PHYSICS 154 -- MODERN PHYSICS

Level

Modern Physics by Tipler & Llewellyn (3rd edition)

Prerequisite

Physics 143 OR (Physics 133 and Math 220)

Syllabus

1. Photons
1. photoelectric effect
2. Einstein's quantum theory of light
3. Compton effect
2. Structure of the Atom
1. spectral lines; Rydberg constant
2. Rutherford scattering
3. Bohr model
4. Franck-Hertz experiment
3. Wave Nature of Particles
1. de Broglie waves
2. wave packets: wave and group velocities
3. Davisson-Germer experiment
4. wave-particle duality
5. uncertainty principle
6. 2-slit interference
4. Wave Mechanics
1. Schroedinger equation: time-dependent form
2. Schroedinger equation: time-independent form
3. wave functions
4. probabilistic interpretation; expectation values
5. Solutions to Schroedinger Equation in 1-D
1. particle in a box: energy levels & wave functions
2. particle in a finite potential well
3. step potential: transmission & reflection probabilities
4. barrier penetration; tunnelling: alpha decay
6. Solutions to Schroedinger Equation in 3-D
1. particle in a 3-D box
2. hydrogen atom: separation of variables [a rigorous solution of the ODE's is deferred until Physics 234-235]
3. energy; angular momentum; space quantization
4. electron spin; exclusion principle
7. Applications
1. nuclear physics
2. solid-state physics

LABORATORY EXPERIMENTS -- PHYSICS 154

1. Photo-electric Effect
2. Balmer Series
3. Counting Statistics
4. Gamma-ray Spectroscopy

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