PHYS 342: Modern Physics
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Week 1: Classical Models and Birth of Modern Physics
Lectures
- L1.1: Historical Overview
- L1.2: Classical Concepts - Review of Particles and Waves
- L1.3: Energy in a Wave, Radiation Pressure, and Interference
- L1.4: Blackbody Radiation and Photoelectric Effect
- L1.5: Descrete Line Spectra and Bohr's Model
- L1.6: Compton Effect
Week 2: Schrödinger Equation in 1 Dimension
Lectures
- L2.1 Wave Particle Duality
- L2.2: The 1D Schrödinger Equation to Describe de Broglie "Matter Waves"
- L2.3: One Dimensional Schrödinger Equation
- L2.4: A Free Particle
Week 3: Schrödinger Equation in 1d/Operators, Tunneling and Wavepackets
Lectures
- L2.5: 1d Infinite Square Well
- L2.6: 1d Finite Square Well
- L2.7: 1d Quantum Harmonic Oscillator Potential
- L3.1: Probability Distributions
- L3.2: Quantum Operators and Expectation Values
- L3.3: The Momentum Operator
Week 4: Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle
Lectures
- L4.1: Scattering of Matter-Waves from a Step Potential
- L4.2: Transmission Through a Potential Barrier
- L4.4: The Fourier Integral
- L4.3: Fourier Series
- L4.5: Wavepackets
- L4.6: Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle
Week 5: Schrödinger Equation and the Hydrogen Atom
Lectures
- L5.1: Schrödinger's Equation in 2 Dimensions
- L5.2: 2-d Density of States (DOS)
- L5.3: Schrödinger's Equation in 3D-Atomic Hydrogen
- L5.4: Separation of Variables
- L5.5: Eigenfunctions of Schrödinger's Equation for the Hydrogen Atom
- L5.6: Energy Eigenvalues of Schrödinger's Equation for the Hydrogen Atom
Week 6: Hydrogen Atom - Radiation
Lectures
- L6.1: The Radial Probability Density
- L6.2: Angular Momentum Operators
- L6.3: Vector Model of Angular Momentum
- L6.4: Radiative Atomic Transitions
- L6.5: Optical Absorption
- L6.6: Allowed Transitions, Selection Rules and Lasers
Week 7: Multi-Electron Atoms & Pauli's Exclusion Principle
Lectures
- L7.1: Orbital Magnetic Moments
- L7.2: Electron Spin
- L7.3: Pauli’s Exclusion Principle
- L7.4: Wavefunction Symmetry Under Particle Exchange
- L7.5: Some Examples
- L7.6: The Particle Exchange Operator and Many-particle Wavefunctions
Week 8: Rules of Probability
Lectures
- L8.1: Concepts in Probability
- L8.2: A Few Examples
- L8.3: The Statistics of Large Numbers
Week 9: Statistical Laws of Nature
Lectures
- L9.1: Kinetic Theory of Gases and the Maxwell-Boltzmann Distribution
- L9.2: The Maxwell-Boltzmann Distribution
- L9.3: Boltzmann Factor and Quantized Energy States
- L9.4: The Number of Available States
- L9.5: The Partition Function
- L9.6: The Partition Function - A Few Examples
Week 10: Quantum Statistics and Crystalline Solids
Lectures
- L9.7: Thermal de Broglie Wavelength
- L9.8: Quantum Statistics
- L10.1: Crystalline Solids
- L10.2: Unit Cells and Miller Indices
- L10.3: Energy States in a Periodic Crystal - Qualitative
- L10.4: Defining the Reciprocal Lattice
Week 11: Electron States in Periodic Solids
Lectures
- L11.1: The Free Electron Model
- L11.2: Free Electron States in 3D
- L11.3: Occupied States in the Free Electron Model
- L11.4: Nearly Free Electron Model
- L11.5: Energy Gaps in the Nearly Free Electron Model
Week 12: Special Realitivity - Introduction
Lectures
- L12.1: Inertial Reference Frames and the Galilean Transform
- L12.2: Measuring the Speed of Light
- L12.3: Michelson Morley Experiment
- L12.4: The Lorentz-Einstein Transformation Equations
- L12.5: Relativistic Time and Distance Intervals Between Two Events
- L12.6: Time Dilation
Week 13: Special Realitivity - Kinematics
Lectures
- L13.1: Length Contraction
- L13.2: Simultaneity Becomes Relative
- L13.3: Experimental Tests of Time Dilation
- L13.4: Relativistic Velocity Transformations
- L13.5: Relativistic Kinematics
- L13.6 Relativistic Energy
Week 14: Advanced Topics
Lectures
- L14.1: Compton Scattering
- L14.2: What's Next?
Week 15: Nuclear Structure
Lectures
- L15.1: Nuclear Characteristics
- L15.2: The Strong Force
- L15.3: Nuclear Shell Structure
- L15.4: Nuclear Decay
- L15.5: Radioactive Decay
- L15.6: The Mathematics of Radioactive Decay
Week 16: Nuclear Reactions
Lectures
- L16.1:Nuclear Reactions - Fission
- L16.2: Nuclear Reactions - Fusion
- L16.3: Final Thoughts