Advanced Quantum Physics

6 EC

Semester 1, period 1

5092ADQP6Y

Owner Bachelor Natuur- en Sterrenkunde (joint degree)
Coordinator B.W. Freivogel
Part of Minor Natuurkunde en Sterrenkunde, year 1Bachelor Physics and Astronomy (Joint Degree), year 3Dubbele bachelor Wis- en Natuurkunde, year 3

Course manual 2018/2019

Course content

Approximation techniques and their application to physical problems (Griffiths textbook, chapters 6-10). Fundamental aspects of quantum information theory.

This course is the culmination of the bachelor quantum mechanics curriculum. Half of the course is devoted to fundamental topics in quantum information, including entanglement, the density matrix, the Schmidt decomposition, quantum teleportation, and the no-cloning theorem. The second half of the course covers a number of advanced topics. There is room for input from students on the topics chosen, but the course is likely to include the path integral formulation of quantum mechanics, scattering theory, and the Berry phase.

Topics and references

1st half of the course: Quantum Information

Main Reference: Preskill lecture notes (http://www.theory.caltech.edu/people/preskill/ph229/#lecture)
• Updated chapter 2, sections 2.3 and 2.4
• Updated chapter 3, section 3.1.1
• Updated chapter 4, sections 4.1.2, 4.2, 4.4.2, 4.5.2
Additional Reference: Friedman-Susskind book, chapters 6 and 7. (Provides an alternative, more
accessible viewpoint on some of the topics, but does not cover everything. This reference is on the
blackboard site for the course.)

2nd half of the course: Other advanced topics in quantum mechanics

Main Reference: Introduction to Quantum Mechanics, 2nd ed., David Griffiths
If many students are enthusiastic about including a particular topic, I am open to suggestions.
The current plan is:
1. The WKB approximation (chapter 8).
2. Time-Dependent Perturbation Theory (chapter 9).
3. Adiabatic approximation and Berry phase (chapter 10).
4. The path integral formulation of quantum mechanics (reference to be decided)

Study materials

Literature

  • Parts of D.J. Griffiths, `Introduction to Quantum Mechanics'; other material will be announced later.

Syllabus

Objectives

Aan het eind van het vak kan de student:

  • Students should develop physical intuition for the properties of quantum mechanical systems.
  • Students will learn to apply a variety of approximation techniques to interesting physical problems. They will be able to analyze which approximation techniques are appropriate to which problems, and to calculate using approximation techniques.
  • Students should understand and be able to apply the basic properties of quantum information theory: entanglement between particles, the density matrix description, and related topics. 

Teaching methods

  • Lecture
  • Seminar
  • Self-study

Learning activities

Activiteit

Aantal uur

Hoorcollege

28

Tentamen

3

Werkcollege

28

Zelfstudie

109

Attendance

Programme's requirements concerning attendance (OER-B):

  • Each student is expected to participate actively in each component of the programme that he/she signed up for. A student that does not attend the first two seminars of a course, will be administratively removed from the seminar group. A request for reregistration for the seminars can be applied to the programme coordinator.
  • If a student cannot attend an obligatory component of a programme's component due to circumstances beyond his control, he must report in writing to the relevant teacher as soon as possible. The teacher, if necessary after consulting the study adviser, may decide to issue the student a replacing assignment.
  • It is not allowed to miss obligatory commponents of the programme if there is no case of circumstances beyond one's control.
  • In case of participating qualitatively or quantitatively insufficiently, the examiner can expel a student from further participation in the programme's component or a part of that component. Conditions for sufficient participation are set down in advance in the course manual.
  • In addition to the above mentioned rules, in the first semester of the first year a student should be present in at least 80% of the seminars. Moreover, participation to midterm tests and obligatory homework is required. If the student does not comply with these obligations, the student is expelled from the resit of this course. Students in the double Bachelor's degree programme Mathematics and Physics are exempted from this requirement. In case of personal circumstances, as described in OER-A Article 6.4, a different study plan will be made in consultation with the study advisor.

Assessment

Item and weight Details

Final grade

1 (100%)

Tentamen

Fraud and plagiarism

The 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' applies to this course. This will be monitored carefully. Upon suspicion of fraud or plagiarism the Examinations Board of the programme will be informed. For the 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' see: www.student.uva.nl

Course structure

Weeknummer Onderwerpen Studiestof
36 WC1/WC2 1.1, 1.2, 1.14 (S.) / 1.3, 1.4, 1.8 (S.) 
37 WC1/WC2  1.9, 1.7, 1.12 / (finish 1.12), 1.14, 1.7 (S)
38  WC1/WC2 1.13, 1.10 (S) / 1.15, 1.16, 1.17 (S) 
39  WC1/WC2  10.1 (G) / 10.6, 10.3, 10.5 (G)
40  WC1/WC2 10.10, 11.2 (G) / 11.4, 11.5, 11.6 (G) 
41  WC1/WC2 11.12, 11.13, 11.19 (G) / 2.1 (S), 4.36 (G) 
42  WC1/WC2 3.1, 3.2 (S) / practice problems (syllabus, Griffiths, "practice problems" on blackboard) 
     

Timetable

The schedule for this course is published on DataNose.

Processed course evaluations

Below you will find the adjustments in the course design in response to the course evaluations.

Contact information

Coordinator

  • B.W. Freivogel