DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY -- (202) 806-6245 (main office), -5830 (fax)

Intro. to Modern Physics (PHYS 015) MWF, 3¹⁰ - 4⁰⁰ pm, in TKH 300;
Office hrs.: MW 4 - 5 pm, and by appointment (at least one day ahead, confirmed)
[Topics][Daily Schedule][Minimal Requirements][Assignments][e-Gear][Welcome]

Instructor: Tristan Hübsch

TKH#213, 806-6267 thubsch@mac.com

Textbook (required): Serway, Moses & Moyer, Modern Physics (2nd ed.)
--- and several other sources, as given in class and available on-line.

Component	Time	Remark	% of Grade
Homework	See in daily schedule	Late HW = 0 credit !!!	20%
Class work/Quizzes	1-2/week	current material	20%
Exams (two midterms)	See in daily schedule	not comprehensive	(each) 20%
Now drop the one worst component of the above (for each student individually).
Final exam	Last week of semester	comprehensive	40%

The aim of the course is to introduce the students to the relativistic and quantum nature of Nature. This course begins with reviewing the experimental indications of the relativistic and quantum phenomena, and then proceeds with an introduction to the methods and techniques developed to their study. Emphasis will be on conceptual understanding rather than technical mastery, although problem-solving skills will also developed.

A successful student is expected to demonstrate a conceptual understanding of the fundamental principles of relativistic and quantum physics, but also to demonstrate-and maintain-the ability to solve practical problems involving quantum phenomena. For minimal requirements, see below!

Topical schedule:

 §1: Relativity
 §2: The Quantum Nature of Light
 §3: The Particle Nature of Matter
 §4: Matter Waves
 §5: Quantum Mechanics in One Dimension
 §6: Tunneling Phenomena
 §7: Quantum Mechanics in Three Dimensions
 §8: Atomic Structure
 §9: Statistical Physics
§10: Molecular Structure
§11: The Solid State
§12: Superconductivity
§13: Nuclear Structure
§14: Nuclear Physics Applications
§15: Particle Physics and Cosmology

Day-to-day schedule: Students are required to read ahead

01/10: Introductory Matters
01/12: Modern Physics: History and Motivations (Prof. Lowe)
01/14: Modern Physics: History and Motivations (Prof. Lowe)
01/17: Observed Holiday: Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday
01/19: Special Relativity: Motivations and Postulates, §1.1-4
01/21: Special Relativity: Kinematic Consequences, §1.5-6
01/24: Special Relativity: Dynamic Consequences, §1.7-10
01/26: Quantum Light: as a Wave, and Black-Body Radiation, §2.1-4 [HW#1 due]
01/28: Quantum Light: as a Particle, and its Mass, §2.5-7
01/31: Matter as Particles: Atoms, §3.1-2
02/02: Matter as Particles: the Hydrogen Atom, §3.3-5 [HW#2 due]
02/04: Matter as Waves: Basic Ideas, §4.1-3
02/07: Matter as Waves: Uncertainty and Duality, §4.4-5
02/09: 1-Dimensional Quantum Mechanics: Basic Ideas, §5.1-3
02/11: 1-Dimensional Quantum Mechanics: Square Well, §6.4-5 [HW#3 due]
02/14: 1-Dimensional Quantum Mechanics: the Harmonic Oscillator, §5.6-7
02/16: 1-Dimensional Quantum Mechanics: Observables and Operators, §5.8
02/18: Tunneling Phenomena, §6.1-2 [HW#4 due]
02/21: Observed Holiday: President's Day
02/23: Tunneling Phenomena, Revisited §6.1-2
02/25: Qualitative Quantum (Wave) Mechanics [HW#5 due]
02/28: 3-Dimensional Quantum Mechanics: Particle in a box, §7.1
03/01: Review for the 1st Midterm Exam
03/03: 1st Midterm Exam: §1-6; 1-hour in-class, open-book [HW#6 due]
03/06: 3-Dimensional Quantum Mechanics: Central Forces & Spherical Coordinates, §7.2
03/08: 3-Dimensional Quantum Mechanics: Angular Momentum, §7.3-4
03/10: 3-Dimensional Quantum Mechanics: Hydrogen Atom Revisited, §7.5 [HW#7 due]
03/13: Atomic Structure: Spin, §8.1-4
03/15: Atomic Structure: the Periodic Table and X-Ray Spectra, §8.5-7
03/17: Classical vs. Quantum Statistical Physics, §9.1-2 [HW#8 due]
03/18-26: Observed Holiday: Spring Recess
03/27: Quantum Statistics: Bosons vs. Fermions, §9.3-4
03/29: Molecules: Bonds and Motion, §10.1-2
03/31: Molecules: Spectra and Complex Bonds, §10.3-5 [HW#9 due]
04/03: Solids: Bonding and Conductance, §11.1-2
04/05: Solids: Quantum Conductors and Semiconductors, §11.3-4
04/07: 2nd Midterm Exam: §7-10; 1-hour in-class, open-book [HW#10 due]
04/10: Solids: Semiconductor Devices, §11.5
04/12: Solids: Lasers, §11.6
04/14: Superconductivity: Magnetism, §12.1 [HW#11 due]
04/17: Superconductivity: History and Types, §12.2-4
04/19: Superconductivity: Other Properties, Consequences and Application, §12.5-11
04/21: Nuclei: Structure and Radioactivity, §13 [HW#12 due]
04/24: Applications of Nuclear Physics: Fission, Fusion and Radiation, §14
04/26: Particles, Cosmology and Beyond, §15 [HW#13 due]

