PHYCS 3740 - Introduction to Quantum Theory and Relativity

Brief introduction to special relativity: Lorentz transformations, relativistic energy and momentum, and the Doppler effect. The quantization of light: Planck black body radiation, the photoelectric effect and x-rays, and Bragg diffraction. Basic quantum ideas: wave-particle duality, uncertainty relations, and wave packets. Introduction to quantum mechanics: Schrodinger equation in one, two, and three dimensions. Squarewells, harmonic oscillator, and hydrogen atom. Quantum properties of spin and angular momentum: Zeeman effect, Stern-Gerlach experiment, atomic structure, and emission and absorption of E and M waves. Multi-electron atoms and the Periodic Table.