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1. Feynman's Formulation of Quantum Mechanics
1. Schrödinger's Wave Equation
2. QM Amplitudes as a Sum over Paths
3. Classical Limit
Suggested reading:

Predrag's lecture notes (postscript gzipped) -
Chapter 1: Path Integrals

Merzbacher: Sect 8.7 - The equation of Motion

Merzbacher: Chapt 14 - Linear Vector Spaces
Further (optional) reading:

Brown: Chap 1 - Functional integrals (Very clear)

R.P. Feynman and A.R. Hibbs: Chaps 1-3 (get it from the horse's mouth)

Schulman: Chaps 1-3 (standard reference on QM path integrals)
Exercises:

Problem set 1, tex file, due January 20, 2000


WKB approximation

Suggested reading:
Predrag's lecture notes (postscript gzipped) -
Chapter 2: WKB approximation

Merzbacher: chapter 7
Further (optional) reading:

Griffiths: chapter 8 (I like it better than Merzbacher version)


Symmetry in QM
1. Spherically symmetric potentials
2. Angular momentum & rotational symmetry
3. Spherical harmonics

Suggested reading:

Merzbacher: chapter 9

Andrew Jackson: Quantum Mechanics explained
Comments and supplementary topics on Liboff's text. [27 January 2000]
Chapters 1 to 8: general stuff
Chapters 9 to 12: central forces, angular momenta

Predrag's lecture notes (postscript gzipped):

Chapter 3: Discrete Fourier transform

Appendix A: Group theory
Exercises:

Problem set 2: Merzbacher exercises 7.2, 7.3

due February 8, 2000

Exercises:

Problem set 3: Angular momentum, - due February 17, 2000


Wave Mechanics
1. One- and two-body problems
2. Coulomb field: hydrogen atom
3. Angular momentum

Suggested reading:

Merzbacher: chapter 10

Exercises:

Problem set 4: Spherical well - due February 29, 2000


Time independent perturbation theory
1. Bound state perturbation theory
2. Degenerate perturbation theory
3. Zeeman & Stark effects

Suggested reading:

Merzbacher: chapter 17

Exercises:

Problem set 5: Time independent perturbation theory - due March 2, 2000


Group theory for QM
1. Linear momentum & translational symmetry
2. Groups, representations, tensors, reducibility
3. S0(3) rotational symmetry, and its representations

Further, optional reading:
(Read only for your own ediffication, not needed for any exams. This is a rather idiosyncratic presentation of the theory, I am curious to what extent you find it accessible)
Predrag's draft manuscript (postscript gzipped):

Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 2: Preview

Chapter 3: Invariants and irreducibility


Perturbation theory applied to hydrogen
1. Spin - orbit coupling
2. Fine structure of hydrogen

Suggested reading:

Merzbacher: section 12.1, section 12.4, section 16.6 section 17.6

A. Jackson: Chapters 9 to 12: central forces, angular momenta - pages 59-64, 77-86.


Variational methods

Suggested reading:

Merzbacher: sections 8.9, 17.8, 17.9

A. Jackson: Chapters 9 to 12: Helium - pages 92-94.


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Final exam Tuesday, 14 March 2000, 10:00-12:00.
  Syllabus for the final exam.

Midterm exam mean score: 30 points out of 43 possible
Scores: 6, 21, 24, 25, 28, 29, 31, 32, 32, 34, 35, 36.

Problems sets mean score: 181 points out of 220 possible
Scores: 202, 199, 194, 194, 193, 193, 192, 186, 179, 151, 145, 145.

Final exam mean score: 26 points out of 38 possible
Scores: 14, 15, 23, 24, 26, 26, 28, 29, 30, 31, 33, 34.

Overall course grade is determined from the homework (40%), midterm (20%), and the final (40%).
Grades: C, B, B, B, B, B, A, A, A, A, A+, A+.


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References

1. Quantum Mechanics, E. Merzbacher (John Wiley, 1990).
2. Quantum Mechanics and Path Integrals, R.P. Feynman and A.R. Hibbs (McGraw-Hill, New York 1965).
3. Techniques and Applications of Path Integration, L.S. Schulman (Wiley, New York, 1981).
4. Quantum Field Theory, L.S. Brown (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1992).
5. Introduction to Quantum Mechanics, D.J. Griffiths (Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1994)
6. Quantum Mechanics, 3 ed., Vol. 3, L. Landau & I. Lifshitz, Pergamon Press (1977).
7. Lectures on Quantum Mechanics, G. Baym, Benjamin/Cummings Pub. Co. (1969).