Programme

The crisis of the classical physics
- Black body radiation
- Planck's formula
- The photoelectric effect
- The Compton effect
- Rutherford's atomic model
- Bohr's quantum theory
- De Broglie's waves

Fundamentals of Quantum Mechanics
- Basic probability theory
- Schroedinger equation and wave function
- Probabilistic interpretation of the wave function
- Measurement problem and collapse of the wave function
- Stern-Gerlach and Young’s experiments
- Physical quantities and operators
- Eigenvalues and eigenfunctions
- Stationary states
- Principle of superposition
- Uncertainty principle

Applications to unidimensional problems
- The potential well
- The harmonic oscillator
- The potential barrier and tunnel effect

Several-particles systems
- Identical particles: Fermi–Dirac and Bose-Einstein statistics
- classical limit and Maxwell-Boltzmann statistics
- Electrons in a crystal: Bloch's theorem
- Quantum entanglement
- EPR paradox and Bell’s theorem
- Fundamentals of qubits and quantum computation

Core Documentation

1) D. J. Griffith, "Introduzione alla meccanica quantistica"

Reference Bibliography

2) B.H. Bransden and C.J. Joachain, "Quantum Mechanics" 3) M. A. Nielsen and I. L. Chuang, “Quantum computation and quantum information”

Attendance

Attendance is optional but highly recommended.

Type of evaluation

The exam consists of a written test, which includes open-ended problems and open-ended theory questions, and of an oral interview.