PHYSICS 502, SPRING 2012

GRADUATE QUANTUM MECHANICS II

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Because of conference travel, I will need to reschedule several classes this semester. The missed classes and tentative reschedule plan are as follows:

  Feb 06: Missed class	Feb 08: Regular Class	Thursday Feb 9: MAKE-UP   3:20-4:40   ARC 108
  Feb 13: Regular class	Feb 15: Regular class
  Feb 20: Regular class	Feb 22: Regular class	Friday Feb 24: MAKE-UP   10:20-11:40   SEC 204
  Feb 27: NO CLASS	Feb 29: NO CLASS
  Mar 05: Regular class	Mar 07: Regular class	Friday Mar 9: MAKE-UP   10:20-11:40   SEC 218

• Homework assignments.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Instructor:

Prof. David Vanderbilt Office: Serin E291 Email: dhv@physics.rutgers.edu Phone: 445-5500 x2514 Office hours: Friday 11-12am

General:

This is a continuation of Physics 501, Quantum Mechanics I. The course format will be similar to that of Physics 501.

Textbooks and Syllabus:

• Principal (required) text: Principles of Quantum Mechanics (2nd Edition), by R. Shankar.

Please note that some of the lectures will be less closely tied to the textbook this semester than was typically the case last semester. You may wish to consult the Book List for suggestions of other books appropriate to the level of this course.

Lectures: Monday and Wednesday, 4nd period (1:40-3:00pm), ARC 108. Lecture should be as interactive as possible; you are definitely encouraged to ask questions, or express what is confusing you, in the lecture. Also, I strongly recommend that you read the corresponding textbook material before lecture, so that you can come prepared to ask questions about the points that you find unclear.

Homeworks: Since people usually "learn by doing," the homeworks are an extremely important part of the course experience. Homeworks will be assigned at intervals of 1 or 1.5 weeks; they will be graded and returned to you.

Exams: The tentative plan is to have no midterm exam and to have a take-home final exam. Watch for announcements as the end of the semester approaches.

Web site: If you are looking at a paper copy of this document, it is actually a printout of the course home page located at http://www.physics.rutgers.edu/grad/502. Please bookmark this location. It will be used frequently for listing homework assignments and communicating other details about the course.

Communication: My posted office hours are as listed above, but you are free to see me at other times as well. If it's a quick question, just drop in; otherwise it might be advisable to phone or email ahead to make an appointment. Also, feel free to contact me by email about any aspect of the course.

Grades: To arrive at the final grade I will do a numerical calculation first (with weights of approximately 50% for homeworks and 50% for exams). This will then be adjusted, based on factors like class participation, to arrive at a final letter grade.

Students with disabilities: Please read here.