. The final examination is both written and oral.