Minimum requirements:

To pass the course with a grade B or better, a graduate Student must at the time of the final exam be able to demonstrate the ability to:

1. identify and apply the apropriate conservation laws;
2. determine the correct type of the wave-function (oscillatory vs. non-oscillatory), and the correct boundary- or periodicity-matching conditions on it -- depending on the potential;
3. determine the type of the energy spectrum of a particle, depending on the potential;
4. determine the total symmetry, degeneracy and relations between these for simple 1,- 2- and 3-dimensional systems;
5. correctly identify the quantum feature underlying any of the major phenomena examined in class.

A student who cannot demonstrate the above listed skills at the time of the final exam automatically forfeits a grade of B or better -- regardless of the total number of points acquired in homework, quizzes and exams, and regardless of the success in completing any other course requirement.

All assignments refer to end-of-chapter problems (not "questions", not "additional problems"!) as given in the text. See also homework solution suggestions.

1. Due 01/26/00: §1: 11, 17, 22, 26, 33, 38, 44.
2. Due 02/02/00: §2: 2, 4, 9, 16, 22, 29, 42.
3. Due 02/11/00: §3: 3, 8, 11, 15, 17, 25, 36.
4. Due 02/18/00: §4: 3, 5, 10, 17, 22, 27, 32.
5. Due 02/25/00: §5: 3, 5, 7, 13, 21, 32, 36.
6. Due 03/03/00: §6: 1, 3, 5, 6, 13.
7. Due 03/10/00: §7: 1, 4, 12, 18, 22, 24, 25.
8. Due 03/17/00: §8: 1, 3, 10, 13, 16, 21, 22.
9. Due 03/31/00: §9: 1, 8, 10, 12, 14, 21, 23.
10. Due 04/07/00: §10: 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 14.
11. Due 04/14/00: §11: 1, 7, 9, 10, 13, 15, 19.
12. Due 04/21/00: §12: 2, 11, 15, 20, 24, 29, 30.
13. Due 04/26/00: §13: 2, 12, 18, 21, 24, 41, 50.
14. Unassigned: §14: Do as many end-of-chapter problems as you can, on your own.

All homework assignments are due by 5:00 pm of the day indicated and should be either given to the instructor in hand, left in the instructor's mailbox in TKH#105, or slid under the instructor's office door, TKH#213. Late homework will not be accepted, except in cases of proven (medical) emergency.

Collaboration policy
Collaboration -- but not blind copying -- on the homework assignments is strongly encouraged; students should use this to learn from each other. All exams and quizzes are open text and open class-notes (including notebooks and class handouts), but no collaboration is allowed; by signing the exams and quizzes, the student implicitly agrees to abide by this policy. Violation of this policy is covered under the University regulations on academic dishonesty and cheating.

Coursework presentation and organization
While a neat presentation of home,- quiz- and exam-work is not required for full credit, it certainly makes it easier to assess the quality of the work and give the proper credit due. In all cases, include a simple sketch if it might help conveying the approach or the calculations. Where necessary, include all units and symbols such as the measure of an integral, arrow on a vector, vertical bars for the absolute value of a quantity, for the magnitude of a vector or for the determinant of a matrix, etc.

• Homework: Submitted answer sheets should be stapled (preferably in the top-left corner). The Student's full name (and ID number) should be indicated on the first (cover) page. Solutions should be labeled and ordered consecutively by the problem numbers. Include all calculation/work and give full reference to any result quoted from any source other than the text, and page/equation number for results quoted from the text. All homework assignments will be graded and returned to the individual students, but no detailed solutions will be provided.
• Quizzes: The Student's full name (and ID number) should be indicated on the first (cover) page, unless otherwise requested at the time of the quiz. Include all calculation/work and give the page/equation number for results quoted from the text. Speed and efficiency is important, but the presentation must be legible. If submitted under a pseudonym, the quizzes will be pre-graded by a classmate; the final grade will be given by the instructor. All quizzes will be graded and returned to the individual students, but no detailed solutions will be provided.
• Mid-term exams: All exam questions are given on a question sheet and include the detailed point distribution and the place to write in the Student's full name and ID number. This question sheet is to be stapled, in the top-left corner, on the top of the answer sheets. It will be used to indicate the acquired points, part by part and in total, the average score and the standard deviation. All mid-term exams will be graded and returned to the individual students, but no detailed solutions will be provided.
• Final exam: All exam questions are given on a question sheet and include the detailed point distribution and the place to write in the Student's full name and ID number. This question sheet is to be stapled, in the top-left corner, on the top of the answer sheets. It will be used to indicate the acquired points, part by part and in total, the average score and the standard deviation. The final exams are stored by the instructor, but are available to the individual student for review and photocopy after the exam;, no detailed solutions will be provided.

© Tristan Hübsch, 2000