PHYS411-25S1 (C) Semester One 2025

Advanced Quantum Mechanics

15 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 17 February 2025
End Date: Sunday, 22 June 2025
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 2 March 2025
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Sunday, 11 May 2025

Description

Advanced Quantum Mechanics

Learning Outcomes

  • The aim of this course is to provide a thorough understanding of non-relativistic quantum mechanics, with an emphasis on Dirac notation, time evolution, angular momentum theory, time-dependent perturbation theory and creation and annihilation operator techniques.

    Students will be able to:
  • Manipulate expressions using Dirac’s notation.
  • Calculate the time-evolution of simple quantum systems.
  • Perform calculations using angular-momentum techniques, including the Wigner-Eckart theorem.
  • Be able to explain the concept of quantum entanglement and how it might be used for quantum information applications.  
  • Calculate transition rates using time-dependent perturbation theory.
  • (Probably not covered this year, but material will be available for those who are interested: Apply to use second-quantization techniques to simplify calculations involving systems of many fermions and/or bosons.)

Prerequisites

Subject to approval of the Head of Department

Timetable 2025

Students must attend one activity from each section.

Lecture A
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Monday 13:00 - 14:00 Jack Erskine 101
17 Feb - 6 Apr
28 Apr - 1 Jun
Lecture B
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Tuesday 12:00 - 13:00 Psychology - Sociology 210
17 Feb - 6 Apr
28 Apr - 1 Jun
Lecture C
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Wednesday 09:00 - 10:00 Ernest Rutherford 260
17 Feb - 6 Apr
28 Apr - 1 Jun

Course Coordinator / Lecturer

Mike Reid

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage 
Final Exam 65%
Four Homework Assignments 15%
Test at the start of Term 2 20%

Textbooks / Resources

Recommended Reading

J.J. Sakurai, Jim Napolitano; Modern Quantum Mechanics, ; 2nd ed; Addison-Wesley, 2011 ((I think that it is a very good book and worth owning.)).

Additional Course Outline Information

Academic integrity

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $1,213.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

For further information see School of Physical & Chemical Sciences .

All PHYS411 Occurrences

  • PHYS411-25S1 (C) Semester One 2025