Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2020 - PHYS 810 G100

Advanced Quantum Mechanics (3)

Class Number: 1064

Delivery Method: Remote

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 9 – Dec 8, 2020: Mon, Wed, Fri, 9:30–10:20 a.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    PHYS 415, or equivalent.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Advanced non-relativistic and some basic relativistic quantum mechanics: symmetries, Schroedinger/Heisenberg pictures, mixtures, variational and perturbative methods, Dirac equation.

COURSE DETAILS:

TOPICS:
• Review of classical mechanics
• Linear vector spaces and operators, Hilbert spaces
• States and observables, entanglement
• Squeezed and coherent states
• Angular momentum: a group theoretic perspective
• Perturbation theory and various approximation methods
• Time dependent phenomena
• Identical particles
• Symmetries and conservation laws
• Relativistic quantum mechanics

COURSE DELIVERY:
Lectures will be synchronous and interactive, with lecture slides available online.
Tutorials will run in journal club format, where students will deliver presentations on thetopic of their choice related to the course material. Midterms and homework assignments will be take-home with submissions to be uploaded to Canvas.
In-class quizzes and final exam will be synchronous, invigilated via video monitoring. Further detailsto be provided before testing. (Final Exam period is Dec 9-20)

Grading

  • In-class quizzes 10%
  • Journal club 10%
  • Assignments 40%
  • Mid-terms (take-home) 20%
  • Final exam (open-book) 20%

NOTES:

Your progress will be marked on an absolute scale. At the end of the course, assignment and exam marks will be combined into a weighted average, from which the final letter grade will be derived (with thresholds to be determined by me). Please see above for the weights.

Attendance of lectures is at your discretion, but you are encouraged to attend. The date of the quizzes will be announced beforehand. Attendance of journal club is mandatory for everybody, and would be evaluated. Assignments are to be handed in on a due day by beginning of the class. Late assignments are accepted, but will be penalized at 5% of the mark per day late. Late exams will not be accepted. Failure to submit an assignment or a midterm will result in zero marks. Missing a final exam will result in a mandatory N grade for the course. Please review SFU Academic Honesty Guidelines before submitting any work for the course.

Materials

MATERIALS + SUPPLIES:

REQUIRED COMPUTER RESOURCES:
• Reliable high-speed internet access
• Computer or tablet with webcam and microphone
• Ability to scan documents to PDF format

RECOMMENDED TEXTBOOKS:
• Principles of Quantum Mechanics, R. Shankar
• Quantum Mechanics: Fundamentals, K. Gottfried and T.-M. Yan
• Quantum Mechanics: Non-Relativistic Theory, L.D. Landau and E.M. Lifshitz

*Students can purchase textbooks from online retailers if e-book not available at SFU Bookstore.

Graduate Studies Notes:

Important dates and deadlines for graduate students are found here: http://www.sfu.ca/dean-gradstudies/current/important_dates/guidelines.html. The deadline to drop a course with a 100% refund is the end of week 2. The deadline to drop with no notation on your transcript is the end of week 3.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

TEACHING AT SFU IN FALL 2020

Teaching at SFU in fall 2020 will be conducted primarily through remote methods. There will be in-person course components in a few exceptional cases where this is fundamental to the educational goals of the course. Such course components will be clearly identified at registration, as will course components that will be “live” (synchronous) vs. at your own pace (asynchronous). Enrollment acknowledges that remote study may entail different modes of learning, interaction with your instructor, and ways of getting feedback on your work than may be the case for in-person classes. To ensure you can access all course materials, we recommend you have access to a computer with a microphone and camera, and the internet. In some cases your instructor may use Zoom or other means requiring a camera and microphone to invigilate exams. If proctoring software will be used, this will be confirmed in the first week of class.

Students with hidden or visible disabilities who believe they may need class or exam accommodations, including in the current context of remote learning, are encouraged to register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (caladmin@sfu.ca or 778-782-3112).