Welcome to the PHYSICS 139a (Quantum Mechanics), Course Page--- ReLoaD FreQuenTly!
459-3714 (office) 205 Kerr Hall
458-0822 (before 10PM).
My email is:
zack@physics.ucsc.edu
PREPARING for the FINAL:
The following ...
1) understand
the origins of the width { sqrt( < x**2 > ) } of a ground
state:
Why it is what it is. How to estimate it by unit analysis for the harmonic
oscillator. how to extend that to other potentials in 1-D. The relationship
of width to kinetic energy. the tradeoff between potential and kenetic energy...
2) be able to apply the concepts associated with the tradeoff between kinetic and
potential energy in any situation.
2a) be able to use the principle that the ground state has the lowest energy
(variational principle) to do a calculation to optimize a (one-parameter)
trial wave-function.
2b) be able to work with delta functions...
2c) don't worry to much about scattering or free particles...
3) be able to use orthogonality and increasing number of nodes with increasing
energy in any situation.
4) think about what a periodic table might look like for an atom based
on the 2D harmonic oscillator (with spin 1/2, i.e. double countingi of spatial orbitals...).
What numbers of electrons would give completely filled shells...
Suppose you have a gas that includes atoms with 4 electrons and atoms with
1 electron . What simple molecules could form and what structure might they
have? Try to think of just the simplest stable one!
What are these atoms analogous to, respectively?
{OK, this one is pretty darn hard. But it is something to think about
after you study everything else.)
5a) know how to calculate expectation values:
both time dependent and time independent ones...
5b) know how to use a+ and a- "operators" to calculate expectation values
(or matrix elements).
6) understand how to calculate time dependence..., and how to tell when things
what things are and are not time dependent.
7) know how to draw eigenstates of multiple well systems
8) simple addition of angular momentum J=l+s,... J=l-s
9) how to get e.v.'s and eig vectors of simple matrices.
also matrix multiplication, how to take hermitian conjugates (of matrices)
10) Have a basic understanding of issues associated with degeneracy and the fact
that degenerate eigenstates can be combined to form other eigenstates... choices...
hybridization,,,
*** THERE WILL BE A SPECIAL CLASS AT 10:30 ON MONDAY ON THE PERIODIC
TABLE, MOLECULES, AND CHEMICAL BONDING. ****
Homework:
Check Out these POW's!!!! There is something new there.
POW's are optional. They are not required to pass the course, but they do
help get a really good eval, IF you do a really good job. The write-up should
be clear and coherent, with equations and text combined in a meaningful way.
Please don't pad them with extra verbiage. They are not judged on length. Please
make them readable, interesting and honest.