8.05 Quantum Physics II, Fall 2002
A spherical harmonic, a wave packet, and the momentum operator in the harmonic oscillator basis. (Image by Prof. Krishna Rajagopal.)
Highlights of this Course
Course Description
This course, along with the next course in this sequence (
8.06, Quantum Physics III) in a two-course sequence covering quantum physics with applications drawn from modern physics. General formalism of quantum mechanics: states, operators, Dirac notation, representations, measurement theory. Harmonic oscillator: operator algebra, states. Quantum mechanics in three-dimensions: central potentials and the radial equation, bound and scattering states, qualitative analysis of wavefunctions. Angular momentum: operators, commutator algebra, eigenvalues and eigenstates, spherical harmonics. Spin: Stern-Gerlach devices and measurements, nuclear magnetic resonance, spin and statistics. Addition of angular momentum: Clebsch-Gordan series and coefficients, spin systems, and allotropic forms of hydrogen.