ADVANCED QUANTUM MECHANICS
Academic Year 2021/2022 - 1° Year - Curriculum ASTROPHYSICS, Curriculum CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, Curriculum APPLIED PHYSICS, Curriculum THEORETICAL PHYSICS and Curriculum NUCLEAR AND PARTICLE PHYSICSCredit Value: 6
Scientific field: FIS/02 - Theoretical physics, mathematical models and methods
Taught classes: 35 hours
Exercise: 15 hours
Term / Semester: 1°
Learning Objectives
The teaching proposes to provide a knowledge of quantum mechanics including its relativistic extension. In particular, the objective is to provide a knowledge of the main methods for understanding the quantum behavior of the physical systems of interest for modern physics, explicitly deriving the time-dependent pertubatical theory and the general elements of the quantum approach to the scattering process. Moreover, the teaching will allow to access to the more advanced formulations of quantum mechanics such as quantization of the electromagnetic field, the formulation of quantum mechanics in terms of Feynmann integrals and the relativistic formulation of quantum mechanics with the Dirac and Klein-Gordon equations.
Upon completion of the course the student must be able to know the topics of the course and know how to derive through the necessary analytical steps the main results discussed in the course. It must also be able to apply this knowledge for the resolution of exercises on the behavior of quantum systems. The aim of the course is also that the student develops the critical capacity for the evaluation of the results obtained. This capacity will be developed during the course, focusing repeatedly on the physical meaning of the formulas obtained and on the methods for evaluating the order of magnitude of the expected results even before carrying out the full calculations.
Course Structure
Frontal lectures both for the theoretical part of the course and for the exercises. There will be some exercise classes held as practical tests based on the resolution of the exam exercises of previous years. This activity will be carried on also by a tutor associated to the course. Should the circumstances require online or blended teaching, appropriate modifications to what is hereby stated may be introduced, in order to achieve the main objectives of the course.
Detailed Course Content
Approximation Methods - Overview of Time-Independent Perturbation Theory; Interaction (or Dirac’s) representation of quantum mechanics; Time evolution of quantum states: applications to neutrino oscillations; time dependent perturbation theory (instantaneous, periodic, adiabatic); Fermi Golden Rule; Widths of excited states associate to transitions; Applications to the interaction with classical electromagnetic field:photoelectric effect; WKB method and applications to Bohr-Sommerfeld quantization, finite double well potential and tunneling processes.
Theory of Angular Momemntum and Spin - Overview of angular momentum and spin eigenstates and communtation relations; Rotations operator; Additions of Angular momenta and spins.
Foundations of Quantum Mechanics - Density Matrix formalism, pure and mixture ensembles of quantum states; Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) paradox; Einstein's locality principle and Bell's inequality for spin correlation measurements.
Scattering Theory - Lippmann-Schwinger equation; Scattering amplitude and differential cross section; Born approximation; Expansion in partial waves and phase shifts; Low energy scattering and bound states; Elastic and inelastic scattering; Inelastic electron-atom scattering and form factors; Resonant scattering for non-relativistic interacting systems; exercises. Response and correlations functions, dynamical susceptibility and spectral representation.
Primer of Quantum Theory for the electromagnetic field - Schroedinger equation in a external e.m. field and gauge invariance; Bohm-Ahranov effect and magnetic monopole; simplified approach to the quantization of electromagnetic field; spontaneous radiative emission and dipole transitions.
Path-Integrals - Propagators and Green-functions; Path-Integral formulation of quantum mechanics; Examples: free particle, harmonic oscillators; primer on instantons.
Relativistic Quantum Mechanics - Klein-Gordon Equation and Klein’s paradox; Casimir effect; Dirac Equation and the free particle and anti-paticle solutions; Weyl and Majorana representations; Non-relativistic reduction of Dirac equation: Pauli equation; Charge, Parity and Time reversal simmetries; Dirac particle in a Coulomb field; hyperfine structure and Lamb-shift; exercises.
Textbook Information
1) J. J. Sakurai and J. Napolitano, Modern Quantum Mechanics, Ed. Addison-Wesley.
2) F. Schwabl, Advanced Quantum Mechanics, Ed. Springer.
3) Giuseppe Nardulli - Meccanica quantistica: applicazioni, vol II, Ed. Franco Angeli.
4) J.J. Sakurai, Advanced Quantum Mechanics, Ed. Addison-Wesley.
5) J.D. Bjorken and S. D. Drell, Relativistic Quantum Mechanics, Ed. McGraw-Hill.
6) B. R. Holstein, Topics in Advanced Quantum Mechanics, Ed. Addison- Wesley.