Academics

Course Introduction

Contemporary research in materials science has advanced to the atomic and molecular scale, where quantum effects become increasingly significant. At the same time, applying quantum mechanical methods to study the structure–property relationships of materials at the atomic scale has become essential for materials research and design. Since the majority of Master’s and Ph.D. students at the SAM, PKU Shenzhen Graduate School, have not previously studied quantum mechanics during their undergraduate education, it is necessary to offer a course covering the fundamentals of quantum mechanics. This will broaden and elevate the academic perspective of our graduate students. The course is designed for a total of 32 teaching hours (2 hours per week over 16 weeks). It will cover the fundamental concepts of quantum mechanics, including: The birth of quantum mechanics, Wave functions and the Schrödinger equation, One-dimensional stationary problems, Operators in quantum mechanics, Time evolution and symmetries of physical quantities, Central force fields, Motion of particles in electromagnetic fields, Representation transformations and matrix formulation of quantum mechanics, Spin, Algebraic solutions of eigenvalue problems, Perturbation theory for bound states, Quantum transitions, Scattering theory, Other approximation methods. Assessment will be based primarily on a closed-book final examination, supplemented by attendance records.

Course Materials

Quantum Mechanics (Vol. I), Author: Zeng Jinyan, 5th Edition, Science Press, October 1, 2013.