Catalog

Quantum Physics I

Physics MIT CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 24 lectures

This course covers the experimental basis of quantum physics. It introduces wave mechanics, Schrödinger's equation in a single dimension, and Schrödinger's equation in three dimensions. It is the first course in the undergraduate Quantum Physics sequence, followed by [_8.05 Quantum Physics II_](/courses/8-05-quantum-physics-ii-fall-2013/) and [_8.06 Quantum Physics III_](/courses/8-06-quantum-physics-iii-spring-2016/).

Syllabus

  1. 1 Lecture 1: Introduction to Superposition
  2. 2 Lecture 2: Experimental Facts of Life
  3. 3 Lecture 3: The Wave Function
  4. 4 Lecture 4: Expectations, Momentum, and Uncertainty
  5. 5 Lecture 5: Operators and the Schrödinger Equation
  6. 6 Lecture 6: Time Evolution and the Schrödinger Equation
  7. 7 Lecture 7: More on Energy Eigenstates
  8. 8 Lecture 8: Quantum Harmonic Oscillator
  9. 9 Lecture 9: Operator Methods for the Harmonic Oscillator
  10. 10 Lecture 10: Clicker Bonanza and Dirac Notation
  11. 11 Lecture 11: Dispersion of the Gaussian and the Finite Well
  12. 12 Lecture 12: The Dirac Well and Scattering off the Finite Step
  13. 13 Lecture 13: More on Scattering
  14. 14 Lecture 14: Resonance and the S-Matrix
  15. 15 Lecture 15: Eigenstates of the Angular Momentum Part 1
  16. 16 Lecture 16: Eigenstates of the Angular Momentum Part 2
  17. 17 Lecture 17: More on Central Potentials
  18. 18 Lecture 18: "Hydrogen" and its Discontents
  19. 19 Lecture 19: Identical Particles
  20. 20 Lecture 20: Periodic Lattices Part 1
  21. 21 Lecture 21: Periodic Lattices Part 2
  22. 22 Lecture 22: Metals, Insulators, and Semiconductors
  23. 23 Lecture 23: More on Spin
  24. 24 Lecture 24: Entanglement: QComputing, EPR, and Bell's Theorem

Course materials