NFYK15003U Advanced Quantum Mechanics (Quant3)

Volume 2024/2025
Education

MSc Programme in Physics
MSc Programme in Physics with a minor subject

Content

The course is a graduate level in quantum mechanics with emphasis on providing the students with tools to understand the advanced courses within the quantum branch of the master program. The introductory undergraduate quantum mechanics curriculum is reviewed and expanded with emphasis on important concepts such as symmetries, approximate methods, scattering theory, and second quantization. The course introduces the concepts of propagators and density matrices, applied to physical examples, as well as relativistic quantum mechanics.

Learning Outcome

Knowledge:

The course gives knowledge about the modern quantum mechanics formalism, including Dirac notation, density matrices, different representations (such as e.g. position and momentum representations), and the importance of symmetries for conservation laws and practical solutions of quantum mechanical problems. Furthermore, the principles of scattering theory and time-dependent perturbation theory is an important part of the course, as well as introductions to relativistic and many-particle states.

 

Skills:
The course should provide the student with the ability to:

  • Understand a quantum mechanical description of physical systems.
  • Solve  both time-dependent and time-independent
    simple examples of quantum mechanical problems using the Dirac formalism.
  • Use the concept of propagators and understand Feynman's method of path integrals.
  • Use symmetry arguments to simplify the c.alculations and to understand the corresponding conserved quantities
  • Calculate scattering amplitudes using advanced scattering theory
  • Formulate and perform calculations on many-body problems in terms of second quantization.
  • Understand the relativistic Dirac equation and its relation to non-relativistic quantum mechanics.

 

Competences:
This course will provide the students with the necessary background for further studies in the different topics of quantum physics, such as quantum optics, condensed matter physics and particle physics, and it will give the student some of the necessary tools needed for analyzing physical systems where quantum mechanical effects play an important role. Students will also be introduced to simple quantum computations that allow us to illustrate and probe the behavior of quantum systems.

See Absalon for final course material. The following is an example of expected course literature:

  • J.J. Sakurai and Jim Napolitana, Modern Quantum Mechanics.
10-15 ECTS undergraduate courses in quantum mechanics

Academic qualifications equivalent to a BSc degree is recommended.
Lectures and exercise sessions
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Lectures
  • 28
  • Preparation
  • 90
  • Theory exercises
  • 42
  • Project work
  • 42
  • Exam
  • 4
  • Total
  • 206
Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Continuous assessment
On-site written exam, 4 hours under invigilation
Type of assessment details
The exam consists of two parts; the required homework sets count for 50% of the final grade. The 4 hours written exam without aids counts for 50% of the final grade.

The final grade is calculated as the average of the two parts, which do not have to be passed separately.

If the student does not hand in the homework sets or participate in the on-site written exam, this part will be counted as -3.

If one part of the exam is passed but not the entire exam, this will carry over to the re-exam.
Aid
Without aids

For the homework sets, all aids are allowed. For the written exam, no aids are allowed.

Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
No external censorship
course responsible plus one censor.
Re-exam

Same as the ordinary exam.

 

If there are 10 students or less signed up for the re-exam, the written exam will be changed to an oral examination, 30 minutes with 1-hour preparation time and no aid, counting 50% of the final grade.

 

If the student has not passed the homework sets during the course, revised homework sets can be submitted no later than two weeks before the date of the written (or oral) reexam.

Criteria for exam assesment

See Learning Outcomes