PY354 Modern Physics
Fall 2003
Course Syllabus


Fall 2003:            Time: TuTh 2:00 – 3:30                    Location: BRB 121

 

 

Date

Chapter & Section

Description

Reading, Due Date

Sept 4 Th

Organization, outline, motivation, Books and Labs, etc. Galilean relativity

 

 

Sept 9 Tu

Special Relativity 1:  Failure of Galilean Relativity, Einstein postulates, Time Dilation

Harris, 1.1 – 1.3

 

Sept 11 Th

Special Relativity 2: Twin paradox, Doppler effect

Harris, 1.1 - 1.6

 

 

Homework 1: Harris, 1.4, 6, 8, 14, 18

Due, Mon, Sept 12

 

Sept 16 Tu

Special Relativity 3: Velocity transformation, Dynamics

Harris, 1.4 - 1.9

 

Sept 15M, 18Th

Laboratory 1: Photoelectric Effect, BXX

Due Tue, Sept 23

 

Sept 18 Th

Special Relativity 4: Four Vectors, General relativity

Harris, 1.9 - end

 

 

Homework 2: Harris, 1.24, 26, 30, 32, 35, 36, 40, 81

Due, Fri, Sept 19

 

Sept 23 Tu

Waves and Particles 1a: Photoelectric effect, Black Body

Harris, 2.1 - 2.3

 

Sept 23M, 26Th

Laboratory 2: Atomic Potentials, BXX

Due Tue, Sept 30

 

Sept 25 Th

Waves and Particles 1b: Compton scattering, pair production

Harris, 2.3 - 2.5 end

 

 

Homework 3: Harris, 1.42, 43, 48, 54, 55, 65, 72, 75; 2.4, 10

Due, Fri, Sept 26

 

Sept 30 Tu

Waves and Particles 2a: Matter waves, Schrodinger Eqn intro

Harris, 3.1 - 3.3

 

Sept 30M,

Oct 3Th

Laboratory 3: Electron Diffraction, BXX

Due Tue, Oct 7

 

Oct 2 Th

Waves and Particles 2b: Uncertainty principle

Harris, 3.4 - 3.5

 

 

Homework 4: TBA

Due, Fri, Oct 3

 

Oct 7 Tu

Waves and Particles 2c:  Fourier transform, Bohr atom

Harris, 3.6 - 3.7, end

 

Oct 6M, 9Th

No laboratory

 

 

Oct 9 Th

The Schrondinger Eqn: Genrl Formulation and wave equation

Harris, 4.1 - 4.4

 

 

Homework 5: TBA

Due, Fri, Oct 10

 

Oct 14 Tu

Monday Schedule--No Lecture

Harris, 4.4 - 4.5

 

Oct 13M, 16Th

No laboratory

 

 

Oct 16 Th

The Schrondinger Eqn: Particle in a box

 

 

 

Homework 6: TBA

Due, Fri, Oct 17

 

Oct 21 Tu

The Schrondinger Eqn: Operators, finite wells

Harris, 4.6 - 4.7

 

Oct 20M, 23Th

Laboratory 4: TBA (Photon Quantum Interference)

Due Tue, Oct 28

 

Oct 23 Th

The Schrondinger Eqn: Simple harmonic oscillator

Harris, 4.8 - 4.9

 

 

Homework 7: TBA

Due, Fri, Oct 24

 

Oct 28 Tu

The Schrondinger Eqn: Non-stationary states and review 

Harris, 4.10 - 4.11, end

 

Oct 27M, 30Th

No laboratory week of midterm

 

 

Oct 30 Th

MIDTERM EXAM – Harris Ch1. thru Ch 4.

 

 

 

No Homework week of Midterm

 

 

Nov 4 Tu

Unbound States:

Harris, 5.1 - 5.2

 

Nov 3M, 6Th

Laboratory 5: Atomic Spectra, BXX

Due Tue, Nov 11

 

Nov 6 Th

Quantum Tunneling: Resonance, Finite Barriers

Harris, 5.3

 

 

Homework 8: Harris, TBA

Due, Fri, Nov 7

 

Nov 11 Tu

Wave Packets: Group and Phase Velocity; Dispersion

Harris, 5.3

 

Nov 10M, 13Th

No laboratory

 

 

Nov 13 Th

Hydrogen Atom: 3D Quantum; Particle in Box

Harris, 6.1 - 6.3

 

 

Homework 9: Harris, TBA

Due, Fri, Nov 14

 

Nov 18 Tu

Hydrogen Atom: Hydrogen SE: Central Forces,

Harris, 6.3 - 6.4

 

Nov 17M, 21Th

Laboratory 6: Spin Physics

Due Tue, Nov 25

 

Nov 21 Th

Hydrogen Atom: Angular Momentum

Harris, 6.5 - 6.8

 

 

Homework 10: Harris, TBA

Due, Fri, Nov. 21

 

Nov 25 Tu

Hydrogen Atom: Radial, Selection Rules

Spin Physics: Electron Spin and Symmetrization

Harris, 6.9, and 6.11

Harris, 7.1 - 7.2

 

Nov 24M, 27Th

No laboratory week of Thanksgiving

 

 

Nov 26 Tu

Spin Physics: Pauli exclusion Principle

Harris, 7.3 - 7.4

 

Nov 27 Th

Thanksgiving

 

 

 

Homework 11: Harris, TBA

Due, Fri, Dec 5

 

Dec 2 Tu

Statistical Mechanics: Spin and Probability of small numbers

Harris, 8.1 - 8.4

 

Dec 1M, 4Th

Laboratory 7: Semiconductor Diode Properties

Due Tue, Dec 9

 

Dec 4 Th

Statistical Mechanics: Quantum Distributions

Harris, 8.5 - 8.7

 

Dec 9 Tu

Lasers, Bose Einstein Cond: Applications of Quantum Stat

Harris, 8.7 and 8.9

 

Dec 10 Wed

Review for final during discussion section time

 

 

Dec 16 Tues

Final Exam 9:00-11:00